Chapter 19 Chapter Eighteen

The doctor was sitting on the veranda drinking bitter gin when Captain Nichols strolled up the hotel steps before supper.He had showered and shaved, and in a khaki single-breasted coat with a stand-up collar and sun hat slanted, he looked very neat and reminiscent of a refined pirate. "Feeling better tonight," he said, sitting down, "and I'm so hungry, I'd be fine with a pair of wings now. Where's Fred?" "I don't know, probably where I went." "Looking for a girl? I don't blame him, but what good is there to get in a place like this? He's so bold."

The doctor ordered a glass of wine for him. "I was very good when I was young, but I was the dream girl of many girls. Then I got married, which was really a big mistake. If I could do it all over again...doctor, you don't even know how bad my wife is." "Yes, you've said enough," said the doctor. "It can't be. You won't understand unless I say it from now until tomorrow morning. If there's a devil in human skin, it's my wife. I ask you, she's fair to me that way." huh? She was directly responsible for my indigestion. It's as completely true as I'm sitting talking to you right now. Absolutely true. It's such a shame, that's all. I'm surprised myself I didn't kill her, I wanted to do that too, but as soon as I made a move, she would say to me: "Captain, put the knife down." Then I put down the knife obediently. Doctor, do you think it's natural? And then she starts berating me, and if I go to the door, she'll say, 'Wait a minute, Captain, just stay here and listen to everything I have to say to you, and I'll tell you when I'm done.' '"

The captain and the doctor had supper together.All the time the doctor listened sympathetically to the captain's babble of his unhappy marriage.After supper they went back to the verandah, smoking Dutch cigars and drinking gin and coffee.Under the influence of alcohol, the captain became full of tenderness and couldn't help feeling nostalgic.He told the doctor what he had seen and heard on the coast of New Guinea when he was young, and described in vivid detail the small islands scattered in the ocean.There is often sarcasm in his words, but they are humorous.It's very interesting to listen to him because he never embellishes himself out of vanity.To him, if a person has the opportunity to deceive others, but hesitates in front of this opportunity, it is simply inconceivable.Whenever his cheap trick was successful, he was filled with the same satisfaction that comes from winning a big game after a clever and bold move.He is a rogue, but a rogue is brave.The doctor thought of the captain's great confidence when he was fighting the storm that night, and suddenly felt that the captain's words were full of joy.On that stormy night, he had to be impressed by Nichols' calmness, alertness and calmness.

After a while, the doctor found an opportunity to interject.He always wanted to ask the captain to confirm one thing, but he couldn't find the right time.This matter has been lingering on his lips for a long time. "Did you know a guy named Patrick Hudson?" "Patrick Hudson?" "He used to be the resident magistrate of New Guinea and has been dead for many years." "What a coincidence. I didn't know him, don't get me wrong. But there was a Patrick Hudson in Sydney too, who died." "Oh?" "Well, it happened not long before we set off, and the news was all over the sky."

"The man you're talking about may have something to do with the man I'm talking about." "He's the kind of guy who looks rough on the outside and looks good on the inside. It is said that he used to be a railway worker, and then he worked his way up and got involved in politics. I heard he joined a party. It must be the Labor Party." "How did he die?" "Shot, his own gun, if I remember correctly." "suicide?" "No, they said he couldn't have done that. I wasn't in Sydney at the time, so I couldn't figure out what was going on. But it was a big hit."

"Is he married?" "Well, many people think his wife did it. But there is no proof. She went to the photo studio and came back to find him lying there, with signs of a fight in the room, and the furniture was in a mess. I never thought that It was his wife who did it. According to me, they will not let you go so easily, as long as they can, they must let you live, and if you are free, they will have no fun." "But it is true that many women have murdered their husbands," retorted the doctor. "It was pure accident. Accidents, as we all know, pick out the most law-abiding families. Sometimes they just don't care, and the poor beast dies when they miss. But they don't mean to, at least not." I want to kill my husband."