World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 58 The Roman Bandit (3)
"The old man stood with his eyes blank, motionless. He felt that some kind of unexpected, never-before-suffered catastrophe was in front of him. He finally walked towards the vaguely gathered figures, and at this time he It was not yet clear who was in front of him. Carlini heard the footsteps of the old man walking towards him, so he raised his head, only then did the old man see clearly the figures of two people. One was a woman, lying on the ground, and the other One is a man, sitting next to him, the woman's head is resting on the man's lap, and the man is leaning over towards the woman. When he stood up, he saw clearly the woman who was hugged tightly to his chest. The woman's face. The old man recognized his daughter, and Carrini recognized the old man.

"'I've been waiting for you,' said the grass thief to Rita's father.

"'Bastard!' said the old man. 'What have you done?' He looked at Rita in horror, and saw her pale and motionless, covered with blood, and with a dagger stuck in her chest. The moonlight cast a faint white light on her body.

"'Gugumeto spoiled your daughter,' said the robber, 'I loved her so I killed her, because after Gugumeto the whole gang was waiting to make fun of girls.' Without saying anything, his face became deathly pale. 'If I'm wrong,' Carlini went on, 'you avenge her now.' He drew the dagger from the girl's breast, then stood up, holding the knife in one hand. Passed it to the old man, ripped off his shirt with one hand, and showed his chest to the old man.

"'You are right,' said the old man in a hoarse voice, 'hug me, my son.' Carrini flung himself into the arms of his lover's father, sobbing and sobbing, the bloody man for the first time in his life. He shed tears of sadness for the first time. "Now you come and help me bury my child together." The old man said. Carlini went to get two picks, so the father and his lover dug a pit under an oak tree, dense The oak tree branches and leaves will be the barrier of the girl's tomb. After the grave was dug, the father and his lover embraced the girl one after the other, and then one lifted her feet and the other lifted her shoulders, and they placed her in the grave. Then the old man knelt down and prayed for the dead. After the prayer, they began to fill the grave until the grave was filled. At this time, the old man held out his hand to Carlini and said: "Thank you, my son, now you leave me here alone.'

"'But...' said Carrini.

"'You go, this is my order.'

"Carlini obeyed, turned to his companions, wrapped his cloak, and soon fell asleep like everyone else. The robbers had decided to camp elsewhere the night before, and an hour before dawn, Gu Gumetto woke everyone up and ordered to set off immediately. But Carrini had to see what happened to Rita's father before he would leave. He walked towards the place where he left the old man last night, and found that the old man had been hanged in the shadow of him. On the branch of the oak tree over the tomb of his daughter, he swore to the corpse on the tree and the tomb on the ground that he would avenge them. But he could not fulfill his vow, because two days later they encountered the Roman gendarmes and Carlini was beaten. Dead. It's just that everyone is surprised. When Carlini died facing the enemy, he shouldn't have been shot in the vest. A robber told everyone that when Carlini fell, Gugumetto was ten steps behind him. so there was no surprise. Gugumeto followed Carlini secretly when he left the woods of Frozzinone that morning, and heard him swear. Gugumeto was a scheming man, so Pre-emptive strikes.

"There are at least ten other stories that could be told about this dreadful bandit, all of them so queer. So, from Fondi to Perugia, the name of Gugumetto terrified everyone. Trembling, Lu Ri and Teresa often talked about these stories, the girl trembled when she heard these stories, and Wang Pa smiled and reassured the girl, while he patted his good gun that was never fired. The girl was still not at ease, so he pointed out to her the crow perched on the dead branch a hundred steps away, then raised the gun to aim, pulled the trigger, and the crow was shot and fell under the tree.

"As time went by, the young couple had agreed that they would get married when Wampa was 20 and Teresa was 19. They were both orphans, so it was only necessary to ask their master's permission. They also asked, and the master agreed. One day, they were talking about their future plans, when they heard two or three gunshots, and then a man suddenly sprang out from the woods where they used to herd sheep. The man came straight to them. and when he came within earshot, he called out to them: 'I am being pursued; can you hide me?' They knew that the man was probably a robber. But between peasants and Roman robbers With a natural sympathy, farmers are always willing to help the robbers. Without saying a word, Wampa ran to the stones that blocked the entrance of a dark cave that blocked them. Entering this dark hole that no one knows about, and then covering the stone again, he turned around and sat down beside Teresa. At about this time, four gendarmes on horseback came to the edge of the wood, three of them looked like They were looking for the fleeing man, and the fourth man held a captured grass thief tightly by the neck. The three gendarmes glanced around, saw the two young men, and galloped over to ask if they were there. Seeing someone, they said nothing and saw nothing.

