Chapter 7 Chapter 6 Noelle

For some, Paris in 1941 was a place of wealth and opportunity; for others, it was hell on earth.The Gestapo became synonymous with fear, and the legends of their operations became the main - if Parisians dared to whisper - topic of conversation.What began as a mischievous smashing of the windows of Jewish-owned shops was a crime of hatred of French Jews, but was now effectively organized by the Gestapo into systematic confiscation, segregation, and genocide. On May 29, a new decree was published. "...a hexagram about the size of a palm with a black border. The hexagram must be made of yellow cloth and printed in black with the words: Jewish. Jews over the age of six must wear the hexagram conspicuously on the left breast and securely sewn to the coat."

Not all French were willing to accept the trampling of the Germans.The French underground resistance force-Macchi fought arduously. Although they were often executed by the Germans in an ingenious way after they were captured, various anti-German activities continued unabated. There was a young countess whose family owned a large villa on the outskirts of Chartres.She was forced to house officers of the local German command in a downstairs room for six months.At the same time, she hid five members of the hunted Machi upstairs in the villa. The two factions never met, but after three months the Countess's hair had all turned white.

The life of a German is perfectly befitting of a conqueror's position, but to the average Frenchman there is little but cold and misery.Gas for cooking is rationed, and there is no fuel for heating.To survive the harsh winters, Parisians buy sawdust by the ton, store half of their homes in sawdust, and keep the other half warm with special wood stoves. Everything from cigarettes and coffee to leather is a substitute.The French joke that it doesn't matter what you eat, it tastes the same anyway.French women - traditionally the most beautifully dressed women in the world - no longer wear woolen materials, but worn sheepskin coats and wooden flat shoes, and their steps on the streets of Paris are like the clatter of horseshoes Voice.

Even Christian baptisms suffered because of the scarcity of sugared almonds, a traditional sweet needed for baptisms.Candy stores put up signs telling customers to come in and order candied almonds.Although Renault taxis are occasionally seen on the street, the most common means of transport are horse-drawn carriages and tandem bicycles. Drama has flourished.This is always the case with prolonged deterioration of the situation.To escape the suffocating reality, people seek relief on screen and on stage. In an instant, Noelle Page was a star.Envious colleagues in the theatrical world said it was all due to the power and talent of Arman Gautier.Gautier did open the doors of an acting career for her, but it is well known among theater people that no one but the audience makes a star.The audience is the arbiter of the actor's fate, unselfish and indifferent; fashion-worshipping and capricious.Audiences adore Noelle now.

As for Armand Gautier, he deeply regrets helping Noelle open the door to an acting career.She doesn't need him anymore now.She stayed with him only for the moment, and he was often afraid that one day she would leave him.Gautier had spent most of his life in the theater, but he had never met anyone like Noelle.She learned acting from him like a sponge absorbing water, not only wanting to master everything he could teach her, but demanding more.In the past, she could only play the role intermittently and superficially, but now she can express the inner world of the characters with aplomb.It was unbelievable to see this magical transformation.Gautier knew from the beginning that Noelle would be a star, but as he got to know her better, he was surprised that stardom was not what she was after.In fact, Noelle wasn't even interested in acting.

At first, Gautier could not believe this.To be a star means to climb to the top, that is to say, to achieve the highest level of achievement.But for Noelle, acting was just a means.As for what she was after, Gautier had no idea.She is unfathomable, unbelievable.The deeper Gautier probed, the more difficult the mystery was, like a Chinese box that is packed in layers and then opened to find several more boxes inside.Gautier had always prided himself on understanding people—especially women—but he didn't know anything about the woman he lived with, and he loved her.It drove him crazy.He asked Noelle to marry him, and she said, "Yes, Arman," and he knew she was as insincere as she was with her engagement to Sorrel, and God knows how many men she'd been with before. engaged.He realizes that marriage is not in sight.When Noelle was ready, she would get on with her own business.

Gautier concluded that all the men who saw her wanted to seduce her and make love to her.He also learned from his envious friends that no one succeeded. "Lucky you fellow," a friend of his once said to him, "you deserve to be hanged. I'm going to give her a yacht, a villa in Antibes, and enough servants, And she made fun of me." Another friend, a banker, told Gautier: "For the first time I have finally discovered what money cannot buy." "Noelle?" The banker nodded. "It's Noelle. I asked her to make an offer. She wasn't interested. How did you get her, friend?"

Armand Gautier wished he knew this. ※※※ Gautier remembered the time he had found her first script.After reading less than a dozen pages, he knew that this was exactly the script he was looking for.This is a masterpiece that portrays a soldier's wife.One day a soldier showed up at her home and told her that he was her husband's comrade in arms and that they had fought together on the Soviet front.As the story progresses, the woman falls in love with the soldier, unaware that he is a pathological homicidal maniac.Her life is at stake.Because the role of wife was so promising, Gautier immediately agreed to direct the play, on the condition that Noelle Page would play the leading role.The theater owners were reluctant to cast an unknown in the leading role, but agreed to let her audition for them.She had come to him to be a star, and now he was going to make her so.He thought it would bring them closer and make her truly fall in love with him.They would be husband and wife, and then he could have her, forever.

