The Count of Monte Cristo Chapter 068 The Summer Ball The Count, an insurmountable obstacle

On the day Mrs. Tenglar went to see the prosecutor, a wagon pulled into Helda Road, crossed Gate Twenty-Seven, and stopped in the garden. After a while, the car door opened and Mrs. Marsef got out of the car with her son's shoulders. Albert soon left her, ordered the horses to be set, and after dressing up, drove to the Champs Elysées, home in Monte Cristo. The count came out to greet him with his habitual smile. Strangely enough, the count, as a man, seemed unable to have any further close relations with him. Anyone who wants to form a so-called 'confidant' with him will encounter an insurmountable obstacle. Malsev had run toward him with open arms, but as soon as he reached him, his heart was cold, and although the other party had a friendly smile on his face, he only dared to extend a hand. Monte Cristo, with his unchanging habit, shook the hand coldly.

"Alas!" Albert said, "Here I come, my dear Count. ”

"Welcome back!"

"I only arrived an hour ago."

"Is it from Dieppe?"

"No, from The Port of Loei."

"Ah, really!"

"I'll be the first to visit you."

"You're so nice." Monte Cristo said in a tone of utter indifference.

"Alas! How's it going? ”

"You shouldn't ask a foreigner who lives away from home."

"I know, but by the so-called inquiry, I mean have you done anything for me?"

"Have you ever entrusted me with anything?" Monte Cristo said with a very uneasy look.

"Hey, hey!" Albert said, "Don't pretend you don't know. People say that people are separated by two places, and they have one pulse, well, when I was in Le Harbor, I felt a numbness like an electric shock. You either did something for me or you missed me. ”

"Perhaps," said Monte Cristo, "I have indeed missed you, but I must confess that although the current may have been sent by me, I myself did not know it. ”

"Really! Please tell me what's going on? ”

"It's very simple, Mr. Tenglar came to me for a meal."

"I know that it was precisely to avoid meeting him that my mother and I left Paris."

"But also at the table was Mr. Andrei Cavalcanti."

"Your Italian prince?"

"Don't exaggerate that Mr. André is still calling himself a viscount."

"He called himself, you say?"

"Yes, he called himself."

"So he's not a viscount?"

"Oh! I don't know? He called himself that, and of course I called him that, and everybody called him that. ”

"You're such a weird person! What else? You say Mr. Tenglar ate here? ”

"Yes."

"And your Viscount Andrei Cavalcanti?"

"And Viscount Cavalcanti, his marquis father, Madame Tenglar, Monsieur Villefort and his wife—the rare VIPs, Debray, Maximilian Morrell, and who else, wait, ah! Mr. Chateau Lenoir. ”

"Did they mention me?"

"Not at all."

"That's terrible."

"Why? I seem to remember that you wanted them to forget you? ”

"If they hadn't mentioned me, I could be sure they had thought of me, and I'm disappointed."

"As long as there is no Miss Tenglar among those who miss you, what is the impact on you?" Yes, she may miss you at home. ”

"Then I'm not afraid, if she really misses me, it's just as much as I miss her."

"Hearts and minds! So do you hate each other? The count said.

"Listen to me!" Marsev said. "If Miss Tenglar could have repaid my friendship without the suffering of a martyr and without having to go through the formal marriage formalities of our two families, it would have been very good for me. In a word, Miss Tenglar can be a lovely mistress, but being a wife sucks! ”

"Is that how you see your future wife," Monte Cristo asked.

"Yes, to put it more cruelly, it's true, at least it's true. But this dream could not be fulfilled, for Miss Tenglar must be my wife. That said, definitely stay with me. Singing, composing, or playing an instrument to me within ten steps of me. I was scared when I thought about it. We could abandon a mistress, but for a wife, Oh my God! That's one thing. That's permanent. Whether she was around or at a distance, it was always something permanent. The thought of Miss Tenglar being with me forever, even if we were all far apart, was terrible enough. ”

"You're so hard to please, Viscount."

"Yes, because I want to be able to achieve the impossible."

"What?"

"Find a wife like a mother."

Monte Cristo's face turned white at once, and he looked at Albert, playing with the magnificent pistol in his hand.

