Chapter 18 Chapter Seventeen

In the late afternoon, the temperature dropped and the midday heat had gradually receded.After Eric finished his work, he went to the hotel to pick up Fred and his party.Dr. Saunders and Fred were alone in the hotel, and the captain had gone back to the schooner.He had another indigestion, and this time it was fatal.The severe pain consumed all his interest in sightseeing.The three of Eric strolled to the town together. Compared with the morning, there were more people on the street.Every now and then they came across the Dutchman, tanned, with his short, fat, bored wife, and Eric took off his hat to greet them.Almost no Chinese.The Chinese will only appear where there is a lot of trade.There are many Arabs on the island, some wearing beautiful Arabian caps and neat canvas clothes, while others are wrapped in white headscarves and native aprons.They are all dark-skinned, with big eyes shining, and their gestures and gestures are very similar to the Semitic merchants of Tyre and Sidon.There are also some Malays, Papuans and mixed races on the island.It was very quiet all around and made people feel very uncomfortable.The air is full of sleepiness, which makes people feel heavy.There were many large houses in the street that had been left by planters of the old style and that now housed a mob.Because of this rabble of the East (from Baghdad to the New Hebrides), the grand house is as shameful as a decent man who can't pay his rent.Then they came to a long white wall.It was originally a monastery in Portugal, but the walls are now in tatters.Then they came to an abandoned fort.There were large gray bricks and stones lying here and there in disorder, and miscellaneous trees and bushes were in bloom.In front of it was a large open space, facing the sea, crowded with huge old trees, said to be of Portuguese origin, with evergreens, Javan olives, and wild figs.After noon, when the weather is slightly cooler, locals always like to come here for a walk.

Dr. Sanders climbed the mountain together with his companions.He was a little fat and had to catch his breath now and then.On the top of the hill stood a gray fortress, bare and bare.This is the command room at the harbor.A deep moat surrounded the fort, and the only entrance was far above ground and had to be accessed by a ladder.Inside the square wall is the core part of the fortress.The inside is very spacious and evenly divided into small compartments. Judging from the style of the windows and doorways, it has a bit of late Renaissance charm.The chief and the garrison live here.And looking out from the lookout, you can have a panoramic view of the endless and magnificent sea.

"Like Tristan's castle," said the doctor. The sun was fading slowly, and the sea at this time was a deep red like fine wine, just like the sea where Odysseus once sailed.The islands in the distance are surrounded by the calm and sparkling sea, presenting a rich emerald green.The color of the sacrificial garments in the treasure room of the Spanish cathedral is complex and strong, so exaggerated that people think it is a kind of art, and it is impossible to believe that it is a natural color. "Like green thoughts in green shades," murmured the young Dane. "Those islands look good from a distance," Fred said, "but when you get closer... God! At first I always wanted to go ashore. After all, from the sea, these islands are beautiful. I I often think, just spend the rest of my life on such an island, away from the crowd, fishing leisurely, raising poultry. Nichols laughed when he found out, and he said that those islands are extremely dirty. But I insist Go check it out. We went to about half a dozen of these islands, and after that I gave up on it completely. When we landed, there was nothing on the island, except for endless trees, crabs running wild, and swarms There are so many mosquitoes that they can slip between the fingers."

Eric looked at Fred with a smile on his face, his eyes were very gentle.His smile is full of kindness and looks very sweet. "I can understand." He said, "It's like this in everything. It's okay to look at from a distance, but it's shocking to play with it. It's like the locked room in Bluebeard's castle. As long as you don't explore it, you will be safe." things, but once you open the door, prepare for a shock." Dr. Saunders listened quietly to the conversation of the two young men.He may be cynical, and may not be troubled by the misfortune of those who sympathize with all living beings, but he has a special feeling for youth.Maybe it's because youth is too short, but it carries too many expectations.For him, when the cruel reality shattered the aspirations of the year, when the young heart first understood that there are some things that are more sad than being seriously ill, how sad and bitter it is.

Although Fred's words were clumsy, the doctor still understood what he meant and gave him an approving smile.Fred sat there, soft sunlight falling on him.He was wearing an undershirt, khaki pants, and no hat, and he looked stunning with curly black hair.At this time, he was handsome and compelling.There was something touching about his handsomeness that Dr. Saunders, who had always thought of him as a dull young man, suddenly felt a little fond of him.Maybe it was his good looks, maybe it was Eric Christensen by his side, but at that moment the doctor felt something inside Fred that he had never guessed. something, and this thing, perhaps, was the dark entrance to his soul.Thinking of this, the doctor couldn't help laughing.Now his heart was slightly shocked by surprise, as if he had always thought that the branch was a twig, but suddenly saw the "twig" flapping its wings and flying away.

