"Alone in the world!"
repeated a voice behind the count, "and why?"
Monte Cristo turned around; Haidée was standing pale,
motionless, looking at the count with an expression of fearful amazement.
"Because to-morrow, Haidée, you will be free; you will then assume your proper position in society, for I will not allow my
destiny to
overshadow yours. Daughter of a prince, I restore to you the riches and name of your father."
Haidée became pale, and lifting her
transparent hands to heaven, exclaimed in a voice stifled with tears, "Then you leave me, my lord?"
"Haidée, Haidée, you are young and beautiful; forget even my name, and be happy."
"It is well," said Haidée; "your order shall be executed, my lord; I will forget even your name, and be happy." And she stepped back to retire.
"Oh, heavens," exclaimed Valentine, who was supporting the head of Morrel on her shoulder, "do you not see how pale she is? Do you not see how she suffers?"
Haidée answered with a heartrending expression, "Why should he understand this, my sister? He is my master, and I am his slave; he has the right to notice nothing."
The count
shuddered at the tones of a voice which penetrated the inmost recesses of his heart; his eyes met those of the young girl and he could not bear their brilliancy. "Oh, heavens," exclaimed Monte Cristo, "can my suspicions be correct? Haidée, would it please you not to leave me?"
"I am young," gently replied Haidée; "I love the life you have made so sweet to me, and I should be sorry to die."
"You mean, then, that if I leave you, Haidée"--
"I should die; yes, my lord."
"Do you then love me?"
"Oh, Valentine, he asks if I love him. Valentine, tell him if you love Maximilian." The count felt his heart
dilate and throb; he opened his arms, and Haidée, uttering a cry, sprang into them. "Oh, yes," she cried, "I do love you! I love you as one loves a father, brother, husband! I love you as my life, for you are the best, the noblest of created beings!"
"Let it be, then, as you wish, sweet angel; God has sustained me in my struggle with my enemies, and has given me this reward; he will not let me end my triumph in suffering; I wished to punish myself, but he has pardoned me. Love me then, Haidée! Who knows? perhaps your love will make me forget all that I do not wish to remember."
"What do you mean, my lord?"
"I mean that one word from you has enlightened me more than twenty years of slow experience; I have but you in the world, Haidée; through you I again take hold on life, through you I shall suffer, through you rejoice."
"Do you hear him, Valentine?" exclaimed Haidée; "he says that through me he will suffer--through me, who would yield my life for his." The count
withdrew for a moment. "Have I discovered the truth?" he said; "but whether it be for
recompense or punishment, I accept my fate. Come, Haidée, come!" and throwing his arm around the young girl's waist, he pressed the hand of Valentine, and disappeared.
An hour had nearly passed, during which Valentine,
breathless and
motionless, watched
steadfastly over Morrel. At length she felt his heart beat, a faint breath played upon his lips, a slight
shudder, announcing the return of life, passed through the young man's frame. At length his eyes opened, but they were at first fixed and expressionless; then sight returned, and with it feeling and grief. "Oh," he cried, in an accent of despair, "the count has deceived me; I am yet living; "and extending his hand towards the table, he seized a knife.
"Dearest," exclaimed Valentine, with her adorable smile, "awake, and look at me!" Morrel uttered a loud
exclamation, and
frantic,
doubtful, dazzled, as though by a
celestial vision, he fell upon his knees.
The next morning at
daybreak, Valentine and Morrel were walking arm-in-arm on the sea-shore, Valentine relating how Monte Cristo had appeared in her room, explained everything, revealed the crime, and, finally, how he had saved her life by enabling her to simulate death. They had found the door of the
grotto opened, and gone forth; on the azure dome of heaven still glittered a few remaining stars. Morrel soon perceived a man standing among the rocks,
apparently awaiting a sign from them to advance, and pointed him out to Valentine. "Ah, it is Jacopo," she said, "the captain of the yacht; "and she beckoned him towards them.