"So Ling Zun is very happy Luo?" he said.

"You know what I think of my mother, Count. You look at her, she's still beautiful, very energetic, just like before. If any other son had accompanied his mother to Live in Le Port for four days, he would have felt bored and bored, but I had been with her for four days, but I was more satisfied, more peaceful, and more, I could say this, poetically than with Queen Mapi or Divania. ”

"That's perfect, you're going to make everyone swear to be single."

"It is for this reason," said Marsef, "that I am not anxious to marry Miss Tenglar, knowing that there are indeed perfect women in the world." Have you ever noticed that a thing, when we get it, its value increases? The sparkling diamond in the window of the jewelry store, when it reaches our own hands, the brilliance is even more brilliant, but if we have to admit that there is something better, but still keep the inferior point, do you know how painful it will be? ”

"It's a boundless desire to sea!" The count murmured.

"So if Miss Eugenie can understand that man is just a poor little thing, that she has millions, and I don't even have hundreds of thousands, then I will be happy."

Monte Cristo smiled.

"I once thought of a plan," Albert continued, "and Franz likes everything that is quirky. I tried to make him fall in love with Miss Tenglar, but in spite of the four most seductive letters he wrote, he replied unchanged: 'My eccentricities are great, but she cannot make me break my promises.' ’”

"This is what I call a sincere friendship, someone you don't want to marry, but you recommend it to others."

Albert smiled. "By the way," he said again, "Franz is coming." But you will be interested in that message. Don't you like him? ”

"Me!" Monte Cristo said, "My dear Viscount, how could you have thought that I did not like Monsieur Franz?" I like everyone. ”

"Have you included me in this 'everyone'?" Thank you! ”

"Make no mistake," said Monte Cristo, "I love everyone as God wants us to love our neighbors. That's love in the Christian sense, but I also have a few people who hate it so much. Let's go back to Mr. Franz Epinay. You said he was coming back? ”

"Yes, it was Monsieur Villefort who had summoned him back, and Monsieur Villefort was evidently anxious to marry Off Miss Valentine, just as Monsieur Tenglar wanted to see Miss Eugenie out of the cabinet at an early date. There is an grown daughter at home, and the father must be very embarrassed, and if he does not take them away, they will be like a fever, and their pulse will beat ninety times a minute. ”

"But Mr. Epinay is not like you, he patiently endured his misfortune."

More than that, he spoke of it very seriously, sitting precariously, as if he were talking about his own family. Moreover, he had great respect for Mr. and Mrs. Villefort. ”

"They're worthy of respect, aren't they?"

"I believe so. Monsieur Villefort was always seen as a stern but impartial man. ”

"Then," said Monte Cristo, "there is finally one man who has not been rebuked by you as much as the poor Tenglar. ”

"Maybe that's because I don't have to be forced to marry his daughter." Albert answered, laughing.

"Really, my dear sir," said Monte Cristo, "you are too conceited. ”

"Am I conceited?"

"Yes, smoke a cigar."

"Very willing. How can I be conceited? ”

"Well, because you're here desperately defending yourself, to avoid Miss Tenglar." But let things go naturally, maybe it wasn't you who retreated first. ”

"What!" Albert narrowed his eyes and said.

"There is no doubt, Your Excellency, Viscount, that they will not force you to obey. Come on, let's be honest, you don't want to annul your marriage? ”

"If I could, I would be willing to pay a hundred thousand francs for it."

"Then you can be very happy. Mr. Tenglar was willing to pay twice that amount of money to that end. ”

"Am I really so happy?" Albert said his face was still covered with an almost imperceptible cloud. "But, my dear Count, Mr. Tenglar has a reason to do so?"

"Ah! Your pride and selfishness are revealed. You can attack someone's self-esteem with an axe, but if your own self-esteem is pricked by a small needle, you cringe. ”

"No, but in my opinion, Mr. Tenglar seems..."

"Should like you, shouldn't you, eh?" His connoisseurship was not high, and he seemed to like another person. ”

"Who?"

"I don't know, you can study and judge for yourself."

"Thank you, I get it. Listen: Mother, no, not mother, I was mistaken — my father was going to have a dance party. ”

"A dance party this season?"

