World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 63 Hammer punishment (1)
"Gentlemen," said the Count of Monte Cristo, as he entered the drawing-room, "excuse me for not being here. I would have liked to call on you sooner, but I was afraid I would be intrusive. Besides, you have sent me word that If you condescend to come, I would be more respectful than obedient."

"Franz and I are very grateful to you, Monsieur the Count," said Albert, "for the help we were given when we were at our wit's end. At the time when we received the kind invitation from Monsieur, we were in the midst of our imagination to invent some kind of carriage."

"Oh, my God," continued the count, gesturing to the two young men to take their seats on one of the sofas, "gentlemen, it is the fault of that stupid Pastrini that I have put you in such a difficult position." For a long time. He has not said a word to me about your plight, and I am here alone, desperately looking for an opportunity to get to know my neighbors. When I learned that I can serve you, as you What I saw made me feel terrified and apprehensive, and I immediately paid tribute to the two of you."

The two young men bowed.Franz had not yet thought of what to say, nor had he found any countermeasures.The count made no sign of recognizing Franz, nor did he seem to expect Franz to recognize him, so Franz didn't know whether to say something, hint at the past, or simply look at what was to come. Let's talk about new evidence.Moreover, although Franz was sure that he was the person who faced the box last night, he did not dare to insist that the person who was in the arena the night before was also him, so Franz finally decided to let it be and not point it out to the earl.Besides, he now had the advantage over the other party, he had the secrets of others, and he, Franz, had nothing to hide, so they could not catch him.However, he decided to direct the conversation to some topic, which might solve some of the mysteries.

"Monsieur Count," said he, "you let us ride in your carriage and let us use the window you rented at the Rospoli Palace, can you tell us how we can, as the Italians say, in the national Find a seat in the square."

"Ah, yes, that's right," the count replied casually, having been scrutinizing Mosef, "isn't it just someone who is going to be executed in the National Square?"

"Yes," replied Franz, who saw the count himself turning to the subject he wished.

"Wait a minute, I remember telling my housekeeper yesterday and asking him to discuss this matter, maybe I can help you a little bit." He stretched out his hand and rang the bell three times. "Have you ever considered," he went on to Franz, "how to use your time? How to save the servants from going to and fro? I have thought of a way: I ring the bell once to call my valet; The first time is to call the hotel owner; the third time is to call my housekeeper, so that I won't waste even a minute, and I don't need to say a word of nonsense. Ah, he is here."

The man who came in was about forty or fifty years old, and Franz felt very much like the smuggler who led him into the cave, but the man didn't seem to recognize him at all, and Franz thought it was a warning of.

"Monsieur Beticio," said the count, "have you rented me a window in the Plaza de la National as I ordered you yesterday?"

"I have been, sir," replied the butler, "but it was too late."

"What?" said the count, frowning. "Didn't I tell you I wanted one?"

"I have already rented one to Your Excellency, and the window was previously rented to Prince Lobanev, so I have to pay 100..."

"Very well, very well, Monsieur Beticio, don't bother these two gentlemen with trivial matters. It will be very good if you get to the window. The address of the building must be given to the coachman, and you can go to the stairs." Wait, prepare to send us there. That's it, you can go." The butler bowed and then stepped back. "Ah," continued the count, "please ask Pastrini if ​​he has received the wooden plaque, and if you can bring me a report of the execution."

"No need to ask," said Franz, taking out a notebook from his pocket, "I have already seen the wooden sign, and I have copied a copy, and it is in this book."

"Excellent. Now, Monsieur Beticio, you can go. I have nothing to do now. Come and let us know when lunch is ready. Gentlemen," he said, turning to his two friends, "will be honored to share with me. For lunch?"

"But, to tell you the truth, Monsieur Count," said Albert, "it bothers you too much."

"No, no, on the contrary, I would be very glad if you would honor me. Maybe one day you will invite me back in Paris, either this or that, or both. Monsieur Beticio, prepare three Cutlery." Then he took the notebook from Franz, "Let's have a look," and then he read it as if reading a government gazette: "'By order of the Inquisition, February 2 On Tuesday, the first day of the Carnival, two death row inmates were executed in the Place de la National. The murderer Andra Rondolo murdered the priest Caesar Terrini, who was admired by the church of Saint-Jean Ladran. ; The criminal Rocca Parioli, also known as Peppino, assisted the notorious gangster Lüri Wampa and his accomplices. 'Well!'No.22 was punished with a hammer, and No.1 was executed by beheading. 'That's right,' continued the count, 'that was originally the rule, but I think the content and procedure of executions have changed since yesterday.'

