World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 33 The third attack (2)
"You can just do what you did last time, just don't wait too long. At this time, the power of life is exhausted and you die," he pointed to the paralyzed arm and leg, and then Said, "Death is only half done. This time you put 12 drops in your mouth instead of 10, and then if I still can't wake up, you pour the rest. Now I have supported I can't hold it any longer, please put me on the bed." Edmond picked up the old man and put him on the bed. "Now, my friend," Faria continued, "you are the only consolation in my sad life. You are the priceless treasure that God has bestowed on me although it is a little late. I am grateful to you when I am about to part from you. On this occasion, I wish you happiness and success, and you deserve happiness and success. My son, I bless you!" The young man knelt on his knees and rested his head on the old man's bed.The elder went on to say: "At this dying hour, I still have something to say to you, and you must listen carefully. The treasure of the Spada family is by no means a rabbit horn. Thanks to God, it does not matter to me now, nor does it matter. Block. I have seen that the treasure is in the deepest part of the second cave. My eyes have pierced through the thick strata. So many gold, silver and jewels have dazzled me. If you escape successfully, don’t forget , this poor old man is ridiculed by the crowd as a madman, but he is not mad. You should go to Monte Cristo and enjoy our wealth, enjoy it, you have suffered a lot." A violent trembling interrupted Dantès looked up at the old man's words, and saw that the old man's eyes were bloodshot, as if the blood in his heart rushed to his forehead. "Farewell! Farewell!" The old man held the young man's hand convulsively, and said softly, "Farewell!"

"Oh, no, no!" cried the young man, "we shall never be parted. Oh, my God! Help him. . . . Somebody! Help me!"

"Hush, be quiet!" murmured the dying man, "if you can save me, we shall never be separated."

"You're right. Oh, yes, yes, don't worry, I'll get you back! Besides, you're suffering, but it doesn't look as bad as it was last time."

"Oh, don't be confused, I don't suffer that much, because I don't have much strength to suffer. You are full of confidence in life at your age. Confidence and hope are the privileges of young people, while old people see death more clearly. Oh, death is there, it's coming... It's over, I can't see, I'm losing my mind... Where's your hand? Farewell, Dantès! . . . Farewell!" With all the strength gathered in his whole body, he finally struggled to lift himself up and said: "Monte Cristo, don't forget Monte Cristo!" After speaking, he fell back on the bed.

This attack was horrific, the limbs were contorted, the eyelids were bulging, and there was blood in the white foam, but the whole body remained motionless, lying on the painful bed, the wise man who was there a moment ago was not there up.

Dantès picked up the lamp and placed it on a protruding stone at the head of the bed, and the flickering dim light cast a strange and magical light on the deformed face and the motionless rigid body. .The courageous and cowardly Dantès waited intently for the moment to administer the life-saving medicine.When he felt that the time was up, he picked up the knife and pried his teeth. This time he did not bite as tightly as last time. He counted 10 drops drop by drop, and then waited.There is almost twice the amount of medicine left in the bottle that was dropped.He waited for 10 minutes, quarter of an hour, half an hour, but there was no movement.He was trembling all over, his hair stood up, his forehead was covered with cold sweat, and he counted the time second by second according to his own heartbeat.

Then he felt that it was time for one last try, and he put the vial to the edge of Faria's livid lips, with the gums still open, and poured the rest of the liquid into his mouth without prying his teeth again. inside.The medicine had an electric shock effect, and the old man's limbs trembled violently, his closed eyes widened again, which was unavoidably frightening, and he let out a long sigh as if shouting, then his whole body trembled, and gradually became still, his eyes still wide open. with.

Half an hour, an hour, an hour and a half passed.During this restless hour and a half, Edmund had been bending over his friend, putting his hand on his chest, feeling the body grow cooler, and his heart beating more and more slowly, until at last it ceased altogether.Everything is irreparable, the last beating of the heart has stopped, the face has lost all color, and the eyes are still open, but the eyes have been eclipsed.

It was already 6 o'clock in the morning, the sky began to brighten, a ray of white light shot into the dark cell, the last gleam of the small lamp became pale and feeble, and the strange luster swam on the face of the dead, from time to time Return a little anger to that face.When the night came to an end, Dantès was still dubious, but when the day completely defeated the night, he realized that what he was guarding was just a corpse.At this moment, he couldn't resist feeling extreme terror, and he didn't dare to touch the hand hanging by the bed again.As for those dull and pale eyes, he tried to close them several times, but they couldn't close them, and he didn't dare to look directly at them again.He blew out the lamp, hid it carefully, then hid in the tunnel, and covered the stone slabs above his head as well as he could.

Not too early or too late, just at this time the guard came over.This time he went first to Dantès' cell, and from there to Faria's cell, where he brought him breakfast and a change of underwear.There was no way the guard looked like he would know what was going on.As soon as the guard had gone, Dantès became indescribably anxious to know what was going on in his poor friend's cell, and he went back to the tunnel just in time to hear the guard screaming and calling for help.After a while, other guards also came, and then I heard the heavy and even footsteps of the soldiers who seemed to be laid off, and the commander came after the soldiers.

Edmund heard the creaking of the bed when they turned the corpse, and heard the commandant speaking, ordering water to be poured on the prisoner's face. .Then the commander went away, and Dantès heard a few words of sympathy, mingled with sneers.

