登陆注册
5382900000289

第289章

"Well, my husband would never live in it.""Indeed?" returned Monte Cristo, "that is a prejudice on your part, M.de Villefort, for which I am quite at a loss to account.""I do not like Auteuil, sir," said the procureur, making an evident effort to appear calm.

"But I hope you will not carry your antipathy so far as to deprive me of the pleasure of your company, sir," said Monte Cristo.

"No, count, -- I hope -- I assure you I shall do my best,"stammered Villefort.

"Oh," said Monte Cristo, "I allow of no excuse.On Saturday, at six o'clock.I shall be expecting you, and if you fail to come, I shall think -- for how do I know to the contrary? --that this house, which his remained uninhabited for twenty years, must have some gloomy tradition or dreadful legend connected with it.""I will come, count, -- I will be sure to come," said Villefort eagerly.

"Thank you," said Monte Cristo; "now you must permit me to take my leave of you.""You said before that you were obliged to leave us, monsieur," said Madame de Villefort, "and you were about to tell us why when your attention was called to some other subject.""Indeed madame," said Monte Cristo: "I scarcely know if Idare tell you where I am going."

"Nonsense; say on."

"Well, then, it is to see a thing on which I have sometimes mused for hours together.""What is it?"

"A telegraph.So now I have told my secret.""A telegraph?" repeated Madame de Villefort.

"Yes, a telegraph.I had often seen one placed at the end of a road on a hillock, and in the light of the sun its black arms, bending in every direction, always reminded me of the claws of an immense beetle, and I assure you it was never without emotion that I gazed on it, for I could not help thinking how wonderful it was that these various signs should be made to cleave the air with such precision as to convey to the distance of three hundred leagues the ideas and wishes of a man sitting at a table at one end of the line to another man similarly placed at the opposite extremity, and all this effected by a simple act of volition on the part of the sender of the message.I began to think of genii, sylphs, gnomes, in short, of all the ministers of the occult sciences, until I laughed aloud at the freaks of my own imagination.Now, it never occurred to me to wish for a nearer inspection of these large insects, with their long black claws, for I always feared to find under their stone wings some little human genius fagged to death with cabals, factions, and government intrigues.But one fine day Ilearned that the mover of this telegraph was only a poor wretch, hired for twelve hundred francs a year, and employed all day, not in studying the heavens like an astronomer, or in gazing on the water like an angler, or even in enjoying the privilege of observing the country around him, but all his monotonous life was passed in watching his white-bellied, black-clawed fellow insect, four or five leagues distant from him.At length I felt a desire to study this living chrysalis more closely, and to endeavor to understand the secret part played by these insect-actors when they occupy themselves simply with pulling different pieces of string.""And are you going there?"

"I am."

"What telegraph do you intend visiting? that of the home department, or of the observatory?""Oh, no; I should find there people who would force me to understand things of which I would prefer to remain ignorant, and who would try to explain to me, in spite of myself, a mystery which even they do not understand.Ma foi, I should wish to keep my illusions concerning insects unimpaired; it is quite enough to have those dissipated which I had formed of my fellow-creatures.I shall, therefore, not visit either of these telegraphs, but one in the open country where I shall find a good-natured simpleton, who knows no more than the machine he is employed to work.""You are a singular man," said Villefort.

"What line would you advise me to study?""The one that is most in use just at this time.""The Spanish one, you mean, I suppose?"

"Yes; should you like a letter to the minister that they might explain to you" --"No," said Monte Cristo; "since, as I told you before, I do not wish to comprehend it.The moment I understand it there will no longer exist a telegraph for me; it will he nothing more than a sign from M.Duchatel, or from M.Montalivet, transmitted to the prefect of Bayonne, mystified by two Greek words, tele, graphein.It is the insect with black claws, and the awful word which I wish to retain in my imagination in all its purity and all its importance.""Go then; for in the course of two hours it will be dark, and you will not be able to see anything.""Ma foi, you frighten me.Which is the nearest way?

Bayonne?"

"Yes; the road to Bayonne."

"And afterwards the road to Chatillon?"

"Yes."

"By the tower of Montlhery, you mean?"

"Yes."

"Thank you.Good-by.On Saturday I will tell you my impressions concerning the telegraph." At the door the count was met by the two notaries, who had just completed the act which was to disinherit Valentine, and who were leaving under the conviction of having done a thing which could not fail of redounding considerably to their credit.

