Two Cities

Chapter 21 Gokang's Head (1)
The manor of the Marquis was a tall and imposing building with a huge stone courtyard in front of it.The two stone steps on the left and right of the gate meet on the platform in front of the gate. The courtyard is entirely made of stone.The huge stone steps, the ear vases carved in all directions, the flowers carved in stone, the human face carved in stone, and the lion's head carved in stone seem to have been glanced at by Guogang's head when it was just completed 200 years ago.

The Marquis got out of the carriage and was led by the torchbearer up a wide and shallow stone steps. The sound of footsteps was enough to wake up the owl on the roof of the stable in the forest in the distance, causing it to protest loudly. Other than that, everything was calm.The torches blazed on the steps and in front of the gate, as if in a closed hall instead of out in the night sky.Other than Xiaoxiao's cry, there was only the rustling sound of the fountain splashing into the stone basin.For it was a night of holding one's breath for hours on end, followed by a long, low sigh, and holding one's breath again.

The heavy door slammed shut behind him, and His Majesty the Marquis walked into a gloomy hall.There were boar spears for hunting, long swords and knives, riding whips and clubs.These things are even more sinister, and some peasants, because they offended the master and had learned their weight, went directly to death, the benefactor who relieved the pain.

The Marquis avoided the large room that had been closed for the night, led by the torchbearer, and walked up the stone steps to a door in the corridor.The door opened and he walked into his room.The one-bedroom, two-room house had high arches and a cold, uncarpeted floor.There was a wood-stack for winter wood on the fireplace, and all the luxuries befitting of a noble Marquis.The previous generation of King Louis, the ubiquitous style of Louis XIV, which highlights the royal family lineage, can be seen everywhere on these gorgeous furniture.There are also many examples in it, reflecting some different ancient chapters in French history.

In the third room dinner was prepared for two.The manor had a domed watchtower, and this room jutted out of the watchtower, though only a little, with a high ceiling and open windows with wooden shutters closed so that the dark night shone on the light black horizontal stripes of the stone background.

"My nephew," said the Marquis, looking at the dinner set, "they say he hasn't arrived yet."

He did not arrive, but the Marquis was anxious to meet him. "Ah! He may not come tonight, but the dinner is reserved like this. I will come in a quarter of an hour." After a quarter of an hour, everything was ready, and the Marquis sat alone at the gorgeous dinner table.

His chair was turned away from the window.He had already had the soup, and when he was about to drink the Bordeaux, he put it down again.

"What's that?" he asked calmly, then stared intently at the black stripe lining the back of the stone wall.

"Is that there, my lord?" "Outside the shutters. Open the shutters."

The shutters are open. "did you see it?"

"My lord, did you see anything? There are only trees and night outside the window." The servant who spoke had already opened the blinds, and saw nothing in the night, turned his back and stood facing the emptiness, waiting for instructions.

"That's all," said the motionless host, "close it!" The shutters were closed, and the Marquis resumed his supper.Halfway through eating, the cup in my hand stopped again.He heard the sound of wheels.The sound of the car came to the front of the manor after a while.

"Go and see who's coming." It was the Marquis' nephew.In the afternoon, he fell behind the Marquis for a long distance, but quickly shortened the distance, but he did not catch up with the Marquis, only heard at the post station that he was ahead of him.

The Marquis sent to inform him that supper was ready, and asked him to go at once.It didn't take long for him to arrive.We had known him long ago in England as Charles Darnay.

The Marquis received him politely, but they did not shake hands.

"You left Paris yesterday, sir?" he said to his Excellency, and sat down as he spoke.

"Yesterday. How about you?" "I came directly." "From London?"

"Yes." "It took a long time," said the Marquis, smiling. "Not much, I came directly."

"Sorry! I don't mean the time on the road, but it took a lot of time to decide to come."

"I was—" the nephew hesitated for a while when he answered, "a lot of things are delayed."

"Of course," replied the polite uncle.Because there were servants, the two didn't talk much.After the coffee was served and only the two of them were left, the nephew glanced at his uncle, stared into the eyes on the cold-looking face, and started talking.

"I have come back according to your wishes, and I am still pursuing the goal that made me leave. That goal put me in unexpected danger, but my goal is sacred, even if I have to die for it, I will have no complaints regret."

"Don't talk about death," said the uncle, "don't keep talking about death." "I'm not sure, sir," replied the nephew, "if it brings me to the brink of death, you'll stop it." The nest gradually deepened, and the thin straight lines on the haggard face elongated, proving that my nephew was right.Uncle made an elegant gesture of disapproval.That gesture was so obviously a slight sign of good breeding that it was unbelievable.

