In one of the aristocratic mansions built by Puget in the Rue du Grand Cours opposite the Medusa fountain, a second marriage feast was being celebrated, almost at the same hour with the nuptial repast given by Dantès. —
在普吉特（Puget）在大街上建造的一个贵族府邸中，与达昂特（Dantès）的婚宴几乎在同一时间举行。 —

In this case, however, although the occasion of the entertainment was similar, the company was strikingly dissimilar. —
然而，在这种情况下，尽管娱乐的场合相似，但与会的人群却非常不同。 —

Instead of a rude mixture of sailors, soldiers, and those belonging to the humblest grade of life, the present assembly was composed of the very flower of Marseilles society, —magistrates who had resigned their office during the usurper’s reign; —
与矮小混杂的水手、士兵和最低阶层的人不同，现在的集会由马赛社会的菁英组成——在篡位者的统治期间辞去职务的法官； —

officers who had deserted from the imperial army and joined forces with Condé; —
从帝国军队逃跑并加入孔代军队的军官； —

and younger members of families, brought up to hate and execrate the man whom five years of exile would convert into a martyr, and fifteen of restoration elevate to the rank of a god.
以及从小就被教育来憎恨和诅咒那个五年流亡后变成烈士、十五年复辟后被提升为神的人的年轻家庭成员。

The guests were still at table, and the heated and energetic conversation that prevailed betrayed the violent and vindictive passions that then agitated each dweller of the South, where unhappily, for five centuries religious strife had long given increased bitterness to the violence of party feeling.
宾客们还在餐桌旁，火热而充满活力的对话透露出当时每个南方居民内心的狂热和复仇心，不幸的是，宗教纷争已使党派感情的暴力更加尖锐，这种情况在南方持续了五个世纪。

The emperor, now king of the petty Island of Elba, after having held sovereign sway over one-half of the world, counting as his subjects a small population of five or six thousand souls, —after having been accustomed to hear the “Vive Napoléons” of a hundred and twenty millions of human beings, uttered in ten different languages,—was looked upon here as a ruined man, separated forever from any fresh connection with France or claim to her throne.
这位曾经统治世界一半，并以五六千人口的小国家埃尔巴岛上的国王的身份而自豪的皇帝，在此处被视为一个毁灭的人，与法国永远断绝了新的联系，也毫无对法国王位的要求。

The magistrates freely discussed their political views; —
法官们对他们的政治观点进行了自由讨论； —

the military part of the company talked unreservedly of Moscow and Leipsic, while the women commented on the divorce of Josephine. —
军方的成员毫无保留地讨论着莫斯科和莱比锡，而女性们则评论着约瑟芬的离婚。 —

It was not over the downfall of the man, but over the defeat of the Napoleonic idea, that they rejoiced, and in this they foresaw for themselves the bright and cheering prospect of a revivified political existence.
人们的欢乐并不仅仅是因为这个人的衰败，而是因为拿破仑主义的失败，他们因此预见到了自己政治存在的重新焕发的明亮和欢快前景。

An old man, decorated with the cross of Saint Louis, now rose and proposed the health of King Louis XVIII. It was the Marquis de Saint-Méran. —
一位身戴圣路易十字勋章的老人站了起来，提议为路易十八世国王的健康干杯，他就是圣梅朗侯爵。 —

This toast, recalling at once the patient exile of Hartwell and the peace-loving King of France, excited universal enthusiasm; —
这个祝酒词同时让人们想起了哈特维尔的忍耐流亡和爱好和平的法国国王，激起了普遍的热情； —

glasses were elevated in the air à l’Anglaise, and the ladies, snatching their bouquets from their fair bosoms, strewed the table with their floral treasures. —
杯盏被悬空举起，按照英式风格，女士们纷纷从自己鲜艳的胸膛上抓起花束，把它们撒在餐桌上。 —

In a word, an almost poetical fervor prevailed.
总之，一种几乎诗意的热情蔓延开来。

“Ah,” said the Marquise de Saint-Méran, a woman with a stern, forbidding eye, though still noble and distinguished in appearance, despite her fifty years—“ah, these revolutionists, who have driven us from those very possessions they afterwards purchased for a mere trifle during the Reign of Terror, would be compelled to own, were they here, that all true devotion was on our side, since we were content to follow the fortunes of a falling monarch, while they, on the contrary, made their fortune by worshipping the rising sun; —
“啊，”圣梅兰女侯爵说道，她目光严厉、威严高贵，尽管已经五十岁，但依然保持着贵族的风度和气质，“啊，这些革命家把我们从我们的财产中赶出去，后来却以微不足道的价格在恐怖统治时期购买了这些财产，他们要承认，所有真正的忠诚都在我们这边，因为我们愿意追随一个沉沦王朝的命运，而他们则是靠崇拜正在崛起的太阳致富； —

yes, yes, they could not help admitting that the king, for whom we sacrificed rank, wealth, and station was truly our ‘Louis the well-beloved,’ while their wretched usurper has been, and ever will be, to them their evil genius, their ‘Napoleon the accursed. —
是的，是的，他们无法否认，我们为了那位我们牺牲了地位、财富和身份的国王，他真正是我们‘深爱的路易’，而他们那可怜的篡位者则一直将是他们的厄运之神，他们的‘可诅咒的拿破仑’。 —

’ Am I not right, Villefort?”
维尔福，我说得对吗？”

