World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 131 Madame Saint-Méran (1)
The atmosphere in M. de Villefort's house was indeed somewhat despondent just now.Madame de Villefort, although she talked about it, could not persuade her husband to accompany her to the ball.After the two ladies left, the prosecutor locked himself in the study as usual.There is a large stack of files in the study, and other people will be terrified when they see it, but for Villefort, this little thing is just enough to satisfy his strong desire to work in ordinary days.But this time, the files piled up were just for show, and Villefort thanked guests behind closed doors, not because he wanted to work, but because he wanted to think about some issues.The door of the study room has been closed, and the servant has also ordered that no one is allowed to disturb him unless there is something important.He sat down on the chair and carefully sorted out the melancholy and bitter memories that had been in his heart for seven or eight days.However, instead of flipping through the large stack of files in front of him, he opened a drawer of the desk, unlocked a secret lock, and took out a stack of personal notes.These are all his own handwritten records carefully left by himself, with the names of one person after another recorded on it, and they are marked by categories with passwords that only he himself knows.These are the various enemies he encountered in his political career, in his money dealings, in court proceedings, and in stealing incense and jade.The number of people has reached an astonishing level today, and he himself has already begun to panic.However powerful these people may be, the Corsican must have told some priest, and the priest told someone else.Monsieur Monte Cristo may have heard of it, and in order to find out the truth..."

Villefort thought for a while, and couldn't help asking himself: "Why does Monte Cristo come to find out the truth? Monsieur Monte Cristo, that is, this Monsieur Zacconer, is the son of a Maltese shipowner who opened a silver mine on Mount Thessaly. Now that he is in France for the first time, what interest does he have in inquiring about such a sad, mysterious, and meaningless thing? The Elder Buzzoni and Lord Weymar are his friend and the other his enemy. , I can't match what they told me, but in my opinion, there is one thing that is so clear and obvious that there is no doubt at all, that is, at any time, under any circumstances and on any occasion, I never had any contact with him."

However, Villefort said so, but he didn't think so in his heart.It is not the most terrible thing for him to be revealed, because he can deny it or even refute it.He wasn't too worried about the three bloody characters "count, weigh, and divide" that suddenly appeared on the wall (see the note to Chapter [-]).What he is worried about is whose hand these three blood characters were written by.

He tried to comfort himself.He is ambitious and has dreamed many sweet dreams. Sometimes he vaguely sees his bright future in politics, but he is afraid of awakening such an enemy who has been dormant for a long time, so now he only thinks about his future family relationship. happy.At this moment, there was the sound of a carriage rattling in the courtyard, and then he heard an elderly man coming up the stairs to his study, and then there was a sound of weeping and sighing in the building, as if a servant was watching. If you encounter any misfortune at the master's house, you will take the opportunity to show yourself, sobbing and lamenting.He went at once and threw the latch of the study, and an old lady came in without waiting for an announcement, with a shawl on her arm and a hat in her hand.Her hair was white, her forehead was haggard and sallow, and the corners of her eyes were covered with wrinkles carved by the years. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and she could hardly see her eyes when she looked suddenly.

"Oh, sir!" she said, "oh, sir! what a pity! I don't want to live either! Oh! yes, I really don't want to!" and she sat down in a chair next to the door. Falling down, whimpering and crying.

The servant stood at the door, no one dared to approach, just looked at the old servant of Nouakier.It turned out that the old servant heard the commotion in his master's room, and rushed over immediately, but only stood behind the other servants.Villefort got up and went to the old lady. It was his mother-in-law who came. "Oh, my God! What's the matter, Madame?" he asked. "Has M. de Saint-Méran not accompanied you?"

"Mr. Saint-Méran has passed away." The old lady Marquis said, not only speaking bluntly, but also showing no expression on her face, as if she had become numb.

Villefort couldn't help taking a step back, and slapped his hands with a snap. "Dead! . . . " he muttered, "so... so suddenly?"

"A week ago," Madame de Saint-Méran went on, "we got into the carriage together after dinner and set out. A few days before the departure, Monsieur de Saint-Méran had felt unwell, but the thought of seeing our dear Valencia again Tina, despite his illness, he took the courage to go on the road. When he walked six miles outside Marseilles, he took a few pills as usual, and then fell asleep in a drowsy sleep. I felt He was sleeping abnormally. I felt that his face was flushed and the veins in his temples were beating more violently than usual, but I couldn't bear to wake him up. It was dark now and I couldn't see anything. I didn’t know clearly, so I let him fall asleep next to him. After a while, he yelled in a low voice, very miserable, like some nightmare, and then his head suddenly fell back again. So I yelled The valet asked the coachman to stop the carriage, and I called M. Saint-Méran, and gave him my sniffing bottle. But it was all over, he was dead, and I went to Aix next to his body. "

Villefort opened his mouth wide, and just stood there dumbfounded. "You must have called a doctor?"

"I invited you then, but, as I told you just now, it was already too late."

"Yes, but at least the doctor can diagnose the disease from which the poor Marquis died."

"My God, yes, sir, the doctor told me it looked like a fulminant stroke."

"How did you deal with the matter afterwards?"

"Mr. Saint-Méran always said that if he didn't die in Paris, his body would be brought back to the tomb. I put him in an aluminum coffin, which came a few days before him."

"Oh, my God, poor mother!" said Villefort, "you are old enough to be so troubled after such shocks!"