"Oh!" said Franz.

"Yes, I was at Cardinal Rospigliosi's last night and heard from them that one of the two condemned men seems to have been put on reprieve."

"Andra Rondolo?" asked Franz.

"No," said the count casually, "it's the other one." He glanced at Ben again, as if checking his name again, "it's Pepino, Rocca Parioli, So you don’t see decapitation anymore, but there is still hammering. Hammering is a kind of capital punishment, and you will find it weird when you see it for the first time, or even the second time. As for decapitation, you all know it. Simple and the same, there will never be any accidents. The guillotine will not fail, will not tremble, will not cut inaccurately, and will not be accused of plotting against Richet like the favorite of Louis XIII at Chalet. However, this may be Richelieu, the Prime Minister of France (30-1585), a cardinal. After becoming Prime Minister of Louis XIII, he monopolized power and became the actual ruler. Deliberately Arranged. Oh," continued the count in a contemptuous tone, "don't mention Europeans to me in the matter of torture, they don't know what torture is, and they are indeed in their infancy when it comes to cruelty. , or rather, the twilight years."

"Really, Monsieur Count," said Franz, "you can almost say that you have made a special study of the different forms of torture in all countries of the world."

"There's not a lot of torture that I haven't seen, to say the least."

"Does it not please you to watch this dreadful spectacle?"

"I was first disgusted, then indifferent, and finally curious."

"Curious! That's appalling to say, don't you think?"

"Why! The biggest worry in life is death. Well, let's study the different ways that the soul may leave the body, and then study how people with different personalities, temperaments, and even customs experience the final mileage from birth to death. Torture, isn't it a curiosity? As for me, I can assure you of one thing, that the more a man sees death, the easier it will be for him to die himself. So, in my opinion, death is a torture, not atonement."

"I did not understand you very well," said Franz, "please explain again, I cannot explain to you how much your words have aroused my curiosity!"

"Listen," said the count, his face becoming so dark and gray that any other person would have flushed at this moment, "if someone were to torture your body with unheard-of tortures, with endless torments, Father, mother, lover, in short, destroy any of them, take them from your heart, leave a hole in you that can never be filled, leave a wound that is always bloody, and society gives you You can think that this kind of compensation is enough to make up for the fact that the murderer's neck was cut off by the iron knife of the guillotine, and the person who made you suffer mentally for many years suffered only a few seconds of physical pain. Do people hate it?"

"Yes, I know it," Franz said, "human justice is not enough to anger the people, but blood for blood. However, our demands can only be accommodated by justice, and there must be no unreasonable thoughts .”

"I can give you another concrete example," continued the count, "whenever a man is murdered at the bottom of society, his method is to pay his life for his life. Pain and tearing, but society does not care, does not even provide those means of vengeance that are not enough to pacify the anger we just said, is it? Some crimes, even if they are staked by the Turks, the Persians The lime torture of the Iroquois and the cramp punishment of the Iroquois and the Indians in North America are still too soft-hearted, but isn’t it just that society is indifferent to this heinous crime and does not impose any punishment?... May I ask, is such a crime? are not there?"

"Yes," said Franz, "it is for this crime that duels are permitted."

"Ah, a duel!" cried the count. "If it were for revenge, it would be a child's play with affection. A man who has taken your lover, seduced your wife, and disgraced your daughter, you have Right to pray to God for happiness, because God created man and promised everyone to enjoy happiness. However, because of that sinner, your life is painful, miserable. Even a shameful life, and that sinner makes your head crazy and makes your heart Desperation. And you, just because you stabbed him through the chest with a sword, or smashed his head with a bullet, do you think you have revenge? Forget it! Besides, the sinner is usually the winner of the duel , because in the eyes of the world his guilt has been absolved, and in a way he has been forgiven by God. No, no," continued the count, "if I avenge myself, I will not avenge myself in this way."

"So you don't approve of duels? You don't go to duels either?" asked Albert, surprised to hear such a strange talk.

"Oh, I'll fight!" said the count; "I mean, if I fight, it's only because of some little displeasure, because of being insulted, because of being slapped in the face, and I'm bound to look very relaxed." At ease, because with the skill I have acquired through various physical exercises, and the habit I have developed of not being afraid of danger, I can certainly kill my opponent. Oh, I will fight for all this, but if the suffering is A long, deep, never-ending great pain, I must return the same pain, as the Orientals say, this is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. In every way, the Orientals are ours They are the darlings of all things in the world, who know how to regard life as a dream and reality as heaven."