“I beg your pardon, madame. I really must pray you to excuse me, but—in truth—I was not attending to the conversation.”
“请原谅，夫人。实际上，我真的要求您原谅我，但事实上，我没有注意听他们的谈话。”

“Marquise, marquise!” interposed the old nobleman who had proposed the toast, “let the young people alone; —
“变相贵妇，变相贵妇！”提议祝酒辞的老贵族插嘴说道，“让年轻人自己玩吧； —

let me tell you, on one’s wedding day there are more agreeable subjects of conversation than dry politics.”
让我告诉你，在婚礼当天，比干燥的政治更愉快的谈话话题有很多。”

“Never mind, dearest mother,” said a young and lovely girl, with a profusion of light brown hair, and eyes that seemed to float in liquid crystal, “’tis all my fault for seizing upon M. de Villefort, so as to prevent his listening to what you said. —
“别介意，亲爱的母亲，”一位年轻美丽的女孩儿说道，她有一头茂盛的浅棕色头发，眼睛仿佛漂浮在液态的水晶中，“这都是我的错，我抓住了维尔福先生，没让他听你说话。 —

But there—now take him—he is your own for as long as you like. —
但是现在——你拿他去吧；他是你的，你尽可随意支配。” —

M. Villefort, I beg to remind you my mother speaks to you.”
维尔福先生，我提醒你一下，我母亲在跟你说话。”

“If the marquise will deign to repeat the words I but imperfectly caught, I shall be delighted to answer,” said M. de Villefort.
“如果贵妇夫人能再重复一下我刚才只听到一部分的话，我将非常愉快地回答，”维尔福先生说道。

“Never mind, Renée,” replied the marquise, with a look of tenderness that seemed out of keeping with her harsh dry features; —
“别介意，芮妮，”贵妇夫人回答道，她这面淳厚温柔的表情似乎与她那刻薄干燥的容貌格格不入。 —

but, however all other feelings may be withered in a woman’s nature, there is always one bright smiling spot in the desert of her heart, and that is the shrine of maternal love. —
然而，无论女性的其他感受是如何枯竭的，她的内心总有一个明亮的笑容，那就是母爱的圣地。 —

“I forgive you. What I was saying, Villefort, was, that the Bonapartists had not our sincerity, enthusiasm, or devotion.”
“我原谅你。我说的是，维尔福，波拿巴主义者没有我们的真诚、热情和奉献精神。”

“They had, however, what supplied the place of those fine qualities, ” replied the young man, “and that was fanaticism. —
“然而，他们有一种可以替代这些优秀品质的东西，” 年轻人回答道，”那就是狂热。 —

Napoleon is the Mahomet of the West, and is worshipped by his commonplace but ambitious followers, not only as a leader and lawgiver, but also as the personification of equality.”
拿破仑是西方的穆罕默德，他被寻常而雄心勃勃的追随者崇拜，不仅作为一位领袖和立法者，还被看作是平等的化身。”

“He!” cried the marquise: “Napoleon the type of equality! —
“他！”侯爵夫人喊道：”拿破仑是平等的代表！ —

For mercy’s sake, then, what would you call Robespierre? —
求求你了，那你会如何评价罗伯斯庇尔呢？ —

Come, come, do not strip the latter of his just rights to bestow them on the Corsican, who, to my mind, has usurped quite enough.”
来吧，来吧，不要剥夺后者的正当权利，转而把它们赋予那个科西嘉人，对我来说，他足够霸占了。”

“Nay, madame; I would place each of these heroes on his right pedestal—that of Robespierre on his scaffold in the Place Louis Quinze; —
“不，女士；我会将这些英雄各自放在适合他们的基座上——罗伯斯庇尔的基座在凡尔赛广场的刑场上； —

that of Napoleon on the column of the Place Vendôme. —
拿破仑的基座在凡尔赛广场的冠柱上。 —

The only difference consists in the opposite character of the equality advocated by these two men; —
唯一的区别在于这两个人所倡导的平等的性质是相反的； —

one is the equality that elevates, the other is the equality that degrades; —
其中一个是使人升高的平等，另一个是使人堕落的平等； —

one brings a king within reach of the guillotine, the other elevates the people to a level with the throne. —
一个让国王身陷断头台的威胁，另一个将平民提升到与王位平等的地位。 —

Observe,” said Villefort, smiling, “I do not mean to deny that both these men were revolutionary scoundrels, and that the 9th Thermidor and the 4th of April, in the year 1814, were lucky days for France, worthy of being gratefully remembered by every friend to monarchy and civil order; —
《注意》，维尔福笑着说：“我并不否认这两个人都是革命的恶棍，1814年的热月九日和4月四日也是法国的幸运日，对于每一个亲王和公民秩序的朋友来说，这两天都值得怀有感激之情； —

and that explains how it comes to pass that, fallen, as I trust he is forever, Napoleon has still retained a train of parasitical satellites. —
这解释了为什么拿破仑已经倒台，却仍然保留着一伙顺风耳的原因。” —

Still, marquise, it has been so with other usurpers—Cromwell, for instance, who was not half so bad as Napoleon, had his partisans and advocates.”
然而，马基斯，其他篡位者也是如此——比如克伦威尔，他并没有拿破仑那么坏，但他却有他的拥护者和辩护者。

“Do you know, Villefort, that you are talking in a most dreadfully revolutionary strain? —
“你知道吗，维勒福，你说话的语气像极了革命派。” —

