Chapter 12 Chapter Twelve Seven Magpie House
As these happy days fly by, I can even expect them to follow us back to Harper Green, and I can't wait to start savoring the joys of being mistress of St Aubie's.
Miraculously, we were able to overcome all difficulties and share branches.Not so long ago we both suffered from the barrier that stood between us, but now we are completely intoxicated with happiness.It was my unwavering love that made Chrispa imprint on my heart, rousing me to run back to his arms; not because of the riches he could bring me.Mrs. St. Aubie welcomed me into the family. It was like...after experiencing the blows of fate one after another, she decided to regard these pains as God's condemnation of the St. Aubie family; She will try her best to bless what she agrees with.Sometimes, such a great joy makes me a little scared.
Next, a faint shadow appeared in the clear sky.
In fact, it's not a big deal-it's just that I have too much heart!Chris sent that morning round the grounds and asked me to accompany him to the Shires' ranch in the afternoon. There was something wrong with their barn, and the visit would by the way give Mrs. Shire a chance to congratulate me, and our marriage.
"You know these people too," he said. "Mrs. Shire said that you visited the Whistons' when Mrs. Whiston served a glass of special cider, and you thought very highly of it. So I thought maybe you should go and have a chat with Mrs. Shire."
I love this idea.I love meeting the people at the mansion, receiving their congratulations, and hearing them talk about what a good landowner Chrispie is and how prosperous the place has become since he took over.
He came back late.He said he'd be back at three, and we had to start right away, and he still wasn't back at three-fifteen, and by three-thirty I was starting to get nervous.
After a while he finally came back, looking very anxious, and I asked him what was the matter.
"Oh, nothing," he said. "There was a delay just now. Let's go! Don't be too late."
Usually he would tell me what was going on, and I'd been waiting for him to say it, but he didn't.Maybe it's because we have to leave for the Shires at once, I think, so we don't have time to talk.
I met Mrs. Shire and drank the apple juice she had prepared for me - it was delicious.And just like that, I put Chris Pie's lateness behind me.
The next day, I went to meet Rachel in the village of Hap Green.She told me that she left Danielle with the nanny while she went out to do some shopping.
"I can see that things must be going well," she said. "You look radiant and radiant with joy."
"I'm really happy, Rachel. You look fine, too."
"What a change! I often think back to the days when the three of us got together... We used to go to St. Aubie's every day to receive the teachings of Miss Raleigh."
"It was a long time ago."
"Life is so fickle!" I saw her face cast a shadow.I don't know if she ever recalled Mr. Dourion's hanging from the stable?Undoubtedly, this thought ruined the clear sky in the morning, what a pity!
Next, she said: "I ran into Chris Pie yesterday and he seemed preoccupied and he didn't know what to do."
"Oh, where did you see that?"
"Near Lian's cottage. Yesterday afternoon, he was obviously there. He is so nice! He really takes care of them, doesn't he? For so long, I have always felt and known that he is a kind and good man."
We chatted for a while, and then I thought to myself: So, that's why he was late—to visit sisters from the Lian family.
Why didn't he tell me directly?
Maybe he didn't think it was necessary!
My mother-in-law told me that now there is a new hostess in the St. Aubie Park, and friends must often be invited to the house. This is the old scenery of St. Aubie's Mansion. She said: "In the past, this place was full of people, until my body gradually weakened..." When the guests came, her condition did improve a little. I have been very busy in those few days, and I still have a long way to go to learn how to manage such a big house!Aunt Sophie helped me a lot. "You must let the stewards know that you have taken over and commanded this place. Otherwise, they may intimidate you because you come from a humbler family!" I laughed and said, "No way! Aunt Sophie." "You've done a pretty good job so far. Don't forget, this is Chris Pai's life's pride and hard work." "I know. After all, he's dedicated his life to it." "So this place is very important to you too, Mistress of St. Abby's Mansion," Aunt Sophie said in a state of meditation. "I'll tell you the truth, it's beyond my wildest dreams. I've always wanted to see you happy and happy. I've written a letter to your father and told him all about the wedding." "I sent him a letter too." I closed my eyes, and a clear image emerged in my mind-my father sitting in a chair, and Carla was reading the contents of the letter to him.I don't know if they will show it to Temaris. She has been slow to write the letter home, but she has always been prone to forgetting the invisible friends behind her.All these days I've been waiting for her to write a note saying she's coming back, something like that she has to write. My father must have been delighted to learn of such a miraculous turn of events.I also wrote about our honeymoon in Florence, and I'm sure he will be very happy. I'm so busy from morning to night that I don't have time to visit friends, but I do see Rachel a lot.One day I decided to go and see Flora. I found her in the garden.She just sat there as usual, with the doll still in the pram beside her.I called her name and she turned her head and nodded to me, so I opened the door and walked in. "Hello," I said. Next, I was horrified by what I saw.I thought this visit would be like those days past, but, as she turned her face to mine, I saw a wild gleam in her eyes. I sat down next to her. "How are you today, Miss Flora?" I asked. She said nothing, just shook her head. "Then... where's the baby?" She laughed and pushed the stroller with her foot. "Did he sleep well?" I said boldly. "He, he slept like a dead man." She said mysteriously. That was weird, I was expecting her to start babbling like she usually does, that he's a little restless, or he's playing tricks, or that he's got a stuffy nose, and I hope he doesn't have a bug or something. She turned to me with a strange look in her eyes. "They said," she said. "You married him." "Yes," I said. "I married him. We went to Florence for our honeymoon and had a great time." She started laughing so loudly that it sounded uncomfortable. "So, you are now living in St. Abby's Mansion." "yes." "You think you're married to him, don't you?" My heart started beating rapidly.I immediately thought of Catherine.Kafir, could Flora possibly know about her?But it's all right now, she was married long before that, so I don't have to be afraid at all. "You didn't marry him," said Flora. "What do you mean by that?" I asked cautiously. "You thought you were married to him," she said, and laughed again. "How can you marry him?" "Yes, Flora, I married him," I said. I thought to myself: I shouldn't have talked to her about it, Chris Pie was still a baby in her eyes, of course, that's why she was so bothered and puzzled. I said, "I must go, Miss Lucy will be back soon." She grabbed my hand and yelled hoarsely, "You didn't marry him. How could he marry you? He's not here." This is so weird and I just want to get out of here asap. I stood up and said, "Goodbye, Miss Flora, I'll come to see you some other day." She also stood up on the side, leaned towards me, and whispered in my ear: "You are not married to Chris Pai. They said you were married to Chris Pai. They lied to you. Don't you Maybe marry Chrispie. How can you marry Chrispie? You're not marrying Chrispie." She started laughing