World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 27 The Elder's Cell (1)
After entering the tunnel, Dantès could only bend his waist, walking was not convenient, and finally reached the other end of the tunnel, above which was the elder's cell.When we got here, the tunnel gradually narrowed, just enough for one person to crawl through.The floor of the elder's cell was paved with stone slabs, and the tunnel was dug from the darkest corner of the cell after prying up a slate slab, and then dug all the way to the end discovered by Dantès.As soon as the young man entered the cell, he straightened up and looked around the room carefully, but at first glance, there was nothing special in the room.

"Very well," said the elder, "it is only a quarter past twelve, and we have several hours to spare."

Dantès looked around, wondering by what clock the elder knew the exact time.

"Look at the ray of sunlight coming in through my window," said the elder, "and look at these lines I have carved on the wall, which are drawn according to the earth's rotation and the elliptical orbit around the sun. Look at these Lines, I can tell the time, more accurate than a clock, because the watch sometimes goes wrong, but the earth and the sun will not go wrong."

Dantès couldn't understand the elder's explanation at all. All he saw was the sun rising from the back of the mountain and setting in the Mediterranean Sea. He always believed that the sun was walking instead of the earth.Saying that the earth he was on was spinning, it couldn't detect it, and thought it was unlikely.From every word of the old man, he saw the mysterious science worthy of his thinking, which is so miraculous, just like when he was young, he once went to Guzila and Golconda, both of which are Indian place names .See gold mines and diamond mines. "Oh," he said to the elder, "I should like to see all your treasures at once."

The abbot went to the fireplace, and with the chisel he had always held in his hand pried open a stone, which had formerly served as a hearth, and beneath which was a rather deep cavity, and the various things which he had told Dantès Something is hiding in the hole.

"What do you want to see first?" the elder asked Dantès.

"Show me your great book on the Kingdom of Italy."

Faria took out three or four rolls of cloth bundled like papyrus from this precious cabinet. Each piece was about 4 inches wide and 18 inches long. They were numbered and densely written on them. , Dantès could read it, because it was written in Italian, the mother tongue of the elder, and Dantès was from Provence, so it was easy to read.

"You see," said the elder, "here is the whole manuscript, and I just wrote 'done' at the end of sheet 68 last week. This book has taken up two shirts and all my handkerchiefs. In case I can get it out If I find a publisher in Italy who dares to print for me, I will be famous everywhere."

"That is certain," said Dantès; "I have no doubts. Now will you show me the pen with which you wrote?"

"Look here." Faria said, and then showed Dantès a small stick about 6 inches long and the thickness of a paintbrush. cartilage with ink blots.The cartilage is long and thin, with a beak-shaped end and a split in the middle, just like a normal pen.Dantès looked at it carefully, and then looked around with his eyes, wondering what tool he used to cut it so neatly.

"Oh, by the way," said Faria, "you want to see the pocket knife, don't you? This is my masterpiece. I made a pocket knife and a short knife out of an old iron candlestick, and here they are .”

The knife was as fast as a razor, and as for the short knife, it was really well made, not only a short knife, but also a dagger.Dantès looked at these two things with great interest.The antique shop in Marseille has the tools made by the natives brought back by the captain of the voyage from all over the coast of the southern hemisphere. Dantès sometimes visits these shops and looks at them with such interest.

"As for the ink," said Faria, "you already know how I do it, and I make it as I use it."

"There is one thing I do not understand," said Dantès, "that you can do so much in the daylight alone?"

"I can also use it at night."

"Night! Can you see clearly at night like a cat?"

"No, but God has endowed man with wisdom to make up for the lack of senses. I can make my own light."

"How to make it?"

"I skim off the fat from the meat they give me and boil it to get a very thick oil. Look, this is my lamp." After speaking, the elder took out a piece of oil for Dantès The same thing as a lamp, its shape is very much like a street lamp.

"But what about fire?"

"Look, here are two pieces of flint, and here is a charred cloth."

"Do you still need matches?"

"I pretended to have a skin disease and asked them for some sulfur, and they gave it to me."

Dantès put all the things in his hand on the table, then lowered his head, he was already overwhelmed by the tenacity and perseverance of the elder.