"But," Franz said to the count, "according to your theory, you not only appear in court, but also act as judge and executioner yourself, and yet you always want to stay outside the powerful law. How easy is it? Blindness, anger makes people lose their minds, and those who vent their hatred and revenge may end up drinking bitter wine themselves."

"If the man has neither money nor brains, it is possible, but not if he is a millionaire and clever. Besides, he has no choice himself. The so-called capital punishment is the capital punishment created by the French Revolution, which advocated fraternity, after the abolition of quartering and wheeling. Oh, as long as evil is rewarded with evil, what is torture? To be honest, I can’t help feeling sorry , this shameless Pepino is very likely to be left behind by the knife as they said, otherwise you can see how long it takes to behead, but in fact, the short time for one knife is not worth it Just a mention. Oh, really, gentlemen, it's a queer thing to talk about on carnival days. How did it come about? Ah, I remember! Leave a seat at the window for you, yes, I will definitely leave it for you. But now, let's go to eat first, and you see, the servant is coming to call us."

Sure enough, a servant opened one of the four doors in the living room, and shouted in a solemn voice, "Dinner, please!" The two young men stood up and walked into the dining room.The lunch was very sumptuous, and the hospitality was also very particular. Franz was always watching Albert's eyes while eating. He was sure that the words of the host would leave a deep impression on Albert, so he wanted to see how the impression was. .However, perhaps out of his habit of not minding anything, Albert did not pay attention to the conversation, maybe the Count of Monte Cristo's words about the duel were more pleasant, which catered to Albert's wishes, or maybe the things we mentioned earlier Only Franz knew the matter, and he felt even more strange when he heard the count's words. In short, Franz found that his companion not only didn't care, but he always ate with gusto, as if for four or five months, the worst food in the world One of his favorite meals was Italian food.As for the Earl, he only touched each dish a little. He seemed to be just fulfilling the host's obligation, just sitting with the guests, and he would use some rare food and wine after the guests left.This reminded Franz involuntarily of thinking of the count of Monte Cristo who had frightened the countess Grizzlies out of her wits, and of the countess' determination that the count, whom she had seen in the box opposite, had crawled out of the grave at night to eat people. blood ghost.After lunch, Franz took out his watch and looked at it.

"Well," said the count, "what else do you want?"

"Excuse me, Monsieur Count," replied Franz, "we have a great deal to do."

"What are these things?"

"We don't have make-up clothes yet, and you can't do without make-up today."

"You don't have to worry about such things. I remember that I have a private room in the National Square. You just need to tell me what kind of clothes you need, and I can send someone to deliver them. We can make up on the spot."

"Will you put on your makeup after the execution?" asked Franz aloud.

"Of course, it's at your own discretion. It can be done before or after the execution, or right at the time of the execution."

"Right across from the guillotine?"

"The guillotine is an integral part of carnival."

"Well, Monsieur Count, I've thought it over," said Franz, "thanks to your kindness, but I'll be content with a ride in your carriage and a seat at the window of the Rospoli Palace, As for the seat reserved for me at the National Square window, I will leave it to you to make other arrangements."

"However, I have to tell you that you have missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"You can tell me about it later," continued Franz. "I'm sure you'll tell it so well that I heard it as if I saw it with my own eyes. Besides, I've wanted to see executions for myself several times." , but I can never make up my mind. Is it the same with you, Albert?"

"I," the viscount replied, "I have seen the execution of Castan, but I think I was a little drunk that day. I just graduated from school on this day. We don't know which hotel we spent the night in."

"Besides, that's not a reason. You can't do things you didn't do in Paris, you can't do them when you go abroad, right? Traveling alone is to increase your knowledge. When you go to a new place, you have to see everything. Look. Let's imagine that someone asks you later: 'What is it like to kill a prisoner in Rome?' and you answer: 'I don't know.' What face do you have then? Besides, it is said that the prisoner is a shameless criminal. This inconceivable fellow, who was brought up as his own son by a kind priest, repays his vengeance by beating the priest to death with a stroke of the grate. Damn it, the murderer of the church should have a decent weapon, Not the grates of the fireplace, and the priest may be our priest. If you were to travel to Spain, you would go to a bullfight, wouldn't you? Well, let's go to a bullfight now. Think about it The ancient Romans in the arena and their competition, 300 lions and more than 100 people were killed, and then think about the applause of 8 spectators. One by one stretched out their snow-white hands and raised their thumbs up. They were so coquettish and gentle, but they seemed to be saying: 'Come on, don't be lazy, let me finish this guy, he is almost finished.'”

"Are you going, Albert?" asked Franz.

"Of course, my dear friend! I was as reluctant as you to go, but the eloquent count persuaded me."

(End of this chapter)