But when Gautier broke the news to her, she merely looked up at him and said, "That's great, Arman, thank you." In exactly the same tone as when she thanked him for his time or lit a cigarette for her. Gautier looked at her for a long time, and realized that a strange change had taken place in her, that something in her had either been stifled or had never been born, and that no one could win her heart.Although he knew this, he would not believe it, for he had before him a beautiful, amorous girl who would gladly cater to all his whims without asking for anything in return.In love with her, Gautier put his doubts aside, and they set about rehearsing the play.

As Gautier had predicted, Noelle auditioned so well that she deserved the leading role.When the play opened in Paris two months later, Noelle became the most important star in France overnight.Critics were prepared to bash the play and Noelle, knowing that Gautier cast his mistress—an inexperienced actress—in the leading role.Such a thing is too interesting, and they will never let it go.However, she completely won them over.They searched for new fancy words to describe her acting skills and her beauty.The theater was packed to capacity. Every night after a show, Noelle's dressing room was filled with visitors.She meets every guest: the shoe clerk, the soldier, the millionaire, the salesgirl.She is so patient and polite with everyone.Gautier often watched from the sidelines, amazed.He thought to himself: She is like a princess, receiving her subjects.

Within a year's time, Noelle received three letters from Marseilles.She tore up the letter without opening it.Finally, the letter from Marseilles was interrupted. ※※※ That spring, Noelle had a starring role in a film directed by Gautier.After the movie was released, her fame spread even further.Gautier marveled at Noelle's patience with reporters and photographs.Most celebs loathe this kind of interview and photoshoot, and they do it just for box-office value, or for personal achievement.Noelle, on the other hand, was indifferent to both considerations.Whenever Gautier asked her why she gave up the opportunity to go to the south of France for a vacation, but was willing to stay in Paris in this cold rainy season, tirelessly letting reporters from Le Morn, La Maison de Paris or Celebrity magazines take pictures of her , she always diverted the topic.It was better that way, because if he knew her real motives, he would be shocked. Noelle's goal was simple and clear.Everything she did was for Larry Douglas. As Noelle posed for the picture, she imagined her former lover picking up the magazine and recognizing her.When she did a scene in a movie, she saw Larry Douglas sitting in some distant country theater watching her act.Her work reminded her of him often, made her connect the present with the past.It was a sign that someday he would come back to her; and having him back to her was exactly what Noelle had dreamed of, so she could destroy him. Thanks to the efforts of Christian Barbey, Noelle's scrapbook has grown with material about Larry Douglas.The little detective had also moved from his humble office to a spacious, luxurious apartment on the Rue Richet, near the "Shepherd's Fun" playground. Noelle had a look of wonder on her face the first time she went to meet him in his new office. Barbey grinned and said, "I got this suite for nothing. These offices were originally occupied by a Jew." "You said you had something new to tell me," Noelle said curtly. The smirk on Babe's face disappeared. "Ah, yes." He did grasp the new situation.It was not easy to find out what was going on in Britain under the nose of the Nazis, but Barbey had his way.He bribed sailors on neutral ships to smuggle letters from a London detective agency.However, this is only one of the means he uses.He exploits the patriotic zeal of the resistance underground, the humanitarianism of the International Red Cross and the greed of black marketeers who maintain ties abroad.He made up a different story to each of the people he hooked up with, and the news started pouring in. He picked up a report from his desk. "Your