"There are other things," the elder said again, "treasures can't just be hidden in a dark hole, come on, close this hole first." So the two of them put the stone back to its original place together, and the elder sprinkled it on it again. I picked up a little dust and wiped it with my feet, leaving no trace of movement.Then go to the bed and move the bed away.There is a hole hidden behind the head of the bed, on which a stone slab is firmly pressed, with almost no gaps, and a rope ladder 25 to 30 feet long is placed in the hole.Dantès took the end and measured it. The rope ladder is indeed very strong and can withstand heavy weight.

"It is nothing short of a miracle, but who gave you the ropes for this ladder?" asked Dantès.

"I tore off a few shirts, and then I took apart my bed sheets. This was done during the three years I was imprisoned in the Château Finestrère, and then they transferred me to the Château d'If. I thought of a way to bring all the cloth strips, and I will continue to do it after I come.”

"The hem of your bed sheet is torn, no one notices?"

"I sewed the edges back on."

"What to sew?"

"Sew with this needle," said the elder, lifting up his ragged clothes and showing Dantès a fishbone sewn on the clothes. The thorn was long and sharp, and thread was sewn on it . "Yes," continued Faria, "at first I wanted to tear down the bars and escape through this window. You see, my window is wider than yours, and when I really wanted to run, I can open it wider. But then I found out that the window opens to the patio, and it is not a big chance to run from here by chance, so I finally gave up. But I still keep this rope ladder, in case there is something unexpected in the future Opportunity, as I told you, may come in handy when you are lucky enough to escape from prison."

At this moment, Dantès seemed to be still measuring the rope ladder, but he was thinking of other things.He was thinking that the old man in front of him was so clever and astute, and his thoughts were so deep, that he might be able to solve the mystery of why he suffered misfortune, but he himself had never seen any reason.

"What are you thinking?" The elder asked with a smile when he saw that Dantès was in deep thought and thought he was going to give him another round of admiration.

"I was thinking at first, you have done everything you want to do, you must have racked your brains, if you were a free man outside the Great Wall, what great things you could do."

"Perhaps nothing will be accomplished. My brainpower that is too full will evaporate meaninglessly. The mysterious treasure house of human wisdom needs to be excavated with adversity. To make the gunpowder explode, the pressure must be increased. Life behind bars has made me split up. The scattered talents gather at one point, and all kinds of abilities collide with each other in a narrow space. You know, the collision of clouds produces electricity, electricity produces flash, and flash produces light."

"No, I don't understand that," said Dantès, despondent at his ignorance, "some of what you say is simply incomprehensible to me. I am blessed that you are so learned."

The elder smiled slightly.

"You said just now that you were thinking about more than one thing, right?"

"Yes."

"You only said the first thing. So what's the second thing?"

"Well, you have told me about your life, but you don't know about mine."

"Young man, your life is still very short, and it is impossible to experience any major events."

"However, a great calamity has passed through," said Dantès, "and I have been completely wronged and persecuted. I have sometimes blasphemed, but I cannot do it again, and I will avenge myself on those who caused this calamity."

"You mean you're innocent, but someone wronged you?"

"I am completely innocent and I swear on my two dearest, my father and Mercedes."

"Well," said the elder, covering the hole and pushing the bed back into place, "tell me about your experience."

So, Dantès recounted what he thought he had experienced, but actually he went to India once, and went to countries on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea twice.Finally, he talked about his last voyage, how Captain Leclerc died, how he was entrusted with delivering a package to Marshal Bertrand, how he went to see the Marshal, and how the Marshal gave him a letter addressed to M. Noirquier Letters, how he returned to Marseilles, how he went to see his father, how he fell in love with Mercedes, how the engagement feast was held, how he was arrested and tried, how he was temporarily imprisoned in the court prison, and finally how he was transferred to the Château d'If to the prison.After that Dantès knew nothing, not even remembering how long he had been shut up here.

After Dantès finished speaking, the elder pondered deeply for a while.