"Actually, sir," went on the nephew, "from what I know, you intended to let me in."

"No, no, no," said the uncle hastily. "However, no matter what my situation may be," continued the nephew, who gave him a very suspicious look, "I know that your power will stop me, and by any means."

"I told you that, my friend," said the uncle, and the dimples on his nostrils moved slightly. "Please grant me one request: remember. I told you that a long time ago."

"I remember that." "Thank you," said the Marquis--in a cheerful tone.His voice echoed in the air, much like the sound of an instrument. "Actually, sir," went on the nephew, "I believe your misfortune and my luck have kept me from being thrown into prison in France." "I don't know," said the uncle, sipping his coffee. "Could you please explain?"

"I believe that if you hadn't fallen out of favor in the court, if you hadn't been shrouded in the cloud many years ago, you might have sent me to a place where I could be imprisoned for a long time with a blank pursuit order."

"It's possible," said the uncle very calmly, "for the sake of the family's honor, I might make up my mind to stop you to that extent. Please forgive me."

"I was very pleased to find that the court audience the day before yesterday was still the same, with a cold attitude," said the nephew.

"I would not be so pleased, my friend," said my uncle politely, "that I would not give you this good opportunity to think in solitude, which would be far more beneficial to your fate than to let you do whatever you want. But it is useless to speak of the question now. As you say, I am not in a good position. Such means of prompting men to right wrongs, such methods of contributing to the power and honor of the family, such A little favor that interferes with you like this now depends on the interest of the higher-ups, and you have to ask continuously to get it. Because there are many people who ask for it, and few people get it! But it was not like this before. The world is not as good as it used to be. It is not so long ago that our ancestors had the power of life and death over the untouchables around them. Many dogs like this used to be taken out of this room and hanged, and the next room (my current one) bedroom), we know of a man who was killed with a dagger for showing some kind of rebellion and injustice on behalf of his daughter—was the daughter his? We have lost many privileges. A Something new is in fashion. To reaffirm our status at the present time may bring us unexpected troubles - I say 'maybe' but not 'will'. It's all very, very outrageous!"

The Marquis took a pinch of snuff, shook his head, and expressed resigned disappointment, as if he believed that the country could not do without him, while he thought he was a worthy man who could restore his homeland.

"We've said enough, and have said enough, about our place," said the nephew gloomily, "I'm sure our family is one of those who gnash their teeth in France."

"I hope so," said my uncle, "the hatred of the high is the unconscious reverence of the humble."

"In the surrounding countryside," said the nephew, still in the same tone as before, "I have never seen a face that showed respect to me, but only unwilling obedience to terror and slavery."

"That's a compliment to the family's power," said the Marquis. "It's the compliment the family deserves for maintaining its privilege and prestige, ha!" He took another pinch of snuff, and slowly put his legs together.

But when his nephew, leaning on one elbow on the table, covered his eyes with his hands in thoughtful despondency, the delicate mask squinted uncomfortably with a look that had nothing to do with it. He glanced at him, and the eyes were full of tension, predation and hatred.

"Suppression is the only long-lasting remedy. Terror and servitude make a sullen respect, my friend," said the Marquis, "and a dog can be made to obey the whip--so long as the roof can hide the sky." As he said he looked Get on the roof.

The roof does not necessarily keep out the sky for as long as the Marquis envisioned.If the Marquis could see the picture of that manor and fifty other similar manors many years later that night, it would be difficult for him to imagine that the looted and charred ruins would be his manor today.As for the roof he just bragged about, he might see that it would hide the sky in other ways—that is, make the roof become lead bullets, which would shoot out like swords, closing people's eyes to the sky forever. superior.

"Besides," the Marquis said, "if you ignore the honor of the family, I will try my best to maintain it myself. But you must be very tired. Should the negotiations be suspended tonight?" "Let's talk for a while!" "A moment Chung, if you like."

"Sir," said the nephew, "we have made a mistake and are being punished." "We have made a mistake?" repeated the Marquis, smiling back, pointing gracefully to his nephew and at the same time to himself . "Our family, and the honor of the family. We both value its honor, but in different attitudes. In my father's day, we made a lot of mistakes. Whoever it is, for whatever reason, Anyone who disobeys our will must suffer. Why do I say my father's time, isn't that also your time? Can I separate my father's twin brother, co-heir, and present heir from himself ?”

(End of this chapter)