Chapter 6 Section five

"Then, father, you didn't have time to prevent this evil, did you?" "My brother didn't discuss it with me, and besides, he's four million short." "What's a million, father?" she asked, with the innocence of a child who wants and gets everything. "Four millions?" said Grandet, "that is four millions in twenty sous. Five twenty-sou pieces equal five francs. " "My God, my God!" cried Eugenie, "how can my uncle have four millions? Is there anyone else in France who has so much money?" Grandet touched his chin and smiled. The sarcoid seemed to be expanding. "So, what about my cousin?"

"He's going to India, and according to his father's last wish, he has to go there and try to earn money." "Does he have the money to go to India?" "I'll pay him for the journey...to...yes, to Nantes." Eugenie threw herself on her father's neck. "Ah! Father, how kind you are, you!" The affection with which she hugged her father almost made Grandet blush, and his conscience was a little disturbed. "Isn't it a lot of time to save a million dollars?" she asked. "My God!" said the cooper, "do you know what a Napoleon is? There must be fifty thousand Napoleons in a million."

"Mama, let's do some nine days of prayer for him." "I thought of that, too," replied the mother. "Here again, always spending money," cried the father, "ah! Do you think there are thousands and hundreds at home?" At this moment, from the garret came a more terrific wail, which frightened Eugenie and her mother into a chill. "Nanon, go upstairs and see if he is going to commit suicide," said Grandet.Having said this, he turned and saw his wife and daughter turning white with horror at his words, and said: "Ah! Look at you! Don't be foolish, you two. I'm going. I'm going to deal with the Dutch guests, who today Go. Then I will go to Cruchot and talk to him about the events of the day."

He left, and Eugenie and her mother breathed a sigh of relief when Grandet opened the door and went out.Never before had the daughter felt so restrained in the presence of her father; but during these hours her feelings and thoughts were changing from moment to moment. "Mom, how much does a barrel of wine cost?" "Your father sold it for a hundred to a hundred and fifty francs, and I've heard it sold for two hundred sometimes." "Once he has fourteen hundred barrels..." "To tell the truth, boy, I don't know how much I can sell it for. Your father never talks to me about his business."

"So Dad should be rich..." "Perhaps. But M. Cruchot told me that he bought Floafon two years ago. He is also short of money." Eugenie could no longer ascertain how much her father had, she could only go so far in her calculations. "He doesn't even look at me, that little darling!" said Nanon, coming down-stairs. "He lays on the bed like a calf, and weeps like a saint in mourning; God bless you! That poor man." How sad is your frail youth?" "Mother, let's go and persuade him. If there is a knock at the door, let's go downstairs."

Madame Grandet could not resist the sweet voice of her daughter.Eugenie is so sublime, she has matured.The mother and daughter went upstairs with apprehension to Charles' bedroom.The door is open.The young lad could neither see nor hear anyone coming up, but wailed and wailed out of tune. "What a love he has for his father!" whispered Eugenie. Her voice clearly revealed the affection and hope that she unconsciously sprouted.So Madame Grandet glanced at her, her eyes were full of love, and she whispered to her daughter quietly: "Be careful, you are in love with him."

"Falling in love with him!" Eugenie continued. "You would not have said it if you had heard what your father said this morning." Charles turned over and saw his aunt and cousin. "I have lost my father, poor father! If he had told me of his distress, we could have worked together to bring it back. Good heavens, my dear father! I thought I would see him again soon, and now I want to come , On the day of parting, I didn't kiss him affectionately goodbye..." A whimper cut off his cries. "We must pray for him," said Madame Grandet, "you must obey the will of God."

"Cousin," said Eugenie, "take heart! Since your loss is irreparable, think about how to save face before it's too late..." Eugenie had an instinct, like a woman who thinks of everything, even when she comforts others; she wanted to make her cousin think more about his future, so as to alleviate the present pain. "My face?..." The young man tossed his hair violently, crossed his arms, and shouted as he sat up. "Ah! Yes. Uncle says my father is bankrupt." He uttered a tearing cry, covering his face with his hands. "Leave me alone, cousin, go away! God, God! Forgive my father, you must have suffered so much to commit suicide!"