"Dancing in the summer is very fashionable."

"Even if not, as soon as the countess proposes a wife, it will be popular."

"You're right. You know, it's a ball, and anyone who stays in Paris in July must be a real Parisian. Can you invite two Mr. Cavalcanti on our behalf? ”

"Which day?"

"Saturday."

"The old Kavalcanti is gone by then."

"But his son is still here. Can you invite Mr. Cavalcanti Jr.? ”

"I'm not familiar with him, Viscount."

"You don't know him well?"

"No, I only met him for the first time a few days ago, and I'm not sure about him in any way."

"But you invited him to your house for dinner?"

"That's another matter, he was introduced to me by a well-meaning priest who may have been deceived. Go straight to him, don't let me invite you in your place, if he marries Miss Tenglar in the future, you will say that I am plotting to come and duel with me. Besides, I might not go myself. ”

"Where not to go?"

"Your ball."

"Why don't you go?"

"There's only one reason, because you haven't invited me yet."

"But I came specifically for that mission."

"You're too nice, but I might get held back."

"If I had told you one thing, you would have overcome all obstacles."

"Tell me something."

"My mother kindly asks you to go."

"Countess Marsef?" Monte Cristo was taken aback.

"Ah, Count," said Albert, "I assure you that Madame Marcefe has told me very frankly, that if you do not have the sympathetic sensation of the distant land which I have just mentioned, it must be that there is no such nerve in your body at all, for in the last four days we have not talked about anyone but you. ”

"Are you talking about me? Thank you so much! ”

"Yes, that's your prerogative, you're a living topic."

"So, in Ling Tang's eyes, am I also a problem?" I thought she was very sensible and wouldn't have such fantasies. ”

"My dear count, you are every question, the mother's and the others', and many have studied you, but have not come to the conclusion that you are still a mystery, so you can rest assured. My mother always asked, how are you so young. I believe that although Countess G compares you to Lord Rothven, her mother sees you as Calestero or Count Saint Germain. You can confirm her opinion at the first opportunity, which is easy for you to do, because you have the gold of the former and the wisdom of the latter. ”

"I thank you for your reminder," said the Count, "and I have done my best to cope with speculation about me from all sides. ”

"So, you're here on Saturday?"

"Come, since Madame Marsef invited me."

"You're so impressed."

"Is Monsieur Tenglar going?"

"My father has invited him. We should try to persuade the Justice, Monsieur Villefort, to come too, but he may disappoint us. ”

"As the saying goes, 'Never be disappointed.'" ”

"Do you dance, Count?"

"Dancing?"

"Yes, you. What's all the fuss about? ”

"Dancing is really the most suitable for people under the age of forty. No, I don't dance, but I love watching others dance. Does Madame Marceff dance? ”

"Never skipped it, you can talk to her, she really wants to talk to you."

"Really!"

"Yes, it is true, and I assure you that you are the only person she has ever shown that curiosity."

Albert got up and picked up his hat, and the count accompanied him to the door. "I regret one thing." Walking to the front of the steps, he stopped Albert and said.

"Okay, what?"

"When I told you about Tenglar, I was a little disrespectful."

"On the contrary, always tell me about him with the same attitude."

"That's good! I'm relieved. By the way, when do you think Mr. Epinay will arrive? ”

"It's five or six days away at the latest."

"When will he get married?"

"As soon as Monsieur Saint-Mélan and his wife arrived, they got married."

"Bring him to see me." Although you say I don't like him, I assure you that I would be glad to see him. ”

"Obey the order, sir."

"Reunion.""

"I'll see you again on Saturday, and I'll be waiting for you, and hopefully I won't be disappointed."

"Okay, I'll definitely come."

The Count watched Albert get into the car, and Albert waved goodbye to him. When he stepped on his light four-wheeled carriage, Monte Cristo turned and saw Bertuccio. "What's the news?" he asked.

"She went to court once." The housekeeper answered.

"How long have you been there?"

"An hour and a half."

"Did she come home?"

"Just go home."

"Well, my dear Bertuccio," said the Count, "I now urge you to look for the little property of Normandy that I have told you about. ”

Bertuccio bowed, and the order he had received hit him in his arms, so he set off that night. ”