again--dark and wild. "Chris Pie isn't here, he's there." She pointed dramatically into the bushes.She kept her eyes on me and leaned towards me. "That's where he was. I knew it, and the man knew it, and he forced me to tell him. You can't marry Chris Pai, because Chris Pai is there... there." I thought to myself: She's totally crazy, her eyes are so crazy, and she's laughing and crying.Suddenly, she took the doll out of the pram and, with all her might, threw it into the bushes. I have to get out of here.Lucy must be shopping in Hapgreen Village. I must find her and tell her what happened to Flora. I hurried out of the gate and went straight to the main road.When I saw Lucy walking towards me with a shopping basket in her hand, I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. I yelled, "Something happened to Flora! She kept saying weird things about Chris Pie, and she threw the doll in the bushes." Lucy's face turned pale in an instant. "I'm going to see what's going on, you'd better leave first," she said. "She doesn't like people bothering her. Leave her to me!" I couldn't be happier, and of course I don't want to intervene in the past.Seeing Flora like this filled me with doubts, fears, and uneasiness. Chris Pie could tell at a glance that something was bothering me. "What happened?" he asked. "It's about Flora," I said. "I'm going to see her this afternoon." He was immediately alert. "What did she say?" "Says some weird things. She's changed a lot. She says she's heard we're married, but it's not going to happen." "what?" "She said, 'You didn't marry Chris Pie.' And then... oh, it really freaked me out! She pointed to a bush in the garden and said, 'You can't marry Chris Pie, because Chris Pie is right there.' She looks like she's completely out of control, like she's completely insane." He took a deep breath and said, "You shouldn't have been there." "I've been going to see her occasionally for a long time. But she's changed, and I think she's really going crazy. Before that, it was just insanity and gibberish; but this time it's different. " "Was Lucy there?" "Lucy went shopping in the village and I ran out to find her right afterward." "Lucy knows how to take care of her. God knows, she's worked so hard to take care of her all these years. Oh... poor Lucy!" "She told me not to worry." He nodded. "I think she'll calm down with Lucy here. I wouldn't go there again if I were you, my dear. You've got a bad mood about it." "In the past, whenever she saw me looking for her, she was always very happy, very happy." "Well, don't worry, Lucy knows what's best for her." I couldn't get past Flora, and I noticed Chris Pie's transformation.I saw his eyes clouded by shadows, and the heavy curtain lowered to shut me out.I began to understand that no matter what it was that had puzzled me in the past, it must have something to do with the "Seven Magpie House".The atmosphere that night was unnatural.He was a little absent-minded, and I knew his mind wasn't there at all. I said, "Is something wrong? Chris Pie." "Something wrong?" he said a little grumpily, impatiently. "Is there something wrong?" "I think you seem to be... preoccupied." "Blow thinks that part of the fields in Green Acres should be stopped for a period of time. Of course, this will affect the overall production, so he came to ask me what I mean. And then there are those small valleys in the Schwar family Cang, I'm not sure if that's feasible." Still, I don't believe at all that his emotions had anything to do with letting the fields fall to waste, and the little barn at Swaal Ranch. Suddenly, I woke up in the dark.A tense, uneasy feeling came over me - I reached out and realized that Chris Pie was not with me. I was wide awake then.I sat up on the bed, my eyes tried to search around, and in the dark I saw his image - he was sitting by the window, staring out in ecstasy. "Chris Pie," I said. "It's okay, I just can't sleep." "Something must have gone wrong," I said. "No, no. It's okay, don't worry, I'll go back to sleep right away. I just want to move around and stretch my feet." I got out of bed, put on my nightgown: went to him, then knelt beside him and put my arms around him. "Tell me what's going on, Chris Pie," I said. "It's okay... nothing..." "Yes, Chris Pie," I said firmly. "Now is the time for you to tell me." "You really don't have to worry about this—not even me." "This is a big deal," I said. "And it didn't happen recently, 'it' has been around for a long time." "What do you mean by that?" "Chris Pie, I love you so much, we've become one. Since you belong to me and I belong to you, then...if you have a problem, it's my problem." He fell silent. I continued, "I know something is wrong, I've always known 'it' has been between us." He was silent for a while, and then said: "There is no obstacle between us." "If this is the case, I should know even more that you can't hide secrets and hide certain things from me." "I didn't." He said excitedly, and I looked at him pleadingly. "Chris Pie, tell me. Let me bear it with you." He strokes my hair. "There's nothing... If there's nothing, how can I tell you?" "I know there are," I told him honestly. "It keeps us both in the way, it keeps me from you, it's a barrier, and it's always been there. Sometimes I can really forget about it, but it always comes back. You shouldn't have locked me in Outside the door, Chris Pie, you have to let me in so our hearts can truly be together." For a while, he said nothing.Then, he said, "There have been times when I've almost come close to telling you..." "Please... please tell me now. The two of us must be honest and open and share everything in each other's lives." He didn't say anything, so I pleaded with him again: "I must know, Chris Pie, this is very important to me." He said slowly: "This matter is so involved, I can't imagine what happened." "Unless I know, I can't be at peace for the rest of my life." "I can see that things have gone off the rails. I've been arguing with myself these days, knowing that one day I'll tell you about it. It goes way back... as far back as I was in my mother's womb ’” He paused again, his face wrinkled with anxiety.I wanted to comfort him, but there was nothing I could do until I knew what was bothering him. He continued: "The Lian family has always lived in the mansion. The father, Jack, was one of the gardeners. He has two daughters, Lucy and Flora. Lucy is a nanny and works in London; Flora After Jack Lian died, his wife still lived in the cottage, and Flora worked for the garden. She wanted to be a babysitter like her sister, so when a baby was born, she Decided to be his babysitter next. At this moment, the young master of St. Abby's Mansion was born." "It's you." I said. "Chris Pie was out of this world," he said. "You have to listen from the very beginning. The parents, as you know, weren't too interested in the kid. They were happy to have a son, as most people are, especially in their status. sons can carry on the lineage, inherit the family business, etc. However, they are more interested in social life and spend most of their time outside the garden. Whether they are loving parents or not can be seen from the beginning Lucy came home one day. She was in a big trouble, she left her job in London a few weeks ago, lived out for a while, and spent all her savings - which were pitifully small - It's gone. She's going to give birth soon, and you can imagine the shock at the cottage. Father has just passed away, mother is getting old, and Flora is working at St. Auby's and is preparing to take care of the soon-to-be-born baby. Young Master." He stopped, and I knew he was hesitant to continue.Suddenly, as if he had made up his mind, he opened his mouth fiercely. "Lucy," he said. "A