Seeing his childish, real, scheming, and painless performance without thinking is really touching and frightening.Charles beckoned them away, and the simple-hearted Eugenie, as well as her mother, knew that it was a pain to be left alone.They went downstairs, returned to their respective seats by the window in silence, and resumed their work; for a full hour they did not speak a word.Eugenie had just glanced at her cousin's household articles, with her girlish eyesight which sees everything at a glance, and she saw the exquisite toilet set, the gold-encrusted scissors and razor. .Perhaps this extravagance in the midst of mourning was due to the effect of contrast, which made Charles more interesting to Eugenie.Never had an incident of such gravity, such a spectacle of horror, touched the imagination of both mother and daughter; they had long been wallowed in peace and solitude.

"Mother," said Eugenie, "let us mourn our uncle." "It is up to your father," replied Madame Grandet. They both fell silent again.Eugenie is making red needles one by one, and interested onlookers may be able to see the rich thoughts she generated in meditation from her regular movements.The sweet girl's first wish was to share the bereavement with her cousin.At four o'clock the door hammer struck suddenly, as if on Madame Grandet's heart. "What's the matter with your father?" she said to her daughter. The owner of the vineyard entered the house with a happy face.He took off his gloves and rubbed his hands vigorously, wishing to get the skin off. Fortunately, his skin was like tanned Russian leather, except that it was not polished and spiced.He walked up and down, looking at the clock.Finally, he told his secret.

"Wife," he said fluently without stuttering, "I've got them all covered. Our wine is gone! The Dutch and Belgian guests are leaving this morning, and I'm wandering in the square in front of their inn. Come and hang around, pretending to be bored. The guy you know came to see me. The owners of good grapes are holding up their goods to wait for a good price, and I won’t persuade them to sell. The Belgian panicked. Seeing it. It turned out to be two hundred francs a barrel. He bought our goods and paid half in cash. The cash is gold coins. The papers are all done, and this is six louis for you. Quite fall." He said the last sentence very calmly, but there were thorns in his words, piercing to the bone.At this time, the people gathered in the central square of Saumur were startled by the news that Grandet's wine had been sold;The result of the panic can knock fifty percent off the price of wine. "You have a thousand barrels of wine this year, papa?" asked Eugenie. "Yes, good boy." That's the old cooper's name for being extremely happy. "Then it will fetch two hundred thousand francs." "Yes, Mademoiselle Grandet." "Well then, father, you can easily help Charles." King Belshazzar's astonishment and anger when he saw the prophecy "count, measure, and divide" could not be compared with Grandet's gloomy anger at this time.He had long since stopped thinking about that precious nephew, but he realized that that worthless thing was actually entrenched in his daughter's heart, squatting in her daughter's calculations. ① Belshazzar, the regent of Babylon, feasted with the sacred vessels looted from Jerusalem.At this time, the prophecy "calculate, measure, divide" appeared on the wall.The prophet explained: "The prophecy means that your days are numbered, you are too frivolous, and your kingdom will be divided." It was night, Babylon fell, and the kingdom was divided between the Persians and the Medes. "Ah! Well, everything has been turned upside down since that dandy came into my house. You show off, buy candy, throw banquets, and spend your time. I don't agree. At my age, I should know how to behave." Now! Besides, I don't need my daughter or anyone else to teach me! I will treat my nephew as I should, and none of you should interfere. As for you, Eugenie," he turned to She said, "Don't mention him to me again, or I'll let you live with Nanon at the Abbey of Noyers, and see if I can do it. If you snort again, I'll send you off tomorrow. That boy." Where? Did you go downstairs?" "No, my friend," replied Madame Grandet. "No? Then what is he doing?" "Weeping for his father," replied Eugenie. Grandet stared at his daughter, but could not think of anything to say to her.He was a father after all.After a few rounds of the drawing-room, he hastened upstairs to his closet to consider the purchase of bonds.The timber he cut down from a forest of 1,300 to 400 hectares gave him a profit of six hundred thousand francs; The total of the two hundred thousand francs that was done was about nine hundred thousand francs.Seventy francs a share of public bonds, which can earn 20 percent interest in a short period of time, made him eager to try.He calculated sums in the same newspaper that published the news of his brother's death, and deafened his nephew's groans.Nanon came upstairs and knocked on the wall of the closet to invite the master to come down, and supper was served.In the hallway, when he stepped down the last step of the stairs, Grandet was still thinking: "Since I can earn an 8% bonus, this deal must be done." Within two years, I can get it back from Paris. Gold Ocean at 1.5 million francs. " "Hey, where's my nephew?" "He says he doesn't want to eat it," replied Nanon, "that's a shame." "It's better to save a meal," said the host. "Isn't it?" she answered. "Come on! He won't cry forever. The wolf will have to come out of the bushes when he's hungry." Dinner was surprisingly quiet. "Good friend," said Madame Grandet, after the tablecloth had been removed, "shall we wear mourning?" "Really, Madame Grandet, you only know how to spend money on new ideas. Wear mourning in your heart, not in your clothes." "But you can't save yourself from mourning for your brother, and besides, the Church also stipulates that we..." "Use your six louis to buy filial piety, and just give me a piece of crème." Eugenie raised her eyes to the sky without saying a word.The generosity that had been dormant in her, hitherto repressed, suddenly awoke: for the first time in her life, she felt her feelings being hurt every moment.This evening was superficially like countless nights in their monotonous life, but in fact it was the most dreadful one.Eugenie was bent over her work, and did not use the sewing kit which Charles had despised last night.Madame Grandet knits sleeves.Grandet twirled his thumb for four hours.I have calculated and calculated in my heart, and the result of the calculation will definitely surprise the people of Saumur tomorrow.No one came to visit that day.Everyone in the town was buzzing with talk of Grandet's success, his brother's bankruptcy, and the arrival of his nephew.The upper-middle-class vineyard owners of Saumur, driven by the need for a discussion of the common good, gathered at M. de Grassins' house, and hurled insults at the former mayor with an inordinate degree of viciousness.Nanon spun her twine, and the whirring of the spinning-wheel was the only sound beneath the gray floor of the drawing-room. "We don't use tongues anymore," she said, showing a row of teeth as big and white as peeled almonds. "Everything must be saved," replied Grandet, roused from his contemplation.He seems to see himself in the eight million property three years later, sailing in the surging river of gold. "Go to bed. I'll go and say goodnight to my nephew on behalf of everyone, and see if he wants something to eat." Madame Grandet stood in the second-floor corridor, wanting to hear what the old man had to say to Charles.Eugenie was more daring than her mother, and went up several flights of stairs. "Hey, nephew, you're sad. Then cry, it's normal. A father is a father. But we have to live with it. You cry here, but I'm already thinking of you. You see, I'm an uncle How kind to you. Come, cheer up! Would you like a drink? Wine is cheap at Saumur, and one buys wine here as one buys tea in India. But," continued Grandet, "You have no light here. No, no! You have to see clearly." Grandet went to the fireplace. "Hey," he exclaimed, "here's a white candle, where's the white candle? Those bastards would tear down the slab of my house just to boil the boy's eggs!" Hearing this, the mother and daughter hurried back to their room, got into bed, and moved as fast as a frightened mouse fleeing back to a mouse hole. "Madame Grandet, do you have a cornucopia?" asked the man, entering his wife's room. "My friend, I'm saying my prayers. I'll talk about it later," said the poor mother in a changed voice. "To hell with your God!" muttered Grandet. Most misers don't believe in an afterlife. For them, this world is everything.This kind of thinking casts a terrible light on the present age, when money rules laws, governs politics, and shapes fashions.Money rules everything now more than ever.Institutions, books, people, and doctrines all conspire to undermine the belief in an afterlife, the very foundation upon which this edifice of society has stood for eighteen hundred years.Now, the coffin is a transition that no one fears.Waiting for our future after requiem mass?This has long since been moved to the present.By right and wrong means, in this world, they ascend to the paradise of extravagance and prosperity. In order to possess the fleeting wealth, they don't hesitate to turn their hearts into iron stones and sharpen their flesh and blood, just like martyrs who don't hesitate to seek eternal happiness. Like a lifetime of suffering, it is now a common pursuit!Such ideas are written everywhere, even into laws; the law does not ask the legislator "What do you think?" but "How much do you pay?" What will the country look like? "Madame Grandet, have you finished your prayers?" asked the old cooper. "My friend, I am praying for you." "Very good! Good night. Let's talk again in the morning." The poor woman is like a primary school student who hasn't learned her homework well. She is afraid of waking up to see the teacher's angry face when she sleeps.She was frightened, wrapping herself up tightly in bed, covering her ears, and going to sleep, when Eugenie, in her dressing-gown and barefoot, slipped up to her bed and kissed her forehead. "Ah! good mother," said the daughter, "to-morrow I will tell him that I did it all." "No, he will send you to Novay. Let me deal with it, he can't eat me." "Did you hear that, Mom?" "Hear what?" "He's still crying." "Go to bed, boy. Your feet will be cold and the tiles will be damp." Thus passed a day of great importance.It will forever weigh on the heart of the heiress, both rich and poor, and will never be relieved for a whole life.Since then, her sleep has never been as complete and sweet as before.Some things in life often appear distorted if they are resorted to words, although the things themselves are absolutely true.But isn't it too often the case for a whim of decision without a psychological inquiry, without any explanation of the mysterious inner reasoning necessary to make it come about?Perhaps Eugenie's visceral passion had to be dissected in her most delicate textures, because it had become, to use the jest of those who speak harshly, a disease which affected her whole being.Many would rather deny the outcome than weigh the power of the inexhaustible ties, knots, and connections that secretly connect one event to another in the spiritual realm.So, when it comes to this, those who are good at observing human nature will see that the first half of Eugenie's life is like a guarantee, and her unthinking innocence and sudden true feelings are indeed credible.The quieter her past life had been, the more the most delicate of all feelings, feminine pity, grew more vigorously in her.So Eugenie, disturbed by the events of the day, awoke several times during the night to listen to her cousin's voice, and seemed to hear again the lament that had been echoing in her heart since yesterday.Now she imagined him dying of grief, and now she dreamed that he was dying of hunger.Towards dawn she did hear a frightening cry.She hurriedly put on her clothes, relying on the faint morning light, she hurried to her cousin with light steps.The door was open and the candles had burned out.Shire and Yi, overwhelmed by fatigue, leaned on the chair, his head fell to the side of the bed, and fell asleep.He was dreaming like someone who goes to bed on an empty stomach.Eugenie could weep as much as she wanted, and gaze at the face of this handsome young man, hard as stone with pain, and those eyes weary from weeping, which seemed to be still weeping in his sleep.Sensing Eugenie's approach, Charles opened his eyes, and saw her standing kindly before her. "Excuse me, cousin," he said; obviously he didn't know what time it was, nor where he was. "Some hearts here have heard your voice, cousin, we thought you needed something. You should lie down on the bed, it's so tiring to be so nestled." "That's right." "See you then." She escaped, both ashamed and happy that she dared to go upstairs.Only those who have no evil intentions dare to do such a reckless thing.When you are deeply involved in the world, virtue will be as negligent as evil thoughts.Eugenie did not tremble in the presence of her cousin, but once in her room her legs gave way.The ignorant life came to an end suddenly, and after thinking about it, she blamed herself fiercely. "What will he think of me? He'll think I'm in love with him." This was exactly what she hoped for the most.Honest love has its premonitions, knowing that love begets love.How extraordinary is it that a girl alone in her boudoir should sneak into the bedroom of a young man!In love, are there not certain acts of thought that are to certain minds a sacred marriage contract?An hour later, she walked into her mother's room and waited for her to get up and get dressed as usual.Then the mother and daughter sat down in their old places by the window of the drawing-room, and waited for Grandet, filled with anxiety, as some people, for fear of reprimand, fear of punishment, feel their hearts go cold, or warm, or shrink. Tightness, or expansion of the heart, it depends on the temperament of each person; this kind of emotion is actually very natural, even domestic animals can feel it, they can keep silent when they are injured due to their own carelessness, and they will wow when they feel a little pain when they are beaten by their masters Barking.The old man came downstairs, but he talked absently to his wife, kissed Eugenie, and sat down at the table, apparently forgetting the threat of the night before. "How's the nephew? He's not annoying." "Monsieur, he is still asleep," replied Nanon. "Well, there is no need to light a candle," said Grandet sarcastically. This uncharacteristic magnanimity, this sarcasm, surprised Madame Grandet.She looked intently at her husband.Old man... At this point, it should be explained to the reader that in places such as Touraine, Anjou, Poitou, and Brittany, the old man, which we have used many times to refer to Grandet, can be used both The cruelest person can also be used for the most merciful person, as long as they reach a certain age, they can be used universally.The appellation does not presage personal benevolence.Closer to home, the old man picked up his hat and gloves and said, "I'll go for a walk in the downtown square and meet my nephew and uncle Cruchot." "Eugenie, your father must be busy." It is true that Grandet slept little, and spent half of the night in preliminary calculations, the results of which always led to amazing precision in his insights, observations, and plans, and always ensured the success of everything, which impressed the Saumurs.Human ability is simply patience plus time.The strong have desires and are good at waiting for opportunities.The life of the miser consists in the constant service of human energy to the personality.He relies on two passions: pride and profit; but since profit is to a certain extent concrete and self-evident self-respect, and the constant proof of one's true superiority, pride and profit are two sides of the same coin, both born of selfishness.Therefore, the miser, cleverly staged, generally arouses great curiosity.Everyone is connected with such characters, because they relate to all human emotions and are the epitome of all emotions.Man, who has no desire?Which social desire can be solved without money?Grandet did have something to do with what his wife said.Like all misers, he was haunted by an implacable mass of need to conspire with others to earn their money legally.To overwhelm others is not to exercise one's own power, to give one's perpetual right to despise those who are too weak to be slaughtered by others?what!Who can really understand the lamb lying obediently at God's feet?It is the most touching symbol of all victims in the world, and it symbolizes the future of the weak, that is, glorified suffering and cowardice. Such a lamb is fattened up by the miser, locked up, killed, and cooked; The miser despises it, and money and contempt are the food of the miser.The old man's mind had gone the other way the night before: that was where his generosity came from.He devised a trick to play Parisians, he would pinch them, grind them, rub them, make them run about, make them sweat, hope, turn pale; He was going to make fun of the Parisians when he saw the worm-eaten staircase of his house in Mew.The matter of his nephew occupied his mind.He wanted to restore his dead brother's name without costing his nephew and his money.His cash would be deposited into an account for a period of three years, after which he would simply manage the estate.But he needed a kind of nourishment to sustain his intrigue, and he found just that in his brother's bankruptcy.Since he felt that he had nothing else to squeeze under his claws, he had to crush the Parisians, thereby doing Charles some good, and being himself a cheap brother.The honor of the family was of no importance in his schemes, and his kindness was like the felt need of a gambler, who sees himself playing a game on which he has not wagered.Uncle and nephew Cruchot were his necessary helpers, but he did not want to go to them, but they came to him himself, and he decided to let the comedy he had just conceived be performed that night, so as to win the audience the next day without spending a penny. The city applauded.After her father went out, Eugenie rejoiced that she could openly care about her dear cousin, and poured out her heart's boundless pity to him with confidence.Pity is one of the sublime virtues of womanhood, the only quality she is willing to make felt, the only emotion she is willing to forgive a man for her to bestow.Eugenie listened three or four times to her cousin's breathing, wondering if he was still asleep or awake.Later, he got up, so cream, coffee, eggs, fruit, plates, cups, everything related to lunch became the object of her worries.She climbed briskly up the dilapidated stairs to listen to her cousin.Is he wearing clothes?Is he still crying?She went all the way to the door. "Cousin?" "Cousin." "Would you rather come downstairs to eat, or have it served in your room?" "Listen to you." "How are you?" "My dear cousin, I am ashamed to say that I am hungry." This conversation through the door seemed to Eugenie an episode of a whole novel. "Well, let's bring the meal to your room, so as not to offend my father." After that, she went downstairs into the kitchen as lightly as a bird. "Nanon, go and tidy up his room." This broken staircase, which went up and down so many times, and which echoed with every sound, seemed to Eugenie now to have lost its shabby character.The staircase seemed to her bright and talking, and as young as she was, as young as her love, who needed its help so badly.And her mother, her kind and tolerant mother, was willing to be at the mercy of her love fantasies.When Charles's room was ready, both mother and daughter went up to the company of the unfortunate.Didn't the Christian doctrine of mercy command them to comfort the suffering?The mother and daughter drew on a host of ambiguities from religion to justify their transgression.Charles Grandet found himself the objects of the most tender and tender cares, and his heart, broken by pain, felt strongly the sweetness of tender friendship and tender sympathy; A feeling they are good at expressing when they are free for a moment, in the sphere of their nature, which is the sphere of suffering.Being close relatives, Eugenie had no scruples in arranging the underwear and toilet articles brought by her cousin, and was able to enjoy every rich trinket and gold and silver decorations she found. , in the name of inspecting workmanship, holding it in his hand.Charles couldn't help being deeply moved when he saw his aunt and cousin showing such kindness and concern for him.He was well acquainted with the indifference of the world in Paris, which, as he was in his present situation, as a rule could only be treated indifferently; so Eugenie had in his eyes the full splendor of a peculiar beauty, the rusticity which he had despised yesterday, now admired in its simplicity. It's windy.So Eugenie, taking from Nanon an enamel bowl full of coffee with whipped cream, offered it to her cousin cordially, and gave him a good-natured look, so that the eyes of the Parisian were instantly stricken. Wet with tears, he held his cousin's hand and kissed it. "Well, what's the matter with you?" she asked. "Oh! These are my tears of gratitude," he replied. Eugenie turned suddenly and ran to the fireplace to get a candlestick. "Here, Nanon, take it," she said. When she looked at her cousin again, though her blush had not faded, at least her eyes were able to hide the overwhelming joy that overflowed her heart; their eyes expressed the same feeling, just as their hearts merged in In the same thought: the future belongs to them.This kind of tenderness was really unexpected for Charles who had suffered a great disaster, so he felt all the more sweet.A knock at the door recalled the mother and daughter to their places, and fortunately they came downstairs quickly, and when Grandet entered the drawing room they had their work in their hands; if he had met them in the hall under the stairs, he would have would be suspicious.After the old man hastily ate his simple lunch, the caretaker of the manor, who had not received the pre-arranged allowance, came from Floafont.He brought a hare and some bamboo chickens, all hunted on the farm, and some eels and two pike, which the tenants of the mill had entrusted him with as piggyback for rent. "Ah! Ay! Poor Cornoille, here's the icing on the cake. Are these good?" "It's delicious, my dear good lord, I got it two days ago." "Come, Nanon, lift your feet," said the old man, "take these things, and eat them at supper; I will treat two Cruchots to supper." Nanon, dumbfounded, stared at everyone. "Ah! well," said she, "but where can I get lard and aniseed?" "Madame," said Grandet, "give Nanon six francs, and remind me to go to the cellar for some good bottles." "Well! So, Monsieur Grandet," said the overseer, who had already prepared a speech in which he demanded an allowance, "Monsieur Grandet..." "Yes, yes, yes, yes," said Grandet, "I know what you mean. You are a shrewd and good man; shall we talk to-morrow? I am very busy today." He turned again to Madame Grandet. "Madam, give him five francs." After all, he hurried away.The poor wife, who had paid eleven francs for the peace she was in, was very glad.She knew that after Grandet took back the money he gave her one by one, she would live a peaceful life for a fortnight. "Here, Cornoille," she gave ten francs, "we will reward you later." Cornoille had nothing to say, and left. "Madame," said Nanon, putting on her black kerchief and carrying her basket, "I only want three francs, and you can keep the rest. Well, I can take care of it." "Make a good supper, Nanon, my cousin is going down to dinner," said Eugenie. "Yes, there must be something unusual," said Madame Grandet. "This is the third time your father has entertained us since we have been married." About four o'clock, when Eugenie and her mother had set six forks and cutlery, and the matriarch was bringing out from the cellar some bottles of the fine wine which the inlanders treasured, Charles entered the drawing-room.The young man was pale.There was a kind of generous sadness in his manner, his manner, his eyes, and the tone of his voice.He wasn't pretending to be in pain, he was in real pain, and the veil of grief that veiled his face gave him an expression especially pleasing to women.Eugenie loved him all the more for this.Perhaps misfortune had brought him closer to her.Charles was no longer what she had imagined to be an unattainable, rich and handsome boy, but a poor relation sunk in a terrible abyss of poverty.Poverty out of equality.Women are similar to angels in this regard, taking it as their duty to help the poor and the poor.Charles and Eugenie spoke only with their eyes, and understood each other; for the troubled son, the poor orphan, sat silent and haughty in a corner, while the gentle and loving eyes of his cousin fell on him from time to time. , forcing him to put aside his worries, and run together with her to the hope and future that she is willing to travel with him.At this time, the news that Grandet was entertaining Cruchot's uncle and nephew caused a sensation in Saumur; he had sold the harvest of the year, committed the heinous crime of betraying all the vineyard owners, and had not yet aroused such a huge reaction.If the old treacherous vineyard owner, in order to shock the world, cut off the dog's tail and entertained guests like Socrates' disciple Alcibiades, he might become a great man in history; In the eyes of him, he kept playing with the Saumur, and he was much wiser than ordinary people.The Des Grassins soon learned that Charles' father had died suddenly and was probably bankrupt, so they decided to go to the old customer's house to express their friendship that night, and at the same time to find out whether Grandet decided to entertain Cruchot's uncle and nephew at this time. what purpose.At five o'clock the President, C. de Bonfon, and his uncle, the Notary Cruchot, arrived, both in festive attire.The host and guest entered the table and began to munch.Grandet's sullen face, Charles' silence, Eugenie's muteness, and Madame Grandet's seldom speaking, made the dinner a veritable funeral.When leaving the table, Charles said to his uncle and aunt: "Please allow me to leave first. I have a long sad letter to write." "Go ahead, nephew." As soon as Charles left, the old man thought he was too busy writing letters to hear what was being said, so he looked at his wife slyly and said: "Madame Grandet, you may not understand what we are going to talk about. It is half-past seven, so you should get into bed as soon as possible. Have a good night, my child." He kissed Eugenie, and the mother and daughter went out.This evening's performance did not officially begin until this time.Grandet had learned to be cunning early in his interactions with people, so that the people he bitten to pieces gave him the nickname "Old Dog".Tonight he was more resourceful than at any other time in his life.If the mayor of Saumur had been more ambitious, and if he had had a good opportunity to climb into the upper circles of society, be sent to attend meetings on the affairs of various countries, and use his personal pursuit of interests internationally, there is no doubt that he would Served for France.However, it is just as likely that the old man would be a wretched wretch without Saumur.Perhaps intelligence is like some animals, which cannot be reproduced without the native place where it was born. "Court...court...presiding judge...sir...you...you said...speaking of broken...broken..." He had pretended for so many years that everyone was used to stuttering, and he always complained about his deafness every rainy day, which made Uncle and Nephew Cruchot feel particularly tired on today's occasion.While listening to the stammering of the vineyard owner, the two of them twisted their faces unknowingly, as if they were trying hard for him, trying to complete what he had deliberately said vaguely.Speaking of this, it may be necessary to recall the history of Grandet's stuttering and deafness.In the Anjou region, no one listens and speaks the local dialect more articulately and articulately than the cunning vineyard owner.As shrewd as he was, he had been tricked by the Jews before.When the Jew was talking about business, he bent his hands in the shape of a trumpet by his ears, pretending to be hard of hearing, and stammered as if trying to find the right words to show his lack of eloquence.Grandet moved with pity, and felt it was his duty to find the words and ideas that the cunning Jew pretended to be unable to find, and to complete the poorly expressed reasons for the Jew, so that his words became what the damned Jew wanted to say. If so, in the end he became the Jew instead of Grandet himself.那次古怪的交锋所达成的生意，是老箍桶匠的商业生涯中唯一吃了亏的交易，但经济上吃了亏，精神上却赚到得益匪浅的教训。所以格朗台后来感激犹太人教会他这一手，磕磕巴巴地让商业对手着急，忙于替他表达思想，从而忘掉自己的观点。而今天晚上要谈的问题的确更需要装聋、装口吃，更需要用莫明其妙的兜圈子来掩盖自己的真思想。首先，他不愿对自己的主张承担责任；其次，他又愿意说话主动，让人摸不透他的真正意图。