But I excuse it, it is impossible to expect the son of a Girondin to be free from a small spice of the old leaven. —
不过我原谅你，作为一个吉伦丹派的儿子，你不可能完全不带点古老的风味。 —

” A deep crimson suffused the countenance of Villefort.
维勒福的脸上涌上一抹深红。

“’Tis true, madame,” answered he, “that my father was a Girondin, but he was not among the number of those who voted for the king’s death; —
“没错，夫人，”他回答道，“我的父亲是吉伦丹派的，但他并不是那些投票支持国王死刑的人之一；在恐怖统治期间，他和你一样受到了迫害，差点儿也在你父亲遇刑的同一个刽子手台上丧命。” —

he was an equal sufferer with yourself during the Reign of Terror, and had well-nigh lost his head on the same scaffold on which your father perished.”
“没错，”马基斯回答道，对这个引起她悲剧回忆的话题完全没有丝毫动摇，“但请记住，我们各自的父母是出于截然相反的原则，遭受迫害和放逐的；

“True,” replied the marquise, without wincing in the slightest degree at the tragic remembrance thus called up; —
“没错，” 马基斯回答道，她对这个引起她悲惨回忆的话题毫不退缩，“但请记住，我们各自的父母是出于截然相反的原则，遭受迫害和放逐的； —

“but bear in mind, if you please, that our respective parents underwent persecution and proscription from diametrically opposite principles; —
“but bear in mind, if you please, that our respective parents underwent persecution and proscription from diametrically opposite principles; 但请记住，如果你愿意，我们各自的父母是由于截然相反的原则而接受迫害和禁令的； —

in proof of which I may remark, that while my family remained among the staunchest adherents of the exiled princes, your father lost no time in joining the new government; —
我可以指出的证据是，虽然我的家人始终是流亡王室的坚定支持者，但你的父亲却立即加入了新政府； —

and that while the Citizen Noirtier was a Girondin, the Count Noirtier became a senator.”
而在公民努爾蒂埃是吉伦特派的时候，努爾蒂埃伯爵却成为了一名参议员。”

“Dear mother,” interposed Renée, “you know very well it was agreed that all these disagreeable reminiscences should forever be laid aside.”
“亲爱的母亲”，伦娜插话道，“你很清楚我们已经同意永远不再提起这些令人不快的回忆。”

“Suffer me, also, madame,” replied Villefort, “to add my earnest request to Mademoiselle de Saint-Méran’s, that you will kindly allow the veil of oblivion to cover and conceal the past. —
“请容许我，夫人，”维尔福回答道，“向圣梅伦小姐的热切请求中加上我的恳求，希望你能友善地让遗忘的面纱覆盖和掩盖过去。 —

What avails recrimination over matters wholly past recall? —
怨言已成往事，还有何用？ —

For my own part, I have laid aside even the name of my father, and altogether disown his political principles. —
至于我自己，我已经抛弃了甚至连我父亲的名字，完全否认他的政治原则。 —

He was—nay, probably may still be—a Bonapartist, and is called Noirtier; —
他曾经是，甚至现在可能仍然是波拿巴党人，被称为努爾蒂埃； —

I, on the contrary, am a staunch royalist, and style myself de Villefort. —
相反地，我是一位坚定的王党派，自称德维尔福。 —

Let what may remain of revolutionary sap exhaust itself and die away with the old trunk, and condescend only to regard the young shoot which has started up at a distance from the parent tree, without having the power, any more than the wish, to separate entirely from the stock from which it sprung.”
让革命的汁液尽可能消散掉，与老树一同枯萎，只垂顾那些远离母树而又无力也无意全然独立的幼芽。

“Bravo, Villefort!” cried the marquis; “excellently well said! —
“太棒了，维尔福！”侯爵喊道：“说得非常好！ —

Come, now, I have hopes of obtaining what I have been for years endeavoring to persuade the marquise to promise; —
来吧，现在，我希望能够得到我多年来一直努力说服侯爵夫人答应的东西； —

namely, a perfect amnesty and forgetfulness of the past.”
即完全宽恕和忘记过去。”

“With all my heart,” replied the marquise; “let the past be forever forgotten. —
“我心甘情愿，让过去永远被忘记。 —

I promise you it affords me as little pleasure to revive it as it does you. —
我保证对我来说，重提过去一样没有任何快乐，就像对你们一样。 —

All I ask is, that Villefort will be firm and inflexible for the future in his political principles. —
我所要求的是，维尔福以后在政治原则上要坚定不移、毫不动摇。” —

Remember, also, Villefort, that we have pledged ourselves to his majesty for your fealty and strict loyalty, and that at our recommendation the king consented to forget the past, as I do” (and here she extended to him her hand)—“as I now do at your entreaty. —
还有，维尔福，要记住，我们是向陛下誓言效忠和忠诚的，是我们推荐下，国王同意将过去忘记，如同我现在忘记了（她伸出手给维尔福）- 如同你现在要求我忘记的一样。 —

But bear in mind, that should there fall in your way anyone guilty of conspiring against the government, you will be so much the more bound to visit the offence with rigorous punishment, as it is known you belong to a suspected family.”
但请记住，如果你碰巧遇到反对政府的阴谋者，你将更有义务对其进行严厉惩罚，因为众所周知你来自一个可疑的家族。

“Alas, madame,” returned Villefort, “my profession, as well as the times in which we live, compels me to be severe. —
“唉，夫人，”维尔福回答道，“我的职业和我们所生活的这个时代迫使我严厉行事。 —

