Chapter 28 Chapter Twenty Seven

In the morning when Akai brought tea, the doctor woke up.Akai put away the mosquito net and opened the blinds to let sunlight into the room.The doctor's room faced the garden.The garden was tangled with vines and neglected, cluttered with palms and clumps of bananas, with dew still on their flat leaves, and wet but magnificent cinnamon trees.Sunlight pierced through that cool green.The doctor was smoking a cigarette, and Fred was lying on the couch, still asleep.His childish face without a trace of wrinkle was extremely calm, revealing an innocence.In this innocence the doctor discovered, with a slight misgiving, a peculiar beauty.

"Do you want to wake him up?" Akai asked. "Not yet." He sleeps peacefully, but whenever he wakes up, he's sad again.strange child.Who would have thought that he was so sensitive to kindness.Although he didn't know it, although he could only describe his feelings in clumsy words, it was unmistakable.The quality in the Dane that shocked him, that excited his shy admiration for Eric and made him think that Eric was different from other people, was just the simple, pure kindness in the Dane.This kindness shone clear and unwavering in Eric.You may think Eric is absurd, and you may ask yourself uneasily if his head is the same as his heart, but one thing is for sure, he possesses a kind of life that only God knows how to exist. The real and simple kindness ofIt is his quality, a fact, an aesthetic quality.But the ordinary young man who was not interested in beauty was moved almost to ecstasy by this kindness.It is as if the mystic was suddenly moved by the irresistible feeling of oneness with the Holy Spirit.This is a strange quality that Eric possesses.

"It doesn't matter if you sleep or not," said the doctor.He got out of bed with a grim smile on his lips. He went to the mirror and looked at himself.When he woke up, his gray hair was disheveled.He had just shaved the day before, and now he had white stubble.He opened his mouth to show his teeth, and looked at his own long yellow canines.There are heavy bags under the eyes.There was an ugly tinge of purple on his cheeks.He felt sick.He didn't understand that there were so many creatures in the world, why time and age only attacked human beings and destroyed their appearance.Think about it, Akai, such a slender boy with skin as beautiful as ivory, will one day become a dry and thin old Chinese man; and Fred Blake, so tall and straight, with broad shoulders, will also become Being a red-faced old man with a bald head and a big belly—it was frustrating.The doctor shaved, took a shower, and woke Fred up.

"Get up, young man. Akai is already preparing breakfast." Fred opened his eyes.For a moment, out of the instinct of a young man, his eyes flashed with anticipation for a new day, but after seeing the doctor, he remembered everything from last night, and immediately fell into depression again. "Okay, cheer up." The doctor said impatiently, "Go take a shower first." Ten minutes later they sat down to breakfast.Fred's appetite was great, and he gulped down the food.The doctor was not surprised and looked at him calmly.Fred said nothing.The doctor is proud of himself.He wasn't feeling well at all after such a night of disaster, but luckily his attitude towards life was bitter and he wanted to keep it that way.

Then the manager came over and spoke to the doctor in fluent Dutch.He knew the doctor couldn't understand, but he continued on.Although he was full of sadness, agitated, and incoherent, the doctor probably understood him by his gestures.Dr. Sanders shrugged, pretending not to understand what the half-breed man in front of him was saying.After a while, the little man walked away angrily. "They found it," said the doctor. "How did you find out?" "I don't know. I guess his servants found out when they served him morning tea." "Nobody speaks English?"

"Someone will be here soon, just remember we don't know anything." The two fell into silence.The manager returned a few minutes later, accompanied by a Dutch official in a white uniform with brass buttons.He stood at attention with a click, and announced a puzzling name.His English has a thick Dutch accent. "I'm sorry to inform you two that a Danish businessman named Christensen committed suicide with a gun." "Christensen?" the doctor exclaimed. "The big man?" He glanced at Fred out of the corner of his eye. "His body was found an hour ago by his servants. I am the head of the investigation. There is no doubt that it was a suicide. Mr. Van Lyck," he mentioned the name of the mixed-race manager, "tell me that he Been to your place."

"Is such that." "How long has he been here?" "Ten to fifteen minutes." "Was he sober?" "Very sober." "I haven't seen him get drunk. Has he said anything to suggest that he has suicidal thoughts?" "No, he was very happy, you know, I don't know him well, I was only here three days ago. I was waiting for the 'Princess Juliana.'" "I know, so you have no idea about this tragedy?" "I'm afraid so." "That's all I wanted to ask. If I need to trouble you again, I'll let you know. Would you mind visiting my office then?" He glanced at Fred, "Does this gentleman know nothing? "

"Yes," said the doctor, "he wasn't here, and I was playing cards with the brigantine's captain. The ship was in port." "I saw it. I felt sorry for the poor man. He was quiet, never troubled, and one couldn't help liking him. I'm afraid he committed suicide for the same old reasons. To be alone in a place like this is itself Wrong they get sad and homesick and it's so hot and then finally one day they can't take it anymore and put a bullet in their head. It's happened before, more than once .preferably with a little girl by my side, no more expenses. Well, thanks a lot, gentlemen, I can't take up any more of your time. I guess you haven't been to the company association yet? We'd love to Receive you there. Every day from six or seven to nine o'clock the important people of the island go there, and it is a gay place, the social heart of the place. Well, good morning, gentlemen."

He snapped to attention, shook hands with the doctor and Fred again, and walked away with heavy steps.