"There, there, now," said one, "the madman is off to find his treasure, and I wish him good luck."

"It doesn't work for him to have millions, and he can't even afford a shroud," said another.

"Hey!" said a third voice, "the shrouds of the Château d'If are not expensive!"

"Perhaps," continued one of the first two, "he's a priest, and something must be paid for him."

"Give him a sack."

Edmund listened to every word, but did not catch much.Soon the talking stopped, and he felt that the people in the dark cell had gone away, but he dared not go in, maybe they would leave a guard to guard the corpse.So he stayed silent and motionless in the dark passage, not even daring to breathe heavily.Almost an hour later, there was another slight sound in the silent cell, which gradually became louder. It turned out that the commander returned to the dark cell with the doctor and several officers.Then there was no sound from above. It was obvious that the doctor was doing an autopsy in front of the bed. After a while, the questioning began.

The doctor first analyzed the condition and then declared the prisoner dead.Dantès was indignant at the indifference with which he was asked and answered, because it seemed to him that everyone should be more or less like himself in mourning the death of the poor elder.

"I'm sorry to hear your diagnosis," the commander said after the doctor concluded that the old man was indeed dead. "This prisoner is gentle and honest. Although he is crazy, he can give us a laugh, especially the monitoring of him is very worry-free."

"Ah!" said the guard, "there is no need to watch him. I dare say that even if he is locked up here for fifty years, he will not have any intention of escaping."

"However," continued the commander, "though you are certain, I think we must check at once whether he is really dead, not because of distrust of your medical skills, but entirely out of my own duty. consider."

There was no sound in the cell again, and Dantès, who had been listening authentically, guessed that the doctor was touching and examining the corpse again.

"You may rest assured," said the doctor, "that he is dead, and I am responsible to you."

"You know, sir," insisted the Commander, "in a case like his, we can't just check it out. Superficial phenomena are superficial phenomena. You have to follow the procedures prescribed by law."

"Send someone to burn the iron," said the doctor, "it's really superfluous."

Hearing that someone was going to send someone to burn the soldering iron, Dantès couldn't help but shudder.There were hurried footsteps in the cell, the creaking of doors opening and closing, and the sound of people entering and leaving.After a while, a guard came in and said, "The brazier and iron are here." There was another moment of silence, followed by the squeaking of meat, and a strong, disgusting smell that pierced through the eyes. Through the wall, he rushed straight at Dantès who was eavesdropping in horror.As soon as he smelled the smell of burnt human flesh, beads of sweat immediately oozed from the young man's forehead, and he felt that he was about to pass out.

"You see, sir," said the doctor, "that he is dead, and the burning of his heels cannot be faked. The poor madman is cured and freed from imprisonment."

"Isn't his surname Faria?" asked one of the officers accompanying the commander.

"Yes, sir. It is, by his own account, a name with a long history. He is a man of great learning and good sense in all respects, but he cannot fail to mention his treasure, on which it is possible to say He is delusional."

"We call this disease paranoia," said the doctor.

"Have you never had anything to reproach him for?" asked the commander to the guard who was in charge of bringing the elder's meals.

"Never, Mr. Commander," replied the guard, "no, never! On the contrary, he told me stories, which were very interesting. One day my wife was ill, and he gave me a prescription, and sure enough Cured the disease."

"Ah," said the doctor, "I had no idea I was dealing with a colleague. I hope, Mr. Commander," he continued with a smile, "that he will be given a little favor in the aftermath."

"Yes, yes, you can rest assured that he will fit with dignity in the latest sack we can find, will you be satisfied?"

"Shall we do this last procedure in your presence, sir?" asked one of the guards.

"Of courseⅢbut you have to hurry up, I can't stay in this cell all day."

Then again came the sound of footsteps coming and going, and after a while Dantès heard the sound of rubbing the sackcloth, the creaking of the springs of the bed, and the sound of heavy steps on the flagstones, as if someone were lifting something heavy, Then something creaked the bed again.

"Let's deal with it at night," said the commander.

"Are you going to Mass?" one of the officers asked.

"It can't be done," replied the commander. "The priest at the castle asked me yesterday for a week's leave to go to Yelles, an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. To travel, I told him, and during the week I would take care of the prisoners." Yes. If the poor elder hadn't been in such a hurry to go, he would have been given a memorial service."

"Forget it," said the doctor, for people in his line of work don't usually take religion seriously. "He's a priest. God takes his line of work very seriously, so he won't send a priest to trouble with hell." .”

The doctor's teasing elicited a burst of laughter.At this time, the body was not completely wrapped.

"Send it away at night." The commander said after wrapping up the body.

"What time is it?" asked the guard.

"Ten to eleven o'clock."

"Do you want to look at the corpse?"

"Why bother? Close the cell door and treat him as if he is still alive, or else."

Then, the footsteps gradually receded, the voices gradually became quieter, and then the door was closed, the sound of the bolt being pulled and the lock being locked, and finally there was a silence, which was not so gloomy even in a secluded wilderness. The silence of death that permeates the cold heart of youth.At this time, he slowly pushed the stone slab away with his head, and carefully inspected the cell, and sure enough, there was no one there.Dantès got out of the hole and entered the cell.

(End of this chapter)