Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Flying Misfortune

Bond left the Splendid Hotel at twelve o'clock at noon.The big clock of the town hall is playing music slowly.Aromas of pine and mimosa fill the air.Beautifully organized gravel beds and paths adorn the road leading to the Spa King Club.The sun was shining brightly, and the air was full of cheerfulness and life. This new fashion and atmosphere seemed to be a good sign, indicating that after many ups and downs, this small coastal city began to show its wealth and prosperity to everyone. grand. Located in the royal spa of the Somme estuary, the flat coastline stretches from Picardy Beach in the south to the cliffs leading to Brittany, from where the cliffs lead to Le Havre.The same as Schlauerville, an amusement town located near it, Mineral Springs City has experienced too much wind and rain.

Initially, Mineral Spring City was just a small fishing village.During the French Second Empire, it developed into a seaside resort known far and wide for high society entertainment, as conspicuous as Schlauerville.But later, Mineral Spring City was overwhelmed by Schlauvel. By the turn of the century, when the little seaside city was in a bad mood, fate brought a turn for the better.At this time, people gradually realized that tourist resorts should not only provide entertainment, but also "rehabilitate" the body.There is a natural hot spring in the mountains behind the Mineral Spring King City. There is a lot of diluted sulfur in this hot spring, which is very helpful for treating liver diseases.Since most French people have liver problems in some way, this place is also famous.

But its rivalry with the Vichy, Perrier and Vettel groups did not last long.A series of lawsuits took place here; many people lost a lot of money here, and soon its service and scope were once again limited to the local people.Fortunately, British and French tourists come here for vacation every summer, and people go fishing by fishing boats in winter, and their life is basically passable. However, the Baroque architecture in the Mineral King City Club is very spectacular. It looks elegant, luxurious, and has a strong Victorian style. In 1950, a syndicate group in Paris was attracted by the Spa King City Club to make some investment, which made it even more decorated.

Since the war, Brighton has revived, Nice more flashy, and the golden age of profiteering has come to the Spa King Club.Its original white-and-gold exterior has been restored, and the interior walls have been painted pale gray with fuchsia rugs and drapes.Huge chandeliers hang from the ceiling.The garden has been refurbished, and tall water jets are sprayed from the fountain.After the two main restaurants "Brilliant" and "Hermit" were repainted, they attracted more guests.Today, this small seaside city and ancient port is doing its best to put on a smile and welcome everyone.Famous Paris jewelry stores and fashionable women's clothing stores line both sides of the main street, making it very bustling.

Standing in the sun, Bond felt how disharmonious his mission was with the scenery in front of him, and how big the gap was. He tried his best to dispel this sudden feeling of uneasiness, and detoured down the slope from the back of the restaurant to the garage.Before going to the "Hermit" Hotel, he decided to drive along the coast to check out the villa where Leaver lived, and then drive back by the inland road. Driving is one of Bond's great hobbies. In 1933, he bought this "Bentley" sedan, which is still as good as new.In order to save fuel, he did not use this "Bentley" car during the war, but carefully hid it.And there is a "Bentley" mechanic who will perform annual maintenance on this car.The man worked in an auto repair shop near Bond's apartment.Therefore, he still feels very happy and comfortable with this car now.

The coupe is gray, has a lot of features, and can go up to 120 mph. Bond slowly drove the "Bentley" out of the garage, up the ramp, and with the sound of the exhaust pipe at the rear, the car drove up the boulevard and through the crowded lanes. Town Street, across the dunes, heading south. An hour later Bond went into the bar of the Hermit Hotel and sat down at a table near the window. The bar is particularly luxurious. The waiter's costumes, expensive pipes and poodles add a lot of French luxury to the hotel.There are leather cushions on every chair in the hall, and the tables, chairs and wall panels are all made of bright mahogany.The curtains and rug are blue.Menservants in striped vests and green woolen aprons shuttled back and forth in the hall.Bond ordered a bottle of "America" ​​wine.Carefully study well-dressed customers.Most of these people, he thought, were from Paris.There they sat, talking to each other with ease and gusto, creating a sociable air of drama.

The men drank champagne, which could make people excited, and the women drank "martini", although it tasted not sweet. Suddenly, Bond glimpsed the tall figure of Mathis walking on the sidewalk, and he was talking excitedly with a girl in gray clothes and black hair beside him.The girl was held very high by Mathis's arms, but judging from the expressions on their faces, there was still a lack of intimacy between them.There was a mocking look on the girl's face, which showed that the two of them were not ideal lovers, but only business partners. Bond pretended not to see the two of them, but continued to stare at the passers-by outside the window.Wait for them to go through this door from the street and into the bar.

