Valentine and Noirtier
After her parents depart, Valentine enters and immediately perceives her grandfather is suffering. Through their established communication system of eye movements—closing eyes for approval, winking for refusal, raising eyes to heaven for general desires—Valentine deduces that her parents announced her marriage. When Valentine asks if he dislikes Franz, Noirtier’s eyes repeatedly say “No, no, no.” Kneeling beside him, Valentine confesses she does not love Franz either, recalling how angry Noirtier was when she previously suggested entering a convent to escape this marriage. She expresses despair about the arranged union and her helplessness to oppose it. In response, Noirtier’s eyes convey that he can still help her despite his physical limitations.
The Notary Request
Noirtier signals his desire for something by raising his eyes to heaven. Valentine systematically runs through the alphabet until reaching “N,” which causes him to signal affirmatively. She fetches a dictionary and, through their practiced method of communication, identifies that Noirtier wants a notary. Despite Villefort’s skepticism and attempts to dissuade him, Noirtier remains firm in his request. Barrois, who acknowledges no master but Noirtier, triumphantly departs to fetch a notary, leaving Villefort to reluctantly agree to this strange demand.
第五十九章 The Will
When Noirtier’s servant Barrois returns with a notary, Villefort explains that his father has become completely paralyzed and lost his voice, but the elderly Noirtier successfully conveys through meaningful looks that he wishes to remain in the room. Valentine explains to the notary that she has learned to understand her grandfather’s communication system—closing his eyes for “yes” and winking for “no”—and the notary agrees to proceed with drawing up the will once he verifies Noirtier possesses full mental faculties. Through a painstaking process where Valentine names letters alphabetically and the old man signals to stop at the desired words, they confirm that Noirtier’s fortune amounts to exactly 900,000 francs in bank scrip. The most shocking revelation comes when the notary asks if the fortune should go to Valentine, who has tended Noirtier for six years, and the old man firmly signals his dissent, leading everyone to believe he intends to disinherit his entire family in favor of charitable institutions—until Valentine suddenly realizes her grandfather’s objection is specifically to her marriage with Franz d’Épinay.
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