"There is a universally recognized principle in jurisprudence," said the elder, "and its meaning is very profound. It means the same as what I just told you. This sentence says that there are no evil thoughts, and it is human nature to hate crimes. However, Civilization not only brings us needs, but also injustice and extravagant expectations, and its influence can sometimes cause us to kill the nature of goodness and take the evil path of evil. From this, we can draw such a rule: you want to find out Who is the culprit, you first have to figure out who might benefit from the crime. Who might benefit from your being taken away?"

"It's no one's advantage, my God! What am I?"

"Don't say that, because your answer is neither logical nor philosophical. Everything is relative, my dear little brother. The king is in the way of his successor, and the clerk is in the way of the non-staff; the king drives After the collapse, the successor inherited the throne, the small staff died, and the non-staff filled the vacancies, so they received a salary of 1200 hundred livres. This 1200 hundred livres is the official salary of the small staff, and he must have this money to live. Similarly, The king must have 1200 million. From the lowest level of the social ladder to the highest level, there is a small world of interests around everyone. Like Descartes, a famous French philosopher and mathematician in the 17th century (1596-1650) The world described, there are whirlwinds in these small worlds, there are intertwined atoms. But this small world grows bigger as it reaches the top. Not overturned. But now for your world. Are you about to be appointed captain of the King of Egypt?"

"Yes."

"And about to marry a pretty girl?"

"good."

"You did not become the captain of the 'King of Egypt', did anyone benefit from it? You did not marry Mercedes, did anyone benefit from it? Answer the first question first, and the order is the key to solving the problem. You Did anyone benefit from not being captain of the King of Egypt?"

"Nobody. I'm liked by everybody on board, and if the sailors could pick a captain, I'm sure they'd pick me. There's only one guy I'm a little bit annoyed with, and I've had a quarrel with him before, and offered him a duel, but He didn't say yes."

"Go on, what's this man's name?"

"Dangla!"

"What was his position on the ship?"

"Accounting."

"If you became the captain, would you keep him in office?"

"If the candidate is decided by me, I will not keep him, because I think he has cheated on the account."

"Very well. Now tell me, was anyone present during your last conversation with Captain Leclerc?"

"No, just the two of us."

"Can anyone hear your conversation?"

"It's possible, because the hatch is open, and... wait a minute... Yes, yes, Captain Leclerc handed me the package for the marshal just as Tanglar passed by the hatch."

"Very well," said the elder, "we have a clue. When you anchored at Elba, did you take anyone ashore with you?"

"No."

"The people on the island gave you a letter?"

"Yes, the marshal gave it."

"How did you get this letter?"

"I put the letter in the briefcase."

"So you went with a briefcase. But how can a briefcase that can hold official letters fit in a sailor's pocket?"

"You are right. My briefcase is on board."

"So, you go on board first, and then put the letter in the briefcase?"

"Yes."

"How did you get the letter from Portoferraio to your ship?"

"Hold it."

"When you boarded the King of Egypt, anyone could see you holding a letter?"

"Correct."

"Dang Gula also saw it?"

"Dang Gela saw it too."

"Now listen to me, recall carefully, do you remember what was written in the informant letter?"

"Oh, yes. I read it three times in a row, and every word is etched in my memory."

"Recite the letter to me."

Dantès thought for a while, and then said: "I will recite it to you word by word: 'Mr. Prosecutor's Taiwan Note: I support the royal family and love religion. The disclosure is as follows: There is Edmond Dantès. The first mate of the King of Egypt, returned from Smyrna this morning and arrived in Hong Kong. He stopped at Naples and Port Ferraio on the way. This person was ordered by Mira to deliver a letter to the usurper and was ordered by the rebel. Carrying a secret letter to the Napoleonic Party in Paris. If he is arrested and brought to justice, he will be able to obtain evidence of the crime. If the secret letter is not with him, it must be at his father's house or in the cabin of the 'King of Egypt'.'”

The elder shrugged. "This is already as clear as the sun," he said, "Your heart is too simple and kind, so you didn't see through the truth at the beginning."

"Is that so?" cried Dantès, "ah, that's base!"

"What does Tang La's usual handwriting look like?"

"Very beautiful cursive script."

"What is the handwriting of an anonymous letter?"

"Lean to the left."

The elder smiled slightly and said, "The handwriting has been changed, hasn't it?"