I have already successfully conducted several public prosecutions, and brought the offenders to merited punishment. —
我已经成功地进行了几个公开的起诉，并将罪犯绳之以法。 —

But we have not done with the thing yet.”
但这件事还没有结束。

“Do you, indeed, think so?” inquired the marquise.
“是吗？” marquise 问道。

“I am, at least, fearful of it. Napoleon, in the Island of Elba, is too near France, and his proximity keeps up the hopes of his partisans. —
“至少我是担心的。拿破仑在埃尔巴岛太靠近法国了，他的接近让他的拥护者抱有希望。” —

Marseilles is filled with half-pay officers, who are daily, under one frivolous pretext or other, getting up quarrels with the royalists; —
马赛充满了半薪军官，他们每天都在用一些轻浮的借口与君主主义者争吵。 —

from hence arise continual and fatal duels among the higher classes of persons, and assassinations in the lower.”
因此，上层社会的人们发生了持续而致命的决斗，下层社会发生了暗杀事件。

“You have heard, perhaps,” said the Comte de Salvieux, one of M. de Saint-Méran’s oldest friends, and chamberlain to the Comte d’Artois, “that the Holy Alliance purpose removing him from thence?”
“也许你们听说过，”圣梅兰伯爵的一位最老朋友，同时也是阿尔图瓦伯爵的司仪萨尔维耶伯爵说，“圣同盟联络会计划把他从那里迁走？”

“Yes; they were talking about it when we left Paris,” said M. de Saint-Méran; —
“是的，我们离开巴黎时他们正在谈论这个”，圣梅兰伯爵说。 —

“and where is it decided to transfer him?”
“决定把他转移到哪里了？”

“To Saint Helena.”
“圣赫勒拿。”

“For heaven’s sake, where is that?” asked the marquise.
“天哪，那是哪里？”玛奇乔夫人问道。

“An island situated on the other side of the equator, at least two thousand leagues from here, ” replied the count.
伯爵回答说：“一个位于赤道另一边的岛屿，距离这里至少有两千海里。”

“So much the better. As Villefort observes, it is a great act of folly to have left such a man between Corsica, where he was born, and Naples, of which his brother-in-law is king, and face to face with Italy, the sovereignty of which he coveted for his son.”
“这样更好。正如维尔福特所观察到的，把这样一个人留在他出生的科西嘉岛与他的姐夫统治的那不勒斯之间，面对他渴望让他的儿子继承的意大利，是一个愚蠢的行为。”

“Unfortunately,” said Villefort, “there are the treaties of 1814, and we cannot molest Napoleon without breaking those compacts.”
“不幸的是，有1814年的条约，我们不能违背这些合约而干扰拿破仑。”

“Oh, well, we shall find some way out of it,” responded M. de Salvieux. —
“哦，好吧，我们会找到办法摆脱的，” 萨尔维约先生回答道。 —

“There wasn’t any trouble over treaties when it was a question of shooting the poor Duc d’Enghien.”
“在涉及暗杀不幸的安奇昂公爵时，条约没有造成任何麻烦。”

“Well,” said the marquise, “it seems probable that, by the aid of the Holy Alliance, we shall be rid of Napoleon; —
“嗯，看来借助圣同盟的帮助，我们会摆脱拿破仑；我们必须依靠维尔福特先生的警惕来清洗马赛的拿破仑支持者。” —

and we must trust to the vigilance of M. de Villefort to purify Marseilles of his partisans. —
“国王要么是国王要么不是国王；如果他被承认为法国的君主，应该在和平与安宁中得到支持；” —

The king is either a king or no king; if he be acknowledged as sovereign of France, he should be upheld in peace and tranquillity; —
“我们应该坚决反对一切违反王权的行为。” —

and this can best be effected by employing the most inflexible agents to put down every attempt at conspiracy—’tis the best and surest means of preventing mischief.”
最好的办法就是雇佣最不妥协的人来制止每一次阴谋，这是最好、最可靠的预防祸端的方法。

“Unfortunately, madame,” answered Villefort, “the strong arm of the law is not called upon to interfere until the evil has taken place.”
“很遗憾，夫人”，维尔福回答道，“法律的强大力量只能在罪行发生后才能介入。”

“Then all he has got to do is to endeavor to repair it.”
“那么他所能做的就是努力修复它。”

“Nay, madame, the law is frequently powerless to effect this; —
“不，夫人，法律常常无能为力；它所能做的只是为受到冤枉的人伸张正义。” —

all it can do is to avenge the wrong done.”
“它只能报复受到的冤屈。”

“Oh, M. de Villefort,” cried a beautiful young creature, daughter to the Comte de Salvieux, and the cherished friend of Mademoiselle de Saint-Méran, “do try and get up some famous trial while we are at Marseilles. —
“哦，维尔福先生，”一个美丽的年轻女子大声喊道，她是萨尔维厄伯爵的女儿，也是圣梅兰小姐的亲密朋友，“我们在马赛期间试试开庭审判吧。我从未去过法庭，听说非常有趣！” —

I never was in a law-court; I am told it is so very amusing!”
“希望我们能见证一场著名的审判！”

“Amusing, certainly,” replied the young man, “inasmuch as, instead of shedding tears as at the fictitious tale of woe produced at a theatre, you behold in a law-court a case of real and genuine distress—a drama of life. —
“当然很有趣，”年轻人回答道，“因为在法庭上，你们不是在看一场虚构的悲剧导致的眼泪，而是目睹了一个真正的、真实的困境——生活的戏剧。 —