friend's plane was shot down over the English Channel," he said flatly.He watched Noelle's face out of the corner of his eye, waiting for her apparent indifference to suddenly disappear so that he could take pleasure in making her suffer. Noelle, however, was not at all emotional.She looked at him and said confidently, "He was saved." Babe stared at her, suppressed his emotion, and said reluctantly, "Oh, yes. He was picked up by a British rescue boat." But he thought: How the hell did she knew. Everything this woman said and did baffled him, and he hated her as a customer and wanted to turn her down, but Barbey knew it would be foolish to do so. He once tried to make an indecent move on her, suggesting that the fee would not have been so expensive that way.But Noelle had flatly rejected him with indifference that made him feel like a clumsy clown, and he would never forgive her for that.One day, Barbey secretly swore that one day this prudish bitch would be punished. ※※※ Now, Noelle stood in his office with a look of disgust on her pretty face, and Babe hurried on with his report, eager to dismiss her. "His squadron has been switched. They're stationed at Cordon, Lincolnshire. They fly the Hurricanes, and..." Noelle's interests lay elsewhere. "His engagement to the Admiral's daughter," she interrupted, "has been annulled, has it not?" Babe looked up at her in surprise, and muttered, "Yes. She found him with some other women." Noelle seemed to have read his report.She hadn't read it, of course, but that didn't matter.The hatred she harbored bound her so firmly to Larry Douglas that it seemed impossible for her to be ignorant of anything important going on there.Noelle put away the report and left. When she got home, she read it slowly, and carefully bound it with the other reports, locking it away where no one could find it. ※※※ One Friday night, after a show, Noelle was removing her make-up in the dressing room when there was a knock at the door.In came Maris, the stage servant, who was old and crippled. "Excuse me, Miss Paige, a gentleman asked me to give these to you." Noelle glanced up in the mirror and saw him holding a large bouquet of red roses in a delicate vase. "Put the flowers there, Maris," said Noelle, watching as he carefully placed the vase of roses on a table. It's late November, and people haven't seen roses in Paris for over three months.There must have been fifty or sixty roses in this vase, the color of ruby, and the stems were long and dewy.Curious, Noelle walked over and picked up the card tied to the vase.It says: "To the lovely Miss Peppa. Would you do me the honor of having dinner with me?" General Hans Scheider" The vase holding the flowers is Dutch white-glazed blue pottery with delicate and intricate patterns, which is very expensive.General Shade took a lot of care. "He hopes to hear back," said the stagekeeper. "Tell him I never eat supper. You take these flowers home to your wife." He stared at her in surprise. "But, General..." "Don't say any more." Maris nodded, picked up the vase, and hurried out. Noelle knew he would be eager to go around and tell people how she had defied a German general.She had done the same to other German officers before, and the French saw her as a heroine.This is ridiculous.Noelle had nothing against the Germans, she was just very cold towards them.They had nothing to do with her life, or her plans, she just tolerated them and waited for the day when they would return home.She knew she would be hurt if she got involved with the Germans.Maybe not now, but what she cares about is not the present, but the future.She thought it madness to think that the Third Reich would last a thousand years.As any historian knows, all conquerors are eventually conquered.At the same time, she would do nothing to cause her fellow French to retaliate against her after the Germans were finally deported.The German occupation had no effect on her.When the subject was brought up—and it was often discussed—Noelle always avoided it. Armand Gautier was intrigued by her attitudes and often sought to understand her views on the German occupation. "Do