very strong woman. A kind, sincere young woman. Just like the group of women who have made mistakes, she listened to those sweet oaths, was lured into the bait, and then abandoned. Old Mrs. Lian once accepted Midwifery training, so this little thing can't trouble her, the biggest problem before them is that they can't hide the baby forever without being found. They want to get out of here and go to London, when Lucy and Buddha Laura could go out to work while their mother stayed home with the kids, so they decided to do it. One thing was clear from start to finish: They couldn't stay in Happgreen and face a scandal of this magnitude. " "It was a terrible situation for them!" "They hesitated. There were several times when old Mrs. Lian tried to tell Mrs. St. Aubie everything, and to ask her for her help. She guessed that Mrs. St. Aubie and her husband might be more comfortable with them than the inhabitants of Harp Green. There's going to be less backlash for that. And then something incredible happened." He stopped, as if it was difficult to continue talking. "Chris Pie was a few weeks old at the time, and Flora was his babysitter. Suddenly, there was a light in the darkness, and they saw a good way to have the best of both worlds. It was very scary... But, it was The solution. And, don't forget, they were a group of people on the verge of despair. You've seen Flora, and you know she's been troubled by something. I think she was born so simple! Maybe, She shouldn't take on such a big responsibility to babysit for anyone. But she has always loved children very much. Seeing that she loves their children so much, many mothers in the village gave their children to her to take care of them. They said she was a natural child. Good mother. Of course, we were not lucky enough to get to know this side of her. When we got to know her, all I saw was a deranged wretch. Gary Westlake, the son of a local farmer, is starting to notice her." "I remember him. He was here a while ago and I remember he moved to New Zealand." "Yes, he left immediately after it happened. Gary was a young lad full of energy, like a big boy. He was very interested in football and wherever he went, he always took the opportunity to practice conceding the ball. , and kicking balls. That's the story I've heard. He used to work at St. Aubie's Park, and that's where he met Flora. He used to gnaw at her downstairs, waiting for her to blow her head. Leaning out the window and watching, then he would throw the ball to her, and she would throw it back, and she would always come downstairs and stand by, watching him kick the ball with great interest, and he would act out various ways of kicking the ball , and then tell her the importance of the implications. It's unbelievable what happened, and you have to remember, they were both very young at the time. Flora was mesmerized by Gary's gaze She - at least on the surface - was compelled to share the joy of playing ball with him. She usually dropped and caught the ball as he told her, trying to win his praise. It's no surprise that this happened to these two—kids, really. Down there, looking up at her window, and she opened the window and poked her head out, baby in her arms, and said. 'I'm coming down.' And she called his name—just as he always called her.' Catch it!' She must have thought it was a good joke, Gary was so startled that she dropped the baby!" I let out a shuddering breath. "I, no...impossible!" I yelled. He nodded and continued, "By the time Gary got over his shock, it was too late. He tried to catch him, but it was too late, and the kid fell on the stone platform." "Oh... how could she do such a thing!" "It's hard to imagine. All she could think about was pleasing Gary, thinking he'd catch the kid easily—never thought he might miss it—and it would be fun. Flora sprinted to On the platform, pick up the baby. Wrap him in a heavy scarf so that he seems unharmed, and Flora must have breathed a sigh of relief. Poor Flora! What a pity her relief was too great. It was brief. Gary ran home in terror, and he should have shared the relief with Flora, but, no doubt, he just wanted to get away from the scene as quickly as possible—as far away as possible. Flora Took the baby back to the nursery and never said anything about it. Imagine her horror when she learned the baby had broken ribs and the baby died that night. Flora was so lost and didn't know what to do and then, as usual whenever she was in trouble—she ran home. Her mother and Lucy were terrified. Flora had killed the young master, and her sister had Having an illegitimate child, they had never had such a catastrophe in their lives, and now they could not escape. In desperation, they began to search for a solution-and then, hope actually came to them. Most of the The babies all look alike, and Chris Pai's parents seem to have a lack of interest in him... Next, you should be able to guess what they were thinking! They put Chris Pie is buried." "Buried under a bush?" I asked. "Then Lucy's son was taken to St Aubis' to take his place." "You mean... you're the baby." He nodded. "When did you know?" "On my eighteenth birthday. Lucy - my mother told me that she thought I had a right to know. It never occurred to me before - that I wasn't Crispy St. , and this mansion is not mine. I love it so much." "I know. And this... is the secret that can't be told, and the 'picture of seven magpies'...is to remind Flora not to tell the secret—it was placed on the wall of the baby room of." "Poor Flora! Her mind was terrified, and shortly thereafter she became what we see her now. Lucy took care of her for a long time, and you know, Lucy took over me and became Became my nanny. Before Flora got back to the cottage, she was behaving strangely. It was on my mind and I couldn't get it out." "This place doesn't really belong to you, are you afraid of being discovered by others?" "At one point, it was almost exposed." "Guston Marchmont," I murmured, and a sense of dread rushed over me. "He's a scoundrel, and he deserved what he deserved, and he deserved his death," said Chris Pie. "He forced Flora to tell the secret. She could have lived her life in such ignorance; believing that the child was still alive, and that everything remained as it was before the accident. She had always believed it until he appeared. Yes. Do you know how much he hurt her...and Lucy? He guessed that there must be some secret between me and the cabin, and he made up his mind to dig it out. For wealth and status, he and Temaris Married: Then he finds he has even more than he expected. He steals the doll and scares poor Flora. He's seen that stupid painting—she I really shouldn't have that painting, Lucy's original intention was just to remind her not to tell the secret. You have to forgive Lucy, she is my mother, she is only for my own good, her biggest The joy is——watching me become the master of the mansion.” "But, that doesn't belong to you, Chris Pie." He shook his head vigorously, as if by doing so he would throw the facts away.He went on: "He threatened her with the doll and told her he would hurt it if she didn't speak, so Flora, who had no brains, had to speak. This shock brought her back to real life, and he The key secret was also obtained. Then he was killed." "Chris Pie, do you know who did it?" I asked terrified. He turned to me, smiling tenderly. "I know what's going on in your heart, and I know how much you love me. No, I made a mistake, but I didn't kill Guston Marchmont. You must know everything, I can see now Come out, these secrets are of no use to us; now that you know so much, you should know all about it. Flora was quite miserable at that time, she found that she had betrayed the secret, and at the same time she also awakened —for so many years she had lied to herself that it was just a horrible nightmare, and now she realized...it was all true. In a moment of foolishness, to please Gary, she took it The child was killed. Not long after this happened, Gary left for New Zealand. No doubt he thought the child was still alive, and of course he didn't know what happened. However, when the child When he fell to the ground, his fear made him decide to get out of here. Flora was out of her mind, so Lucy found a doll to comfort her and convince her that the child was alive and well. To Buddha As far as Laura is concerned, when she realizes that she has betrayed the secret, and that the doll is just a doll... there is only one way in her mind to be sure that the secret will not be told." "It's incomprehensible that she could do this, but she did it anyway. I believe that someone like her can suddenly become very focused, calm and precise in planning and acting, which is impressive. Because of her I had lived in St. Aubie's mansion for a while, and knew the situation of the mansion quite well, so I went into the gun storage room and stole a gun. Because the bush planting is the shortcut back to the mansion from the stables, The Saint Aubis used to go home that way; so she hid there and waited for Guston Marchmont to pass. She caught him that night, and she shot him dead. .Then, her elaborate plan ended in such a hasty way. She left the gun on the ground, and ran back to the cabin. Lucy was distressed and frantic, and she didn't know where Flora had gone. When Flora came back, I told her exactly what had happened." "Lucy's idea is: keep this secret. Her only dream is to see me own everything in the St. Aubis family, so that they will be compensated for all the suffering they have suffered all these years; don't forget, I am hers." Son. She ran back to St. Aubrey's that night and buried the gun she found. Unfortunately, it wasn't very efficient. It was Flora, Frederica who killed Guston Marchmont , please...please understand—this secret must never be revealed." For a while I was speechless, the words disturbing my thoughts.But beyond my horror, I was relieved; there were no more secrets between us now. I can picture everything that happened.Flora dropping the baby; the pain when she realized what she had done; I could picture those three desperate women, racking their brains day and night trying to find a way out of that predicament; I could feel The joy in Lucy's heart when she saw her son's bright future; I imagined when they buried that poor little body-the real Chris Pie.I can imagine the extent of Flora's insanity, and I can see the "picture of seven magpies" hanging there to remind her from time to time; if the secret is leaked out, the consequences will be terrible.In the end she told it, and Guston forced her to tell the secret.In her pure mind, there was only one solution: kill him before he told this ulterior secret. I said, "Chris Pie, this place doesn't belong to you." "But this place is so prosperous because of me. I made it all." "Even so, this place is still not yours. You are not the heir here." "No. Lucy is my mother, and I don't even know who my father is." "Lucy knows who he is," I said. "However, the matter still needs to be resolved. What are you going to do?" "What? What do you mean by that?" "Chris Pie...I have to call you Chris Pie..." "I've never had another name." "This matter... this fact will not disappear without a trace just because you told me." He didn't answer, so I continued, "This place doesn't belong to you, that's true, isn't it?" He didn't want to admit it...but it was true, and he knew it. "Own what you have no right to, and you will never be happy in your life." "I'm very happy. This place has always been mine and I can't think of anyone better suited to have it." "If, Guston Marchmont is still alive..." "He is no longer alive." "If he's still around, he'll make it public, so that..." "Of course he would, that was his motive. He must have known a thing or two already, Flora must have let it on, and the fact that she thought the doll was Chris Pie was of great significance. If he succeeds ——Then he can take over here as the other half of Temaris, but his life is too short." "But it belongs to Temaris. She is Diyuan's daughter, and the family doesn't even have a son now." He said: "If things develop to this point, it will be terrible. Think about the livelihood of everyone in the mansion, the operation of things will be affected. Now you know the secret, but don't Tell anyone. I'm glad to tell you about it, and you're right that there must be no secrets between us." "I'm glad you think so too." "Now Flora is our problem. I don't know what to do with her. Lucy is very worried about her. You know how the man treated her. She was very depressed. After that incident, she was completely changed. gone." "His death, like that baby, left an indelible mark on her conscience." "Now that she doesn't want the doll anymore, she seems to have come to the conclusion that Chris Pie is dead and that the doll was just a doll. When she believed it was a baby, her mind shut down completely. And put the past out of the way. But that evil man forced her to tell what happened, and he brought her back to life, which she couldn't face." "Chris Pie," I said. "There is one thing you must do, or you will never be safe in this life. Temaris must know that this place is hers, and she must know the truth; unless you tell her, you will never be able to completely Have fun." "Then, I will lose the fruits of all these years of hard work?" "Temaris loves you, she is very proud of you, she respects you as her brother, and she will ask you to stay. She knows that without you, no matter how perfect the plan is, it cannot go ahead." "At that time, this will not be mine anymore, and I will not accept other people's orders." "She won't order you." "What if she gets married? Think about it. If Guston Marchmond hadn't died, I can't imagine what the consequences would be!" "He's dead. I think Temaris has a right to know about it, and I'm sure you'll never be truly happy unless you tell her." He said he would never say it.He told me because we both agreed not to let a secret come between us.Now that I know it, please don't spread it anymore.What good is it to tell someone this age-old story!What good was it in bringing people to accuse Flora of murder? Poor Flora, she will be judged then.He will never allow this to happen - the whole story will come out.Not Temaris—all scandals, and her unfortunate one, would be uncovered.可怜的露西……以及我们所有的人，这么做，不论是谁都会遭到相当程度的打击。 这件事到现在一点进展也没有。Juston.马奇蒙的谋杀案如今已被列为悬案了，如果现在有人回想起这件事，一定会相信凶手是佳斯顿过去的仇人——他的声名狼籍，如今已是众所皆知的事了。 的确，这件事到现在一点进展也没有。 我们彻夜谈了一整晚，最后我终于说服他——有一件事，他是非做不可的。 他写了封信给泰玛莉丝。