"Do you wish to speak to us?" asked Morrel.
"I have a letter to give you from the count."
"From the count!" murmured the two young people.
"Yes; read it." Morrel opened the letter, and read:--
"MY DEAR MAXIMILIAN,--
"There is a felucca for you at anchor. Jacopo will carry you to Leghorn, where Monsieur Noirtier awaits his granddaughter, whom he wishes to bless before you lead her to the altar. All that is in this
grotto, my friend, my house in the Champs Elysées, and my Chateau at Tréport, are the marriage gifts bestowed by Edmond Dantès upon the son of his old master, Morrel. Mademoiselle de Villefort will share them with you; for I
entreat her to give to the poor the immense fortune reverting to her from her father, now a
madman, and her brother who died last September with his mother. Tell the angel who will watch over your future
destiny, Morrel, to pray sometimes for a man, who like Satan thought himself for an instant equal to God, but who now acknowledges with Christian
humility that God alone possesses supreme power and
infinite wisdom. Perhaps those prayers may soften the
remorse he feels in his heart. As for you, Morrel, this is the secret of my conduct towards you. There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness. We must have felt what it is to die, Morrel, that we may appreciate the enjoyments of living.
"Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget that until the day when God shall deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is summed up in these two words,--'Wait and hope.' Your friend,
"EDMOND DANTèS, COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO."
During the perusal of this letter, which informed Valentine for the first time of the
madness of her father and the death of her brother, she became pale, a heavy sigh escaped from her bosom, and tears, not the less
painful because they were silent, ran down her cheeks; her happiness cost her very dear. Morrel looked around
uneasily. "But," he said, "the count's
generosity is too
overwhelming; Valentine will be satisfied with my humble fortune. Where is the count, friend? Lead me to him." Jacopo pointed towards the horizon. "What do you mean?" asked Valentine. "Where is the count?--where is Haidée?"
"Look!" said Jacopo.
The eyes of both were fixed upon the spot indicated by the sailor, and on the blue line separating the sky from the Mediterranean Sea, they perceived a large white sail. "Gone," said Morrel; "gone!--adieu, my friend--adieu, my father!"
"Gone," murmured Valentine; "adieu, my sweet Haidée--adieu, my sister!"
"Who can say whether we shall ever see them again?" said Morrel with tearful eyes.
"Darling," replied Valentine, "has not the count just told us that all human wisdom is summed up in two words?--'Wait and hope.'"
<The End>