you care if the Nazis conquered France?" he used to ask her. "What's the use of me caring?" "That's not the point. If everyone feels the same way you feel, we're screwed." "We're done anyway, aren't we?" "If we believe that people have a will of their own, it's not over. Don't you think our fate is doomed once we're born?" "To a certain extent. We are given our own body, our own birthplace and our own place in life, but that doesn't mean we can't change that. We can be anything we want to be. .” "Exactly the same as me. So we have to fight the Nazis." She looks at him. "Because God is on our side?" "True," he replied. "If there was a God," Noelle replied, with reason, "he created the Nazis, and he would be on their side." ※※※ October marked the one-year anniversary of Noelle's first play.The theater owner throws a banquet for the entire crew at the Silver Tower Restaurant.The guests invited to the dinner were various, including actors, bankers and influential entrepreneurs.The guests were mostly French, but there were also a dozen Germans at the banquet, including several soldiers in uniform.All the Germans except one took French girls.The unaccompanied man was a German military officer in his forties, with a long, thin face that looked very intelligent, with sunken green eyes, and a well-proportioned, athlete-like figure.A long, thin scar ran from the cheekbone to the chin.Noelle noticed that he had been watching her all night, though he hadn't come near her. "Who is that person?" She casually asked a host of a banquet. The host glanced at the officer, who was sitting alone at a table, sipping champagne.Then the host turned to Noelle in surprise. "How strange you should ask that. I thought he was a friend of yours. That's General Hans Scheider. He's from the General Staff." Noelle remembered the roses and the card. "How did you think he was my friend?" she asked. The man looked a little flustered. "Naturally I thought... I mean that every play and film that goes on in France has to be approved by the Germans. When the censors wanted to ban a new film in which you starred, the General himself approved it..." At this moment, Armand Gautier brought a visitor to see Noelle, and the subject changed. Noelle stopped paying attention to General Shade. When she came to the dressing-room the next evening, she found a little vase with a rose in it, and a card with it: "Maybe we should start small. Can I meet you? Hans Scheider" Noelle tore the card and threw the vase in the wastebasket. ※※※ After that night, Noelle noticed that General Scheider was present at nearly every dinner party she and Armand Gautier attended.He was always watching her from an inconspicuous place.This happens so often that it cannot be a coincidence.Noelle realized how hard it must have been for him to learn her whereabouts and get her invitations to social events. She didn't understand why he was so interested in her, but she just mused about it in her free time and wasn't really disturbed.On several occasions, Noelle accepted the invitation without showing up, and then amused herself the next day by asking her host whether General Shade was there.The answer is always "Come". Despite the swift death penalty imposed by the Nazis on anyone who opposed them, sabotage in Paris remained brisk.In addition to Markey, there were dozens of groups of freedom-loving Frenchmen who risked their lives to fight the enemy with any weapon they could get their hands on.They assassinated German soldiers when they let their guard down, blew up supply trucks, and blew up bridges and trains with mines.These activities were denounced in German-controlled newspapers as acts of infamy; but to those loyal to France they were acts of glory.There was one man whose name kept coming up in the papers—his nickname was Cockroach, because he seemed to be running around in such a hurry that the Gestapo couldn't catch him.No one knows who he is.Some people believe that he is an Englishman living in Paris; another theory is that he is a representative of General Charles de Gaulle, the leader of the Free French Movement; some people even say that he