Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Satan's Grand Party

Midnight is approaching, and it is imperative to act quickly.Margaret's eyes were blurred and she couldn't see anything clearly.She only remembers countless lights and a large pool of strange shapes.As soon as she stood in the pool, Helle and her assistant, Natasha, doused her all over with a thick, warm red slurry.She felt a salty taste on her lips, and then she realized that the two of them were washing her with blood, and she seemed to be wearing a blood-red vestment.After a while, this vestment was replaced by another viscous and transparent rose-colored vestment, and a strong rose fragrance made her feel dizzy.Then they threw Marguerite on a crystal couch, and rubbed her whole body with a large green leaf until it shone brightly.The big black cat also came in to help. It squatted at Margaret's feet and polished her feet.It looks focused and serious, like a shoe shiner on the street.Margaret did not remember who had made her a pair of slippers out of white rose petals, or how they had fitted on her feet, or how the gold thread laces had tied themselves together.Then some kind of force lifted her up and put her in front of a large mirror, and suddenly a crown studded with diamonds appeared on her head.Then Karloviev appeared out of nowhere and hung a heavy statue of a black poodle in an oval frame on a necklace that was itself heavy on Margarita's chest.After wearing this ornament, the queen felt very strenuous. She felt that the necklace hurt her neck and the statue weighed her back.The inconvenience of the heavy necklace with the black poodle statue compensated for it: Wearing it, Karloviev and Hippo looked in awe of Margarita.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's okay!" Karloviev muttered standing at the door of the room with the pool, "There's nothing you can do, you need it, you need it, you need it. Queen, please allow me to make one last suggestion to you : There are all kinds of people among today's guests, oh, there are all kinds of people, all kinds of people, but, Queen Margot, you must not have the slightest opinion of anyone! Even if someone makes you dislike... I know, of course you won't show it... Don't, don't, don't even think about it! The other person will find out, in the same instant. You should still like him, like him, queen. For this, you, the hostess of the party, will be rewarded a hundredfold! Also, never ignore anyone. If you don't have time to speak to someone, just smile or turn to him It’s okay to show your face, you can do whatever you want, just don’t ignore it. People who don’t get your favor will be haggard because of it..."

Margaret was helped out of the pool room by Karloviev and Hippo, and stepped into the darkness where she couldn't see her fingers. "I'll come, I'll come," said the black cat Hippo, "let me give the signal!" "Send it!" Karloviev replied in the dark. "The party begins!" The black cat screamed piercingly.Margaret couldn't help but also yelled, and then closed her eyes for a few seconds.Immediately after this cry, thousands of rays of light shot towards her, and the sound of music and a burst of strange fragrance also wafted over.Margarita walked forward supported by Karloviev.She saw herself entering a tropical forest.Many red-breasted and green-tailed parrots hopped about on the vines in the forest, and when they saw her they all uttered in unison, "I'm so happy!"--a deafening cry.But Margaret soon left the forest and entered a party hall. The bathroom-like heat in the forest was instantly replaced by the cool air in the hall.On both sides of the hall are two rows of shining yellowstone columns.There are no guests here, just like in the forest, but there is a black man standing beside each column, naked, with a silver-white turban wrapped around his head, motionless.When Marguerite floated into the hall with her entourage (Azazeller joined them from nowhere), the black faces were so excited that their black faces turned maroon.Only then did Karlovie let go of Margarita's arm, and whispered into her ear:

"Go straight to the tulip bushes!" Margaret saw a low wall made of white tulips suddenly appeared in front of her. Behind the wall were countless lights covered by glass shades. In front of the lights sat many men in tuxedo, showing white chests and black shoulders.Only then did Margaret realize that the sound of the music at the party came from here.Margaret felt the roar of the trumpet overwhelming her, and then the sound of the violin burst out suddenly, and the high-pitched and exciting sound washed through her whole body like blood.This is a band of about one hundred and fifty people playing Polonez.

① Polonez dance is a grand classical ballroom dance in Poland. The man in tuxedo who stood tall in front of the band saw Margaret coming in, his face turned pale, but he hurriedly smiled and raised his hands to direct the whole band to stand up.The band didn't stop playing for a second and continued to bathe Marguerite in the sound of enthusiastic music in a standing position.The people on the podium in front of the band turned around, parted their hands to the sides, and bowed deeply to Margaret and her party.Margaret smiled and waved to him. "No, it's not enough, it's not enough," Karloviev said hastily in her ear, "and he won't be able to sleep all night. It's time to shout to him: 'Hail to you, King of the Waltz!'"

