Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Ted's Blind Man

Madison Andrew was tall and thin, sixty years old, with disheveled white hair and gray eyebrows, a face with protruding bones and hard muscles, and a sparsely trimmed beard that accentuated the brick red color of his face.He dresses poorly, chews tobacco, and has been named as a third party in two divorce proceedings over the past decade. "I dare say little Collinson must have been gossiping with you a lot," he said. "He thought I was an old urchin, and he almost pointed my nose at it." "I haven't met him yet," I said. "I've only been back in town for a few hours, just enough time for me to go to the office and then come here."

"Well," he said, "he's her fiancé, yes, but I have a duty to her, and I think it's better to do what Dr. Rees said. He's her personal doctor, and he's telling her to go to the temple. It's best for your sanity to stay awhile. I can't ignore his advice, and the Haltons may be charlatans, quite possibly. But since the death of their parents, Gabriel has only been willing to talk to Joseph Halton spoke, and she seemed to be at peace with him. Dr. Reese said that if she didn't let her go to that temple as she wanted, her mental problems would be worse. I can take the doctor's words as bullshit because little Collinson disagrees ?"

"No." I replied. "I have no illusions about their cult," he went on to defend. "It's probably as deceitful as any other cult. But what we have to consider now is not religion. It has to be treated as therapy." Gabriel's psychological means. Even if the quality of their members is not good enough to convince me that Gabriel is not in danger with them, I am still in favor of letting her go. In my opinion, the most urgent thing we need now The need is to get her back together, and everything else comes second." He is worried.I nodded and kept quiet, waiting to hear what exactly the worry was.Bit by bit, I pieced together the whole story as he talked in circles.

On the strong recommendation of Dr. Reese--despite Collinson's strenuous objections--it was decided that Gabrielle Leggett should spend a short stay at the Temple of the Holy Grail.She herself had suggested that she should go, and besides such a famous person as Mrs. Livingston Roman was staying there at the time, and the Haltons were friends of Edgar Leggett, so Andrew let her go.This was six days ago.Minnie Hershey, the mulatto, accompanied her.Dr. Rees visits her every day.In the first four days, he saw that she had made some progress, but on the fifth day, her situation was not good.Her mind has never been so foggy, and she has all kinds of symptoms of electric shock.He couldn't get it out of her and Minnie, nor from the Haltons.He has no way to find out the inside story, or whether there is any inside story.

Eric Collinson forced Reese to report on Gabriel's condition every day.Reese told him what he had seen the last time, and Collinson nearly knocked the roof off.He insisted on taking the girl away from the temple immediately.In his opinion, the Haltons were planning to kill her.He had a big fight with Andrew.Andrew felt that the girl was just a temporary recurrence of her old illness, and as long as she continued to stay where she wanted to be, she should return to normal soon.Reese intends to support Andrew, but Collinson does not agree.He threatened to show them some color if they didn't get her out quickly.

Andrew was quite worried when he heard that.He was a very practical lawyer: he sent his guardian to the kind of place that would really ruin his image if something went wrong; but then he said he really thought she was going to live there. It's for her own good, and he doesn't want anything to happen to her.In the end he and Collinson came to an agreement: Gabriel could stay in the temple for a few days longer, but someone would be sent to protect her and make sure the Haltons were not playing tricks on her. Reese suggested I go.I won his favor because I had the honor of discovering Leggett's death.Collinson initially objected, saying that my savagery had largely contributed to Gabriel's current situation, but in the end he gave in.Because I know Gabrielle and I know her history.Besides, I didn't really mess up the original mission, he said that my efficiency can outweigh my cruelty-or something like that.So Andrew called the old man and tricked the old man into sending me back from another mission, so here I am.

"The Haltons know you're coming," said Andrew at last, "and it doesn't matter what they think about it. I'll just tell them that Dr. Rees and I think it's best to go with you until Gabrielle is stable." There is a capable person to deal with emergencies, not only to protect her, but also to protect others. I don't need to give you any instructions, in a word, just be careful in everything." "Does Miss Leggett know I'm coming?" "I don't know, I don't think we need to mention it to her. Anyway, try to keep an eye on her, so as not to let her find out. And according to her current mental state, I don't think she will be disgusted with you even if she notices you. But if she'll—well, let's talk."

