Father, he said, do you want me to live?
Yes, I want you to do this, Morrel replied. This is your fault, Maximilian. You are a calm and strong-minded Maximilian. You are no ordinary person.
I don’t want anything. I don’t have any orders. I want to tell you that you put yourself in your shoes and think about it carefully, and then you can judge for yourself.
The young man thought for a moment, and his eyes showed a noble resigned expression and a slow sad gesture. Pull the two epaulettes indicating his rank. Well, father, he stretched out his hand to Morel and said, die in peace, father, and I will live.
Morrel almost knelt before his son, but Maximilian hugged him, so these two noble hearts clung together for a moment. You know it’s not my fault, Morrel said.
Maximilian smiled-I know father, you are the most respectable person I have ever known.
Well, my son, everything is clear now. Now go back to your mother and sister.
Father, the young man knelt on one leg and said, bless me.
Morrel took his head in his hands and kissed him a little closer on his forehead. He said, Oh, it’s in my own name. Three generations can blame the ancestors for blessing you. They said through my mouth that disaster will destroy the building, and the destiny will be rebuilt. Even people with a hard heart will have pity on you when they see me die like this. They will refuse to give me grace. Maybe they will give you a break. Young people should try not to say anything disgraceful and go to work and work. They should struggle enthusiastically and bravely to live to your life. Your mother and your sister should live diligently and frugally, so that your property may one day. On the day when I pay off my debts to the Ministry, you can say in this office that my father died because he did what I did today in other ways, but he died peacefully because he knew I would do it when he died. Think about how glorious, great and solemn that day will be. Father, father and young man cried, why can’t you live?
If I’m alive, everything will change. If I’m alive, my heart will become suspicious and pity will become hostile. If I’m alive, I’m a person who doesn’t keep his promise and can’t pay off his debts. On the other hand, if I’m dead, remember that Maximilian’s body is an honest and unfortunate person. Even my best friend will stay away from my house and die. Marseilles will send me to my final resting place with tears. You will be ashamed of my name. You can hold your head high and say that my father was killed because he didn’t fulfill his promise for the first time in his life.
Now Morel says, leave me alone here and try to take your mother and sister.
Don’t you see your sister again? Maximilian asked. During this meeting, there was still a last hazy hope in the hearts of young people. That’s why Morrel suggested this. I met her this morning. He said she had said goodbye.
Didn’t you specifically ask me to leave it? Father Maximilian asked in a hoarse voice.
My child has a sacred trust.
Go ahead, father.
A Thomson French bank once sympathized with me whether it was humanitarian or private. I don’t know if it gave it to me. I don’t want to say that when I was given a three-month extension, he would come to the promissory note of 207,500 francs in ten minutes. This bank should pay off my child first. You must respect that person.
Father, I will Maximilian said.
Now I say goodbye to you again. Morrel says go, go.
I want to stay here alone. You can find my will in my bedroom desk.
The young people are still there motionless, and although they want to do it, they don’t have the courage to carry it out.
Listen to me, Maximilian. His father said that if I were a soldier like you and was ordered to conquer a certain castle, and you knew that I would definitely be killed in the attack, wouldn’t you like to tell me to go like this, father, because if you stay, you will be discredited and would rather die than be humiliated?
Yes, yes, the young man said yes, so he gave his father a convulsive hug and said that’s it. After his father said that, he rushed to the office.
After the son left, Morrel stared at the door quietly for a moment, then he reached out to ring the bell, and after a while Kirkles came in.
He is no longer the usual man. In the last three days, all the terrible things have overwhelmed him. The idea that Morel’s father’s company will not pay the money has overwhelmed him. He has never felt such humiliation in 20 years.
Hello, Kirkles Morel, with a puzzled expression, said, You wait in the lobby. When the representative of Tom French, the gentleman who came three months ago, told me that Kirkles didn’t answer. He nodded and went into the lobby and sat down. Morel poured his eyes into his chair and stared at the clock. Now there are seven minutes left. The hands move so fast that it is unbelievable that he can see it moving.
This man, who is still young, has a kind of illusion, but at least on the surface, he wants the world. He loves everything and gives up his life full of family fun. At this last moment, what is going on in his mind is really a way to express his cold sweat on his forehead, but he doesn’t blame anyone. His eyes are wet, but he keeps walking towards the clock. The pistol safety machine has hit. He reaches out and picks up his daughter’s name. Then he puts this deadly weapon away, picks up a pen and writes a few words. It seemed as if his beloved daughter hadn’t said goodbye enough. Then he fixed his eyes on the clock again. Instead of counting fractions, he counted seconds. He picked up the deadly weapon again. His mouth was half open and his eyes were fixed on the clock. When he thought of pulling the bolt, that lattice couldn’t help shivering for a moment. At this time, a cold sweat soaked his forehead and a terrible pain bit his heart. He heard the stairs, the door hinge turned and the clock rang a few times, indicating that it was about to knock at eleven o’clock. Suddenly, the office door was silent. Rael didn’t turn around. He was waiting for Kirkrice to say these words. The representative of Thomson French Bank realized that he had put the pistol muzzle in his teeth. Suddenly he heard a shout. This was his daughter calling him to turn around and saw Yuri Eberwein’s gun fall.
Father, the young girl shouted that she could hardly breathe. She was saved. You were saved. She threw herself into his arms and held a red silk purse high in one hand.
Save my child morrel asked in surprise, what are you talking about?
It’s saved, saved. Look, look, said the young girl
Morrel took the purse and was slightly surprised because he vaguely remembered that it once belonged to him. At one end of the purse was tied the promissory note of 207,500 francs. Although it had been signed, at the other end was a diamond as big as a hazelnut, and a parchment note was attached with Yuri Eberwein’s dowry written on it.
Morrel wiped his forehead with his hand, and it seemed to him that it was a dream. At this moment, the clock struck eleven, and the tremor went straight into his body. Every one of them sounded like a hammer hitting his heart. Tell me, son.
He said, tell me about this purse. Where did you find it?
It was found in a small room mantel on the sixth floor of No.15 Meilang Lane.
But Morrel exclaimed that this purse is not yours.
Yuri Eberwein gave the letter that arrived in the morning to his father.
Are you going alone? asked morrel after reading the letter
Emmanuel accompanied me to my father. He said he would wait for me at the corner of Musa Street, but strangely enough, he was not there when I came back.
M. morrel then a voice from the stairs called m. morrel.
This is his voice, Yuri Eberwein said. At this moment Emmanuel came in. His face was full of excitement. He called the Pharaoh.
What, what, Pharaoh? Are you crazy, Emmanuel? You know that ship has sunk.
Mr. Pharaoh, they signaled that the Pharaoh, Pharaoh, had entered the harbor.
Morrel fell into his chair, and he tried his best to accept this incredible thing that had never been heard before, when his son came in.
Father Maximilian shouted, How do you say the Pharaoh has sunk? The watchtower has received its signal, and they say it is entering the harbor now.