Marguerite called out as he had said, and could not help being surprised at the bell-like voice of her own that overwhelmed the orchestra.The conductor trembled with happiness, and hurriedly put his left hand on his chest to express his gratitude, while continuing to wave the white stick with his right hand to conduct the performance. "It's not enough, it's not enough," Karloviev whispered in her ear again, "it's time to look to the left, to see the first violinist, to nod to them, to make each of them feel that you have noticed him personally." .They're world famous. That's Witan sitting behind the first music stand over here. Yes, that's it, good. Let's move on."

①Weitan Henri (1820-1881), an outstanding Belgian violinist and composer. From 1845 to 1852, he worked in Petersburg, Russia. Margaret floated forward and asked, "Who is this conductor?" "Johann Strauss," said the black cat from the sidelines, "I dare say I've never had a band like this at any party, or I'd be hanging from a cane in the tropical forest. The band was invited by me! I also want to tell you that none of the people who received the invitation excused their illness and refused." ①Johann Strauss (1825-1899), an Austrian composer, whose waltzes have the characteristics of fast rhythm of rotating dance steps, are known to the world as "Vienna waltzes" and are widely spread.

The second hall was lined without columns, but with two low walls of flowers, roses of bright red, pink, and cream on one side, and Japanese double camellias on the other.Fountains dance between the flower walls, gurgling and gurgling, and the champagne in the three large wine pools is bubbling, as if boiling.One of the pools was crystal lavender, another was ruby-red, and a third was made entirely of clear crystal.Beside the wine pool, several black men in red turbans were pouring the wine. They poured the wine directly from the wine pool into large tumblers with long-handled silver spoons.There is also a gap in the middle of the rose wall, where there is a bandstand, and a man in a red tuxedo is struggling to conduct on the stage.The jazz band in front of him was also playing hard, loudly, even unbearably.Seeing Marguerite, the conductor bowed deeply, his hands almost reaching the floor.Then he straightened up and screamed:

"Hallelujah!" He slapped one knee, crossed the other knee twice, snatched the gold cymbal from the furthest player, and smacked it on the head. When Margaret was about to walk out of the hall, she saw the jazz band conductor clearly. In order to encourage the players to compete with the Polonez dance music coming from the front hall, he was beating the heads of the band members one by one with the golden cymbals in his hand.The team members squatted down one by one with funny faces of fear. A group of people finally floated onto a platform.Margaret saw: This is the place where Karloviev greeted her with a magic lamp in the dark when she first came in, but at this moment, a bunch of dazzling grape-shaped lights lit up on the platform. Crystal chandeliers.The entourage asked Margaret to stand at a specific position, and she found a low column carved with amethyst on the lower left of the position.

"When you feel very strenuous, you can hold on to this column." Karloviev said in her ear again. A negro put a cushion embroidered with golden poodles in front of Margaret's feet, and Margaret involuntarily (as if someone had pulled her by the hand) bent her knees and put her right foot It's on that mat.She looked to both sides, Karloviev and Azazeller were standing on both sides with their hands down, their postures were very solemn.There were three young men standing beside Azazelle, who reminded Marguerite vaguely of Abaddon.She felt a gust of cold air blowing from behind, and looked back—the marble wall behind her was spraying a gust of wine, forming a cold pool of wine at the base of the wall.She also felt something warm and furry next to her left foot. It turned out to be a black cat hippo lying at her foot.