The prisoner whom you there see pale, agitated, and alarmed, instead of—as is the case when a curtain falls on a tragedy—going home to sup peacefully with his family, and then retiring to rest, that he may recommence his mimic woes on the morrow, —is removed from your sight merely to be reconducted to his prison and delivered up to the executioner. —
你所看到的囚犯苍白、不安和惊恐，不像一场悲剧谢幕后可以平静地回家与家人一起吃饭，然后休息，明天可以继续演绎他的悲剧——而是被带出视线，送回监狱并交给行刑者。 —

I leave you to judge how far your nerves are calculated to bear you through such a scene. —
我让你们自己判断你们的神经是否能承受这样的场景。 —

Of this, however, be assured, that should any favorable opportunity present itself, I will not fail to offer you the choice of being present.”
不过，务必要知道，如果有任何有利的机会出现，我会毫不犹豫地给你们提供选择是否出席。”

“For shame, M. de Villefort!” said Renée, becoming quite pale; —
“真丢人，维勒福先生！”蕾妮说，脸色变得苍白； —

“don’t you see how you are frightening us? —
“你看不出你把我们吓坏了吗？ —

—and yet you laugh.”
- 你却还笑。”

“What would you have? ’Tis like a duel. —
“你想要什么？这就像是一场决斗。” —

I have already recorded sentence of death, five or six times, against the movers of political conspiracies, and who can say how many daggers may be ready sharpened, and only waiting a favorable opportunity to be buried in my heart?”
“我已经对政治阴谋的策划者记录了五次或六次的死刑判决，而谁能说有多少把匕首已经磨利，只等着有利的机会埋藏在我心中呢？”

“Gracious heavens, M. de Villefort,” said Renée, becoming more and more terrified; —
“天哪，维尔福先生，”伦纳越来越害怕地说道； —

“you surely are not in earnest.”
“你一定不是认真的。”

“Indeed I am,” replied the young magistrate with a smile; —
“确实如此，”年轻的法官带着微笑回答道； —

“and in the interesting trial that young lady is anxious to witness, the case would only be still more aggravated. —
“在那位年轻女士渴望见证的有趣审判中，情况只会更加严重。” —

Suppose, for instance, the prisoner, as is more than probable, to have served under Napoleon—well, can you expect for an instant, that one accustomed, at the word of his commander, to rush fearlessly on the very bayonets of his foe, will scruple more to drive a stiletto into the heart of one he knows to be his personal enemy, than to slaughter his fellow-creatures, merely because bidden to do so by one he is bound to obey? —
比如说，假如囚犯，很有可能是拿破仑的部下，可以预见，一个习惯了听从命令、毫不畏惧地冲向敌人刺刀之上的人，他是否会犹豫地往一个他知道是他的私人敌人的心脏处刺一把匕首，而不仅仅是因为被他有义务服从的人吩咐他这么做而屠杀其他人？ —

Besides, one requires the excitement of being hateful in the eyes of the accused, in order to lash one’s self into a state of sufficient vehemence and power. —
此外，一个人需要在被告人的眼中成为讨厌的对象，才能激发自己足够的热情和力量。 —

I would not choose to see the man against whom I pleaded smile, as though in mockery of my words. —
我不想看到我所辩护的那个人微笑，仿佛在嘲笑我的话语。 —

No; my pride is to see the accused pale, agitated, and as though beaten out of all composure by the fire of my eloquence. —
不，我的骄傲是看到被告脸色苍白，动情，仿佛被我的雄辩所打败，失去了所有的镇定。 —

” Renée uttered a smothered exclamation.
“蕾妮喃喃自语。

“Bravo!” cried one of the guests; “that is what I call talking to some purpose.”
“太棒了！”一个客人喊道，“这就是我所说的有力的发言。”

“Just the person we require at a time like the present,” said a second.
“正是我们现在需要的人物，”第二个人说。

“What a splendid business that last case of yours was, my dear Villefort!” remarked a third; —
“亲爱的维尔福先生，你上次的那个案子真是太出色了！”第三个人评论道； —

“I mean the trial of the man for murdering his father. —
“我指的是那个谋杀自己父亲的人的审判。 —

Upon my word, you killed him ere the executioner had laid his hand upon him.”
说真的，在刽子手还没动手之前，你就已经杀了他。”

“Oh, as for parricides, and such dreadful people as that, ” interposed Renée, “it matters very little what is done to them; —
“噢，对于亲父杀人犯和那种可怕的人来说，无论怎样对待他们都没关系； —

but as regards poor unfortunate creatures whose only crime consists in having mixed themselves up in political intrigues——”
但是对于那些唯一的罪过就是卷入政治阴谋的可怜不幸之人来说——”

“Why, that is the very worst offence they could possibly commit; —
“为什么，那是他们可能犯下的最严重的罪行； —

for, don’t you see, Renée, the king is the father of his people, and he who shall plot or contrive aught against the life and safety of the parent of thirty-two millions of souls, is a parricide upon a fearfully great scale?”
因为，你看，蕊妮，国王是全体三千二百万人民的父亲，而那些密谋或设计对这位父亲及他的安危构成任何威胁的人，就是一个巨大恶性的亲父杀人犯。”

