[Count of Monte Cristo] Love and hatred

r046

Mrs. Villefort's hasty departure left Edmund a mystery why she behaved so abnormally after hearing that name, just like Villefort back then.

Edmund suppressed the impulse in his heart until he confirmed that the warden would not return here, then gently moved the bed away, got into the tunnel hidden under the bed, and went to the opposite cell No. 27 to find his friend Farley Father Asia.

It took Father Faria several years to complete the tunnel.He still remembered his surprise when the priest emerged from the tunnel.He thought that the one who could dig such a passage would be a very strong person, but he didn't expect that he saw a shriveled and thin old man.

Father Faria's deep-set eyes were almost hidden by his gray eyebrows, and his long black beard fell to his chest.Wrinkles of worry engraved on his weary face, coupled with his resolute contours, one can tell at a glance that he is a person who is accustomed to laboring his mind and seldom laboring.

But it was this old man who, with his amazing perseverance, dug a fifty-foot-long tunnel.He wanted to dig through the wall facing the sea, but because of a small calculation error, he came to Edmund's cell.But a part of Edmund's heart believed that it was not a mistake, but God's guidance, and maybe they were destined to meet in the darkest cell of the Château d'If.

After that, they lived together in this dark cell.Edmund respected Father Faria as a father, and the priest loved Edmund as a son.

In the eyes of the jailers, Father Faria is an interesting lunatic. He sometimes laughs, sometimes cries, and talks about non-existent treasures all day long.Only Edmund knew that the priest was a man full of wisdom.He worked as a secretary to Cardinal Sparta for 20 years and browsed through the bishop's collection of more than 2000 volumes, but was later imprisoned for his political failure.But he did not give up his ideals. In addition to spending a long time dismantling furniture and making tools for digging walls to dig this tunnel, he also dissolved soot into wine to make ink, and fish head cartilage to make pens. Under the pretext of skin disease, he tricked the jailer into using sulfur to make fire tools for lighting lamps in order to continue his research.

Now the priest has another apprentice who is diligent and studious.I have to say that Edmund is an extremely gifted student. His strong comprehension allows him to adapt to various calculation methods, and he has the foundation of Italian and Greek. Much easier.In this way, it took only two years for Father Faria to teach Edmund mathematics, physics, chemistry, and three or four modern languages ​​he had mastered.

But it would be unfair to say that Edmund only learned the basics.The priest was born in a high-class society and has experienced vicissitudes of life. His appearance is melancholy and serious, and his demeanor is gentle and elegant. This kind of temperament is what Edmund lacked before.Under the influence of the priest, Edmund seemed to have been completely reborn, and his temperament completely changed.Such a temperament is difficult to acquire unless one has the opportunity of frequent association with those of noble birth.

To Edmund, Father Faria was like a ever-burning tower light in the vast sea.He is Edmund's mentor and Edmund's loving father.It was he who illuminated the light of wisdom for Edmund, and also gave him the opportunity to see through the fog that had covered the truth before, and unravel the mystery that has plagued him for many years

—Who actually wrote that whistleblower letter?

Edmund asked himself that he had never done anything wrong, nor had any hatred, so he couldn't understand why someone would deliberately harm him.

However, the priest smiled and said, "My child, you are so naive. It is true that good people are not easy to make enemies, but this does not mean that others will not harm you. Remember that interests are eternal. There is a saying that is very Wonderful, no matter what kind of evil it is, if you want to catch the evildoer, you must first find someone who can benefit from that evil.”

Yes, if he is imprisoned in the Chateau d'If, then the escort Danglars will become the captain of the Queen of Egypt, and Fernand, the cousin of Mai Tess, will lose a rival in love .

He suddenly remembered seeing them drinking together at Reserve Restaurant one night before the wedding banquet.It's them!They teamed up to frame him. One wrote the report letter with invisible handwriting. Under the guidance of the priest, he finally knew that the handwriting was written with his left hand; Court mailbox.