"I come here almost every evening to watch the sunset." Eric said, "For me, this is the whole East. It is not the East full of stories, nor is it full of beautiful buildings and sculptures. The east of the temples, not the east of the conquerors with hordes of warriors, but the east of the beginning of the world, the east of Eden. There, the population is small, and everyone lives a simple, humble and Primitive life. At this moment, the whole world waits, like an empty garden waiting for its vanished master." When this ugly and simple young man spoke, he was born with a kind of full emotion. If you don't understand that these words are as common to him as pearl shells, dried coconuts and sea cucumbers, you will definitely be impressed by his moving words. The rhetoric and the look are terrified and panicked.His rhetoric is indeed a bit absurd, even if it makes people laugh, it is also full of good intentions.His candor is incredible.They sat in the deserted and desolate Portuguese fortress, the scenery outside was so beautiful that it seemed to melt everything, and even Eric's exaggerated accent did not make people feel that there was nothing out of place.He raised his thick big hand and lightly placed it on the huge stone.

"These stones bear witness to the vicissitudes of the island, but little is known about them. You'll never discover its secrets, all you can do is guess, and there's so little to guess No one knows what happened here. Next time I go back to Europe, I must go to Lisbon and see what secrets I can unearth from the people who lived here." Of course, there must have been a legend here, but the story is too vague, so under the instigation of ignorance, only a hazy picture emerges in people's minds, as vague as a photograph that has failed to be developed: The Portuguese colonels stood on those towers, either watching the sea for the Lisbon ship that was about to bring them good news from their homeland, or watching anxiously the Dutch ships coming from afar to attack them.Those dark-skinned warriors, clad in plaster and chain mail, for them life was an adventure that could end at any moment.But they are only alive in your imagination, otherwise they are just the dead shadows when the army is overwhelming.There are also remains of a small church next to the fortress.There, magical rituals of transfiguration used to take place every day.During a certain siege, priests in sacrificial attire came and gave the last anointing ceremony to the dying soldiers lying on the city wall.Such a scene, even if it is only imagined, still makes people shudder.The hazy sense of danger and cruelty, the indomitable courage, and the heroism of self-sacrifice are all enough to shock the souls of future generations.

"Aren't you homesick at all?" Fred asked now. "I often think of my hometown. It was a small village with black and white cows and green pastures. I also often think of Copenhagen. The houses in Copenhagen have flat windows, like those smooth-faced but blind-eyed, Like a short-sighted woman. And those palaces and churches are like in fairy tales. But to me, these are just scenes on the stage. Although it is very clear and can make people laugh, I don’t want to be on stage Acting. I'd rather sit in the dark on the top balcony and watch it all from afar." "No matter what, people only live once."

"I think so too. But life is created by myself. I may be just a clerk. If I stick to this, life will be more difficult. So I thought, here, there is an endless sea, dense forest The jungle, the swarming memories, and the comings and goings of Malays, Papuans, Chinese, and dull Dutch, add my books, and I'm a millionaire at my leisure— God, is there a better life than this?" Fred Black looked at him, frowning at the unusual thought.And when he finally understood what the Dane meant, there was an involuntary surprise in his voice that couldn't be concealed. "But what you said is all fiction."

"That's the only reality," Eric laughs. "I don't know what you mean when you say that. The reality is to take actions, not fantasies. People can only be young once, and they should enjoy themselves while they are young. Everyone wants to be famous and longs for things like money and status." "Oh, of course not. What's the use of these? Of course, a person has to work to support himself, but after food and clothing are settled, the rest of the effort is just to satisfy his own delusions. When you see those islands at sea, you feel Full of joy, but when you go ashore, you find it is a disappointing jungle, tell me, which is the real island? Which island has moved you more, and which island will be treasured by you In memory?"