要收到她的回信可要等上好一段时间。在这段期间里，克里斯派看起来快乐了些，可能是那夜和我倾谈的关系吧！ 他也说到，现在的感觉好像长久以来积压在他肩上的大石头已经卸下了，好不轻松。不过，在这同时我也看到他眼睛不时地流露出悲伤的神情。每当他谈起邸园时，我总是可以察觉出散布在空气中惆怅的气氛。我很想安慰他，也常纳闷如果有一天我们真的得离开圣奥比邸园，那该怎么办？ 当泰玛莉丝得知自己拥有这么一大块土地时，她一定会要接手掌管的；这样一来，将会是多少人的悲哀啊！ 我常想到佛萝拉手里举着枪，把他打死的样子，那个孩子的死也是她一手造成的，不过是那个年幼无知的她犯下的蠢事；但杀害佳斯顿则是冷血残酷的谋杀案件，而当时她一心只想到自己居然把那秘密出卖了。 除了这些惊人的内幕外，我很难有闲情逸致去想到其他的事。 我们每天都在等着泰玛莉丝的来信。前一阵子克里斯派和苏菲姨妈寄到卡斯克岛的那些信，如今已由卡拉回覆了。我父亲写信说他很高兴一切都能这么顺利，并希望我能带我丈夫到卡斯克岛让他看看。 最后，左盼右盼地，终于让我们等到泰玛莉丝的来信了。上面署名写着我们夫妻俩的名字，而书写风格和泰玛莉丝那轻率的个性完全吻合。 我亲爱的新婚佳偶……我想你们一定猜得出，看到你们的来信，我，真的是大大地吃了一惊。 这种事居然会在哈普葛林发生，真是太不可思议了！首先，我要向你们宣布一件最重要的消息。 别认为结婚是你们俩的专利，你们会吓一跳的，不过精明的佛雷德莉卡或许可从事情的发展趋势中，瞧出一些端倪来吧！是的，我结婚了，新郎当然是路卡。 我真的把圣男追到手了，不是吗？在杰可的受伤风波后，这里充满了刺激及欢笑。 我们现在已经有所小学校了，而且，相不相信，我和摩瑞儿那个老小姐一手包办学校的教学活动！她负责那些正经八百、拯救他们灵魂之类的事。而我则是扮小丑、逗人开心用的，他们总是围着我又唱又笑的，我真的爱死他们了，我相信他们对我也有同感。 路卡和居民处得很好，我们现在已经有间小……呃……诊所，我想你们在家乡是这么说的吧。摩瑞儿在这方面很有一套，约翰和路卡也在那儿帮忙——甚至连我偶尔都会到那儿去。在杰可事件成功的印证后，我们如今已风靡全岛，个个都成了赫赫有名的大红人了。 汤姆．郝洛威成了教会固定的常客，他们都很喜欢待在这里。 你们说的那些事，真的太不可思议了。也就是说，克里斯派——你竟然不是我哥哥。老实告诉你，我常想：真奇怪，我居然会有一个这么卓越的哥哥，我们俩的差别怎么会这么大。不过，这并不能改变任何人，我依然深爱着你和你的新娘。 而那些有关佛萝拉和婴儿、及娃娃的事，听起来好像从圣经或是莎士比亚里取出来的故事一样……就这样轻易地互换人们的命运，谁会想到这居然会在真实生活中发生……尤其是在哈普葛林。在这么多年乏味无趣的生活公式后，突然间居然会有这么戏剧化的转变。 原来圣奥比邸园是我的。我到底能在那里孵出几颗蛋来？我成天往佃户家跑，对农作物，屋顶及牛棚就会有帮助吗？ 亲爱的前任哥哥，拜托别弃我不顾，千万别带着你新婚的妻子远走高飞。留在属于你的地方，虽然我必须承认，如果你们能花点小钱来卡斯克岛看我，我就心满意足了。佛莱迪，我知道你父亲一定会很喜欢这个主意的，而且我也想让你瞧瞧在我们精心经营下，如今教会已大有改观了。我们将要盖一幢新的建筑物，我打算出一笔钱赞助，但圣男路卡这老小子并不喜欢这样，他并不想要一个有钱的妻子；事实上，他已经认为我太富裕了。他对这些一点也不感兴趣，他只要我；当然了，这有点太过超然了，不过还挺甜蜜的；不过，你也是知道“圣男路卡”这种人的。 好了，千万别为了这件事而做任何改变。那个地方是你的，克里斯派，我们都知道如果不是你，那个地方也不会有今日的繁荣的。 路卡说我们不能把这里弄得太华丽，教会的旨意不在此，它是建立在信心，忠实和关怀上的。你知道他这个人，佛莱迪，你会了解我的意思的。 我把信放下来，克里斯派说：“我没想到会有这样的结果。她太轻率了，好像这件事一点也不重要似的。” “对她而言，新生活才是最重要的，她已经拥有路卡这么好的男人了，还有何可求。所以我们应该假装一切都没发生过一样，别再想了。” “那以后怎么办？这个地方已经不是我的了。” “克里斯派，”我说。“它本来就不是你的。” “万一她改变主意了呢？你以为她能埋首在教会奋斗多久？你也知道泰玛莉丝这个人，她一向都只有三分钟热度。” This is true. 他继续说：“而当她了解到这个地方有……谁知道？或许她会决定回来接管也不一定？” “你是说把你逐出家门？怎么可能？她根本不知道如何经营这一大片产业。” “或许哪天她厌倦这个神圣的丈夫，或许……” “当然了，这世上没有什么不可能的事。” "so……" “克里斯派，”我说。“我们还有对方啊！这才是全世界最重要的事，我相信泰玛莉丝已学会了爱人的喜悦，这是她从没经验过的。你该看看她的转变有多大，她已不再是那个被佳斯顿．马奇蒙骗得团团转的那个傻丫头了，我相信她已经学会看清什么是生命中最重要的了。” “我呢？”他问。 “你也是，克里斯派。”我说。 他突然笑了，看起来一副心满意足的样子，顿时年轻了好几岁，就好像我们度蜜月的那段时间一样，那时他还深信那个秘密绝对不会被发现。但即使是在那时候，有几次他的脸上也会有恐惧的阴影抹过；而如今，这些全都消失得无影无踪了。
那天晚上出了一件大事。我当时是被那不寻常的声音吵醒的，当我从窗外看出去时，我看到整片天空好像打铁的炉子般，炽热得把黑幕映成胭脂红了。 我立刻跳下床，克里斯派站在我旁边。 “不知道是哪里着火了。”他说。 我们穿上衣服，便匆匆忙忙地出去了，楼下早已聚集了几个仆人在那儿大声嚷着。 当我循着浓烟的方向看时，莲家——这个想法立刻浮现在我的脑海里。我们急忙赶到小屋……而眼前所见竟是——炽热的火舌正在吞蚀曾历尽多少风波的七鹊屋。 露西一看到来的是克里斯派，便立刻跑向她儿子。他用双手抱着她，而她则歇斯底里地在他怀里哭了起来。 这简直就像一场梦魇——燃烧的木头发出劈叭的声音，四处耀武扬威的火焰，在墙壁面前兴高采烈地飞舞着，随着裂痕斑斑的砌石慢慢地散发热力。 露西哭累了，不过还是在啜泣着，她不停地一次又一次喊着佛萝拉的名字，那时我就知道——佛萝拉死了。她从育婴室的窗子跳下去，尸体在花园里的矮树丛旁被发现。 我这辈子绝不会忘记那天夜晚的。我记得当时眼前的事物变得模糊不清，人们一边奋力扑火，一边互相嘶喊着。接下来我得花好多的日子，才能将莲家小屋着火的画面，从脑海中移到记忆箱里的最后一层。 事发原因是茶余饭后最大的话题。佛萝拉．莲的行为举止向来就很怪异，她一定是点了根蜡烛，睡觉前却忘了把它吹熄：它有可能是不小心被弄翻了，火的爆发力很强，蔓延的速度相当快。那个可怜的家伙一定是太过惊慌，才往窗口一跃而下，其实她大可从楼梯走下楼的，她的姊姊就是这么做的。可怜的佛萝拉，你真是太糊涂了！ 他们说，这件事很单纯，连三岁小孩都看得出是怎么发生的。 我心里坚信佛萝拉是无法面对事实而寻短见的，她前后一共杀了两个人，她承受不了良心的谴责。我相信她是在育婴室布上火苗，然后让人相信她是为了逃生才跳出窗口的。她把秘密出卖给佳斯顿．马奇蒙之后，她再也不相信自己在有生之年，不会再次把这个不可告人的秘密说出去。 我们把露西带回圣奥比邸园。她在那里住了一阵子，但她宁愿住在属于她自己的房子，身为儿子的克里斯派——当然是在邸园内找幢距离较近的房子给她。三个月前，邸园里一个工人的寡妇去逝了，因此她生前所住的地方就这么空了下来；于是，克里斯派令人安排重新整修装潢，打算把它送给露西。 我常和她聊天，她改变态度接受我，而且我不再觉得她想刻意地避开我，我们之间已建立一层新的友好关系了。她是我丈夫的母亲，我开始揣测她的感受——这么多年来她一直照顾着佛萝拉，有一段时间这份工作沉重得让她惊慌不已，而如今她已卸下这份重责；但，首先她只注意到一股强烈的失落感。我想她是在为自己过去对我的态度寻找藉口吧！我记得她总是紧绷地说：“那真是太好了。”她曾这么说，然后她的眼神会变得很不安；这样一来，我就可以清楚地感受到她正等着我离开；当然了，我当时表现出来的好奇心或许有些太过鲁莽了。不过，如今我俩已搭起友谊的桥梁了。 她对我说：“能住得近一点也比较好。” “克里斯派坚持如此。”我告诉她。 “他向来对我就是这么好，甚至在他知道之前他就很仁慈了。” 有一次她说：“生下他，我毫不后悔。” “我可以了解你的感觉。”我告诉她。 “你我一定会成为朋友的，”她继续说。“我生下他，而你却带给他很多的快乐。从我第一次见到他的那一刻起，他就成了我生命的重心。那个法子很缺德，但是以当时的情况看来，却像是唯一可行之路，结果居然为他带来这么好的前程。” "I know." I said.
泰玛莉丝又寄来一封信。教会蓬勃发展，远超过他们所能想像的，她希望我们能过去看看。每星期日上完教堂后，露西总是会到佛萝拉的墓前去看望她，有时我也会陪她一起去，然后再回到她的新家喝杯茶，聊聊天。 有一天，克里斯派和我骑马经过“七鹊屋”的遗址。看着它，我忍不住发抖了起来，它看起来像是咧齿低吼的魑魅般——即使是在艳阳高照的夏日里。 “重建这个地方的时间到了，”克里斯派说，“我们过去看看吧！他们下星期可以先过来把这里清一清，目前为止建筑工人还派不上用场。” 我们把马拴在大门前依然耸立在那里的门柱上，经过那个记忆中熟悉的花园——以前佛萝拉总会推着婴儿车，在花园里的矮树丛面前坐了下来。 “小心。”我们进入已损毁的屋子时，克里斯派警告我说。他紧紧地牵着我的手，带我进入那曾是厨房的地方，大部分的墙壁都已倾倒了。 “这块地会很好清理的。”克里斯派说。 我们走向那些依然完整无缺的阶梯。 “真耐用，”克里斯派说。“这些阶梯相当好、很坚固。” 我们登上楼。一半的屋顶都已不见了，烟火的刺鼻味依然在空气中徘徊不去，我凝视着那些起泡的木头及焦黑的砖头……然后就在地板上，我看到了它，它面向着地板躺在那里。 我把它捡起来。外面的玻璃已成了碎片了，当我一碰到它，立刻就散落满地。而在眼前盯着我看的，就是那七只鹊鸟，图片被浓烟熏得污七抹黑的，整张纸已转黄且也都湿了。 我把图片拿出来，让画框随意掉落在地板上。 “这是什么？”克里斯派问。 “这就是佛萝拉的那幅画——露西为她裱框的那幅——'七鹊图'，有关一个绝对不能说出去的秘密。” 他盯着我，看我将它撕成碎片，随后我将那一堆纸片抛向空中，这时一阵风正从已坍塌的露天屋顶吹了进来，这一片片的碎花便随风四散飘舞了起来…… (End of the book)
My mother-in-law told me that now there is a new hostess in the St. Aubie Park, and friends must often be invited to the house. This is the old scenery of St. Aubie's Mansion. She said: "In the past, this place was full of people, until my body gradually weakened..." When the guests came, her condition did improve a little. I have been very busy in those few days, and I still have a long way to go to learn how to manage such a big house!Aunt Sophie helped me a lot. "You must let the stewards know that you have taken over and commanded this place. Otherwise, they may intimidate you because you come from a humbler family!" I laughed and said, "No way! Aunt Sophie." "You've done a pretty good job so far. Don't forget, this is Chris Pai's life's pride and hard work." "I know. After all, he's dedicated his life to it." "So this place is very important to you too, Mistress of St. Abby's Mansion," Aunt Sophie said in a state of meditation. "I'll tell you the truth, it's beyond my wildest dreams. I've always wanted to see you happy and happy. I've written a letter to your father and told him all about the wedding." "I sent him a letter too." I closed my eyes, and a clear image emerged in my mind-my father sitting in a chair, and Carla was reading the contents of the letter to him.I don't know if they will show it to Temaris. She has been slow to write the letter home, but she has always been prone to forgetting the invisible friends behind her.All these days I've been waiting for her to write a note saying she's coming back, something like that she has to write. My father must have been delighted to learn of such a miraculous turn of events.I also wrote about our honeymoon in Florence, and I'm sure he will be very happy. I'm so busy from morning to night that I don't have time to visit friends, but I do see Rachel a lot.One day I decided to go and see Flora. I found her in the garden.She just sat there as usual, with the doll still in the pram beside her.I called her name and she turned her head and nodded to me, so I opened the door and walked in. "Hello," I said. Next, I was horrified by what I saw.I thought this visit would be like those days past, but, as she turned her face to mine, I saw a wild gleam in her eyes. I sat down next to her. "How are you today, Miss Flora?" I asked. She said nothing, just shook her head. "Then... where's the baby?" She laughed and pushed the stroller with her foot. "Did he sleep well?" I said boldly. "He, he slept like a dead man." She said mysteriously. That was weird, I was expecting her to start babbling like she usually does, that he's a little restless, or he's playing tricks, or that he's got a stuffy nose, and I hope he doesn't have a bug or something. She turned to me with a strange look in her eyes. "They said," she said. "You married him." "Yes," I said. "I married him. We went to Florence for our honeymoon and had a great time." She started laughing so loudly that it sounded uncomfortable. "So, you are now living in St. Abby's Mansion." "yes." "You think you're married to him, don't you?" My heart started beating rapidly.I immediately thought of Catherine.Kafir, could Flora possibly know about her?But it's all right now, she was married long before that, so I don't have to be afraid at all. "You didn't marry him," said Flora. "What do you mean by that?" I asked cautiously. "You thought you were married to him," she said, and laughed again. "How can you marry him?" "Yes, Flora, I married him," I said. I thought to myself: I shouldn't have talked to her about it, Chris Pie was still a baby in her eyes, of course, that's why she was so bothered and puzzled. I said, "I must go, Miss Lucy will be back soon." She grabbed my hand and yelled hoarsely, "You didn't marry him. How could he marry you? He's not here." This is so weird and I just want to get out of here asap. I stood up and said, "Goodbye, Miss Flora, I'll come to see you some other day." She also stood up on the side, leaned towards me, and whispered in my ear: "You are not married to Chris Pai. They said you were married to Chris Pai. They lied to you. Don't you Maybe marry Chrispie. How can you marry Chrispie? You're not marrying Chrispie." She started laughing again--dark and wild. "Chris Pie isn't here, he's there." She pointed dramatically into the bushes.She kept her eyes on me and leaned towards me. "That's where he was. I knew it, and the man knew it, and he forced me to tell him. You can't marry Chris