1.
The count was examining the weapons, when his study door opened, and Baptistin entered, making a sign to him, and went out, closing the door after him.”Who are you, madame?” said the count to the veiled woman ①.
The woman cast one look around her, to be certain that they were quite alone; then bending as if she would have knelt, and joining her hands, she said with an accent of despair, “Edmond, you will not kill my son?” The count retreated a step, uttered a slight exclamation ②.
“What name did you pronounce then, Madame de Morcerf?” said he. “Yours!” cried she, throwing back her veil,” yours, which I alone, perhaps, have not forgotten. Edmond, it is not Madame de Morcerf who is come to you, it is Mercédès.”
“Mercédès is dead, madame,” said the count; “I know no one now of that name.”
“Mercédès lives, sir, and she needs not to inquire what hand has dealt the blow which now strikes M.de Morcerf.”
“Fernand, do you mean?” replied the count, with bitter irony; “since we are recalling names, let us remember them all.” the count had pronounced the name of Fernand with such an expression of hatred that Mercédès felt a thrill of horror run through every vein. “You see, Edmond, I am not mistaken, and have cause to say, ‘Spare my son!’”
“And who told you, madame, that I have any hostile intentions against your son?”
“No one, in truth; but a mother has twofold sight. I guessed all; I followed him this evening and have seen all.”
“If you have seen all, madame, you know that the son of Fernand has publicly insulted me,” said the count with awful calmness.
“Oh, for pity’s sake! my son has also guessed who you are, he attributes his father’s misfortunes to you.”
“Madame, you are mistaken, they are not misfortunes, it is a punishment. It is not I who strike M. de Morcerf; it is providence which punishes him.” The count took out a letter with his hands which proved his innocence and Fernand’s sin.
“That is what I heard on leaving my prison fourteen years after I had entered it; and that is why, on account of the living Mercédès and my father, I have sworn to revenge myself on Fernand, andI have revenged myself.”
“And you are sure the unhappy Fernand did that？”
“I am satisfied, madame, that he did what I have told you; besides, that is not much more odious than that a Frenchman by adoption should pass over to the English; that a Spaniard by birth should have fought against the Spaniards; that a stipendiary of Ali should have betrayed and murdered Ali. Compared with such things, what is the letter you have just read？a deception! Well, the French did not avenge themselves on the traitor, the Spaniards did not shoot the traitor, Ali in his tomb left the traitor unpunished; but I, betrayed, sacrificed, buried, have risen from my tomb, by the grace of God, to punish that man, and here I am.” The poor woman’s head and arms fell; her legs bent under her, and she fell on her knees. “Forgive, Edmond, forgive for my sake, who love you still!”
“Not crush that accursed race?” murmured he; “abandon my purpose at the moment of its accomplishment？ Impossible, madame, impossible!”
“Edmond,” said the poor mother, who tried every means, “when I call you Edmond, why do you not call me Mercédès？”
“Mercédès!” repeated the count ③, “Mercédès! Well yes, you are right; Mercédès, I have uttered your name with the sigh of melancholy, with the groan of sorrow, with the last effort of despair; I have uttered it, consumed with heat, rolling on the stone floor of my prison. Mercédès, I must revenge myself, for I suffered fourteen years,fourteen years I wept, I cursed; now I tell you, Mercédès, I must revenge myself.”
“Revenge yourself, then, Edmond,” cried the poor mother; “but let your vengeance fall on the culprits,on him, on me, but not on my son!”
“God said that the sins of the fathers shall fall upon their children to the third and fourth generation. Since God himself dictated those words to his prophet, why should I seek to make myself better than God？”
“Edmond,” continued Mercédès, with her arms extended towards the count, “since I first knew you, I have adored your name, have respected your memory.But I have thought you must be dead! What could I do for you, Edmond, besides pray and weep？ Edmond, for ten years I saw every night every detail of that frightful tragedy, and for ten years I heard every night the cry which awoke me, shuddering and cold. And I, too, Edmondoh! believe meguilty as I wasoh, yes, I, too, have suffered much!”
“Have you known what it is to have your father starve to death in your absence？” cried the count, ④thrusting his hands into his hair”have you seen the woman you loved giving her hand to your rival, while you were dying？”
“No,” interrupted Mercédès, “but I have seen him whom I loved on the point of murdering my son.” Mercédès uttered these words with such deep anguish, with an accent of such intense despair, that the count could not restrain a sob. The lion was daunted; the avenger was conquered.
45．What can we learn from the underlined sentence in paragraph two？
A．she was desperate to regain the count’s love.
B．she was anxious about her son’s safety.
C．she was fear that the count would kill Mr de Morcerf.
D．she managed to gam her courage to speak to the count who is in a cold manner.
46．From the count’s words “Mercédès is dead” in paragraph three,the count wanted to convey that .
A．he no longer loved Mercédès.
B．he had sought that Mercédès had already died after his revenge.
C．he was disappoint about Mercédès’s behavior after he was arrested.
D．he didn’t want the Mercédès in his mind lose luster.
47．What can we infer from the article？
A．Mercédès actually knew the reason for the count’s being arrested.
B．the “Edmond” in the article is the count’s false name.
C．Mr.de Morcerf, actually Fernand, did a lot of things of betrayal.
D．Mercédès still loves the count while the count doesn’t.
48．Where should sentence “letting fall the gun he held” be placed？
A．① B．② C．③ D．④
49．Why does the count mention that his father starve to death in his absence？
A．to give himself the source of revenge. B．to point out the sin of Mercédès.
C．to explain the reason for killing Mr.de Morcerf. D．to convey his remaining love to Mercédès.
50．What may happen in the following chapters？
A．the count killed Mr.de Morcerf.
B．the count abandon the idea of revenge.
C．the count gave up the idea of killing Mercédès’s son.
D．the count lost his life because of Mercédès.
