Count Mercedes gave him a sad and pleading look and said that it is a touching custom in Arabia that anyone who has eaten bread and salt together at the bottom of a roof becomes a permanent friend.
I know, replied the countess, but we are in France, not Arabia, and permanent friendship in France is as rare as the custom of sharing bread and salt.
But the countess stared unblinkingly at Monte Cristo, grabbed his arm with her hands convulsively, and said that we were friends, didn’t we?
The count’s face was as white as a dead man, and his blood seemed to rush into his heart, and then he rushed to dye his cheeks red. He felt that his tears were blurred and he felt dizzy. Of course, we were friends, he replied
What are we not friends?
This answer Mercedes hoped that the answer was too far away. She turned around and sighed like a groan. Thank you. Then they went forward again. After they walked silently for about ten minutes, the countess suddenly shouted, "Have you really seen a lot of things and traveled far away?"
I have suffered a lot, replied Madame Monte Cristo.
But you are happy now.
Of course, replied the count, because no one heard my sigh
Has your current happiness softened your heart?
My present happiness is equal to my past pain, said the count
Aren’t you married? asked the countess
I got married and Monte Cristo shuddered and shouted, Who told you that?
Nobody told me, but people see you in the theater, often with a lovely young girl
She is a slave lady I bought in Constantinople. She is a royal princess. I regard her as my adopted daughter because she has no relatives in the world.
So you live alone
I live a single life.
You don’t have a daughter or a father.
None.
How can you live like this without any relatives?
It’s not my fault, ma ‘am. When I was in Malta, I loved a young girl. When I was about to get married, the war broke out. She loved me very much. Even when I died, she would faithfully guard my grave. But when I came back, she was married. This kind of thing is not surprising for twenty young people. Maybe my heart is weaker than others. Others may not suffer like me. This is my love experience.
The countess stopped as if to take a breath, she said, and you still keep in your heart that this lover can fall in love once in a lifetime, and you have never seen her again.
Never.
Never.
I neve went back to that place where she lived.
In Malta
It’s in Malta
So she is still in Malta.
I think so.
Did you forgive her for all her sufferings?
I forgave her.
But if it’s not her, then you still hate you. Does she separate those people? The countess still has a small bunch of grapes in her hand, and she will eat some in front of Monte Cristo, she said
Ma ‘am, I never eat purple grapes. Monte Cristo replied as if this question had never been asked before.
The countess threw the grapes into the nearest bush in a desperate gesture.
It’s a heart of stone. She said lightly that Monte Cristo was indifferent, as if the blame was not directed at him.
Then Albert rushed in, mother, and he shouted that something bad had happened.
What happened? asked the countess. It was like waking up from a dream. You said it was unfortunate. Oh, of course it was unfortunate
M. de Villefort is here.
what’s up
He came to see his wife and daughter.
what