Marguerite stood on the highest platform, with a wide and high carpeted staircase at her feet.Far, far down the stairs, as if she were looking through a telescope behind her back, she saw a hall of immense height.On the wall of the foyer is an extremely wide fireplace, and the cold, dark hearth is big enough to drive a five-ton truck freely.The great hall and the whole staircase were brilliantly lit, but empty.The band playing behind her now sounded quite far away.The group of them stood silently on the platform for about a minute. "Where are the guests?" Margarita asked Karloviev. "It will come, Queen, it will come, and it will come soon. There will never be any fewer guests. To be honest, I would rather chop wood than stand here to receive these guests." "What about chopping wood," the black cat, who loves to talk, interjected again. "I would rather be a conductor on a tram. There is no worse job in the world." "Everything has to be prepared in advance, Queen," explained Karloviev, blinking through his broken single-vision spectacles. Well, while his legal Megella muttered endlessly beside him that he brought her here before everyone else, it was the most embarrassing thing. A party like that should be thrown into the gutter, Queen .” ① Megella originally refers to one of the three goddesses of revenge in ancient Greek mythology, who is the embodiment of anger and jealousy; here it refers to the noisy shrew. "Lawful" refers to a formal marriage according to a religious ceremony. "It must be thrown into the stinky ditch." Hippo also chimed in. "Ten seconds to midnight," Karloviev said. "It's about to start." Margaret felt that ten seconds was an extremely long time.It seems that it has passed, but there is still no movement.At this time, a loud noise was suddenly heard from the large fireplace at the end of the stairs below, and a gallows rushed out of the fireplace with the sound, and a half-decomposed corpse was still hanging from it.The body fell from the noose to the ground with a "snapping" sound and disappeared, and at the same time a handsome black-haired man in a tuxedo and patent leather shoes appeared on the spot.Then, a rather rotten small coffin floated out of the fireplace, and the coffin lid immediately flew aside, and a corpse rolled out of it.And when the handsome black-haired man ran up to the corpse courteously, it had already turned into a flirtatious naked woman, wearing exquisite black leather shoes, with black feathers on her head.The handsome man bent his arms for the woman to hold, and the couple quickly walked up the stairs. "Here comes the first guests!" exclaimed Karloviev. "This is Mr. Zak and his wife. Let me introduce you, Queen, he is the most attractive of men, and he is a dead man." An unrepentant counterfeiter and traitor, and at the same time a very good alchemist. He is famous," Karloviev whispered to Margaret, "because he poisoned the king's mistress. Not everyone can do that! Look how handsome he is!" Margaret, on the other hand, was pale and tongue-tied.She watched as the gallows and coffin in the great hall below entered a side door of their own accord and disappeared. "I'm very happy!" the black cat shouted at Mr. Zack who was climbing up the stairs. At this time, a headless skeleton with only one arm stepped out from the large fireplace in the foyer. It fell to the ground and immediately turned into a man in a tuxedo. Mrs. Zack had already stood in front of Margaret at this time, her face was pale and she was very excited, she knelt down on one knee to salute Margaret and kissed her knee. "Queen!" Mrs. Zack greeted softly. "The Queen is very happy." Karloviev whispered in his ear. "Queen!" Mr. Zack, a handsome man, also greeted gently. "We are very happy!" cried the black cat. The young man standing beside Azazeller had put on a lifeless but very attentive smile, and helped the Zacks to the side, where the black people were waiting for guests with large glasses of champagne.Another man in a tuxedo ran up the steps. "This is Count Robert," said Karloviev in Margarita's ear, "still as handsome as ever! You see, Queen, how ridiculous; he is just the opposite, he was a queen's lover, he Poisoned his own