World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 4 Catalunya Village (2)
"But you are mistaken, Edmond," she went on, "you have no enemy here at all, but my brother Fernand, who is like a loyal friend and is coming to shake your hand."

After she finished speaking, the girl fixed her majestic eyes on the Catalan youth.As if overwhelmed by this gaze, Fernand walked slowly towards Edmund and held out his hand.Although he was angry and hated, under the influence of the girl, the hatred shattered like a powerless wave.But as soon as he touched Edmond's hand, he felt that he could bear it no longer, and rushed out of the room.

"Oh!" he cried, running like a madman, clutching his hair with both hands. "Oh, who's going to get rid of this thing for me? I'm so unlucky, so unlucky."

"Hello, Catalan! Hello, Fernand! Where are you running?" cried a voice.

The young man suddenly stopped, looked around, and saw Kaderos and Tangra sitting opposite each other under a young leaf.

"Well," said Cuderos, "why don't you come? You're in such a hurry that you don't even have time to say hello to your friends?"

"Besides, there is an almost full bottle of wine in front of us!" Tang La added.

Fernand looked at the two of them in a daze, without saying a word.

"He seems to be completely dumbfounded," said Tangra, who touched Caderos with his knee. "Could it be that we made a mistake, just the opposite of what we estimated, and that Dantès won?"

"My God! Let's see," said Caderos, and turning to the young man, "Well, how is it, Catalan, have you thought it over?"

Fernan wiped off the cold sweat flowing from his forehead, and slowly walked into the awning.In the shade, he seemed calmer.The air was cool, and his tired body seemed to relax a bit.

"Hello," he said, "did you call me?" He sank into a chair by the table, almost collapsing.

"I saw you running like a lunatic, and I was afraid that you would not jump into the sea, so I called you." Caderos said with a smile, "Hey, if you have friends, you should not only invite them to drink, but also persuade them to come. Just a few words, don't drink the three or four pints of the old French liquid capacity unit, which is about one liter."

Fernand groaned like a whimper.He crossed his hands, hugged his hanging head tightly, and leaned down on the table.

"Come on, let me clarify, Fernand." Cuderos continued.Out of curiosity, this kind of vulgar person speaks head on head at the beginning, regardless of whether his words are measured or not. "Tell me, isn't that look on your face that people are kicked out of when you're in a relationship?" He laughed out loud, making fun of him.

"Come on," Tangra said, "a handsome young man like him will never be disappointed in love. You are too underestimating people, Caderos."

"No," went on Caderos, "listen, how is he panting? Come, come, Fernand, hold your head up and tell us. Your friends care about your health, and you don't even If you don’t answer even one answer, you won’t save face.”

"I'm in good health." Fernan clenched his fists and said with his head buried.

"Ah, Tangra, look," said Caderos, winking at him, "it's like this: this Fernand in front of you is a tough guy from Catalunya, from the port of Marseilles. A good fisherman, he fell in love with a very pretty girl named Mercedes. But, what a pity, that pretty girl fell in love with the first mate of the King of Egypt. Today happened to be the King of Egypt Entered the Port of Marseilles, you understand that, right?"

"No, I don't understand." Tangra said.

"Poor Fernand must have been sidelined," Caderos said.

"Yes, what's next?" Fernan raised his head and stared at Cuderos, as if looking for someone to vent. "Nobody cares about Mercedes, is there? She loves whomever she pleases."

"Ah," said Caderos, "that's another thing if you look at it that way. I've always thought of you as a Catalan. I've been told you Catalan Not the kind of person who surrenders to his rival in love. People even told me, especially you Fernand, that you will never be lenient when you take revenge."

Fernan smiled sadly and said, "As long as there is a lover, there is nothing to be afraid of."

"Poor boy," Tangra said, pretending to sympathize with the young man from the bottom of his heart. "What can I do? He didn't expect that Dantès would come back so suddenly. He thought that the guy might be dead, or he might have found a new love. Who knows! This kind of thing happened so suddenly, it's too uncomfortable."

"Ah, that's true. But no matter what," Caderos said while drinking, and the strength of the Marguerite began to work on him. "Dantes came back proudly this time, and Fernand wasn't the only one who was offended. Isn't that right, Tangra?"

"Yes, you're right. I'd probably say it would be his own woe."

"But it doesn't matter." Cuderos said, pouring Fernand a glass of wine, pouring the eighth or tenth glass for himself, and Tangra just sipped it all the time, "It doesn't matter He will marry Mercedes just the same, the beautiful Mercedes, for which at least he has come back."

At this time, Tangra watched the Catalan youth with sharp eyes, and Caderos' words poured into the young man's heart like molten lead.

"When will you get married?" he asked.

"Hey, it's not settled yet." Fernand whispered.

"No, soon," said Caderousse. "The marriage is coming, and the captain of Dantès' King of Egypt is going to be, it's all true, isn't it, Tangra?"

This hurtful word was very unexpected, and Tangla could not help but shudder. He turned to Cuderos and looked at his face carefully to see if the hurtful word was said on purpose, but on this almost drunken face On the Internet, all I saw was jealousy.