is a German who betrayed the Nazis.Whoever he was, portraits of cockroaches popped up all over Paris, on buildings, on sidewalks, and even inside the German headquarters.The Gestapo is concentrating on hunting him down.One thing is indisputable: Suddenly, the cockroach became a national hero. ※※※ On a rainy December afternoon, Noelle attended the opening of an exhibition by a young artist whom both she and Gautier knew.The exhibition was held in an art gallery on the suburban street of Saint-Honoré, and it was bustling with people.Lots of celebrities were there, and there were photojournalists everywhere.Noelle moved around, pacing from one painting to another.Suddenly, she felt someone pressing her arm.She turned and found Mrs. Rose standing in front of her.Noelle paused to recognize her.The face that Noelle knew was still fierce, but it looked twenty years older, as if by some magic she had become her own mother.She was wearing a voluminous black cloak, and Noelle had a hunch that she was not wearing the Jewish star, the required symbol. Noelle was about to speak, but the aging lady squeezed her arm and told her to be quiet. "Can you talk to me?" she asked in just audibly low voice. "Two Monkeys Restaurant." Before Noelle could answer, Mrs. Rose disappeared into the crowd, and Noelle was surrounded by photojournalists.As Noelle posed and smiled for their photo, she was thinking of Mrs. Rose and her nephew Israel Katz.Both of them were very sympathetic to her in her difficult times, and Israel saved her life twice.Noelle didn't know what Mrs. Rose wanted.Maybe it's money. Twenty minutes later, Noelle slipped out quietly and took a taxi to the nearby Place Saint-Germain on the Grass.It had been raining intermittently all day, and now it was sleet and sleet.It looked very cold.The taxi pulled up in front of the Two Monkeys, and Noelle stepped out into the biting wind outside.A man in a raincoat and a wide-brimmed hat appeared next to her unnoticed.It took Noelle a moment to recognize him.Like his aunt, he looked older than he had been, but the changes in him were much more profound.He carried a majesty, a power which he had not had before.Israel Katz was thinner than when she had last seen him, and his eyes were sunken deeply, as if he hadn't slept in days.Noelle noticed that he was not wearing the yellow hexagonal star that marked the Jewish people. "Keep out of the rain," Israel Katz said. He took Noelle by the arm and led her into the room.There were a dozen customers in the restaurant, all French.Israel took Noelle to a table in the corner of the room. "Want something to drink?" he asked. "No. Thank you." He took off his rain-soaked hat.Noelle studied his face carefully and knew immediately that he hadn't asked her to come here for money.He studied her. "You're still beautiful, Noelle," he said quietly. "I've seen all your movies and plays. You're a great actress." "Why have you never come backstage?" Israel hesitated for a moment, then smiled shyly. "I don't want to embarrass you." Noelle stared at him for a moment before she understood what he meant.For her, "Jewish" was just a word that popped up in the newspapers now and then and had nothing to do with her life; As a Jew, especially when this country is your motherland, the feeling must be very different. "I choose my own friends," Noelle replied. "No one tells me who to meet." Israel smiled wryly. "Don't waste your courage," he advises. "Use your courage when it really counts." "Tell me about your situation," she said. He shrugged. "My life was nothing special. I became a surgeon and studied under Dr. Angie Post. Have you ever heard of him?" "No." "He was an excellent thoracic surgeon and accepted me as his student. Then the Nazis took my license to practice medicine." He held up his very handsome hands and examined them carefully. As if the hands belonged to someone else. "So I became a carpenter." She looked at him for a long time. "That's all?" she asked. Israel looked at her in surprise. "That's all, of course," he said. "Do you have any questions?" Noelle dismissed her inner thoughts. "No doubt. Why do you want to see