Pai, because Chris Pai is there... there." I thought to myself: She's totally crazy, her eyes are so crazy, and she's laughing and crying.Suddenly, she took the doll out of the pram and, with all her might, threw it into the bushes. I have to get out of here.Lucy must be shopping in Hapgreen Village. I must find her and tell her what happened to Flora. I hurried out of the gate and went straight to the main road.When I saw Lucy walking towards me with a shopping basket in her hand, I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. I yelled, "Something happened to Flora! She kept saying weird things about Chris Pie, and she threw the doll in the bushes." Lucy's face turned pale in an instant. "I'm going to see what's going on, you'd better leave first," she said. "She doesn't like people bothering her. Leave her to me!" I couldn't be happier, and of course I don't want to intervene in the past.Seeing Flora like this filled me with doubts, fears, and uneasiness. Chris Pie could tell at a glance that something was bothering me. "What happened?" he asked. "It's about Flora," I said. "I'm going to see her this afternoon." He was immediately alert. "What did she say?" "Says some weird things. She's changed a lot. She says she's heard we're married, but it's not going to happen." "what?" "She said, 'You didn't marry Chris Pie.' And then... oh, it really freaked me out! She pointed to a bush in the garden and said, 'You can't marry Chris Pie, because Chris Pie is right there.' She looks like she's completely out of control, like she's completely insane." He took a deep breath and said, "You shouldn't have been there." "I've been going to see her occasionally for a long time. But she's changed, and I think she's really going crazy. Before that, it was just insanity and gibberish; but this time it's different. " "Was Lucy there?" "Lucy went shopping in the village and I ran out to find her right afterward." "Lucy knows how to take care of her. God knows, she's worked so hard to take care of her all these years. Oh... poor Lucy!" "She told me not to worry." He nodded. "I think she'll calm down with Lucy here. I wouldn't go there again if I were you, my dear. You've got a bad mood about it." "In the past, whenever she saw me looking for her, she was always very happy, very happy." "Well, don't worry, Lucy knows what's best for her." I couldn't get past Flora, and I noticed Chris Pie's transformation.I saw his eyes clouded by shadows, and the heavy curtain lowered to shut me out.I began to understand that no matter what it was that had puzzled me in the past, it must have something to do with the "Seven Magpie House".The atmosphere that night was unnatural.He was a little absent-minded, and I knew his mind wasn't there at all. I said, "Is something wrong? Chris Pie." "Something wrong?" he said a little grumpily, impatiently. "Is there something wrong?" "I think you seem to be... preoccupied." "Blow thinks that part of the fields in Green Acres should be stopped for a period of time. Of course, this will affect the overall production, so he came to ask me what I mean. And then there are those small valleys in the Schwar family Cang, I'm not sure if that's feasible." Still, I don't believe at all that his emotions had anything to do with letting the fields fall to waste, and the little barn at Swaal Ranch. Suddenly, I woke up in the dark.A tense, uneasy feeling came over me - I reached out and realized that Chris Pie was not with me. I was wide awake then.I sat up on the bed, my eyes tried to search around, and in the dark I saw his image - he was sitting by the window, staring out in ecstasy. "Chris Pie," I said. "It's okay, I just can't sleep." "Something must have gone wrong," I said. "No, no. It's okay, don't worry, I'll go back to sleep right away. I just want to move around and stretch my feet." I got out of bed, put on my nightgown: went to him, then knelt beside him and put my arms around him. "Tell me what's going on, Chris Pie," I said. "It's okay... nothing..." "Yes, Chris Pie," I said firmly. "Now is the time for you to tell me." "You really don't have to worry about this—not even me." "This is a big deal," I said. "And it didn't happen recently, 'it' has been around for a long time." "What do you mean by that?" "Chris Pie, I love you so much, we've become one. Since you belong to me and I belong to you, then...if you have a problem, it's my problem." He fell silent. I continued, "I know something is wrong, I've always known 'it' has been between us." He was silent for a while, and then said: "There is no obstacle between us." "If this is the case, I should know even more that you can't hide secrets and hide certain things from me." "I didn't." He said excitedly, and I looked at him pleadingly. "Chris Pie, tell me. Let me bear it with you." He strokes my hair. "There's nothing... If there's nothing, how can I tell you?" "I know there are," I told him honestly. "It keeps us both in the way, it keeps me from you, it's a barrier, and it's always been there. Sometimes I can really forget about it, but it always comes back. You shouldn't have locked me in Outside the door, Chris Pie, you have to let me in so our hearts can truly be together." For a while, he said nothing.Then, he said, "There have been times when I've almost come close to telling you..." "Please... please tell me now. The two of us must be honest and open and share everything in each other's lives." He didn't say anything, so I pleaded with him again: "I must know, Chris Pie, this is very important to me." He said slowly: "This matter is so involved, I can't imagine what happened." "Unless I know, I can't be at peace for the rest of my life." "I can see that things have gone off the rails. I've been arguing with myself these days, knowing that one day I'll tell you about it. It goes way back... as far back as I was in my mother's womb ’” He paused again, his face wrinkled with anxiety.I wanted to comfort him, but there was nothing I could do until I knew what was bothering him. He continued: "The Lian family has always lived in the mansion. The father, Jack, was one of the gardeners. He has two daughters, Lucy and Flora. Lucy is a nanny and works in London; Flora After Jack Lian died, his wife still lived in the cottage, and Flora worked for the garden. She wanted to be a babysitter like her sister, so when a baby was born, she Decided to be his babysitter next. At this moment, the young master of St. Abby's Mansion was born." "It's you." I said. "Chris Pie was out of this world," he said. "You have to listen from the very beginning. The parents, as you know, weren't too interested in the kid. They were happy to have a son, as most people are, especially in their status. sons can carry on the lineage, inherit the family business, etc. However, they are more interested in social life and spend most of their time outside the garden. Whether they are loving parents or not can be seen from the beginning Lucy came home one day. She was in a big trouble, she left her job in London a few weeks ago, lived out for a while, and spent all her savings - which were pitifully small - It's gone. She's going to give birth soon, and you can imagine the shock at the cottage. Father has just passed away, mother is getting old, and Flora is working at St. Auby's and is preparing to take care of the soon-to-be-born baby. Young Master." He stopped, and I knew he was hesitant to continue.Suddenly, as if he had made up his mind, he opened his mouth fiercely. "Lucy," he said. "A very strong woman. A kind, sincere young woman. Just like the group of women who have made mistakes, she listened to those sweet oaths, was lured into the bait, and then abandoned. Old Mrs. Lian once accepted Midwifery training, so this little thing