"Well then," said he, pouring wine into all three glasses, "for Captain Edmond Dantès, husband of the great beauty of Catalonia, we drink."

Cuderos raised the glass to his lips with his already heavy hand, and gulped it down.Fernan also picked up the wine glass, but threw it on the ground and smashed it to pieces.

"Hello, hello, hello!" said Cuderos, "I see something moving over there, on the top of the hill, beyond the village of Catalunya. Look carefully, Fernand, you Better eyes than mine. I think my eyes are starting to blur, and, you know, booze isn't a good thing. Looks like a couple of lovers walking arm in arm over there. God, they didn't think we'd see them, look , they were hugging."

Fernan's face changed obviously, and Tang Ge could see his painful expression.

"Mr. Fernand, do you know them?"

"I know you," Fernand said dully. "They are Mr. Edmond and Miss Mercedes."

"Oh, see!" said Caderousse; "I don't know them. Come, Dantès, come, little beauty, come here, and tell us, when will your wedding be M. Fernand is too stubborn to tell us."

"Shut up!" Tangra said, pretending to stop Caderos who stuck his head out of the arbor in a drunken stupefaction. "Stay aside and let the lovers talk quietly. Come and see Mr. Fernand, learn from him, he is really reasonable."

Probably because he couldn't bear being teased by Tang La like a matador teasing a bull, Fernan finally rushed forward.He had already stood up and bowed his body, as if he was going to pounce on his love rival.Mercedes, however, was slim and tall, smiling and raising her pretty face, revealing pure and bright eyes.At this moment, Fernand remembered what the girl said, if Dantès died, she would follow her threat of death. He was completely discouraged and fell headlong on his seat.

Tang La looked back and forth between these two people, one was drunk, the other had been surrendered by love.

"I can't make a name out of these two fools," he murmured to himself. "It's frightening that I'm caught between a drunkard and a coward here. This one is jealous and deserves a prize." His bitter wine made him drunk, but when he saw the sweet wine man, he passed out first; that one was a complete fool, and his lover was poached by others, and he could only cry and cry like a baby. Yes, You also have a pair of shining eyes, like the vengeful Spaniards, Sicilians and Calablanians (inhabitants of southern Italy.); You also have the fist of a butcher's hammer, which can smash the brains of cows. Edmund's fate is indeed good. The beautiful girl will definitely marry, and the captain will definitely become the captain. He will come and laugh at us. But..." Tangra said with a sinister smile on his lips, "However, I don't think so. Will stand by and watch."

"Hi!" continued Cudeross, putting his fists on the table and lifting half his body, "Hello, Edmond, have you not seen your friends, or are you too angry to speak to them?" up?"

"No, my dear Caderousse," replied Dantès, "I am not airy, I am happy, and, I think, happiness is more defiant than airy."

"Excellent! That is a way of saying it," said Caderousse. "Ah, hello, Madame Dantès."

Mercedes saluted solemnly. "Please don't call me that. In our country it is said that it is bad luck to call an unmarried girl by the surname of her fiancé. So please call me Mercedes."

"Don't worry about it. He is our good neighbor and his name is Caderos." Dantès said, "He can't figure out such details."

"So, the wedding will be held soon, Mr. Dantès?" Tangra bowed to the young couple.

"I want to do it as soon as possible, Mr. Dongla. I will arrange everything at my father's place today, and the engagement banquet will be held at this Reserve Hotel tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. I want all my friends to come, that is to say, Don. Guerra, please come too, and you, Cuderosse, too."

"And Fernan," Caderos said with a half-smile, "Fernan also has a share?"

"My wife's brother is also my brother," said Edmond, "and Mercedes and I must be very disappointed if he avoided us on this occasion."

Fernand opened his mouth to answer, but the words stopped before his mouth, and he didn't say a single word.

"Prepare today, get engaged tomorrow... Good guy, you are impatient enough, Captain."

"Dangra," Edmond said with a smile, "I have to tell you what Mercedes said to Caderos just now, please don't give me a title that doesn't belong to me. Bring me bad luck."

"I'm sorry," Tangla replied, "I just said that you seem to be in a hurry. What are you busy with? We have plenty of time, and the 'King of Egypt' will not set sail for three months."

"People are always eager to get happiness, Mr. Tangla. After a long time, people can't believe that there is such a good thing as happiness. But the reason why I am in such a hurry is not entirely for myself. I have to go to Paris."

"Really, to Paris? Is it the first time for you, Dantès?"

"Yes."

"Going to work?"

"It's not my own. It's the last thing our poor Captain Leclerc entrusted. You know, Tangra, that it must be done. But don't worry, I'll be back when I go."

"Okay, okay, I know." Tangra said loudly, and then said to himself in a low voice, "Going to Paris must be the letter that the Marshal sent him. Great! This letter gave me an idea." , What an excellent idea! Ha, Dantès, my friend, you are not number one on the roster of the 'King of Egypt'." With that, he turned and walked towards the "Bon voyage!" cried Edmund.

"Thank you." Edmund turned around and said with a friendly wave.So, a pair of lovers continued to walk their way, the two were peaceful and full of joy, as if they were a pair of God's darlings, walking towards heaven.

(End of this chapter)