Fred smiled into Eric's eager, tender eyes. "That's a lot of nonsense, man. It's no good to take things the way they appear, because one eventually returns to the facts, and is then disappointed. You can't move forward by escaping the facts. If you think that the surface Brightness is all there is to it, so it’s too narrow. Where will you end up like this?” "Heaven," Eric said with a smile. "Where is it?" Fred asked. "in my heart." "I don't want to interrupt your philosophical exchange," said the doctor, "but I'm really dying of thirst." Eric laughed, stood up with his huge body, and left the low wall where he was sitting. "The sun is going down soon, let's go down and have a drink at my house." He pointed to the distant volcano with its back to the west, and outlined a clear cone-shaped outline against the gradually darkening sky. Fred said: "Can we climb the mountain together tomorrow? The scenery on the top of the mountain is very charming." "It's okay to go." "Then it must be early, or it will be hot. I'll meet you at the schooner before dawn, so I won't be too late." "no problem." They strolled slowly down the hill, and in a short while they were back in town. Eric's house was in the midst of the run-down houses they'd seen walking down the street that morning after landing.A wealthy Dutch businessman lived here for more than a hundred years, and later the company he worked for completely bought it.There is a row of towering lime walls outside the house. The plaster has long since peeled off, and many places have green mildew spots due to damp.Enclosed by the high wall is a small garden, overgrown with weeds and barren.There were roses and fruit trees in the garden, tangled vines in full bloom, bushes in bloom, banana trees, and two or three palm trees soaring into the sky.Weeds can be seen everywhere, filling up the whole garden.At night, the faint moonlight poured down and shrouded the garden, creating a sense of mysterious desolation.There are little lights in the garden, which are fireflies dancing back and forth. "Sorry, it's messy here," Eric said, "Sometimes I also want to find a few small workers to clean up this place, but I like the way it is now, it always makes this picture in my mind: Here the Dutch merchant sits comfortably in the shade, and beside him sits his bloated wife, slowly fanning her fan." They went into the living room.It was a corridor-like room with windows on all sides, but they were all drawn with thick curtains.A little boy came in, climbed onto a chair, and lit an oil lamp hanging from the top.The room is covered with marble, and there are oil paintings on the walls, but the color has long been dull, and it is impossible to distinguish the contents of the paintings.In the center of the room stood a large round table surrounded by a set of high-backed chairs covered with green printed velvet covers.The room was bland and awkward, but it was this weirdness that gave it a unique charm.It paints a vivid picture: it turns out that the wealthy Dutch in the nineteenth century lived such a magnificent and solemn life.When the stern-faced businessman unpacked the furniture that had been shipped all the way from Amsterdam, his heart must have been overflowing with pride.Then, each piece of furniture was neatly placed in a specific position, and the room was full of luxury—they were all symbols of his status.Then the boy brought the beer.Eric walked to a small table to the side, played a record on the gramophone, and glimpsed a bundle of newspapers on the table. "Here's the paper for you. I had someone bring it for you." Fred stood up from the chair, took the newspaper, sat in the chair by the big round table, and read it by the light of the oil lamp overhead.Because the doctor mentioned Tristan when he was in the Portuguese fortress, Eric deliberately played the opening song of the last scene of "Tristan and Isolde".The melodious tune is always reminiscent of the past, and the memory makes this piece even more heavy.When the shepherd stared at the sea obsessively, but couldn't wait for the shadow of a sail, he lightly raised the reed flute.The wonderful and gentle notes flow out slowly, but they are full of sadness because of the shattered hope.However, it was another kind of pain that hit the doctor's heart.He thought of Covent Garden then.He seemed to see himself at that time again, wearing an evening gown, sitting on the seat next to the aisle of the main hall of the theater, and all the seats in the box were noble ladies with pearl necklaces around their necks.The king was sitting in the luxury box opposite. He was bloated, with huge bags under his eyes, and he was overlooking the magnificent orchestra.Baron and Madame Meyer were there too, and Madame, seeing him, bowed to him as a mark of respect.Everyone's face reveals a look of ease and prosperity, everything is so grand, and so orderly, no one wants to change this kind of life.Richter is directing.What a passionate song that is!Every note is magnificent and full, and thousands of notes gather into a beautiful melody, which slowly unfolds like a picture scroll through people's senses.Before he could listen carefully, however, a piece of music as rough and loud as a grand buffet distracted him.Sure, the piece is gorgeous, but kind of dull.His ears have long been used to the complexity and delicacy, harmony and elegance of Chinese music, but now the piece that hits his eardrums is too straightforward, and all the meaning is poured out in one go, slightly shocking his picky taste.At the end of the song, Eric got up to change the face of the record, and Dr. Sanders took a look at Fred, wanting to see what kind of traces those melodies had left on him.Music is a very strange thing, it seems to have nothing to do with other achievements