关键字:
基督山伯爵生词表:
- seeming [´si:miŋ] a.表面上的 n.外观 四级词汇
- respiration [,respə´reiʃən] n.呼吸(作用) 六级词汇
- awakening [ə´weikəniŋ] n.&a.觉醒(中的) 六级词汇
- chaste [tʃeist] a.贞洁的;高雅的 四级词汇
- amidst [ə´midst] prep.=amid 四级词汇
- gracefully [´greisfuli] ad.优美地,斯文地 四级词汇
- indescribable [,indis´kraibəbəl] a.难以形容的 六级词汇
- accommodation [ə,kɔmə´deiʃən] n.供应;调解;贷款 四级词汇
- simultaneously [,siməl´teinjəsli] ad.同时,一起 四级词汇
- excellency [´eksələnsi] n.阁下 六级词汇
- footing [´futiŋ] n.立脚点;基础;地位 六级词汇
- habitation [,hæbi´teiʃən] n.居住;住所 四级词汇
- delighted [di´laitid] a.高兴的;喜欢的 四级词汇
- charitable [´tʃæritəbəl] a.仁爱的;慈善的 四级词汇
- commonplace [´kɔmənpleis] a.平凡的;常见的 四级词汇
- senseless [´sensləs] a.无知觉的;愚蠢的 四级词汇
- feverish [´fi:vəriʃ] a.发烧的;狂热的 四级词汇
- impatience [im´peiʃəns] n.不耐烦,急躁 四级词汇
- weariness [wiərinis] n.疲倦;厌烦 四级词汇
- absurdity [əb´sə:diti] n.荒谬,愚蠢;谬论 四级词汇
- unconsciously [ʌn´kɔʃəsli] ad.无意识地;不觉察地 四级词汇
- mechanically [mi´kænikəli] ad.机械地;无意识地 六级词汇
- grotto [´grɔtəu] n.岩穴;洞室 六级词汇
- forgetfulness [fə´getminɔt] n.健忘 六级词汇
- exclusion [ik´sklu:ʒən] n.拒绝;逐出,排除 六级词汇
- experienced [ik´spiəriənst] a.有经验的;熟练的 四级词汇
- dagger [´dægə] n.短剑,匕首 四级词汇
- insinuate [in´sinjueit] 迂回进入;暗示 六级词汇
- destructive [di´strʌktiv] a.破坏性的 四级词汇
- extended [iks´tendid] a.伸长的;广大的 六级词汇
- speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 六级词汇
- rightly [´raitli] ad.正义地;正确地 四级词汇
- entreat [in´tri:t] vt.恳求,恳请 四级词汇
- chateau [´ʃætəu] n.城堡;公馆,邸宅 四级词汇
- overturn [,əuvə´tə:n] v.打翻;颠覆 四级词汇
- taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 六级词汇
- casket [´kɑ:skit] n.(精美)匣子;首饰盒 四级词汇
- beautifully [´bju:tifəli] ad.美丽地;优美地 四级词汇
- steadfast [´stedfɑ:st, -fæst] a.坚定的,不动摇的 六级词汇
- greenish [´gri:niʃ] a.带绿色的 六级词汇
- valentine [´væləntain] n.情人 四级词汇
- fervently [´fə:vəntli] ad.火热地,热烈地 六级词汇
- powerless [´pauələs] a.软弱的;无资源的 六级词汇
- benevolent [bi´nevələnt] a.仁慈的;乐善好施的 六级词汇
- stature [´stætʃə] n.身高;身材 四级词汇
- tapestry [´tæpistri] n.挂毯 四级词汇
- prostrate [´prɔstreit, prɔ´streit] a.俯伏的 vt.弄倒 四级词汇
- preceding [pri(:)´si:diŋ] a.在先的;前面的 四级词汇
- immovable [i´mu:vəbəl] a.不能移动的,固定的 六级词汇
- articulate [ɑ:´tikjulit] a.口齿清楚的 v.连接 六级词汇
- involuntarily [in´vɔləntərili] ad.不 自觉地 六级词汇
- languid [´læŋgwid] a.精神不振的 六级词汇
- obscurity [əb´skjuəriti] n.暗(淡);朦胧;含糊 四级词汇
- calling [´kɔ:liŋ] n.点名;职业;欲望 六级词汇
- preservation [,prezə´veiʃən] n.保存;储藏;维护 四级词汇
- irresistible [,iri´zistəbəl] a.不可抵抗的 四级词汇
- sincerity [sin´seriti] n.真诚;诚意 四级词汇
- overshadow [,əuvə´ʃædəu] vt.遮蔽;使…失色 六级词汇
- dilate [dai´leit] v.(使)扩大;详述 六级词汇
- recompense [´rekəmpens] n.&vt.回报;补偿 四级词汇
- exclamation [,eksklə´meiʃən] n.喊(惊)叫;感叹词 四级词汇
- daybreak [´deibreik] n.黎明,拂晓 四级词汇
- mademoiselle [,mædəmə´zel] n.小姐;法国女教师 六级词汇
- madman [´mædmən] n.疯子;狂人 六级词汇
- humility [hju:´militi] n.谦逊,谦让 四级词汇
- remorse [ri´mɔ:s] n.懊悔;自责;同情 四级词汇
- uneasily [ʌn´i:zili] ad.不安地;局促地 六级词汇
- overwhelming [,əuvə´welmiŋ] a.压倒的;势不可挡的 四级词汇