This also makes Edmund can't help but worry about whether Mei Tess can stick to their love.But when he told the story of Maisettes, Father Faria told him, "Edmund, you are probably the best person I have ever met, but your lover I won’t lose to you. In my life experience, I have never seen any woman who has the courage to pretend to be the queen’s female officer and break into the national prison alone. She will never be your enemy’s ordinary wife, she It is destined to accomplish great things.”

However, Madame de Villefort's sudden visit made Edmond doubt the third person.Why was he tried only once by Villefort, without going to court, or even being convicted of any formal procedure?

Doubt gripped Edmund, so the distance of fifty feet became extremely long.When he got out of the tunnel, the priest was drawing geometric figures on the wall, with the same concentration as Archimedes thinking about the law of buoyancy in the bathtub.

He didn't want to interrupt the priest's thinking, but he couldn't wait to know the answer, so he gave the priest a slight push.

After listening to his narration, Father Faria expressed the same misgivings, "My child, the judicial world is a place full of mystery and filth. If you want me to help you analyze it, you must take the details of the time Tell me about the situation.”

So Edmund recalled carefully. "The Deputy Prosecutor ordered me several times not to tell anything about Napoleon's letter. Not only that, but he made me take a solemn oath never to reveal the name of the person written on the envelope."

"But who is that name?"

"General Noirtier, rue du Hayron, Paris."

"Noirtier..." Father Faria repeated the name repeatedly, "I know that there was also a Girondist leader Noirtier during the Great Revolution. How old was the deputy prosecutor, and what was his last name?"

"His name is Villefort, and he is about twenty-seven or eight years old."

Father Faria suddenly burst out laughing, which made Edmond stand there in a daze, looking at him in bewilderment.

"Oh, don't worry, my boy," the priest stopped smiling, "I'm not crazy. I'm laughing because the whole story is perfectly clear. Poor boy, you tell me that the deputy prosecutor is deeply attached to you." Sympathy?"

"Yes."

"And he burned that letter from Napoleon?"

"Yes."

"He wants you to swear never to reveal the recipient's name?"

"Yes..."

"My poor child, do you know who this Noirtier is?"

Edmund shook his head.

"This Noirtier is Villefort's father!"

Had Hell opened its bottomless jaws before Edmund at this moment, he would have been less stunned by this utterly unexpected answer.These words exposed the injustice that only the executioner could do, and he was buried in the darkest dungeon of the Château d'If, suffering day and night, as if he had been buried in a prison. grave.

And Edmund came to his senses at this moment, holding his head tightly with both hands, as if to prevent his head from bursting open.He yelled out one word hoarsely, "His father..."

"Yes, the acting prosecutor's biological father," Father Faria shook his head helplessly, "Noirtier Villefort."

In an instant, those long memories seemed to be awakened by a ray of light.Villefort's extraordinary behavior during the interrogation, his manner, the expression of relief with which he destroyed the letter, the oath he demanded of Edmund, the tone in which he seemed not to proclaim guilt but to beg forgiveness, Everything became extremely clear.

Edmund took a deep breath, he finally understood why Madame Villefort behaved so abnormally, "Because the real criminal is not me, but his husband, Villefort!"

When the violent emotion had passed, Edmund went to the hole leading from the priest's dungeon to his own. "Father Faria, I want to think about these things alone."

"Go, my child, if you need anything, come to me." Father Faria sighed softly.

After returning to his cell, Edmund fell straight on the bed.In the evening, when the prison guards came to deliver the food, they found him sitting there with straight eyes and a straight face, like a statue, motionless.

"Are you crazy again?"

Edmund didn't answer, he was still lost in his thoughts.The hours seemed to him more than minutes, for during that time he had made a terrible resolution and made a dreadful oath.

Not long after the jailer left, Father Faria quietly went through the tunnel and came to cell No. 34 where Edmund was.He said with some concern, "My child, I regret now that I helped you find out the truth and find out the truth just now."

"Why?" Edmund frowned.

"Because that injected a new emotion into your heart." Faria pondered for a while, "That is revenge!"