"It has been changed and written very fluently."

"Wait a minute." The elder picked up a pen, or what he called a pen, dipped in the ink, and wrote the first three lines of the informant letter with his left hand on a specially torn piece of cloth.Dantès stepped back, looking at the elder with an almost terrified expression.

"Oh, marvelous," he exclaimed, "you write so much like a snitch."

"It's because the informant letter is written with the left hand. There's one thing I noticed," the elder continued.

"What's up?"

"The characters written by the right hand look the same for each person, but the characters written by the left hand are similar."

"You are such a capable person who knows everything and understands everything!"

"Let's go on."

"Oh, yes, yes."

"Now come to the second question."

"You ask."

"Did anyone benefit from your failure to marry Mercedes?"

"Yes, a young man who fell in love with her."

"What is your name?"

"Fernan."

"It's a Spanish name."

"He's from Catalonia."

"Do you think the man could have written that letter?"

"If I can't write it, he will stab me, and he can't do other things."

"Yes, this is the nature of the Spaniards. They can do things like murder, but they can't do things that are hidden from their hearts."

"Besides," continued Dantès, "he doesn't know anything about the informant."

"You haven't told anyone about these things?"

"No."

"You didn't even tell your lover?"

"I didn't even tell my fiancée."

"That's Tangla."

"Oh, now I see, it must be him."

"Wait a minute... Does Tangla know Fernan?"

"I don't know... I do, I remember..."

"What do you remember?"

"The day before I got engaged, I saw them drinking at the same table under the awning of Papa Bonfer's hotel. At that time, Tangla was very enthusiastic and joking. Fernan was pale and embarrassed."

"Just the two of them?"

"No, there is another man beside them. This man is very familiar to me, and he may have introduced them to him. He is a tailor, and his name is Caderousse, but he is already drunk. Wait a minute... wait a minute... Why didn't I think of this before? There is ink, paper, and pens beside the table where they drink." Speaking of this, Dantès put his hand on his forehead, "Oh, these despicable guys, they are so despicable !"

"Is there anything else you want to know?" said the elder with a smile.

"Yes, yes, you analyze everything very thoroughly, and you look at everything very clearly. I want to know, why did you only interrogate me once? Why didn't you let me see the judge? Why did you let me serve my sentence without a sentence?"

"Well, these questions," said the elder, "are more difficult. Juridical matters are not only obscure, but also mysterious, and not easy to understand. So far we have talked about your two friends, which is very simple. It seems to be a child's play. As for the question you just raised, you have to explain it clearly to me first."

"Okay, you can ask me. To be honest, you can see more clearly about my life experience than I do."

"Who are you interrogating? The public prosecutor, or the acting public prosecutor, or the examining magistrate?"

"Acting Prosecutor."

"A young man or an old man?"

"Young man, 27 years old."

"Okay, at this age you won't be depraved, but you are already ambitious. How is his attitude towards you?"

"It's mild, not too harsh."

"Did you tell him everything about you?"

"It's all said."

"Has there been any change in his attitude during the interrogation?"

"It got bad once, and that was when he read the letter that hurt me, and he seemed to feel very sorry for my misfortune."

"Unfortunately for you?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure that he sympathized with you in your misfortune?"

"At least he made it very clear that he sympathized with me."

"What does that mean?"

"He burned the only evidence that could implicate me."

"What evidence? A whistleblower letter?"

"No, it is a letter entrusted to me to send to Paris."

"Are you sure?"

"He burned it in front of me."

"Things are different. This person may be a big villain that you can't imagine."

"I am terrified to hear what you say. Good God," said Dantès, "is the world full of tigers and crocodiles?"

"Yes, it's just that two-legged tigers and crocodiles are more dangerous than four-legged ones."

"Please go on."

"Well, you said he burned the letter, didn't you?"

"Yes, he also said to me, look, this is the only evidence against you, and I have destroyed it."

"His behavior is too noble, and I think he has evil intentions."

"yes?"

"I'm sure. How is this letter addressed?"

"At M. Noirquier, 13 Rue Corker-Eron, Paris."

"What do you think the acting prosecutor will get after the letter is destroyed?"

(End of this chapter)