Andrew gave me a note to pass on to Eronia Halton. I was sitting across from her in the temple anteroom when she read the note an hour and a half later.She put the note down and handed me a white jade box containing long sticks of Russian cigarettes.I apologized that I only smoked Fatima and used the lighter she had pushed on the ashtray holder between us.When our cigarettes were all lit, she said, "We'll try to make your life as comfortable as possible. We're neither savages nor fanatics. I explain that because so many people have been surprised by that. Here it is Temple, but we do not think that the pleasures, comforts, and commonplaces of civilized life should desecrate it. You are not a member of us; perhaps—I hope—you will. But don't be embarrassed, I promise you will not be Interference. You are free to participate in our rituals, come and go as you please. We will understand you in every way, and I believe you will be the same; so, I think no matter what weird things you see, as long as it does not cause harm to your... Trouble, you shouldn't interfere."

"Of course not." I promised. She smiled, as if to say thank you, then stubbed out the butt of her cigarette in the ashtray, stood up and said, "I'll show you your room." None of us mentioned a word about our last visit. I took my hat and handbag and followed her to the elevator, which took me to the fifth floor. "That's Miss Leggett's room," said Eronia Halton, pointing to the door that Collinson and I had knocked on alternately two weeks ago. "This one is yours." She opened Gabe's door. The door opposite Lielle's room. My room was exactly the same as hers, only without the dressing room.My door, like hers, has no lock.

"Where does her maid sleep?" I asked. "Attic. Dr. Reese is supposed to be in Miss Leggett's room now. I'll let him know you're here." I said thank you.She walked out of my room and closed the door. Fifteen minutes later, Dr. Reese knocked on the door and entered. "I'm glad you're here." He said, shaking my hand.He delivered words with precision and sharpness, sometimes emphasizing them by shaking his black-ribboned spectacles.He never wears those glasses. "I'm sure we don't need your professional functions, but you're still welcome."