"'Too bad,' said the captain, 'that the man we're looking for is the chief bandit.'

"'Is it Gugumeto?' Lu Ri and Teresa couldn't help shouting at the same time.

"'Yes,' said the captain, 'there is a bounty of 1000 Roman crowns on his head, and if you help us catch him, you will get 500.'

"The two young men exchanged a look, and for a moment the captain felt very hopeful. Five hundred Roman crowns equaled three thousand francs, and three thousand francs was a lot of money for these two poor orphans who were about to get married." That's terrible, ' said Wampa, 'We didn't see him.' So the gendarme searched, but couldn't find it anywhere, and then they gradually disappeared. Wampa went over and lifted the stones, and Gugumeto came out Just now he saw the two young men talking to the gendarmes from the gap in the granite block, and he already guessed what they were talking about. He also saw from the faces of Lu Ri and Teresa that the two young men were determined , without the slightest intention of handing him over. At this moment he took out a purse full of gold coins from his pocket and gave them to them. But Wampa held his head proudly, and Teresa was thinking of using How much luxurious jewelry and beautiful clothes can be bought with this bag of gold coins, his eyes lit up. Gugumetto is not only vicious, but also cunning. He looks like a robber, but he is actually a snake. He noticed Teresa's With his eyes, he could see that the girl was very frivolous. He walked back to the woods, pretending to pay tribute to his savior, and turned his head several times.

"Many days passed, and Gugumetto was not seen, nor was he heard of. The carnival was approaching, and the Count of San Felice announced that there would be a masquerade ball, to which all the gentlemen and ladies of Rome would be invited. Teresa wanted to go to the ball very much, so Lu Ri asked the butler, who was his protector, if he could let him and Theresa mix with the servants at the ball, and the butler agreed. The count loved his daughter Cammy very much. La, this ball was given to please her. Carmela was the same age as Teresa, they were exactly the same figure, and Teresa was at least as good-looking as the beautiful Carmela. On the day of the ball In the evening, Teresa put on her best clothes, her most expensive hair pins, her most dazzling glass beads necklace, and she was dressed as a Frascati peasant girl. Luge wore a Roman peasant for the holidays. very fine attire, and since they had the steward's permission, they mixed among the servants and peasants.

"The ball was arranged wonderfully. Not only the mansion was brightly lit, but thousands of colorful lanterns were hung on the trees in the garden. Soon the guests flocked from the mansion to the terrace, and from the terrace to the paths of the garden. Every day on the path At an intersection, there were bands playing music, and various snacks and drinks were placed on the food and beverage table. The guests stopped and formed a quadruplet dance team. They chose a place to dance at random. Carmela was dressed as Sonino a peasant girl with pearls embroidered in her hat, diamonds in her golden hair-pins, a belt of Turkish silk embroidered with large flowers, a cloak and petticoat of cashmere, an apron of Indian muslin, and buttons for her bodice. They are all made of precious stones. The other two female step dancers are dressed like a Nettunian woman and a Lycian woman. The four young men are the sons of the richest and most noble families in Rome. Before the three ladies, They have a chicness, which is peculiar to Italians, and no other country in the world can match. They are all dressed in peasants, reflecting the four places of Albano, Velletri, Civita Castellana and Sola. Needless to say, their peasant costumes are the same as the peasant women's costumes worn by the ladies, they are all decorated with gold and silver, and are full of jewels.

"Camela wanted to do a quadruplet in one-color peasant dress, but she was short of a woman. She looked around, and there was no female guest dressed like the three of them, also in one-color peasant dress. St. Ferris The count pointed to Teresa, who was leaning on Luge's shoulder in the peasant dance team. "Is that all right, father?" asked Carmela. "Of course." The count replied, "We're not having a carnival." Is it?" Then Camilla leaned forward and said a few words to the young man who was talking to her beside her, and pointed at Teresa at the same time. The young man looked in the direction pointed by the young lady's lovely hand , bowed obediently, and went over to invite Teresa to participate in the quadruplet led by the count's daughter.