can't trouble her, the biggest problem before them is that they can't hide the baby forever without being found. They want to get out of here and go to London, when Lucy and Buddha Laura could go out to work while their mother stayed home with the kids, so they decided to do it. One thing was clear from start to finish: They couldn't stay in Happgreen and face a scandal of this magnitude. " "It was a terrible situation for them!" "They hesitated. There were several times when old Mrs. Lian tried to tell Mrs. St. Aubie everything, and to ask her for her help. She guessed that Mrs. St. Aubie and her husband might be more comfortable with them than the inhabitants of Harp Green. There's going to be less backlash for that. And then something incredible happened." He stopped, as if it was difficult to continue talking. "Chris Pie was a few weeks old at the time, and Flora was his babysitter. Suddenly, there was a light in the darkness, and they saw a good way to have the best of both worlds. It was very scary... But, it was The solution. And, don't forget, they were a group of people on the verge of despair. You've seen Flora, and you know she's been troubled by something. I think she was born so simple! Maybe, She shouldn't take on such a big responsibility to babysit for anyone. But she has always loved children very much. Seeing that she loves their children so much, many mothers in the village gave their children to her to take care of them. They said she was a natural child. Good mother. Of course, we were not lucky enough to get to know this side of her. When we got to know her, all I saw was a deranged wretch. Gary Westlake, the son of a local farmer, is starting to notice her." "I remember him. He was here a while ago and I remember he moved to New Zealand." "Yes, he left immediately after it happened. Gary was a young lad full of energy, like a big boy. He was very interested in football and wherever he went, he always took the opportunity to practice conceding the ball. , and kicking balls. That's the story I've heard. He used to work at St. Aubie's Park, and that's where he met Flora. He used to gnaw at her downstairs, waiting for her to blow her head. Leaning out the window and watching, then he would throw the ball to her, and she would throw it back, and she would always come downstairs and stand by, watching him kick the ball with great interest, and he would act out various ways of kicking the ball , and then tell her the importance of the implications. It's unbelievable what happened, and you have to remember, they were both very young at the time. Flora was mesmerized by Gary's gaze She - at least on the surface - was compelled to share the joy of playing ball with him. She usually dropped and caught the ball as he told her, trying to win his praise. It's no surprise that this happened to these two—kids, really. Down there, looking up at her window, and she opened the window and poked her head out, baby in her arms, and said. 'I'm coming down.' And she called his name—just as he always called her.' Catch it!' She must have thought it was a good joke, Gary was so startled that she dropped the baby!" I let out a shuddering breath. "I, no...impossible!" I yelled. He nodded and continued, "By the time Gary got over his shock, it was too late. He tried to catch him, but it was too late, and the kid fell on the stone platform." "Oh... how could she do such a thing!" "It's hard to imagine. All she could think about was pleasing Gary, thinking he'd catch the kid easily—never thought he might miss it—and it would be fun. Flora sprinted to On the platform, pick up the baby. Wrap him in a heavy scarf so that he seems unharmed, and Flora must have breathed a sigh of relief. Poor Flora! What a pity her relief was too great. It was brief. Gary ran home in terror, and he should have shared the relief with Flora, but, no doubt, he just wanted to get away from the scene as quickly as possible—as far away as possible. Flora Took the baby back to the nursery and never said anything about it. Imagine her horror when she learned the baby had broken ribs and the baby died that night. Flora was so lost and didn't know what to do and then, as usual whenever she was in trouble—she ran home. Her mother and Lucy were terrified. Flora had killed the young master, and her sister had Having an illegitimate child, they had never had such a catastrophe in their lives, and now they could not escape. In desperation, they began to search for a solution-and then, hope actually came to them. Most of the The babies all look alike, and Chris Pai's parents seem to have a lack of interest in him... Next, you should be able to guess what they were thinking! They put Chris Pie is buried." "Buried under a bush?" I asked. "Then Lucy's son was taken to St Aubis' to take his place." "You mean... you're the baby." He nodded. "When did you know?" "On my eighteenth birthday. Lucy - my mother told me that she thought I had a right to know. It never occurred to me before - that I wasn't Crispy St. , and this mansion is not mine. I love it so much." "I know. And this... is the secret that can't be told, and the 'picture of seven magpies'...is to remind Flora not to tell the secret—it was placed on the wall of the baby room of." "Poor Flora! Her mind was terrified, and shortly thereafter she became what we see her now. Lucy took care of her for a long time, and you know, Lucy took over me and became Became my nanny. Before Flora got back to the cottage, she was behaving strangely. It was on my mind and I couldn't get it out." "This place doesn't really belong to you, are you afraid of being discovered by others?" "At one point, it was almost exposed." "Guston Marchmont," I murmured, and a sense of dread rushed over me. "He's a scoundrel, and he deserved what he deserved, and he deserved his death," said Chris Pie. "He forced Flora to tell the secret. She could have lived her life in such ignorance; believing that the child was still alive, and that everything remained as it was before the accident. She had always believed it until he appeared. Yes. Do you know how much he hurt her...and Lucy? He guessed that there must be some secret between me and the cabin, and he made up his mind to dig it out. For wealth and status, he and Temaris Married: Then he finds he has even more than he expected. He steals the doll and scares poor Flora. He's seen that stupid painting—she I really shouldn't have that painting, Lucy's original intention was just to remind her not to tell the secret. You have to forgive Lucy, she is my mother, she is only for my own good, her biggest The joy is——watching me become the master of the mansion.” "But, that doesn't belong to you, Chris Pie." He shook his head vigorously, as if by doing so he would throw the facts away.He went on: "He threatened her with the doll and told her he would hurt it if she didn't speak, so Flora, who had no brains, had to speak. This shock brought her back to real life, and he The key secret was also obtained. Then he was killed." "Chris Pie, do you know who did it?" I asked terrified. He turned to me, smiling tenderly. "I know what's going on in your heart, and I know how much you love me. No, I made a mistake, but I didn't kill Guston Marchmont. You must know everything, I can see now Come out, these secrets are of no use to us; now that you know so much, you should know all about it. Flora was quite miserable at that time, she found that she had betrayed the secret, and at the same time she also awakened —for so many years she had lied to herself that it was just a horrible nightmare, and now she realized...it was all true. In a moment of foolishness, to please Gary, she took it The child was killed. Not long after this happened, Gary left for New