me?" He moved closer to her, lowering his voice. "I need help. A friend—" Just then, the door opened, and four German soldiers in gray-green uniforms entered the restaurant, led by a corporal.The corporal yelled, "! We want to see your IDs." Israel Katz became tense and seemed to put on a mask.Noelle saw his left hand slip quietly into his coat pocket.His eyes flickered a few times to the narrow passage leading to the back door, but one of the soldiers was already there, blocking the way. Israel whispered urgently, "Get away from me. Get out the front door. Hurry up." "Why?" Noelle asked. The Germans were checking the IDs of some customers sitting at a table near the entrance. "Don't ask questions," he ordered, "you just go." Noelle hesitated, then got up and walked towards the door.Soldiers are making their way to the second table.Israel pushed his chair back to have more room to move.His actions caught the attention of two of the soldiers.They came up to him. "ID card." For some reason, Noelle understood that it was Israel that the German soldiers were looking for and that he was trying to escape.They'll beat him to death, there's nowhere for him to go. Turning round, she called out to him: "François! We're going to miss the theatre. Pay your bill and go." The German soldiers looked at her in surprise.Noelle walked over to the table again. Corporal Sultz came and faced her.He has blond hair, a round apple face, and is in his early twenties. "Are you with him, Miss?" he asked. "Together, of course! Don't you have anything more beneficial to do than pester honest French citizens?" Noelle demanded, looking annoyed. "I'm sorry, my dear lady, but..." "I'm not your good lady!" Noelle said angrily. "I'm Noelle Page. I play the leading role at the Union Theatre, and this is the leading man with me. Tonight, when I have dinner with my dear friend, General Hans Scheider, I will Tell him what you've done this afternoon. He'll be mad at you." Noelle could see in the corporal's eyes that he was aware, but whether it was her name or General Shade's, she couldn't tell. "I—I'm terribly sorry, miss," he stammered, "of course I know you." He turned to Israel Katz.Meanwhile, Katz sat there in silence, with his hands in his coat pockets. "I don't know the gentleman," said the corporal. "If you savages have ever been to the theater, you'll recognize it," Noelle said contemptuously and sharply. "Are we arrested or can we go?" The young corporal noticed all eyes were on him.He has to make an immediate decision. "Miss and her friend were not arrested, of course," he said. "I apologize if I have inconvenienced you. I—" Israel Katz looked up at the German soldier and said coldly, "It's raining outside, Corporal. I don't know if any of your soldiers can call a taxi for us." "Of course. Immediately." Israel and Noelle got into the taxi together.As their car drove away, the German corporal stood there in the rain and watched them. The taxi drove three blocks and stopped at a traffic light.Israel opened the door, shook Noelle's hand tightly, and disappeared into the night without saying a word. ※※※ When Noelle walked into the theater dressing room at seven o'clock that night, two people were waiting for her.One of them was a German corporal met in a restaurant in the afternoon, and the other was in civilian clothes.He was a pale old man born with no hair and pink eyes that reminded Noelle of a pre-formed baby.He is in his thirties, with a round face like a moon.His voice was high-pitched, and it sounded like a woman's voice, which was ridiculous; but he had an indescribable air, a chilling murderousness. "Miss Noelle?" "yes." "I'm Colonel Kurt Müller, from the Gestapo. I believe you've seen Corporal Sultz." Noelle turned to the corporal, looking very nonchalant. "No, I don't think I've seen him." "At that restaurant this afternoon," the corporal reminded her. Noelle turned to Mueller. "I've met so many people." The colonel nodded. "You have so many friends, it must be difficult to remember everyone, miss." She nodded, "It is true." "Like the friend you were with this afternoon." He paused, looking into