"What happened?" I said to him in a confiding tone. He looked at me sharply, tapped the nail on his left thumb with his glasses, and said, "As far as I know, what's going on is my area of ​​expertise. I don't know what else is wrong." He shook his hand again. He shook my hand, "I'm afraid the things that belong to you will be very boring, I hope." "Won't it belong to you?" I asked meaningfully. He stopped turning to the door, frowned, picked up his glasses again, tapped his thumbnail, and said, "No, no." He hesitated for a moment, as if considering whether to say anything more, then decided to be silent, and started to move. towards the door. "I have a right to know your true opinion," I said. He gave me another sharp look. "I don't know what's really going on in my mind." He paused for a moment, "I'm not sure." He really seemed to be. "I will visit again in the evening." He went out, closed the door, opened it again half a minute later, and said: "Miss Leggett is very ill." Then he closed the door again and went away. "This case seems to be quite interesting," I thought to myself, and then I sat by the window and lit a cigarette. A maid in black and white knocked on the door and asked me what I wanted for lunch.She was good-looking, plump, fair-haired, about twenty-five, and looked at me with interest from her blue eyes.I took a sip of the bottle of whiskey from my travel bag, ate a quick lunch brought by the maid, and spent the afternoon in my room. I kept my ears open, and managed to catch Minnie emerging from her mistress' room just after four o'clock.The half-race girl's eyes widened suddenly when she saw me standing by the door. "Come in," I said. "Didn't Dr. Rees tell you I was here?" "No, sir. You...you are? You're not here for Miss Leggett?" "Just to keep her mind and keep her safe. If you are willing to tip the news, tell me what she has said and done, and other people's words and deeds, even if you help me, you will help her—because Then I won't have to bother her." "Okay, okay," said the half-race girl.She was quick to respond, but judging by the look on her brown face, she didn't quite appreciate my idea of ​​reciprocity. "How was she this afternoon?" I asked. "She—I don't know, sir. She just stays in the room, quiet." This is hardly news.And I said, "Dr. Rees thinks she'd be better off if she doesn't know I'm here, so you don't have to mention me to her." "No, sir, of course not," she agreed, sounding more polite than sincere. In the evening, Eronia Halton knocked on the door and invited me downstairs to a dinner party.The dining room has paneled walls and dark walnut furniture.Including me, there were ten people at the table. Joseph Halton was very tall, with a sculptural physique, and wore a black silk robe.His silver hair is long and dense, with a bright luster; a thick beard is trimmed evenly, and it is also white and shiny.Eronia Halton introduced me to him, calling him "Joseph," as if he had no last name.All the others called him the same way.He smiled at me, showing his white and neat teeth, and then stretched out a warm and strong hand.His complexion is good, there are no wrinkles on his face, and his expression is very serene, especially those clear brown eyes, which make people feel that he is indifferent to the world.And his deep voice has the same effect. "We're glad to have you here," he said. This is just entertainment, meaningless, but once it comes out of his mouth, I really think he has reason to be happy about it.Now I finally understand why Gabrielle Leggett wants to be here.I said back that I was glad to be here, too, and that I really meant it. In addition to Joseph, his wife and son, there was Mrs. Roman at the dinner table.This woman is tall and thin, with thin and transparent skin, dark eyes, and a voice that can never be higher than a whisper; a young man named Fleming, lean and dark, with two deep black mustaches, looks deep in thought ; Major Jeffries, well-dressed and well-mannered, tall and bald and sallow; a Miss Hearon, with a sharp chin—like her voice, with an eager expression; and Mrs. Pavlov, very young, very dark, with high cheekbones, averting everyone's eyes. The food was brought up by two Filipino boys and it was delicious.There were not many conversations during the meeting, and none of them had anything to do with religion.not bad. After dinner I went back to my room.I listened for a few minutes at Gabrielle Leggett's door, but there was no sound.I was in my room, smoking, fidgeting, waiting for the doctor's previously announced visit, but he didn't show up.I guessed that some emergency had delayed him somewhere, as is common in medical life.But his absence really upset me.Gabrielle's room was empty.I tiptoed to her door and listened twice more. Once I heard nothing, and the other time I heard some meaningless and trivial noises. After ten o'clock, I heard several lodgers passing by my door, probably going back to bed. At fifteen past eleven I heard Gabrielle's door open.I also opened my own door.Minnie Hershey is walking down the corridor to the back of the building.I wanted to call her back, but I held back.I tried to sniff her out last time, but it didn't work, and I don't feel like I'm tactful enough to make any progress. At this point, I had given up hope of seeing Reese before the day was over. I turned off the light, left the door open, and sat in the dark looking at the girl's door, cursing the world.I thought of the blind man in the Ted Dougan comics, sitting in a dark room fumbling for a black hat that wasn't in the room—and now I can empathize. It was just before midnight when Minnie Hershey returned to Gabrielle's room.She was wearing a hat and a coat, as if she had just come back from the street outside.She didn't seem to see me.I stood up silently, trying to glance over her as she opened the door, but failed. Minnie stayed there until almost one o'clock in the morning, and when she came out she closed the door softly and walked on tiptoe.The carpet was thick, and she didn't have to act like that.Just because she didn't have to, it made me even more nervous.I went to the door and whispered, "Minnie." She probably didn't hear it, and continued to tiptoe down the corridor.This annoys me more and more.I ran after her quickly and grabbed her thin wrist. Her Indian face was expressionless. "How is she?" I asked. "Miss Gabrielle is very well, sir. You don't disturb her," she muttered. "She's no good. What's she doing now?" "sleeping." "Drugged?" She raised her red-brown eyes angrily, but lowered them again without saying a word. "Did she ask you to go out and buy drugs?" I pressed, grabbing her wrist a little harder. "She wants me to go out and get... some medicine, yes, sir." "Did you fall asleep after taking the medicine?" "Yes... yes, sir." "We have to go in and see her," I said. The half-breed girl struggled to free her wrist, but I couldn't hold it.She said: "Let go of me, sir, or I will call someone." "I'll let you go after we've seen it—maybe," I said, taking her by the shoulders with my other hand and turning her around, "so if you want to yell, you can start now." She didn't want to go back to her mistress's room, but she didn't want to be dragged there either.Gabrielle Leggett lay on her side in bed, secure, the covers slowly rising and falling with her breathing.Brown curly hair framed her fair little face, her expression was serene, like a sick child. I let Minnie go and went back to my room.Sitting in the dark I finally understood why people bite their nails.I sat like that for an hour or so, and then cursed myself for being dead.Then I took off my shoes, picked out the most comfortable chair, fell down, put my feet on the other, pulled a blanket over it, and faced Gabrielle Leger through the open door. The special door dozed off.

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