"I think that must be Mr. Bond?" Mathis' voice full of surprise and excitement came from behind Bond.Bond also seemed very excited to get to his feet. Mathis said: "Are you here alone? Who are you waiting for? May I introduce my colleague, Miss Linda? This is Mr. Bond, my dear, from Jamaica, today I had a very pleasant business with him this morning." Bond leaned forward in a gesture of friendliness and courtesy. "Very nice to meet you. I'm sitting here by myself, would you two sit with me?" He pulled out a chair.When the guests were seated, he motioned to the waiter, and Mathis insisted on a treat, but Bond ignored it, he ordered a red wine for Mathis and champagne for Miss Linda .

Mathis and Bond chat happily.One of them praised Mineral Spring City for its clear weather, and the other speculated that Mineral Spring City would soon return to its heyday this summer.Miss Linda sat silent.She took a cigarette from Bond, looked at it, and smoked it leisurely.She drew the smoke deeply into her lungs, without affectation, and then, holding her breath, expelled the smoke slowly from her lips and nostrils. The action of her smoking is relaxed and natural, elegant and generous. Bond felt a strong attraction to the female assistant.While he was talking to Mathis, he turned to Miss Linda from time to time, speaking of her very politely in the course of the conversation, but each time he gave her a blank glance.

Linda's black hair was parted into two sides and fell low on the nape of the neck, and the line of her jaw was clear and beautiful.The hair was thick and flowed with the movement of her head, but she just let it flow and didn't flick it back into place with her fingers.Her dark blue eyes were very large, and she often looked at Bond with an uninterested, ironic indifference, which made him look away from her.Her skin was slightly dark, sunburnt, and there was no sign of make-up on her face, except for lipstick on her attractive lips.Her arms are smooth and clean, reminiscent of her quiet temperament.The nails on the hands are cut very short, and there is no nail polish, and there is no sense of artificiality at all.Around her neck was a necklace of solid gold, and on the ring finger of her right hand was a ring of topaz.The square low-neck mid-length coat made of gray wild silk perfectly set off her plump breasts when worn on her. A black Kun bag was placed on the chair next to her, and there was another bag with the Kun bag. A golden straw hat with a narrow black velvet ribbon tied at the top and tied in a short bow at the back.

Miss Linda's beauty attracted Bond deeply.Bond's heart skipped a beat at the thought that he would be working with her.At the same time, he felt an inexplicable uneasiness again, so he subconsciously took another sip of his wine.His unsteady look was noticed by Mathis. "Excuse me," Mathis said to Miss Linda, "I'm going to call the Dubones and make arrangements for the dinner party tonight. You won't mind leaving you alone at the hotel tonight, will you?" ?” Linda shook her head. Bond was very aware of Mathis' hint at this time. When Mathis walked through the bar and walked towards the telephone booth next to the bar, Bond said to Miss Linda: "If you stay in the hotel alone tonight , would you like to have dinner with me?" Miss Linda replied with a mysterious smile: "I am very happy. Then maybe you will send me to the Mineral King City Club. Mr. Mathis told me that you often go to casinos in China. Maybe I will bring you good luck of." Her attitude towards Bond suddenly softened after Mathis left.As if she knew that the two of them would live and die together in the future.They discussed when and where they would meet.When all this was done, Bond found it very easy to work out a detailed plan of action with her.For this operation, he found that Linda was very interested in and excited about the role he was going to play, and at the same time expressed his willingness to cooperate with him in this operation.Before this, before establishing this harmonious relationship with Miss Linda, many obstacles and barriers had been imagined by Bond, but now it seems that things are going very smoothly.He admitted that he had already developed feelings of admiration for Miss Linda, but he could only take care of his personal feelings after the task was completed. Bond called the waiter to pay when Mathis returned to the table.Bond still explained to Mathis that at the restaurant his friends were waiting for him for lunch.He shook Miss Linda's hand, and felt a feeling of understanding and affection between them.Will there be such a result?Bond had never thought of it half an hour ago. Miss Linda watched Bond go out and walk up the boulevard.Mathis moved the chair to her and said softly: "Bond is a very close friend of mine, and I am very glad that you can see each other. Two frozen rivers are about to thaw, and I can already feel it." Here comes," he said with a smile, "and it's going to be a new experience for Bond, and you too, and I don't think he's ever melted." Miss Linda did not answer Mathis's words directly, but said: "He reminds me of Hodge Carmichael, he is very handsome, but his mouth is a bit cruel." Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and the thick glass windows a few feet away were shaken violently, splattering broken glass everywhere.The two of them were overturned to the ground by the strong blast.For a moment, there was a deathly silence all around.Then they heard the sound of heavy objects falling on the concrete floor outside, and the sound of wine bottles being knocked over on the shelves behind the bar.Immediately afterwards there was a burst of screaming, and people ran to the gate in a panic. "You stay here," Mathis said. He hopped on a chair, ducked through the glassless window frame, and onto the sidewalk.