Noelle's eyes. "You told Corporal Sultz that he was playing the lead role with you in the play?" Noelle looked at the Gestapo colonel in amazement. "The corporal must have misunderstood me." "No, miss," the corporal replied angrily in German. "you say……" The colonel turned his face and gave him a cold look. The corporal closed his mouth suddenly in the middle of his speech. "Maybe so," Kurt Mueller said kindly. "Misunderstandings can easily occur when speaking in a foreign language." "That's true," Noelle said quickly. Noelle caught out of the corner of her eye that Morale was flushing with anger and pressing her lips together. "I'm really much ado about nothing, and I'm very sorry," Kurt Mueller said. Noelle's shoulders relaxed as she suddenly realized she had been tense. "Nothing at all," she said. "Maybe I can get you some theater tickets." "I've seen it," said the Gestapo officer. "Corporal Sultz already bought a ticket. Thank you anyway." He started towards the door, then stopped again. "When you called Corporal Sultz a savage, he decided to buy a ticket to see you play tonight. Later, when he was looking at pictures of the actors in the lounge, he didn't see the guy who was with you in the restaurant Friend. So he will come to see me." Noelle's heart beat faster. "Just for the record, miss. If he's not the main character with you, who is he?" "A—a friend." "His name?" he said sharply, still softly but menacingly. "What does it matter?" Noelle asked. "Your friend bears a resemblance to the criminal we are after. He was reported to have been seen this afternoon around the Place Saint-Germain on the Grass." Noelle stood watching him, thinking nervously. "What's your friend's name?" Colonel Muller's voice was very stubborn. "I—I don't know." "Ah, so he's a stranger?" "yes." He stared at her, his icy gaze seemed to penetrate her eyes. "You sat with him. You prevented the soldiers from checking his papers. Why?" "I feel sorry for him," Noelle said. "He came up to me..." "Where?" Noelle thought quickly, thinking they might have been seen walking into the restaurant together. "Outside the restaurant. He told me that soldiers were after him because he stole some groceries for his wife and children. Such a crime is trivial, so I..." She looked up at Muller pleadingly, "I did him a favor." Muller studied her for a moment and nodded approvingly. "I can see why you're such a great star." The smile faded from his face.When he spoke again, his tone became softer. "Take my advice, Miss Page. We want to live in peace with you Frenchmen. We want you to be our friends, and we want you to be our allies. But anyone who helps our enemies, has become our enemy. We must catch your friend, miss. We will interrogate him when we have caught him. You will tell all, I assure you." "I have nothing to worry about," Noelle said. "You're wrong." She could barely hear his voice. "You will be frightened by my presence." Colonel Muller nodded to the corporal, and walked towards the door again.他再一次转过身。 “如果你的朋友跟你联系，你得立即向我汇报。如果你这么做……”他对她微微一笑，拖着没有说完的话音同下士走了。 诺艾丽跌进一张椅子里，感到精疲力竭。她意识到她的说法不能令人信服，但她是完全没有准备的，没有料到盖世太保会找上门来。事先，她深信餐馆那件事早已被遗忘了。现在她想起了以前听说过的一些有关盖世太保的传说，感到浑身在微微战栗。万一他们抓住了伊舍利尔·凯兹，而他又招供了，那怎么办？他会对他们说，他们俩是老朋友，诺艾丽说不认识他是撒谎。如果凯兹这么说，那肯定也不要紧。除非……她在餐馆里想到的那个名字又在她头脑里闪现：蟑螂。 ※※※ 半小时以后，诺艾丽上台演出，竭力集中精力演好她扮的角色，不去想其他任何的事情。观众十分欣赏她的演出，她几次出来谢幕，都受到了热烈的欢呼。当她回到化妆室打开门时，还能听到观众的掌声。 出人意料的是，汉斯·谢德将军早已坐在室内的一张椅子上。诺艾丽进来时，他站了起来，彬彬有礼地说：“有人通知我说，我们今天晚上约定了一起去吃晚饭。” 他们在塞纳河畔的叫遗忘的水果餐厅共进晚餐，该餐厅距巴黎市区约二十英里。他们由将军的司机用一辆闪闪发光的黑色轿车送到那儿。雨已经停了，夜晚的空气使人感到清凉、舒畅。 吃完饭后，将军才提起白天发生的事。诺艾丽最初并不想陪他出来，但是她最后还是认为有必要了解德国人到底知道了多少情况，了解她可能会遇到多少麻烦。 “今天下午，我接到了盖世太保总部的电话，”谢德将军说，“他们告诉我，你对苏尔兹下士说你今晚将和我一起吃晚饭。” 诺艾丽注视着他，一言不发。 他继续往下说：“我认为，如果我予以否定，就会使你感到很不快，而予以肯定的话，我就会感到很快活。”他莞尔一笑。“所以我俩就到这儿来了。” “这一切是多么地可笑。”诺艾丽以抗议的口气说。“帮助一个偷了些食品的穷人——” “别说了！”将军的声音很严厉。诺艾丽惊讶地看着他。“别错误地认为所有的德国人全是傻瓜。别小看盖世太保。” 诺艾丽说：“他们和我毫不相干，将军。” 他玩弄着玻璃酒杯的脚。“穆勒上校怀疑你帮助了他急于要逮捕的人。如果这是真的话，你可闯下大祸了。穆勒上校既不会宽恕人，也不会忘记过去发生的事。”他看着诺艾丽。“另一方面，”他谨慎地说，“如果你再也不跟你的朋友见面，整个事情可能就会被忘掉。你要不要来杯白兰地酒？” “请给我要一杯。”诺艾丽说。他叫了两杯拿破仑牌白兰地酒。“你和阿尔曼·戈蒂埃在一起住了多久了？” “我敢说你其实早已知道了。”诺艾丽回答说。 谢德将军笑了。“我确实知道。我真正想问的是为什么你以前拒绝和我一起吃饭。是不是由于戈蒂埃的缘故？” 诺艾丽摇摇头。 "no." “我明白了。”他不自然地说。他说话的语气使她吃惊。 “巴黎到处是女人，”诺艾丽说，“我可以肯定你能随意挑选。” “你不了解我，”将军平静地说，“否则你不会那样说。”他显得有些尴尬，“在柏林，我有妻子和一个孩子。我非常爱他们，但是现在我已经和他们分开一年多了，而且不知道什么时候才能再见面。” “谁强迫你到巴黎来了？”诺艾丽冷酷地问。 “我并不是要赢得同情。我只不过想着自己解释一下。我不是和女人随便胡混的人。我第一次看见你在台上时，”他说，“就产生了某种感情。我感到我非常想认识你。我希望我们能成为好朋友。” 他说话时显得平静而又十分尊严。 “我不能答应任何事。”诺艾丽说。 他点点头，“我懂了。” 但是他显然并没有懂，因为诺艾丽再也不想见到他。谢德将军老练地转换了话题。他们谈论演技和戏剧，诺艾丽发现他在这方面的知识丰富得简直令人吃惊。他持折衷主义，显得深沉而又理智。他漫不经心地从一个话题转到另一个话题，不断地指出他俩在趣味上的相同之处。他表现得如此机智，诺艾丽感到十分有趣。他费了不少精力来了解她的过去。他穿着橄榄绿的军服，看上去是个地地道道的德国将军，身体强壮，仪态威严，但是他的文雅的举止却又表明他完全是另一种人。他的智力是学者才具有的，而不是属于军人的。可是，他的脸上却有一道军人的伤疤。 “你的脸上怎么会留下这道伤疤？”艾诺丽问。 他用手指沿着那道深深的伤疤抚摸着。 “许多年前我进行过决斗，”他耸耸肩膀说，“在德国，我们称之为Wilafeeisch——意思是，'值得骄傲的伤痕'。” 他们谈论了纳粹的哲学。 “我们不是怪物，”谢德将军说，“我们不想统治世界，但我们也不愿呆呆地坐在那儿继续为我们在二十年前被打败的那场战争而受到惩罚。凡尔赛条约是一种奴役，德国人已经最后打破了这个桎梏。” 他们还谈到了对于巴黎的占领。 “我们轻而易举地拿下巴黎，这并不是法国士兵的过错，”谢德将军说，“这责任在很大程度上得由拿破仑三世来承担。” “你在开玩笑。”诺艾丽回答说。 “我完全是认真的，”他向她保证说，“在拿破仑时代，暴民们经常以巴黎错综复杂、弯弯曲曲的街道为掩护，到处进行伏击，与拿破仑三世的士兵作战。为了制止他们，拿破仑三世委派欧仁·乔治斯·奥斯曼男爵把街道改建得笔直，使巴黎到处都是美丽的、宽阔的林荫大道。”他微微一笑。“我们的部队就沿着这些林荫大道挺进。恐怕历史对于这位改建街道的设计者奥斯曼评价不会太高吧。” 晚饭之后，在乘轿车回巴黎的途中，他问：“你爱阿尔曼·戈蒂埃吗？” 他的口气很随便，但是诺艾丽感到她的回答对他来说是举足轻重的。 “不爱。”她慢条斯理地说。 他点点头，感到还满意。“我也这么想。我相信我会使你非常幸福。” “就像你使你的妻子非常幸福那样？” 谢德将军在一瞬间显得很不自然，仿佛被人猛击了一下，随后他转过脸看着诺艾丽。 “我可以做一个很好的朋友，”他平静地说，“愿我们永远不要成为敌人。” ※※※ 诺艾丽回到她的住处时，几乎是第二天早上三点钟了。阿尔曼·戈蒂埃正在焦急不安地等她。 “你到底去哪儿了？”当她走进门时，他责问道。 “我有约会。”诺艾丽的目光避开他，转向室内。房间看上去好像被旋风袭击了似的。书桌的抽屉全被拉开了，里面的东西丢得到处都是。所有的衣橱都被彻底地搜查过了，一盏台灯被打翻了，一张小桌子横躺在地上，一条腿已经断了。 “发生了什么事？”诺艾丽问。 “盖世太保到这儿来过了！天哪，诺艾丽，你干了什么了？” "Nothing." “那他们为什么要搜我们的家？” 诺艾丽开始在房间里走动，把家具放好，同时在苦苦地思索着。 戈蒂埃抓住她的肩膀，把她转了过来。“我要知道，到底发生了什么事情？” 她深深地吸了一口气：“好吧。” 她告诉他和伊舍利尔的会见，但没有透露他的名字，也没有谈及后来与穆勒上校的谈话。“我不知道我的朋友是不是蟑螂，但这完全有可能。” 戈蒂埃一屁股坐进一张椅子，瞠目结舌。“我的上帝！”他惊叫了起来。“他究竟是什么人，我管不着！但是，我不愿意你和他再有往来。我们俩都会由于这件事给毁了的。我和你一样恨德国人……”他没往下讲，不能断定诺艾丽是不是恨德国人。他又说：“亲爱的，只要德国人还是这儿的统治者，我们就得在他们的管辖下生活。要是和盖世太保纠缠不清的话，我俩可谁也担当不起。这个犹太人——你刚才说他的名字叫什么来着？” "I did not say." 他看了她一会儿。“他是你的情人吗？” “不是，阿尔曼。” “他对你来说很重要吗？” "No." “那么好吧。”戈蒂埃说话的口气轻松多了。“我看我们没有理由担忧。如果你偶然和他见了一面，他们不能责怪你。如果你不再和他会面，他们就会把这件事忘得一干二净。” “他们一定会把这事忘掉的。”诺艾丽说。 第二天，在去剧院的路上，诺艾丽的身后有两个盖世太保的特务在盯梢。 ※※※ 自从那天以后，诺艾丽无论去哪儿都有人盯梢。最初她只有一种感觉，一种有人盯着她的预感。诺艾丽几次转过身都在人群里看见一个看上去像日尔曼人的青年，他身穿便服，似乎对她并不注意。后来，她又产生了同样的感觉，这次跟在她后面的是另一个年轻的日尔曼人。她每次发现的都不是同一个人，虽然他们都穿着便衣。他们还有同样明显的标志：显而易见的优越感和那种蔑视一切的冷酷神情。 关于被人盯梢的事，诺艾丽对戈蒂埃只字不提，因为她觉得没有必要再使他受惊。盖世太保在他们的房间里搜查的事仍使他非常紧张。他整天都在唠叨，说德国人会把他和诺艾丽的前程全毁掉，只要他们想这样做的话。诺艾丽知道他说的是真话，只要看一看每天的报纸就知道，纳粹对他们的敌人是决不会心慈手软的。谢德将军给她来过几次电话，但是诺艾丽没理会他。如果说她不想有纳粹这样的敌人的话，那她也不想有他们这样的朋友。她决定她要像瑞士那样：保持中立。世界上像伊舍利尔·凯兹这样的人得自己保护自己。诺艾丽有点好奇，想知道他想从她那里得到什么，但她并不想牵连进去。 ※※※ 诺艾丽和伊舍利尔·凯兹见面两星期之后，巴黎的报纸在头版报道了盖世太保捕获了以蟑螂为首的破坏活动小组，但蟑螂本人是否被捕，则只字不提。她还记得德国人向伊舍利尔·凯兹靠近时他的脸部表情，她知道他不会让他们把他活捉。当然，这可能是我的幻觉，诺艾丽心里这么想。正如他自己说的那样，他很可能只是个不会伤害任何人的木匠。但是，如果他真不会伤害任何人的话，盖世太保为什么对他那么感兴趣？他是蟑螂吗？现在，他是已经被捕了还是逃掉了？诺艾丽走到房间的窗前，窗子面对着马提格尼大道。在一盏街灯的下面，站着两个穿着黑色雨衣的人，在等着。What are you waiting for?诺艾丽开始像戈蒂埃那样警觉起来，但随之而来的是愤怒。她想起了穆勒上校说的话：你将因为有我在而担惊受怕。这是挑战。诺艾丽预感到伊舍利尔·凯兹将会和她再次取得联系。 ※※※ 第二天早上有人传来了口信，传信的人居然是她那幢住宅楼的看门人——这是她怎么也没有想到的。看门人身材瘦小，眼睛细眯眯的，已经七十多岁了，面容枯槁而又粗糙，下齿一个也没剩，所以他说话时别人很难听懂。 诺艾丽按电铃，叫电梯开到她这一楼层上来，发现他在电梯里等她。他们一起乘电梯下楼。快到门厅时，他含糊地说：“帕西街的面包房已经把你订的生日蛋糕准备好了。” 诺艾丽盯着他看了一会儿，不能断定自己是否听清楚了，说：“我没有订蛋糕。” “帕西街。”看门人固执地重复着。 诺艾丽突然明白了。即使在这时，如果她没有看见在街对面等她的两个盖世太保特务的话，她也会对老人说的话置之不理。像罪犯一样被人跟踪！那两个人在谈话，还没有看见她。 诺艾丽愤懑地转向看门人说：“佣人进出的门在哪儿？” “这儿走，小姐。” 诺艾丽跟着他穿过一道后面的走廊，走下了几级台阶，来到地下室。 她从那儿又走进一条小巷。三分钟之后，她已经坐上出租汽车，去会见伊舍利尔·凯兹了。 ※※※ 这爿面包房是一家不起眼的店铺，坐落在一个已经破败的中产阶级居住的地区内。窗上用油漆写着“面包房”，由于油漆已经剥落，字迹显得残缺不全。诺艾丽打开门，走了进去。招呼她的是一位矮胖的女人，穿着一件一尘不染的白围裙。 “有什么事，小姐？” 诺艾丽犹豫了一下。要马上离开的话，还来得及，还有时间可以回心转意，不牵连到和她无关的危险勾当中去。 那女人在等着她回答。 “你们——你们为我做了一盒生日蛋糕。”诺艾丽说，感到玩这样的把戏太愚蠢了，仿佛他们使用的幼稚的手法降低了他们从事的工作的严肃性。 那女人点了点头。“蛋糕做好了，佩琪小姐。”她在门口挂出“停止营业”的牌子，锁上了门，然后说：“这儿走。” 他躺在面包房后屋的一张吊床上，脸上带着痛苦的表情，浑身汗如雨淋。缠在他身上的床单浸透了血，左膝上绑着止血带。 “伊舍利尔。” 他转身面向着门，身上的床单落了下来，只见膝盖那儿血淋淋的，骨头和肉一片稀烂。 “怎么回事？”诺艾丽问。 他想笑，但很难笑得成。他的声音因疼痛而显得嘶哑。“他们踩了蟑螂一脚，但我们不是那么容易被杀死的。” 她果然猜对了。“我在报纸上看到了，”诺艾丽说，“你的伤不会有什么问题吧？” 伊舍利尔深深地吸了口气，显得很痛苦，然后点了点头。他说话十分费力，不停地喘着气。 “盖世太保为了要搜捕我，把巴黎搞得天翻地覆。我只有出巴黎城才有希望得救……如果我能到达勒阿弗尔市，就有朋友帮助我乘船到国外去。” “你能找个朋友驾车送你出巴黎吗？”诺艾丽问。“你可以藏在货车的后面——” 伊舍利尔虚弱地摇摇头。“有路障。连老鼠也出不了巴黎。” 甚至蟑螂也出不去，诺艾丽心里想。“你的腿伤了，还能走吗？”她问，拖延着时间，想做出最后的决定。 他微微一笑，嘴唇绷得很紧。 “我要走的话，就不要这条腿了。”伊舍利尔说。 诺艾丽看着他，没明白他的意思。这时门开了，一个蓄着胡子的人走了进来，他身材高大，熊腰虎背，手里提着一把斧头。他走到床前，把床单拉开。 诺艾丽被吓得脸色煞白。她想到了谢德将军和那个秃顶“天老儿”盖世太保上校：如果他们发现了她的行动，他们会怎样对待她呢？ “我愿意帮助你。”诺艾丽说。

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Notes: