Chapter 12 Chapter Twelve

Downstairs in the living room, Eva and Toby were given a chance to be alone together.In the far corner of the room, only a standard lamp with a golden shade was lit.Neither of them wanted to see each other's faces clearly. Eva was looking for her handbag, and in this terrible state of mind, it was hard to find.She ran around the room like a headless fly, looking for it over and over again.However, as soon as she approached the door, Toby rushed to stand in front of her. "You can't go out," he said. "I want my handbag," said Eva nonchalantly, "and then I have to go, please move out of the way?"

"But we have to make this matter clear!" "Then what are you going to say?" "The police think—" "Just like you heard," Eva said, "the police are coming to arrest me, so I'd better go out and pack my things, no? They'll let me do it, I guess." Toby looked troubled.He rested his forehead on one hand, unaware of how much unnatural nobility he had, or how much he looked like a martyr or a hero.He lifted his chin and made a decision: No matter how sad he felt, this matter must be judged fairly. "You understand," he said, "I will support you. Don't ever think I don't support you!"

"Thank you." Toby sensed that she was not being ironic, and stared at the door thoughtfully, and began to respond: "No matter what happens, they can't arrest you, that's terrible. I doubt they really want to do it, it may be Just a bluff. But I'm going to see the British Consul tonight. You know, if they arrest you - well, the banks won't like it." "I hope none of you will like this." "You don't know these things, Eva. Hookson's Bank is one of the oldest financial institutions in England. And, Caesar's wife and their whole family are, as I used to say. If it's because I'm trying to protect our position, You shouldn't blame me."

Eva tensed up. "Toby, do you believe I killed your father?" She was surprised to find that Toby's originally rich expression suddenly became numb. She had never seen such a deep light in Toby Laws' eyes. "You didn't kill anyone," he retorted.His face sank. "That damned maid of yours did it all, or I'd be a fool. She—" "Toby, what on earth do you know about her?" "Don't know anything," he took a deep breath, "but I do feel a little uncomfortable," his voice complained. guys stay together." "Is that what you think?"

Toby said bitterly, "What else could I have thought? Well, let's open the skylight now! I'm not as old-fashioned as you think, despite Ganice's jokes. In fact, I can Said very open minded. I don't know, and don't want to know, anything you did before you met me. I can forgive and forget those things." Eva paused for a moment, just glancing at him. "But anyway," said Toby, blushing, "a man has some kind of ideal for his wife. Yes, an ideal! When he marries a girl, he expects her to be as good as he is. ideal." Eva found her handbag on an easily visible table.She wondered why it took so much time to find it.She picked up her handbag, opened it, glanced inside, and went out.

"Please don't come here, I have to go." "I said, you can't go now! Think about what you would do if you fell into the hands of the police, or even a reporter, or someone else? In the state you are in, God knows what you will say." "Hookson Bank doesn't like that, does it?" "Well, that's a bad way to say it. We all have to be realistic about this, Eva. That's something you women don't understand." "It's almost time for dinner." "But I'm--well, I can't think that much! If only I could be sure of one thing, I'd give Hooksons the hell. I told you the truth, shouldn't it be time for you to tell me the truth too? Are you still in touch with Atwood?"

"No." "I do not believe." "If you don't believe me," Eva said, "why do you keep asking me the same question over and over again? Could you please stop?" "Oh, well then," Toby said, folding his arms angrily, "if that's what you're thinking." He stood aside with graceful steps, his chin tilted up, showing a detached posture.Eva hesitated.She still loves him, and she would comfort him at other times, but now even though his anger is so obvious and his emotions are so agitated, she still can't change her determination.She ran past him, closed the door, and entered the hall.

The bright lights in the hall flashed her eyes.As she got used to the light, she noticed Uncle Ben Phillips walking quickly towards her and making a throaty noise. "Hi," said Uncle Ben, "going?" (Don't do it again! God, God, don't do it again!) Uncle Ben looked a little embarrassed, as if he wanted to express his sympathy secretly, but he was afraid of being seen out.He ran through his gray hair with one hand, and with the other he took out a crumpled envelope, which he handed to her, though he didn't know what to do with it. "That, almost forgot," he said, "your letter."

"mine?" Uncle Ben nodded towards the front door: "I found it in the mailbox ten minutes ago, obviously someone put it in. But it has your name on it." His gentle ice blue eyes stared at her: "Maybe Very important?" Eva didn't care if the letter was really important, she saw her name on the envelope and put the letter in her handbag.Uncle Ben put his pipe in his mouth and started smoking loudly.He seemed to be struggling in his heart, and finally said: "I have no place to speak here, but I support you." "thanks." "I'll always have your back!" said Uncle Ben.He stretched out his hand to grab her arm, but she instinctively flinched, which made the slow-moving old man stop, as if he had been slapped. "What's the matter, dear?"