wife." "Count, we are very happy!" Hippo welcomed loudly. Three more coffins floated out of the large fireplace one after another, and they all immediately cracked and fell apart.Then a person in a black robe walked out from the black hole, and the person who followed him stabbed him in the back, and there was a dull scream.Another almost completely decomposed corpse ran out of the fireplace.Margaret narrowed her eyes.Someone's hand hastily brought a small bottle containing white powdered medicine to her nose.She felt like Natasha's hand.The number of people on the steps gradually increased, and now there are people on every step. From a distance, they look exactly the same: the men are wearing tuxedos, and the women beside them are naked. The only difference between them is their heads. The color of the inserted feathers is different from the style of the shoes. A thin woman, wearing a strange wooden boot on her left foot, limped towards Margaret. She had lowered eyelids like a nun, her appearance was respectful, and she wore a wide skirt around her neck for some reason. The green band Yu. "Who is that green woman?" Margaret asked without thinking. "This is one of the most charming and dignified ladies," Karloviev whispered to her. "I introduce you: this is Ms. Tofana. She is among the most charming young women in Naples and Palermo, especially Among young women who resent their husbands, the Secretary is well known. Queen, some husbands do resent their wives, as often happens, don't you." ① Naples and Palermo are important ports and tourist cities in Italy. "Yes." Margaret answered in a hoarse voice, smiling at the two men in tailcoats who were saluting Margaret and kissing her knee and then her hand. "That's right," Karloviev whispered to Margaret, shouting to someone at the same time: "Prince, a cup of incense! I'm very happy!" And then whispered, "Yes, That is why Madame Tofana, sympathizing with these women's plight, offered them a water in a small bottle, which the wife poured into her husband's soup, which he drank. , thanked his wife for her tender care, and was very happy. However, a few hours later he felt extremely thirsty and lay down in bed. A day later, the beautiful young Neapolitan woman who drank the vegetable soup for her husband became a woman like A woman who is as unrestrained as the spring wind." "Then what is she wearing on her feet?" Margaret asked Karloviev while stretching out her hands and kissing the guests who rushed in front of Mrs. Tofana, "Also, what is she wearing on her neck?" What happened to the green belt? Did the skin change color?" "I'm very happy, Prince!" Karloviev shouted to one of his guests, whispering to Margaret: "Her neck is fine, but something unpleasant happened to her in prison. The thing on her feet is a kind of torture instrument, the queen, called a 'Spanish wooden boot'①. As for the strap around the neck, this is how it is: because the jailers have learned that in Naples and Palermo alone, there are nearly five hundred A dissatisfied husband died forever because of this lady, and they strangled her to death in prison in a fit of anger." ① A wooden tube-shaped instrument of torture clamped on the calf and foot, which looks like a leather boot with nails inside.It was used by the Spanish Inquisition in medieval times to torture heretics. "Thank you for giving me such a noble honor, Black Queen! I am extremely happy!" Tofana had already come to Margaret at this time, she said in a nun's quiet voice, and she wanted to kneel down to salute, But the wooden boots on her legs got in her way.Karloviev and Hippo hurriedly helped her up. "I'm delighted," replied Marguerite, extending her hand to the other guests. At this time, the entire staircase was covered by the upward flow of people, and Marguerite could no longer see what was going on in the hall.She just mechanically raised her hand and put it down, pursing her lips and smiling at all the guests in the same way.There was a lot of voices on the platform and it was very lively.From the hall that Marguerite had just passed, the music of the band sounded like the waves of the sea. "This woman is boring," Karloviev said aloud instead of whispering, because he