“I don’t know anything about that,” replied Renée; —
“我对这一点一无所知，”蕊妮回答道； —

“but, M. de Villefort, you have promised me—have you not? —
“但是，维尔福先生，你答应过我不是吗？ —

—always to show mercy to those I plead for.”
——对我为之辩护的人，你总是会施行怜悯。”

“Make yourself quite easy on that point, ” answered Villefort, with one of his sweetest smiles; —
“对此你可以放心”，维尔福带着他最甜美的微笑回答道； —

“you and I will always consult upon our verdicts.”
“你和我将会一直商议我们的判决。”

“My love,” said the marquise, “attend to your doves, your lap-dogs, and embroidery, but do not meddle with what you do not understand. —
“亲爱的”，玛奎斯夫人说，“请把你的爱鸽、狗狗和刺绣都放在一边，不要插手你不理解的事情。 —

Nowadays the military profession is in abeyance and the magisterial robe is the badge of honor. —
如今军职已经不重要了，审判官的袍子才是荣誉的象征。 —

There is a wise Latin proverb that is very much in point.”
有一句明智的拉丁谚语完全符合情况。”

“Cedant arma togæ,” said Villefort with a bow.
“武装让位于长袍，”维尔福鞠了一躬。

“I cannot speak Latin,” responded the marquise.
“我不会说拉丁语，”玛奎斯夫人回答。

“Well,” said Renée, “I cannot help regretting you had not chosen some other profession than your own—a physician, for instance. —
“嗯，”伦妮说，“我不能不后悔你没有选择其他职业，比如医生。 —

Do you know I always felt a shudder at the idea of even a destroying angel?”
你知道吗，我对于即使是一个毁灭性的天使的想法都感到害怕。”

“Dear, good Renée,” whispered Villefort, as he gazed with unutterable tenderness on the lovely speaker.
“亲爱的、善良的Renée，”维勒福小声地说着，凝望着这位可爱的讲话人，满怀难以言喻的柔情。

“Let us hope, my child,” cried the marquis, “that M. de Villefort may prove the moral and political physician of this province; —
“孩子，让我们希望维勒福先生能成为这个省的道德和政治医生； —

if so, he will have achieved a noble work.”
如果这样，他将完成一项伟大的工作。”

“And one which will go far to efface the recollection of his father’s conduct, ” added the incorrigible marquise.
“这将在很大程度上抹去他父亲的行为记忆，”善变的女侯爵补充道。

“Madame,” replied Villefort, with a mournful smile, “I have already had the honor to observe that my father has—at least, I hope so—abjured his past errors, and that he is, at the present moment, a firm and zealous friend to religion and order—a better royalist, possibly, than his son; —
”夫人，”维勒福带着一丝哀伤的微笑回答道，“我已经荣幸地观察到，我父亲已经–至少我希望他已经–对过去的错误忏悔，并且他目前是宗教和秩序的坚定而热情的朋友–可能比他的儿子更好的王党派； —

for he has to atone for past dereliction, while I have no other impulse than warm, decided preference and conviction. —
因为他需要弥补过去的失职，而我没有其他动机，只有热烈坚定的偏好和信念。” —

” Having made this well-turned speech, Villefort looked carefully around to mark the effect of his oratory, much as he would have done had he been addressing the bench in open court.
“在发表这篇富有作词技巧的演讲后，维尔福特小心翼翼地环顾四周，观察他的演讲是否产生了预期的效果，就像他在公开法庭上向法官致辞时那样。

“Do you know, my dear Villefort,” cried the Comte de Salvieux, “that is exactly what I myself said the other day at the Tuileries, when questioned by his majesty’s principal chamberlain touching the singularity of an alliance between the son of a Girondin and the daughter of an officer of the Duc de Condé; —
“噢，亲爱的维尔福特先生，”萨尔维约伯爵喊道，“那正是我前几天在杜伊勒里宫对陛下的总管问我，关于一个吉伦丁派的儿子和康代公爵军官的女儿结盟的奇异之处时所说的话； —

and I assure you he seemed fully to comprehend that this mode of reconciling political differences was based upon sound and excellent principles. —
“我向你保证，他似乎完全理解这种统合政治分歧的方式是建立在合理而优良的原则上的。” —

Then the king, who, without our suspecting it, had overheard our conversation, interrupted us by saying, ‘Villefort’—observe that the king did not pronounce the word Noirtier, but, on the contrary, placed considerable emphasis on that of Villefort—‘Villefort, ’ said his majesty, ‘is a young man of great judgment and discretion, who will be sure to make a figure in his profession; —
那时，国王一直在我们谈话的时候偷听，出乎我们的意料，他打断了我们，说道：“维尔福”——请注意国王并没有说诺尔蒂埃这个词，相反他特别重视维尔福这个词——“维尔福，”国王说，“是一个非常明智和谨慎的年轻人，他一定会在自己的职业中取得成功。 —

I like him much, and it gave me great pleasure to hear that he was about to become the son-in-law of the Marquis and Marquise de Saint-Méran. —
我很喜欢他，并且听到他将成为圣梅朗侯爵和侯爵夫人的女婿，我感到非常高兴。 —

I should myself have recommended the match, had not the noble marquis anticipated my wishes by requesting my consent to it.’”
如果不是高贵的侯爵提前征得我的同意，请求我赞成这门婚事，我也会亲自推荐这个匹配。”

“Is it possible the king could have condescended so far as to express himself so favorably of me? —
“国王竟然能够如此屈尊地对我表达如此好感？ —

