40020m
This section, labeled with the identifier 40020m, is a level 1 subheading nested under the root parent key in the fourth volume of the larger work, and falls within Chapter 73 titled “The Promise.” It appears after the 40010m and 40012m entries in the chapter’s fragment sequence, marking the fourth fragment in the chapter’s overall structure.
第七十四章 The Villefort Family Vault
The chapter describes the joint funeral of the Marquis and Marchioness de Saint-Méran at Père-Lachaise cemetery, attended by a considerable crowd of mourners and aristocrats who had gathered in the Faubourg Saint-Honoré. During the funeral procession, the young officer Maximilian Morrel encounters the mourners and is particularly struck when he learns that Franz d’Épinay has seen Valentine pale and in deep sorrow, which troubles him greatly as he is secretly opposed to Franz’s marriage to Valentine. After the burial, Villefort immediately returns home with Franz and pushes to have the marriage contract signed that very day, despite the recent deaths. The notary reveals that Noirtier has disinherited Valentine entirely due to her marriage plans, but Villefort declares his father’s will will never be questioned during his lifetime. At the crucial moment when the contract is about to be signed, Barrois arrives with a summons from Noirtier, who wishes to speak to Franz immediately—a startling development that leaves everyone in astonishment and interrupts the proceedings.
The Double Funeral Procession
Two days after the deaths, a large crowd gathers at Villefort’s residence along the Faubourg Saint-Honoré. A black covered wagon containing the Marquis de Saint-Méran’s corpse arrives, and it becomes clear that those expecting to attend one funeral will witness two. Permission is obtained for both interments to occur simultaneously at Père-Lachaise cemetery, where Villefort has a family tomb prepared. The remains of Renée, Villefort’s deceased first wife, already rest there, and now her parents join her after ten years of separation. The Parisians observe the procession of old aristocracy with reverent silence.
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