knew that no one would hear him clearly in the din of voices. "She likes to go to parties and always wants to tell her The pain of that handkerchief." Margaret's gaze catches the woman Karloviev is pointing at, walking up the stairs.The woman looked very young, not more than twenty years old, slender, attractive, and extraordinary, but her eyes were full of anxiety and begging for mercy. "What handkerchief?" Margarita asked Karloviev. "A maid was sent to her," Karloviev explained, "and for thirty years this maid had been putting a small handkerchief on her bedside cabinet every night. So every day she opened her eyes and saw The handkerchief. She threw it in the fire, and sank it in the river, to no avail." "What the hell is that handkerchief?" Marguerite asked again, while continuing to hold out her hand for the guest to kiss. "It was a little handkerchief with a blue border. Here it is: while she was working in a café, the owner of the shop took her into the warehouse one day. Nine months later she gave birth to a little boy. She carried the baby in forest, gagged the child with a handkerchief, and later buried the child in the ground. She said in court: because she could not afford to feed the child." "Where's the owner of the café? Where's he?" asked Marguerite. "Queen," the black cat squatting at the feet suddenly interjected in a hoarse voice, "please allow me to ask: what does the owner of the store have anything to do with this? He is not the one who smothered the child in the woods!" Marguerite continued to smile at the guests, raising and lowering her right hand, while she pinched the ear of the hippopotamus with the pointed nails of her left hand and whispered to it: "Bad guy, let's see if you dare to interrupt casually..." Hippo let out a shriek that was incongruous with the party, and said hoarsely: "Queen! . . . the ears will be red! . . . How much fun would it be to go to a party with red ears? ! . . . No more words...you can just think that I am not a cat, but a fish, just let go of my ears." Margaret let go.At this time, those two melancholy eyes, anxious and begging for mercy, had come to her: "Queen, thanks to your kindness, I am very happy to be able to participate in this grand Shangyuan party!" "I am delighted to meet you, too," replied Marguerite, "very pleased. Do you like champagne?" "Queen, what are you doing?!" Karloviev hurriedly stopped her in a low voice, and angrily whispered into Margaret's ear: "This will cause trouble!" "I like it very much!" the woman replied hastily, wishing for it, and then said mechanically: "My name is Frieda. Frieda! Frieda! Oh, queen, my name is Frieda!" "Then, Frieda, you have a drink today! Get drunk and don't think about it!" said Margaret. Frieda stretched out her hands to Margarita, but Karloviev and Hippo quickly took her arms, and she disappeared into the crowd. At this time, the crowd on the steps swarmed up, as if charging towards the platform where Margaret stood.Numerous naked women's bodies flashed and heaved among men in tuxedos.Women's bodies of various skin colors floated towards Margaret: dark ones, fair ones, coffee bean-colored ones, translucent black ones, everything.Gemstones of all kinds played, fluttered, and sparkled in their black, auburn, chestnut, and flaxen hair.In the line of men rushing forward, diamond collar buttons sparkled, as if someone had sprinkled a few spots of light on the heads of the entire procession.Every second now Margaret felt lips touch her knee, every second she reached out to be kissed, the welcoming smile on her face almost froze. "I am very happy!" Karloviev continued monotonously. "We are all very happy, and the Queen is also very happy." "The queen is very happy!" Azazeller who was standing behind also said in a low voice. "I'm very happy!" the black cat said from time to time. "This is the Marquis," Karloviev murmured, "she poisoned her father, two brothers, and two sisters to fight for the right of inheritance... The queen is very happy! This is Mrs. Minkina, look how beautiful she is Just a little nervous. In fact, why did she burn the maid's face with the iron tongs! Of course they will kill her! ①The queen is very happy! Queen, please