"Teresa suddenly felt that her face was on fire. She looked at Lu Ri in confusion, as if saying that it was impossible to refuse. Lu Ri had to slowly let go of Teresa's arm that she was holding. So Teresa walked over under the leadership of her romantic partner, and stood tremblingly in her proper place in the aristocratic quadruplet. Of course, from the artist's point of view, Teresa's dress was rigid and unpretentious, which was not the same as Compared with the dresses of Camilla and the other ladies, it is indeed unique. But Teresa is a frivolous and coquettish girl, her thin and soft dress with embroidered flowers, and her palm leaf decoration. The girdle, the shiny cashmere, dazzled her, and the sparkling sapphires and diamonds dazzled her.

"And Naluri felt an inexplicable feeling in his heart, as if there was a dull pain, which first bit his heart, then tremblingly seeped into his blood, and finally permeated his whole body. He stared at Teresa and her Every movement of his partner, when they joined hands, he felt as if he was going to faint, and his pulse was pounding, and there was a ringing in his ears, as if some clock was ringing in his ears. When they talked, although Teresa just lowered her eyes and listened shyly, only the dance partner was talking. But from the passionate eyes of the beautiful young man, Lu Ri could see that he was saying compliments, Lu Ri He couldn't help but feel dizzy, and all kinds of hellish cries sounded in his ears, telling him to assassinate someone. He was afraid that he would lose his head in a moment of anger, and one hand tightly grasped the small elm tree next to him, while the other hand was twitching. He pinched the dagger with a carved wooden handle on his belt, and pulled the dagger out of its sheath in a daze several times. Lu Ri was jealous, and he felt that Teresa, who was charming and arrogant by nature, might throw him aside.

"However, the peasant girl, who at first was shy and embarrassed and a little frightened, quickly calmed down. As I have said, Teresa is a very beautiful girl, but it is not enough to say that she is beautiful. Teresa Another girl of refined taste, and if our bearing is an affectated elegance, hers is not. Her bearing is more charming, a rustic simplicity. In her quadrille Although she is very envious of Count Saint-Ferris's daughter, I can't guarantee that Carmela is not jealous of her. After the dance, the beautiful partner flattered her and accompanied her back. To her original place, Lu Ri has been waiting for her there.

"During the quadruplet dance just now, the girl glanced at Lu Ri two or three times. Every time she saw the young man's face turned pale and he was gnashing his teeth. Once his dagger was even half drawn out of its sheath. Looking at the cold knife light, the girl's eyes were dazzled. So when she took her lover's arm again, her body was almost trembling. This time the quadruple dance was very successful, and of course everyone asked to dance again Once Carmela was the only one who did not want to dance, but the Count of Saint-Ferris very kindly persuaded her to dance again, and she finally agreed. Then a partner went to ask Therese, because without her the quadruplet would not have been possible, but But the girl didn't know where to go. It turned out that Lu Ri knew in his heart that he didn't have the courage to go through such a test again, so he half persuaded and dragged Teresa to another place in the garden. Teresa walked reluctantly, but She saw Lu Ri's face full of pain, saw him silent but very excited, and trembled from time to time, the girl knew that the young man must be thinking wildly in his mind. The girl was not at peace, although she did nothing wrong, But she understood that Lu Ri should blame her. She didn't know why, but she always felt that she was to be blamed. However, to Teresa's great surprise, Lu Ri was always silent, and the whole night he Afterwards, there was no further utterance. It was only when the night was chilly that the guests left the garden one after another, and the family banquet at the Earl's Mansion began, and the doors of the mansion were all closed, Lu Ri walked back with Teresa. When Teresa was almost home, Lu Ri said: "Therese, when you danced face to face with the Countess of Saint-Ferris, what were you thinking?"

"'I was thinking,' replied the girl, very frankly, 'that if I could get me a suit like the one she was wearing, I would give half my life.'

"'What did your partner say?'

"'He says, if I really want it, I just have to say it.'

"'He's right,' said Lu Ri, 'do you really want it as much as you say?'

"'yes.'

"'Well, you'll have it.'

(End of this chapter)