” asked the enraptured Villefort.
”维尔福陶醉地问道。

“I give you his very words; and if the marquis chooses to be candid, he will confess that they perfectly agree with what his majesty said to him, when he went six months ago to consult him upon the subject of your espousing his daughter.”
“我给你他的原话；如果侯爵愿意坦诚相对，他会承认这完全符合他陛下半年前在咨询他关于你娶他女儿一事时所说的。”

“That is true,” answered the marquis.
“没错，”伯爵回答道。

“How much do I owe this gracious prince! —
“我欠这位和蔼的王子多少恩情啊！ —

What is there I would not do to evince my earnest gratitude!”
要我做什么来表达我真诚的感激之情，我愿意！”

“That is right,” cried the marquise. “I love to see you thus. —
“很好，”侯爵夫人叫道，“我喜欢看到你这样。 —

Now, then, were a conspirator to fall into your hands, he would be most welcome.”
那么，如果一个阴谋者落入你手中，他会受到最热情的欢迎。”

“For my part, dear mother,” interposed Renée, “I trust your wishes will not prosper, and that Providence will only permit petty offenders, poor debtors, and miserable cheats to fall into M. de Villefort’s hands, —then I shall be contented.”
“至于我，亲爱的母亲，”伦妮插话道，“我希望你的愿望不会得逞，愿上帝只允许小罪犯、穷债务人和可怜的骗子落入维勒福先生的手中——那样我就满足了。”

“Just the same as though you prayed that a physician might only be called upon to prescribe for headaches, measles, and the stings of wasps, or any other slight affection of the epidermis. —
“就像你在祈祷只有头痛、麻疹、被黄蜂蜇伤或其他轻微的皮肤疾病时才需要医生开药方一样。 —

If you wish to see me the king’s attorney, you must desire for me some of those violent and dangerous diseases from the cure of which so much honor redounds to the physician.”
如果你希望见到我这位国王的律师，你必须希望我得到一些那些从治愈中得到如此荣誉的医生所才能治愈的暴力和危险的疾病。”

At this moment, and as though the utterance of Villefort’s wish had sufficed to effect its accomplishment, a servant entered the room, and whispered a few words in his ear. —
就在这时，仿佛维尔福发表的愿望已经实现一样，一名仆人走进房间，对他私下说了几句话。 —

Villefort immediately rose from table and quitted the room upon the plea of urgent business; —
维尔福立刻从桌子上站起来，以紧急事务为借口离开了房间； —

he soon, however, returned, his whole face beaming with delight. —
然而他很快又回来了，整个脸都洋溢着喜悦。 —

Renée regarded him with fond affection; —
蕾娜用深深的亲切眼神注视着他； —

and certainly his handsome features, lit up as they then were with more than usual fire and animation, seemed formed to excite the innocent admiration with which she gazed on her graceful and intelligent lover.
当然，他那帅气的容貌此刻更加充满火焰和活力，似乎特地引起了她对她那优雅而聪明的恋人的无辜的赞美。

“You were wishing just now,” said Villefort, addressing her, “that I were a doctor instead of a lawyer. —
“刚才你在希望，”维尔福对她说，“我是一名医生而不是律师。” —

Well, I at least resemble the disciples of Esculapius in one thing [people spoke in this style in 1815], that of not being able to call a day my own, not even that of my betrothal.”
至少有一点我像是神医阿斯克勒庇俄斯的门徒，就是我没有自己的一天，甚至包括我订婚的那一天。

“And wherefore were you called away just now? —
“你刚才为何离开？”圣梅兰小姐问道，脸上流露出浓厚的兴趣。 —

” asked Mademoiselle de Saint-Méran, with an air of deep interest.
为了一桩可能会让刽子手忙个不停的严肃事情。”

“For a very serious matter, which bids fair to make work for the executioner.”
“太可怕了！”伦妮惊恐地说道，脸色变得苍白。

“How dreadful!” exclaimed Renée, turning pale.
“这真的可能吗？”站在法官附近可以听到他话的人们同时爆发出疑问。

“Is it possible?” burst simultaneously from all who were near enough to the magistrate to hear his words.
“如果我的情报属实，似乎刚刚发现了一起波拿巴派的阴谋。”

“Why, if my information prove correct, a sort of Bonapartist conspiracy has just been discovered.”
“难道我听错了？”侯爵夫人叫道。

“Can I believe my ears?” cried the marquise.
“至少我会读给你们这封控告信的内容。”维勒福说道。

“I will read you the letter containing the accusation, at least,” said Villefort:
“我无法相信自己的耳朵！”侯爵夫人惊呼道。

“‘The king’s attorney is informed by a friend to the throne and the religious institutions of his country, that one named Edmond Dantès, mate of the ship Pharaon, this day arrived from Smyrna, after having touched at Naples and Porto-Ferrajo, has been the bearer of a letter from Murat to the usurper, and again taken charge of another letter from the usurper to the Bonapartist club in Paris. Ample corroboration of this statement may be obtained by arresting the above-mentioned Edmond Dantès, who either carries the letter for Paris about with him, or has it at his father’s abode. —
“‘国王的律师得到了一个朋友及该国宗教机构的消息，说一位名叫埃德蒙·唐泰斯的人，是『法赖翁』号船的水手，今天从斯米尔纳抵达，经过那不勒斯和波尔图费拉约，曾经把杜拉斯特的来信带给了那个篡位者，并再次负责将间谍头目的来信带给了在巴黎的波拿巴家族党派。可以通过逮捕上述的埃德蒙·唐泰斯，来充分证实这一说法，他可能随身携带着这封给巴黎的信，或者把它放在他父亲的住处。 —