pay attention: this is King Rudolph②! and an alchemist. Here is another alchemist, hanged. Oh, she is here too! Oh, what a marvelous brothel she keeps in Strasbourg! We are very happy! This A well-known Moscow seamstress, everyone likes her originality, she opened a women's clothing agency in Moscow, and came up with a very ridiculous method: she secretly drilled two round holes in the wall..." ①The mistress of Alakcheyev (1769-1834), the prime minister of Russia's Tsar Alexander I in the 19th century.Arakcheyev was notorious for his brutal regime of military and police brutality.Ming Jinna was born beautiful, but she was extremely cruel, so she was hacked to death by serfs. ②Rudolph I (1218-1291), Holy Roman Emperor, founder of the Habsburg dynasty. ③ Strasbourg, the economic and cultural center of eastern France, a famous cultural city and a tourist attraction. "Don't those women know?" asked Margaret. "There is no one who does not know, Queen," replied Karloviev, "I am very glad! You see, this boy of twenty has been dreamy since childhood, behaved surlyly, and often had strange ideas. There was a girl Falling in love with him, and he sold her to a brothel." The flow of people came from below, seemingly endlessly, and was still flowing out from its source-the great fireplace in the foyer.The party had been going on for more than an hour, and Margaret felt that the chain around her neck was getting heavier and heavier.The right arm is also a little abnormal, and now she frowns every time she stretches it out.Karloviev's amusing introductions and comments had lost her interest.She can't tell now either the Mongolian face with its eyes set wide apart, or the white face from the black face, which sometimes seems to merge into one.The air between the faces seemed to tremble somehow and began to flow.Margaret suddenly felt a pinprick-like sharp pain in her right arm, she clenched her teeth, and hastily leaned her elbows on the amethyst column next to her.She heard a rustling sound from the hall behind her, like a bird's wings hitting the wall, and she knew: it was the dancing of countless guests in the hall.She felt that in this rare hall, the crystal-clear and heavy marble floor was also gently rhythmic with the sound of music. Neither Kay Caligula ① nor Messalina ② could arouse Margaret's interest now.Likewise, any king, duke, lover, suicide, poisoned woman, hanged person, pimp, jailer, gambler, executioner, informer, apostate, megalomaniac, spy, rapist... …and none of them interest her anymore.The names of these people were jumbled together in her mind, their faces gathered into a big cake.Only one face among them, a face with a real flaming beard, remained distinct in her memory and caused her pain, and that was Maryuta Skuratov. ③Margaret felt her legs go weak, and she was afraid that she would cry at any moment.What caused her the most pain was the knee of her right leg, which was kissed by everyone.Although Natasha came over more than once to sponge a strange balm on her knee, it was swollen and bluish.Nearly three hours into the party, Marguerite looked down the high steps with utterly disappointed eyes, and trembled with joy: the flow of guests had at last thinned out. ① Kai Caligula, Roman Emperor (37-41 AD), a crazy tyrant, was killed by the rebellious Praetorian Guards because of the brutal rain. ②Valilia Messalina (first century AD), the wife of the Roman Emperor Claudius (Claudius), known for her cruelty and promiscuity.Her name has become a common noun, meaning a lecherous and surly lady. ③Maryuta Skuratov (died in 1572), one of the leaders of the Ivan Terrible Legion, played a major role in consolidating Ivan Terrible's rule. "Queen, the rules are the same for all such gatherings," Karloviev whispered to Margaret. "It's time for the tide to go out. I swear we don't have a few more minutes to bear. Look, those people are Bro Wanderers from Ken Hill. They always come last. Well, yes, they. Two drunken vampires... all together? Oh no, there's another one, no, two! " The last two guests were coming up the steps. "These two seem to be newcomers," said Karloviev, squinting carefully through his single-vision spectacles. "Ah, yes, yes! Azazeller