"God has given me strength, and I have endured all the way. What I did to my dear Marquis, he would do to me if he were alive. Yes, since he said goodbye to me there, I only feel I am confused, I want to cry, but I can’t cry. Yes, people told me that people at my age no longer have tears, but I think that when people are hurting, they should cry Where is Valentine, sir? It is for her that we have come, and I want to see Valentine now."

Villefort thought at this moment to reply that it would be too cruel for Valentine to go to the ball, so he only said to the Marchioness that Valentine had gone out with her stepmother, and he would go to her now.

"Go at once, sir, at once, I beg you," said the old lady.

Villefort took Madame Saint-Meran's arm, and led her into the room. "Get some rest, mother," he said.

Hearing "Mother", the Marchioness immediately raised her head, looked at Villefort in front of her, and couldn't help but think of her dead daughter, only thinking that Valentine was her daughter's reincarnation.The old lady was deeply moved by the word "Mother", she burst into tears, her feet went limp, and she knelt down beside a chair, her awe-inspiring white-haired head pressed tightly against the chair.

Villefort ordered several maids to take care of Mrs. Saint-Méran, while the aged Baroy went to find his master in a hurry. There is no uneasiness in old age, it is only because the god of death temporarily walks away from him, and goes to strike other people. An old man.Then, when Mrs. Saint-Meran knelt on her chair and prayed devoutly, Villefort ordered the servant to call a taxi, and he went to Mrs. Mocerf's mansion to pick up his wife and daughter home.When he came to the drawing-room door of the Mocerfs', looking very pale, Valentine ran to him, crying, "Oh, father, has something misfortune happened?"

"Your grandmother is here, Valentine," said M. de Villefort.

"Where's my grandfather?" the girl asked tremblingly.

M. de Villefort made no answer, but put out his arm to support his daughter, so timely that Valentine felt so dizzy that she nearly fell down.Madame de Villefort hastened to support her, and, together with M. de Villefort, helped the girl into the carriage, she said: "It is a strange thing, who would have expected it? Oh, yes, it is a very strange thing."

The unhappy family hurried away, casting a cloud of gloom over the ball like a black veil.Back at the mansion, Valentine met Barois who was waiting for her at the foot of the stairs.

"Monsieur Noirquier told you to go to him this evening," said Baroy in a low voice.

"Tell him that I will go there after I have seen my grandmother," said Valentine.

The girl is careful and knows that the person who needs her most at this time is Madame Saint-Méran.Valentine saw that her grandmother had gone to bed.As soon as they met, both grandparents and grandchildren were heartbroken and wept sadly, the two of them just comforted silently.Madame de Villefort was also nearby, leaning on her husband's arm, and at least outwardly showing respect for the poor widow.After a while she leaned into her husband's ear and said, "It would be better if you would allow me to go away, because my presence seems to make your mother-in-law more miserable."

Madame de Saint-Meran heard her. "Yes, yes," whispered the old lady to Valentine, "let her go, but you don't go, stay."

Madame de Villefort then went out, leaving Valentine alone at her grandmother's bedside.The prosecutor was horrified by the sudden bad news, and he followed his wife away.As for the old man Noirquier, as we have just said, he heard the commotion in the house, and sent his old servant upstairs to see what was going on.Thus, just now Baroy came up the stairs from Noirquier's.As soon as he returned to Noirquier's room, the eyes of the paralyzed old man, full of vitality and especially full of wisdom, stared at Barois and asked.

"No, monsieur!" said Barrois. "A very unfortunate incident has occurred. Madame de Saint-Meran has arrived, and her husband is dead."

The friendship between M. de Saint-Méran and Noirquier was not very strong, but the reader will know what effect the news of the death of one old man has on the other.Noirquier's head fell limply to his chest, he seemed to be hopeless, and he seemed to be depressed, and then he closed one eye.

"Do you want Mademoiselle Valentine?" asked Barois.

Noirquier motioned yes.

"She's gone to the ball, you know, and when she comes to say good-bye to you, she's all dressed up."

Noirquier closed his left eye again.

"Yes, you want to see her now?"

The old man indicated that this was exactly what he meant.

"Well, someone must go to Mrs. Mocerf's mansion to pick up the lady now. I will wait for her. As soon as she comes back, I will tell her to come to you. Is this okay?"

"Okay." The paralyzed old man gestured and replied.

So Baroy went downstairs to wait for Valentine's return.As we have just said, Baroy told her what her grandfather meant when Valentine came back.Therefore, according to her grandfather's wishes, Valentine went to Noirquier's room as soon as she left Madame Saint-Meran.As for Madame de Saint-Meran, although she was shattered internally, she fell asleep in a trance from exhaustion.A small table was placed for her within reach of her hand, and on the table was a glass and a bottle of orange juice, which she loved to drink every day.Then, as we have already said, Valentine left the bed of the Marchioness and went directly to Noirquier's room.Valentine went up to embrace her grandfather, and the old man gave her a benevolent look. At this moment, the girl felt that the tears she thought she had cried dry were gushing out again like a spring.The old man's eyes were only fixed on the girl.

"Yes, yes," said Valentine, "you mean to say that I have a good grandfather, don't you?"

The old man indicated that his eyes meant exactly that.

"Alas! it is so," continued Valentine, "what should I do otherwise? My God!"

It was already one o'clock in the morning, and Baruwa was so sleepy that he wanted to go to bed. He reminded everyone that everyone had been very sad that night, and now they should rest.The old grandfather could not say that seeing his granddaughter was a rest for him, so he let Valentine go anyway, and Valentine, indeed, seemed not to be refreshed from grief and sleepiness.

(End of this chapter)