Chapter 57 Section VIII

"It's your turn, Mr. Longfellow. Now it's your turn." Teal chewed quickly, spit out two pieces of paper on Longfellow's rug, and chewed again.The scraps of paper in his mouth seemed to never finish chewing. Longfellow turned awkwardly to look at him, instantly understanding the force that came from the violent knock. Thiel added: "Mr. Lowell and Mr. Fields - they betrayed you, they betrayed Dante. You were there too. You were there when Manning was dying, you didn't help me .You're going to punish them." Thiel thrust an army pistol into Longfellow's hand, and the cold body of the gun trembled in the soft palm of the poet, which had been wounded many years ago and still had scars.

Ray ran up the stairs and into the hall.He saw a little girl appear across the hall with her governess.He rushed over and opened the iron gate that separated the entrance from the police office. "Please," repeated Anne Longfellow, as the governess explained something to a policeman, who looked puzzled. "please." "Miss Longfellow," Ray said, crouching down beside her, "what's the matter?" "Daddy needs your help, Officer Ray!" she cried. Commissioner Johann Kurtz came roaring, his mustard-colored face turning purple.A porter was carrying his three suitcases. "Damn damn train..." he began. "For God's sake, what happened!"

Ray said, "Director, I'm going to Cambridge, and I can't lose a moment!" "Officer Ray..." Chief Kurtz said, "You have to participate in my..." "Now, Chief! I must go!" "Let him go!" Kurtz growled. Holmes looked back again and again to see if Teal was following him.The way is becoming clearer.No one followed from the tunnel. "Longfellow... Longfellow..." he kept saying as he walked across Cambridge. Ahead of him, he saw Teal leading Longfellow down the sidewalk.The poet walked carefully on the thin snow. At this moment Holmes was terrified to prevent himself from fainting.There was only one thing he could do, and he had to do it immediately, without hesitation.With all his strength he cried, "Teele!" The scream was so loud and terribly loud that no one in the whole neighborhood could fail to hear it.

Teal turned around, very alert.Holmes fished out his musket from under his coat, and aimed it with trembling hands. Thiel didn't seem to notice the gun at all.His mouth kept chewing, and then he spat on the white carpet-like snow under his feet, spitting out a single wet letter. "Mr. Longfellow, you were the first to kill Dr. Holmes," he said. "You were the first to punish him for what you did. Kill him as an example to the world." Teal raised Longfellow's hand on the service pistol and aimed it at Holmes. Holmes came closer, his musket aimed at Teal. "Go one step further, Teal! I'm going to shoot! I'm going to shoot you! Let Longfellow go and you can get me."

"This is punishment, Dr. Holmes. You all have cast aside the justice of God and now stand your final judgment. Mr. Longfellow, obey my orders. Prepare... aim..." Holmes stepped forward with a steady step, holding the gun up to Teal's neck.There was no trace of panic on the man's face.He is a permanent soldier, and deep down he is no one else.He had no choice—only an uncontrollable passion for doing what was right, a passion that once ran like an electric current through all human beings, and which tended to fade quickly.Holmes shuddered, wondering if he had the same passion to keep Teal from falling into his self-involved fate.

"Shoot, Mr. Longfellow," said Teal, "shoot now!" He put his hand on Longfellow's, his fingers wrapped around his. Holmes swallowed hard as he moved the musket away from Teal and pointed it at Longfellow. Longfellow shook his head.Teal stepped back in bewilderment, pulling his captive closer to him. Holmes nodded firmly. "I'm going to shoot him, Teal," he said. "No." Teal's head shook like a rattle. "I will, Till! Otherwise he won't have his punishment! He deserves to die—he'll be reduced to ashes!" Holmes cried, raising his gun and aiming at Longfellow's gun. head.

"No, you can't do that! He has to punish other people! You can't do that!" Holmes pointed the gun steadily at Longfellow, but his eyes were closed tightly in terror.Teal shook his head quickly, and for a moment it seemed like he wanted to scream.He turned around, as if someone was waiting for him behind him, then turned left, turned right, and finally ran away, running like crazy.He was running down the street, and hadn't gone far when a shot rang through the sky, another shot, and the lingering sound was mingled with a cry of the dying. Longfellow and Holmes could not help looking at the guns in their hands.They followed the sound and saw Till lying on the snow, hot blood pouring out of his body, soaking the pure white and unconscious snow, rushing out a blood-red snow ditch.Holmes crouched down and reached out with a trembling hand to see if he was still breathing.

Longfellow came to him. "Holmes?" Holmes' hand stopped. Manning stood next to Thiel's body, eyes blazing madly, his body shaking, his teeth chattering, his fingers trembling.Manning dropped the rifle in his hand on the snow, turned towards his house, and pointed with his finger. He had so much to say on his mind that he tried to speak in order.He talked for a few minutes before explaining the ins and outs of the matter clearly. "The police guarding my house walked away hours ago! Then, just now, I heard someone screaming and I saw him through the window," he said. "I saw him, his uniform... ...I remembered, I remembered everything. He undressed me, Mr. Longfellow, and, then...he tied me up...and took me naked..."

Longfellow put out his hand to comfort him, Manning fell on Longfellow's shoulder sobbing, and his wife came running out of the house. They formed a circle around the body, a police wagon pulled up behind them, and Ray charged, pistol in hand. Longfellow took Lei's hand, and there was a questioning look in his bright eyes. "She's all right," said the poet before he could question Ray. "I've sent a policeman to look after her and the governess." Longfellow nodded his thanks.Holmes clings to the fence in front of the Manning house, panting. "Holmes, that's incredible! Maybe you need to go in and lie down for a while," said Longfellow worriedly, feeling dizzy. "Oh, you've succeeded! But after all..."

"Dear Longfellow, I believe the sun will dispel all gloom, and the truth will be revealed," said Holmes.He led the police across town, toward the church, and down the tunnel to rescue Lowell and Fields.