同类推荐
  • 佛说须赖经

    佛说须赖经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太上洞玄灵宝赤书玉诀妙经

    太上洞玄灵宝赤书玉诀妙经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 山居新话

    山居新话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 轩辕兼帝水经药法

    轩辕兼帝水经药法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说文殊师利行经

    佛说文殊师利行经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 提升修养的118种现代礼仪

    提升修养的118种现代礼仪

    一个人的礼貌礼仪常常影响着他人对其的评价,在人们的印象中,一个有礼貌、有教养的人总是有着相应的良好品质和人格,这对个人成功、人脉积累都有所帮助。本书融合东西方经典礼仪准则,以实用而规范的解说,介绍了仪容礼仪、职场礼仪、社交礼仪、商务礼仪等多种礼仪规范。希望本书能使您了解礼仪的魅力,为您迈向成功提供一些帮助,引导您走向锦绣前程。
  • 冰儿

    冰儿

    讲述的是一个平凡、努力追求一种朴实生活的男人李慕唐偶遇一个火焰般的女孩冰儿,并被她和徐世楚之间轰轰烈烈的爱情行为所折服。而冰儿就象一位晶莹剔透的“仙女”,闪亮夺目,却又能翻手为云,覆手为雨,让李慕唐的感情处于水深火热之中。在经受一番不平凡的体验后,李慕唐最终决定继续过平凡的人生。说是风就是雨的冰儿,徘徊在风流倜傥与稳重忠实的两位男人之间,她愿纵身悠游于浪漫的世楚的眸海中,还是收拾起童心,依偎在如保护神的慕唐的臂弯里?她疑惑了,她真的疑惑……
  • 星际女丹师

    星际女丹师

    顾安乐穿越到星际世界,成为一名缺爱少女:父母失联,六亲不靠;先天平庸,异能无望!本以为成就星际红人,斗败阴险小虫已是莫大成就,哪晓得还有更大更难的事等着她……哼哼,丹药在手,有何可惧?!……学霸学长,铁血将军,还有那个独行客!闺蜜战友,父母家族,还有那些大佬们!别这样看着我,我好方!
  • 低碳生活小窍门一点通

    低碳生活小窍门一点通

    该书内容丰富新颖,知识广博,重点突出了实用性强、针对性强、通俗易懂的特点。全书从饮食、服饰、起居、医疗、行为心理、美容保健、休闲娱乐七个方面,全面介绍了在一个健康的现代家庭生活中所涉及的各种小常识、小窍门。分门别类,条理清楚。有经验介绍、生活窍门,也有生动感人的小故事,读起来朗朗上口、通俗易懂,以简单有效的形式介绍了拥有一个幸福健康家庭的因素所在。
  • 都部陀罗尼目

    都部陀罗尼目

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 系统之宇宙最强者

    系统之宇宙最强者

    沈苏阳得罪了一个女人,然后就被人从高楼抛下。就在沈苏阳认为自己生命要结束时,一个仙女一般的女神救下了他,同时沈苏阳还得到了一个系统。此后沈苏阳就开始了修炼之途,走上了不同的人生路。
  • 亲骨肉

    亲骨肉

    陈集益,70后重要作家。曾就读于鲁迅文学院第七届中青年作家高级研讨班。浙江省作协签约作家。在《十月》《人民文学》《中国作家》《钟山》《天涯》等大型文学期刊发表小说六十万字。2009年获《十月》新锐人物奖。2010年获浙江省青年文学之星奖。
  • 你还要我怎样

    你还要我怎样

    她喜欢他他折磨她暗恋逾越十年,爱情在不到两年的婚姻里渐渐消失殆尽--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 每天一个逻辑游戏

    每天一个逻辑游戏

    如果你平时不喜欢做逻辑游戏。那么这《每天一个逻辑游戏》会让你爱上它;如果你是个逻辑游戏迷,那么这《每天一个逻辑游戏》会让你觉得有新意;如果你觉得这《每天一个逻辑游戏》上的题太简单,那么。恭喜你,你已经出师了!逻辑思维是人的一种潜在能力,逻辑思维能力强则是智商高的表现。一般来说,每个人的逻辑思维能力都不是一成不变的,它是一个永远也挖不完的宝藏,只要我们愿意通过各种途径加以培养和训练,我们的逻辑思维能力就能提高!《每天一个逻辑游戏》突破以往根据解题方式而分类的方法,将题目分为文字游戏、数字游戏、图形游戏等;使各种题型灵活的交叉在一起。
  • 佛说观经

    佛说观经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。