"Not sorry!" "Like gloves, huh?" "What gloves?" "You know," said Uncle Ben, looking at her again with his gentle eyes, "I wear brown gloves when I work on cars. I just wonder why it bothers you." Eva turned and ran away. On the street, it was just dark.That September night was more intoxicating and exciting than a spring night.Pale lights flickered among the chestnut trees.Leaving the suffocating atmosphere of Villa Bliss, Eva felt as if she had come to a world of freedom.However, for her, it is almost impossible to keep this free world longer.

Brown gloves.Brown gloves.Brown gloves. She came out of the gate and stopped in the shadow of the wall.She just wanted to be alone, as if in a box, where no one could see her from the dark, and keep her away from flattering voices and probing eyes. You fool, she said to herself.Why don't you come forward and tell him what you saw?Why don't you tell him there's a man with brown gloves in this room who's an oily hypocrite?You can't say it, you can't force yourself to say it, but why?Is it loyal to them?Or are you afraid that they will retaliate against you for this crime?Or just loyal to Toby, who is flawed but at least honest? But none of them are loyal to you.Eva Nair.None of them, not even now. This kind of false tears made Eva feel extremely hurt.Only one person was as shocked and confused as she was.But this man, who had become ruthless like a murderer, treated her with reproachful eyes instead. All of them--if you know the truth of the matter, which is the very truth that cut Eva's heart--they took her for a random whore and forgave her with a big heart.They are disappointed in her.They had the right to do that to her, and it was the gift that made her hate it. What else? Obviously, there are prisons. No, it's impossible!It will not be like this! Whether it was by chance or for another purpose, there were only two people who made her feel warm.One is nasty rascal Ned Atwood, who never appears to be nice to her, yet is able to lie to protect her.The other is the doctor, she never remembers his name, she never remembers his appearance, but she will never forget his expression, a light of hatred and hypocrisy flashed in his dark eyes, he ironically His voice echoed in the Rouse's living room, and his deep insight was like a sword, destroying their hypocritical words and deeds. The question is, even if Ned Atwood told the truth, would the police believe him? Ned was ill, he was wounded, and unconscious. "The doctors don't think he'll recover." She forgot his danger as she immersed herself in her own.Wouldn't it work if she turned her back on the whole Rouse family and could go back to Ned?Now she couldn't call or write to him... letter. Eva stood in the cold shadow of Angel Road, fingers clutching her handbag.She opened the bag and stared at the rather crumpled envelope inside. Eva crossed Angel Road with firm steps and stopped under the street lamp not far from the gate.She examines the gray envelope and seal, her name written in small French letters.The letter was dropped in a mailbox at a home she never lived in.There was nothing frightening or ominous about an ordinary envelope, yet when Eva tore open the envelope, she felt the slow, heavy beating of her own heart, and a rush of heat rushed to her throat.The letter was brief, in French, and unsigned. If ladies want to get some helpful information about your current embarrassing situation, please come to No. 17 Harp Road, after 10:00.The door is open, come in anytime. The leaves rustled overhead, and swaying shadows flitted across the gray letter paper. Eva looked up.Ahead was her villa, where Yvette Latour was waiting for her to eat dinner.Eva folded the letter and put it back in her bag. Before she could touch the bell, Yvette opened the door.She is still so capable and indifferent. "Ma'am. Supper is ready. It was ready half an hour ago," Yvette said. "I don't want to eat dinner." "You have to eat. How can a person be strong if he doesn't eat?" "Why?" Eva said. She passed the maid and headed for the stairs.Clocks and mirrors line the jewel-box-like hall.She turns around, not realizing that she and Yvette are alone in the hall. After Yvette finished speaking, the voice echoed in Eva's ears for a few seconds. "Lead them into the front parlor," said Eva involuntarily. "I'll be down in a minute." "Yes, ma'am." The door closed and Eva stood up.She went to the closet and picked out a short shawl and wrapped it around her neck; she looked at her handbag to make sure it was rich.Then she turned off the light and went into the hall. The stairwells were loose, and she ran downstairs without anyone noticing.She calculated the timing of Yvette's movements, as if she could imagine them in her mind.The muffled sounds from the front parlor continued, the door was only ajar, and Yvette turned around, raising his hand in a gesture to silence the police.Although Eva glimpsed only one eye and a small beard, she still couldn't believe what she saw.After a while she walked out of the gloomy dining room into the still gloomier kitchen. Just like the previous time, she unlocked the back door, walked out, and closed the door.She stepped up the dewy steps in the back garden, the lights on the beams in the house flickering overhead.She quickly ran to the path outside the gate, and didn't disturb anyone except a mad dog locked in someone's garden.Three minutes later, she flagged down a cab on the dark, stately strip of Casino Boulevard. "17 Harp Road," she said.