interviewed this man once. He was very afraid of the other man." Therefore, after a few glasses of brandy, Azazeller leaned into his ear and gave him an idea to get rid of the man. Then he ordered a friend of his own to go to the man's office Poison was sprayed on the walls." "What's the man's name?" asked Margaret. "Oh, really, I don't know yet, I have to ask Azazeller." Karloviev replied. "Who was with him?" "It's the subordinate who carried out his orders seriously. I'm very happy!" Karloviev exclaimed to the last two guests. There were no more guests on the steps.They waited a little longer, just in case: but no one came out of the great fireplace again. A second later, Margaret herself did not know why and came to the big pool room again.Once here she felt pain in her right arm and leg, fell to the ground and cried loudly.Helle and Natasha hurried over to comfort her, and took her to shower with blood and rub her whole body, Margaret regained her spirits. "We have to go, we have to go, Queen Margot," Karloviev said again, coming to her side, "we still have to go around the halls, so that the honorable guests don't feel left out." So Margaret hurried out of the room with the sink again.On the bandstand inside the white tulip wall, where the waltz king used to conduct the orchestra, now a monkey jazz band is going crazy.Standing on the podium was a gorilla, a giant with a furry beard, holding a trombone in his hand, waving and dancing awkwardly.Many chimpanzees sat in a row playing trumpets and trombones, glittering with gold, and some merry chimpanzees sat on the shoulders of the trumpeters and played accordions.Sitting in front of the two pianos is Fufu with long mane-like hairs on his neck, playing hard. There are many gibbons, mandrills, and long-tailed monkeys beside them, all holding saxophones, violins, and long-tailed monkeys. Drums, etc., fiddled and beat non-stop.Buzzing, squeaking, booming, the two pianos couldn't be heard at all.The floor of the hall was as bright and bright as a mirror. Countless people danced in pairs. They seemed to merge into a whole. With amazing lightness and agility, they took skillful dance steps and turned in one direction. A big wall is slowly moving forward, going forward indomitably, with the potential to sweep everything along the way.Butterflies made of brocade came to life one after another, fluttering up and down above the whirling crowd, and blossoming flowers fell from the ceiling on people.Whenever the lights go out, countless fireflies shine on the capitals of each column.Bits of phosphorous fire fluttered in the air. Later, Margaret came to a huge wine pool surrounded by columns.Here is a huge black statue of Neptune, with a thick column of reddish wine coming out of its mouth, and the pool smells of intoxicating champagne.People here are informal and happy.The women smiled and shook off their shoes, handed their handbags to their male companions or to the blacks standing around with sheets, and then they shouted, and plunged into the wine pool like swallows, and the foamy hops Splash old high.From the bottom of the crystal wine pool, through the red wine in the pool, reflecting the light red light, beautiful silver-white women are wandering leisurely in the pool glowing with red light.When they came up from the pool after a good swim, they were all very drunk.There were bursts of silver bell-like laughter and loud laughter from under the pillars by the pool, just like in a bathhouse. ① Neptune (or translated Neptune), the god of the sea in Roman mythology, that is, Poseidon in Greek mythology. In the whole noisy and chaotic party, Margaret only remembered the face of a drunken woman and her pair of dull eyes that were begging for pity and her eyes. Name: "Frieda"!Margaret was a little dizzy from the alcohol.Just as she was about to leave, she was attracted by the big black cat's performance in the wine pool: it chanted a few spells next to Neptune's big mouth, and the waves of champagne in the pool neighed along with it. The roar and roar disappeared completely from the pool, and Neptune began to spout a dark yellow column of wine that was no longer bubbling or fluctuating.Suddenly the ladies