of human beings, and a very ordinary person may have an extraordinary sense of music and a keen musical nerve.He began to think that Fred Blake was not as ordinary as he thought at first, that there was something unawakened hidden in him, that even he himself did not realize, like a flower of misfortune growing on a rock. The flowers in the cracks are eagerly seeking the sun.This pitiful gesture deeply aroused the doctor's inner sympathy and curiosity.But no notes drifted into Fred's ears.He stared blankly out of the window, out of his surroundings, as if in another world.Tropical twilight is very short, and the sky is completely dark in a short while.So night came, and a star or two had already risen in the deep blue sky.However, Fred's eyes did not fall on the twinkling star, his frozen eyes seemed to be sinking into an abyss of thought.The oil lamp overhead cast an eerie shadow over his face, as if a mask of unrecognizable expression had been placed on him.However, his body was very relaxed, as if the anxiety had been suddenly pulled out of it, and even his muscles under the brown skin relaxed with relaxation.He felt the doctor's calm gaze, so he forced a smile to the doctor, but this smile was slightly bitter, full of sadness, and inexplicably touched people's hearts.He didn't take a sip of the beer in his hand. "What did the papers say?" asked the doctor. Fred's face turned bright red. "Nothing, the election is over." "Where's the election?" "New South Wales. Labor in power." "Are you Labor?" Fred hesitated for a while, his eyes showing vigilance.This wariness has happened a time or two before. "I don't care about politics," he said. "I don't know anything about those things." "I want to read the newspaper." Fred took a newspaper from the bundle and handed it to the doctor.But the doctor didn't reach out. "Is it up to date?" "No, this is the latest one." Fred replied while pressing his hand on the newspaper he had just read. "If you're done, let me read that. I don't like too old news." Fred hesitated for a moment.The doctor smiled kindly, but his eyes were firm, not allowing Fred to say no.Obviously, Fred couldn't make up any rhetoric to refuse such a natural request.So he handed the newspaper to the doctor, who took it, leaned forward, and read it by the light.Fred didn't pull out the other "Briefings" from the bundle of newspapers. He sat quietly, pretending to be casually looking at the desktop.The doctor saw through Fred's pretense and watched him closely out of the corner of his eye.Obviously, Fred must have read something in the newspaper, which made him fall into deep worry now.The doctor flicked through the newspaper.There were a lot of election news in the papers, and a letter from London, a lot of telegram news from America and Europe, and a lot of local news.He turned to the police news section.There has been some unrest from the election and the courts have responded; there has been a burglary in Newcastle; a guy has been jailed for fraudulent insurance money; there has been a violent altercation between two Tongan Islanders.Captain Nichols believes that the reason for the rush to arrange Fred's escape is that he committed a murder, so the doctor looks for news about the murder.The editor devoted two columns of space to a story of a murder on a farm in the Blue Ridges, which resulted from an argument between two brothers, and the murderer turned himself in to the police, pleading self-defense.But that was after Nichols and Fred left Sydney.In addition, an autopsy report was published.The deceased, a woman, committed suicide.At this moment, the doctor could not help hesitating, wondering whether such a weekly newspaper with literary tendencies could really provide the information he wanted to know.Conciseness is not the style of The Brief, which resorts to a retrospective approach to its readers who have already learned the details of events from the daily papers.According to reports, the woman who committed suicide murdered her husband a few weeks ago, but the authorities did not have strong evidence against the woman, so she could only be interrogated over and over again.The entanglement of the police, the pressure of the scandal, and the sarcastic comments from the neighbors made her temporarily insane, and finally took her own life.With her death, the Patrick Hudson murder case came to an end, the coroner said, shattering the last hope of police solving the case.Dr. Saunders went over the report carefully.This news was very strange, but because the text was too short, he couldn't get more information.The woman who committed suicide was forty-two years old and seemed to have nothing to do with young people like Fred.However, Nichols' conclusion is just guesswork and has no basis. Fred is an accountant, and he may have embezzled public funds, or forged fake checks under the pressure of the economic crisis.If he had been involved with a politician, the crimes would have been enough to send him out for a while.The doctor put down the newspaper, and when he looked up, he met Fred's gaze.The doctor smiled at him, intending to reassure him.The doctor's curiosity is not selfish, and he doesn't get himself into trouble trying to satisfy it. "Back to the hotel for dinner, Fred?" asked the doctor. "I would have invited you to stay for a light meal," said the Dane, "but I must have supper with Frith." "It's okay, we just happened to take a walk." The doctor and Fred walked side by side in the dark street, neither speaking to each other. "I don't want to have dinner," Fred said suddenly. "I don't want to see Nichols tonight. I'm going to find a hooker." Before Dr. Saunders could answer, Fred turned around and walked away quickly.The doctor shrugged helplessly and walked towards the hotel at a leisurely pace.