Should it not be found in the possession of father or son, then it will assuredly be discovered in the cabin belonging to the said Dantès on board the Pharaon.’”
如果在他父亲或儿子身上没有发现这封信，那么这封信必定会在『法赖翁』号船上的唐泰斯先生的舱室里被发现。’”

“But,” said Renée, “this letter, which, after all, is but an anonymous scrawl, is not even addressed to you, but to the king’s attorney.”
“但是，”伦妮说，“这封信，毕竟只是一封匿名的废纸，它甚至没有寄给你，而是寄给了国王的律师。”

“True; but that gentleman being absent, his secretary, by his orders, opened his letters; —
“是的，但是那位先生现在不在，他的秘书遵照他的指示打开了他的信件； —

thinking this one of importance, he sent for me, but not finding me, took upon himself to give the necessary orders for arresting the accused party.”
他认为这封信很重要，所以找了我，但是没找到我，于是他自作主张下令逮捕了被告人。”

“Then the guilty person is absolutely in custody?” said the marquise.
“那么罪犯已经被拘留了？”玛夏说道。

“Nay, dear mother, say the accused person. You know we cannot yet pronounce him guilty.”
“不，亲爱的母亲，请说被告人。你知道我们现在还不能判定他有罪。”

“He is in safe custody,” answered Villefort; —
“他目前在安全的看管下，”维尔福回答说； —

“and rely upon it, if the letter is found, he will not be likely to be trusted abroad again, unless he goes forth under the especial protection of the headsman.”
“请相信，如果那封信被找到的话，他将不可能再次被信任外出，除非在刽子手的特殊保护下。”

“And where is the unfortunate being?” asked Renée.
“那个可怜的人在哪里？”雷内问道。

“He is at my house.”
“他在我家里。”

“Come, come, my friend,” interrupted the marquise, “do not neglect your duty to linger with us. —
“来吧，来吧，我的朋友，”玛夏打断道，“不要因为和我们呆在一起而忽略你的职责。 —

You are the king’s servant, and must go wherever that service calls you.”
你是国王的仆人，必须去任何国王需要你去的地方。”

“Oh, Villefort!” cried Renée, clasping her hands, and looking towards her lover with piteous earnestness, “be merciful on this the day of our betrothal.”
“哦，维尔福！” 瑞妮用可怜的诚挚之情紧握着双手，朝着自己的心上人望去，“在我们订婚的日子里，请宽恕他吧。”

The young man passed round to the side of the table where the fair pleader sat, and leaning over her chair said tenderly:
这位年轻人绕到了那位美丽的辩护人坐着的桌子旁边，俯身在她的椅子上温柔地说道：

“To give you pleasure, my sweet Renée, I promise to show all the lenity in my power; —
“为了使你高兴，我答应尽我所能地宽容； —

but if the charges brought against this Bonapartist hero prove correct, why, then, you really must give me leave to order his head to be cut off.”
但是，如果对这位波拿巴派英雄提出的指控被证明是正确的，那么，你真的得允许我下令砍掉他的脑袋。”

Renée shuddered at the word cut, for the growth in question had a head.
瑞妮听到“砍”这个词惊颤了一下，因为她所关心的问题是有一个头。

“Never mind that foolish girl, Villefort,” said the marquise. —
“别理这个傻丫头，维尔福，”玛基斯夫人说道。 —

“She will soon get over these things.” So saying, Madame de Saint-Méran extended her dry bony hand to Villefort, who, while imprinting a son-in-law’s respectful salute on it, looked at Renée, as much as to say, “I must try and fancy ’tis your dear hand I kiss, as it should have been.”
“她很快就会渡过这些事情的。” 说着，圣梅朗夫人把干瘪的骨瘦如柴的手伸向维尔福，他在上面亲吻了一下，看着瑞妮，仿佛在说：“我必须试着想象这是你亲爱的手，这应该是的。”

“These are mournful auspices to accompany a betrothal,” sighed poor Renée.
“这些悲伤的征兆伴随着一个订婚仪式，”可怜的蕾妮叹息道。

“Upon my word, child!” exclaimed the angry marquise, “your folly exceeds all bounds. —
“我的天啊，孩子！”愤怒的侯爵夫人大呼道，“你的愚蠢已经超出了一切界限。 —

I should be glad to know what connection there can possibly be between your sickly sentimentality and the affairs of the state!”
我真想知道你那病态的感伤主义与国家事务有什么关系！

“Oh, mother!” murmured Renée.
“哦，妈妈！”蕾妮低声说道。

“Nay, madame, I pray you pardon this little traitor. —
“不，夫人，请原谅这个小叛徒。 —

I promise you that to make up for her want of loyalty, I will be most inflexibly severe; —
为了弥补她的不忠，我将极为严厉； —

” then casting an expressive glance at his betrothed, which seemed to say, “Fear not, for your dear sake my justice shall be tempered with mercy, ” and receiving a sweet and approving smile in return, Villefort departed with paradise in his heart.
”然后向他的未婚妻投去一个有意思的眼神，好像在说“别担心，为了你，我的公正将带有慈悲之心”，并得到一个甜蜜而赞许的微笑作为回报，维尔福满心欢喜地离开了。