[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
. I expect Miss Cunégonde is witty and clever, said the abbé, andthat she writes charming letters? I ve never had any from her, said Candide. The thing is, you see,having been kicked out of the castle for loving her, I couldn t write toher, and then I learnt soon afterwards that she was dead, and then Ifound her again, and then I lost her, and then I sent an expressmessenger two thousand five hundred leagues to her, and I am stillawaiting a reply.The abbé listened attentively and seemed somewhat lost inthought.Soon he took his leave of the two strangers, after embracingthem warmly.The next day, upon waking, Candide received thefollowing letter:My very dear and beloved sir, I have been lying ill in this city for the pastweek.I discover that you are here too.I would fly to your arms if I couldmove.I heard in Bordeaux that you had passed through.I left the faithful Candide 63Cacambo there and the old woman, and they are soon to follow on afterme.The Governor of Buenos Aires took everything, but I still have yourheart.Come to me.Your presence will restore me to life, or make me dieof pleasure.This charming, this unexpected letter sent Candide into trans-ports of inexpressible joy, while the illness of his dear Cunégondeweighed him down with grief.Torn between these two emotions, hegrabbed his gold and diamonds and had himself and Martin escortedto the hotel where Miss Cunégonde was staying.He entered theroom trembling with emotion, his heart aflutter, his voice choked.He made to open the curtains round the bed and was about to sendfor a lamp. Do no such thing, said the maid, the light will kill her. And atonce she shut the curtains. My dear Cunégonde, wept Candide. How are you? If youcannot look at me, at least speak to me. She cannot speak, said the maid.The lady then drew from thebedclothes a chubby little hand, which Candide bathed with his tearsfor a long time and subsequently filled with diamonds, leaving apouch full of gold on the chair.In the midst of his transports an officer of the watch arrived,followed by the abbé from Périgord and a squad of men. Are these the two suspicious foreigners then? he said.He had them arrested on the spot and ordered his lads to haulthem off to prison. This is not how they treat travellers in Eldorado, said Candide. I feel more Manichaean than ever, said Martin. But, sir, where are you taking us? said Candide. To the deepest of dark dungeons, said the officer.Martin, having recovered his sang-froid, judged that the ladyclaiming to be Cunégonde was a fraud, the abbé from Périgord ascoundrel who had taken advantage of Candide s innocence at theearliest opportunity, and the officer another scoundrel, whom itwould be easy to be rid of.Rather than be exposed to the process of law, Candide, enlight-ened by Martin s counsel and, more especially, ever impatient tosee the real Miss Cunégonde again, offered the officer three littlediamonds worth about three thousand pistoles each. 64 Candide Ah, sir, the man with the ivory baton said to him, had youcommitted every crime in the book, you d still be the most honestman alive.Three diamonds! And each worth three thousand pistoles!Sir, I d sooner die for you than take you to a dungeon.There areorders to arrest all foreigners, but leave it to me.I have a brother inNormandy, in Dieppe, I ll take you there.And if you have a diamondor two to give him, he ll take care of you as if it were myself he waslooking after. And why are they arresting all foreigners? says Candide.The abbé from Périgord intervened: It s because a wretch from Atrabatia listened to some silly talk,which was all it took to make him commit parricide not like theone in May 1610 but like the one in December 1594, and like severalothers committed in other months and other years by other wretcheswho had listened to similar silly talk.The officer then explained what this was all about.* Ah, the monsters! exclaimed Candide. What! Such horrors, andfrom a people that loves singing and dancing! Can t I leave this veryminute? Let me out of this country where monkeys provoke tigers.Ihave seen bears in my own country; I have seen men only inEldorado.In the name of God, officer, take me to Venice, where I amto wait for Miss Cunégonde. Lower Normandy is the best I can do, said the right arm ofthe law.Thereupon he had his irons removed, said he must have made amistake, dismissed his men, and took Candide and Martin to Dieppeand left them in the hands of his brother.There was a small Dutchship out in the roads.The Norman, who with the help of three morediamonds had now become the most obliging of men, put Candideand his servants aboard the ship, which was about to set sail forPortsmouth in England.It was not the way to Venice, but Candidefelt as though he were being delivered from hell, and he fullyintended to rejoin the route to Venice at the first opportunity. Candide 65CHAPTER 23Candide and Martin proceed to the shores of England;what they see there Ah, Pangloss! Pangloss! Ah, Martin! Martin! Ah, my dearCunégonde! What sort of a world is this? Candide was asking onboard the Dutch ship. A rather mad and rather awful one, answered Martin. You know England.Are they as mad there as they are in France? It s a different kind of madness, said Martin. As you know, thetwo countries are at war over a few acres of snow across in Canada,and they re spending more on this war than the whole of Canada isworth.To tell you exactly if there are more people who should belocked up in one country than in the other is something my feeblelights do not permit.All I know is that, by and large, the people weare going to see are extremely glum.Thus conversing, they landed at Portsmouth.A multitude ofpeople covered the shore, all gazing intently at a rather stout manwho was kneeling blindfold on the deck of one of the naval ships.Four soldiers, posted opposite this man, each fired three shots intohis skull, as calmly as you please, and the assembled multitude thendispersed, thoroughly satisfied. What is all this? said Candide. And what evil spirit is it thatholds such universal sway?He asked who this stout man was who had just been ceremoniallykilled. He s an admiral, came the answer. And why kill this admiral? Because he didn t kill enough people, Candide was told. He gavebattle to a French admiral, and it has been found that he wasn t closeenough. But , said Candide, the French admiral was just as far away fromthe English admiral as he was from him! Unquestionably, came the reply. But in this country it is con-sidered a good thing to kill an admiral from time to time so as toencourage the others. *Candide was so dumbfounded and so shocked by what he was 66 Candideseeing and hearing that he refused even to set foot ashore, and henegotiated with the Dutch master of the ship (it was just too bad ifhe fleeced him like the one in Surinam) to take him to Venice as soonas possible.The master was ready in two days.They sailed down the Frenchcoast
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