screamed: "Brandy!" The women ran away from the pool and hid behind the columns. In a few seconds, the huge wine tank was filled with brandy.So the black cat jumped up, flipped three buckets in the air, and dived into the rippling brandy pool.When it emerged again, snorting and snorting, its bow tie was loose, the gold in its beard was gone, and its telescope was missing.The only women who dared to emulate the hippo's feat were the seamstress, who was accustomed to ingenuity, and her male companion, an unknown young mulatto.They both jumped into the brandy pool, but Karloviev took Margaret's arm and escorted her away from the swimmers. Margaret thought she was flying over a place where there was a huge stone pond with a mountain of oysters in it.Then she flew over a piece of glass floor. Below the glass were several huge fire hearths, and some devilish chefs dressed in white were nervously busy among the hearths.Afterwards, her mind could no longer think, and she saw only dim cellars, where lights flickered, and girls handed sizzling pieces of meat over flaming coals to guests, who drank glasses Drink glass to glass and toast to her health.Then she saw some white bears on the high platform playing the accordion and dancing the Camerin dance, and saw a newt sitting in the stove ② a magician... At this moment, Margaret felt her body for the second time. strength is about to fail. ① Kamarin dance: a Russian folk dance, the participants are mainly men. ③“蝾螈”在这里或可译为“火精”。中世纪迷信的人认为蝾螈是火怪，故它本身不怕火烧。 “最后再出场一次吧，”卡罗维夫关心地对她耳语说，“然后我们就自由了。” 玛格丽特又由卡罗维夫陪同来到舞厅。但此刻这里已停止跳舞，无数的客人都挤在大厅两旁的柱廊上，把中间空了出来。玛格丽特不记得是谁把她扶上了忽然出现在大厅中央的一个高台。登上高台后，她意外地听到什么地方正在敲响午夜的钟声。她感到很奇怪：按她的估计午夜应该早已过去了。随着这不知何处传来的午夜钟声的最后一响，沸沸扬扬的大群客人突然完全安静下来。于是玛格丽特又看到了沃兰德——他在亚巴顿、阿扎泽勒以及另外几个貌似亚巴顿的皮肤黝黑的年轻人的簇拥下走进了大厅。这时玛格丽特才看到在她站的高台对面还准备好了另一个供沃兰德用的高台，但沃兰德显然不想登上去。使玛格丽特感到震惊的是，沃兰德在这盛大晚会的最后一个隆重场面出现时，仍然穿着他在卧室穿的那身衣服——上身还是那件肥肥大大的、打了补丁的肮脏睡衣，脚上还是那双夜间穿的破旧便鞋。他手里拿着一柄长剑，但这柄无鞘长剑他是拄着当拐杖用的。沃兰德微微瘸着腿走到为他设置的高台旁停下来，阿扎泽勒马上双手举着一个托盘站到他面前。玛格丽特一眼便看到：托盘里放的是一个磕掉了两颗门牙的被切下的人头。大厅里的客人仍然屏住呼吸，悄然无声；打破这静温的唯有远处传来的、在这种环境中令人无法理解的一声铃响，好像是大门上的门铃声。 “米哈伊尔·亚历山大罗维奇！”沃兰德用低沉的声音招呼托盘中的人头。于是，人头上的两只眼睛便睁开了。玛格丽特不由得打了个冷战：那张死人脸上的眼睛不仅是活生生的，而且充满思维和痛苦。“看，一切都实现了，不是吗？”沃兰德盯着人头的眼睛继续说，“您的脑袋被一个女子切悼。'莫文联'的会议没有开成。而我呢，下榻在您的家中。这都是事实。而事实是世界上最顽固的东西。不过，眼下我们感兴趣的是今后的事，而不是已经发生的事实。您一直在热情地鼓吹这样一种理论，这种理论认为：一个人的脑袋一旦被切下，他的生命便就此终结，他将化为一堆灰烬，化为虚无，不复存在。现在，我高兴地当着在座的各位宾客的面告诉您：虽然这众多宾客本身就证明着另一种完全不同的理论，但您的理论毕竟还是既有坚实论据，而且机智巧妙的。不过，话又说回来，所有的理论全都是旗鼓相当、不分轩轻的。在各种理论中甚至还存在这样一种，它主张：一个人信仰什么，他就会得到什么。好，就让它这样吧！您去化为虚无吧，我呢，我将乐于用您变成的大杯为存在而痛饮。”说到这里，沃兰德举起了手中长剑。只见人头的表面立刻变黑并开始抽缩，接着便一块块散落下来，眼睛也不见了。不大工夫玛格丽特便看到托盘上只剩了个用一只金腿支撑着的光光的淡黄色头骨，头骨上镶着两只绿宝石一样的眼睛和一排珍珠似的牙齿。头骨的颅顶部随即在它的接合处裂开并翻转过来，变成一只颅骨杯。 “马上就来，主公，”卡罗维夫看到沃兰德询问的眼神，立即禀告说，“他马上就会站到您面前。在这坟墓般的寂静中，我已经听到他那漆皮鞋的吱吱声和他往桌上放高脚杯的声音了。这是他喝下了今生最后一杯香槟酒。您看，他来了。” 一个新来的客人独自迈入大厅，朝沃兰德走来。从外表看，此人与其他众多男宾并没有什么区别，只是从老远就能看出他很激动，连走路都不稳，他的面颊发红，两只眼睛滴溜溜乱转，显出他非常心神不安。走到近前，来客呆呆地站住了。这也很自然：眼前的一切无不使他感到意外，而其中最主要的当然是沃兰德这一身打扮。 但这位客人还是受到了极为亲切的接待。 “啊，可爱的麦格尔男爵！”沃兰德笑容可掬地欢迎目瞪口呆的新来客，然后又对全体宾客说，“我荣幸地向各位介绍一下，这位是可敬的麦格尔男爵，他现在是文化娱乐委员会的工作人员，负责向外国游客介绍首都名胜。” 玛格丽特屏住呼吸：她认出了这个麦格尔，从前在莫斯科的剧院和饭店里见过他几次。她暗自想：“等一等……这么说，这个人也死了，还是怎么的？”但她的疑问马上就澄清了。 “这位可爱的男爵是个十分热心肠的人，”沃兰德继续愉快地微笑着介绍说，“一听说我来到了莫斯科，他马上就给我挂了电话，表示愿意在他的专业方面提供服务，也就是说，可以向我介绍莫斯科的名胜。不言而喻，今晚能把他请来，我感到很幸运。” 这时玛格丽特看到阿扎泽勒把那个盛着颅骨杯的托盘递给了卡罗维夫。 “对了，男爵，我顺便说一句，”沃兰德忽然压低声音亲昵地说，“人们到处在传说，说您的好奇心极为强烈，还说您那好奇心和您那同样十分发达的长舌头的结合，已经受到人们普遍的关注。而且，有些讲话刻薄的人已经在使用什么'告密者'、'暗探'之类的字眼儿了。更重要的是，据预测，这种情况将使您遭到一种可悲的下场，而且这将发生在一个月之内。鉴于这种情况，再加上您自己给我们提供了一个机会——是您自己主动恳求来我这里做客的，目的当然是想尽量在暗中亲自观察观察，探听探听喽——所以我们决定利用这个机会给您一些帮助，使您摆脱将近一个月的痛苦等待。” 男爵的脸色变得比亚巴顿的脸色还要可怕，而亚巴顿那张脸向来是非常惨白的。紧接着便发生了一件怪事。亚巴顿突然站到了男爵面前，并且把自己的眼镜摘了一下。就在这同一瞬间，阿扎泽勒手中有件什么东西微微一闪，又像是“啪”地拍了一下手掌，只见男爵的身体向后仰去，从他胸腔中喷出的鲜血染红了他浆洗得平平展展的白衬衫和坎肩。卡罗维夫及时地拿过颅骨杯来接住喷出的鲜血，随后把满满一杯血递给沃兰德。没有生命的男爵身体这时已倒在地上。 “为健康干杯，诸位！”沃兰德小声说着，把颅骨杯送到唇边，抿了一口。 这时沃兰德的形象忽然变了：他身上那件打补丁的脏衬衫和脚上的破鞋不见了，现在他披着一件黑斗篷，腰间挎着长剑。只见他快步走到玛格丽特跟前，把颅骨杯举到她眼前，命令说： "Drink!" 玛格丽特感到头晕目眩，身子不由得向后一晃，但颅骨杯已经举到她的唇边，同时又有另一个人（她没有听出是谁）的声音对着她的两耳说： “不要害怕，女王……不要害怕，女王，鲜血早已渗进地里。在洒下热血的地方，现在已是葡萄藤上果实累累了。” 玛格丽特闭着眼喝了一口，甜美的浆液流遍她的全身，两耳中响起洪亮的声音。她仿佛听到许多公鸡的打鸣声震耳欲聋，又像是什么地方在演奏进行曲。一群群客人渐渐变得面目模糊，轮廓不清，穿燕尾服的男人和各种女人统统消散在灰白的雾气里。玛格丽特两眼里阴燃的微微火光，现在可以照到大厅的各个角落了，一股墓穴的气味飘荡在空气里。圆柱坍塌了，灯火熄灭了，一切都瑟缩收拢，什么喷泉、郁金香、日本山茶花……转眼间全都无影无踪了。有的只是，只是原来有的——珠宝商遗编故居的一间朴素的客厅，它的门微微开着一道小缝，里面射出一线灯光。于是，玛格丽特走进这微微开启的门中。