Zealand. No doubt he thought the child was still alive, and of course he didn't know what happened. However, when the child When he fell to the ground, his fear made him decide to get out of here. Flora was out of her mind, so Lucy found a doll to comfort her and convince her that the child was alive and well. To Buddha As far as Laura is concerned, when she realizes that she has betrayed the secret, and that the doll is just a doll... there is only one way in her mind to be sure that the secret will not be told." "It's incomprehensible that she could do this, but she did it anyway. I believe that someone like her can suddenly become very focused, calm and precise in planning and acting, which is impressive. Because of her I had lived in St. Aubie's mansion for a while, and knew the situation of the mansion quite well, so I went into the gun storage room and stole a gun. Because the bush planting is the shortcut back to the mansion from the stables, The Saint Aubis used to go home that way; so she hid there and waited for Guston Marchmont to pass. She caught him that night, and she shot him dead. .Then, her elaborate plan ended in such a hasty way. She left the gun on the ground, and ran back to the cabin. Lucy was distressed and frantic, and she didn't know where Flora had gone. When Flora came back, I told her exactly what had happened." "Lucy's idea is: keep this secret. Her only dream is to see me own everything in the St. Aubis family, so that they will be compensated for all the suffering they have suffered all these years; don't forget, I am hers." Son. She ran back to St. Aubrey's that night and buried the gun she found. Unfortunately, it wasn't very efficient. It was Flora, Frederica who killed Guston Marchmont , please...please understand—this secret must never be revealed." For a while I was speechless, the words disturbing my thoughts.But beyond my horror, I was relieved; there were no more secrets between us now. I can picture everything that happened.Flora dropping the baby; the pain when she realized what she had done; I could picture those three desperate women, racking their brains day and night trying to find a way out of that predicament; I could feel The joy in Lucy's heart when she saw her son's bright future; I imagined when they buried that poor little body-the real Chris Pie.I can imagine the extent of Flora's insanity, and I can see the "picture of seven magpies" hanging there to remind her from time to time; if the secret is leaked out, the consequences will be terrible.In the end she told it, and Guston forced her to tell the secret.In her pure mind, there was only one solution: kill him before he told this ulterior secret. I said, "Chris Pie, this place doesn't belong to you." "But this place is so prosperous because of me. I made it all." "Even so, this place is still not yours. You are not the heir here." "No. Lucy is my mother, and I don't even know who my father is." "Lucy knows who he is," I said. "However, the matter still needs to be resolved. What are you going to do?" "What? What do you mean by that?" "Chris Pie...I have to call you Chris Pie..." "I've never had another name." "This matter... this fact will not disappear without a trace just because you told me." He didn't answer, so I continued, "This place doesn't belong to you, that's true, isn't it?" He didn't want to admit it...but it was true, and he knew it. "Own what you have no right to, and you will never be happy in your life." "I'm very happy. This place has always been mine and I can't think of anyone better suited to have it." "If, Guston Marchmont is still alive..." "He is no longer alive." "If he's still around, he'll make it public, so that..." "Of course he would, that was his motive. He must have known a thing or two already, Flora must have let it on, and the fact that she thought the doll was Chris Pie was of great significance. If he succeeds ——Then he can take over here as the other half of Temaris, but his life is too short." "But it belongs to Temaris. She is Diyuan's daughter, and the family doesn't even have a son now." He said: "If things develop to this point, it will be terrible. Think about the livelihood of everyone in the mansion, the operation of things will be affected. Now you know the secret, but don't Tell anyone. I'm glad to tell you about it, and you're right that there must be no secrets between us." "I'm glad you think so too." "Now Flora is our problem. I don't know what to do with her. Lucy is very worried about her. You know how the man treated her. She was very depressed. After that incident, she was completely changed. gone." "His death, like that baby, left an indelible mark on her conscience." "Now that she doesn't want the doll anymore, she seems to have come to the conclusion that Chris Pie is dead and that the doll was just a doll. When she believed it was a baby, her mind shut down completely. And put the past out of the way. But that evil man forced her to tell what happened, and he brought her back to life, which she couldn't face." "Chris Pie," I said. "There is one thing you must do, or you will never be safe in this life. Temaris must know that this place is hers, and she must know the truth; unless you tell her, you will never be able to completely Have fun." "Then, I will lose the fruits of all these years of hard work?" "Temaris loves you, she is very proud of you, she respects you as her brother, and she will ask you to stay. She knows that without you, no matter how perfect the plan is, it cannot go ahead." "At that time, this will not be mine anymore, and I will not accept other people's orders." "She won't order you." "What if she gets married? Think about it. If Guston Marchmond hadn't died, I can't imagine what the consequences would be!" "He's dead. I think Temaris has a right to know about it, and I'm sure you'll never be truly happy unless you tell her." He said he would never say it.He told me because we both agreed not to let a secret come between us.Now that I know it, please don't spread it anymore.What good is it to tell someone this age-old story!What good was it in bringing people to accuse Flora of murder? Poor Flora, she will be judged then.He will never allow this to happen - the whole story will come out.Not Temaris—all scandals, and her unfortunate one, would be uncovered.可怜的露西……以及我们所有的人，这么做，不论是谁都会遭到相当程度的打击。 这件事到现在一点进展也没有。Juston.马奇蒙的谋杀案如今已被列为悬案了，如果现在有人回想起这件事，一定会相信凶手是佳斯顿过去的仇人——他的声名狼籍，如今已是众所皆知的事了。 的确，这件事到现在一点进展也没有。 我们彻夜谈了一整晚，最后我终于说服他——有一件事，他是非做不可的。 他写了封信给泰玛莉丝。
要收到她的回信可要等上好一段时间。在这段期间里，克里斯派看起来快乐了些，可能是那夜和我倾谈的关系吧！ 他也说到，现在的感觉好像长久以来积压在他肩上的大石头已经卸下了，好不轻松。不过，在这同时我也看到他眼睛不时地流露出悲伤的神情。每当他谈起邸园时，我总是可以察觉出散布在空气中惆怅的气氛。我很想安慰他，也常纳闷如果有一天我们真的得离开圣奥比邸园，那该怎么办？ 当泰玛莉丝得知自己拥有这么一大块土地时，她一定会要接手掌管的；这样一来，将会是多少人的悲哀啊！ 我常想到佛萝拉手里举着枪，把他打死的样子，那个孩子的死也是她一手造成的，不过是那个年幼无知的她犯下的蠢事；但杀害佳斯顿则是冷血残酷的谋杀案件，而当时她一心只想到自己居然把那秘密出卖了。 除了这些惊人的内幕外，我很难有闲情逸致去想到其他的事。 我们每天都在等着泰玛莉丝的来信。前一阵子克里斯派和苏菲姨妈寄到卡斯克岛的那些信，如今已由卡拉回覆了。我父亲写信说他很高兴一切都能这么顺利，并希望我能带我丈夫到卡斯克岛让他看看。 最后，左盼右盼地，终于让我们等到泰玛莉丝的来信了。上面署名写着我们夫妻俩的名字，而书写风格和泰玛莉丝那轻率的个性完全吻合。 我亲爱的新婚佳偶……我想你们一定猜得出，看到你们的来信，我，真的是大大地吃了一惊。 这种事居然会在哈普葛林发生，真是太不可思议了！首先，我要向你们宣布一件最重要的消息。 别认为结婚是你们俩的专利，你们会吓一跳的，不过精明的佛雷德莉卡或许可从事情的发展趋势中，瞧出一些端倪来吧！是的，我结婚了，新郎当然是路卡。 我真的把圣男追到手了，不是吗？在杰可的受伤风波后，这里充满了刺激及欢笑。 我们现在已经有所小学校了，而且，相不相信，我和摩瑞儿那个老小姐一手包办学校的教学活动！她负责那些正经八百、拯救他们灵魂之类的事。而我则是扮小丑、逗人开心用的，他们总是围着我又唱又笑的，我真的爱死他们了，我相信他们对我也有同感。 路卡和居民处得很好，我们现在已经有间小……呃……诊所，我想你们在家乡是这么说的吧。摩瑞儿在这方面很有一套，约翰和路卡也在那儿帮忙——甚至连我偶尔都会到那儿去。在杰可事件成功的印证后，我们如今已风靡全岛，个个都成了赫赫有名的大红人了。 汤姆．郝洛威成了教会固定的常客，他们都很喜欢待在这里。 你们说的那些事，真的太不可思议了。也就是说，克里斯派——你竟然不是我哥哥。老实告诉你，我常想：真奇怪，我居然会有一个这么卓越的哥哥，我们俩的差别怎么会这么大。不过，这并不能改变任何人，我依然深爱着你和你的新娘。 而那些有关佛萝拉和婴儿、及娃娃的事，听起来好像从圣经或是莎士比亚里取出来的故事一样……就这样轻易地互换人们的命运，谁会想到这居然会在真实生活中发生……尤其是在哈普葛林。在这么多年乏味无趣的生活公式后，突然间居然会有这么戏剧化的转变。 原来圣奥比邸园是我的。我到底能在那里孵出几颗蛋来？我成天往佃户家跑，对农作物，屋顶及牛棚就会有帮助吗？ 亲爱的前任哥哥，拜托别弃我不顾，千万别带着你新婚的妻子远走高飞。留在属于你的地方，虽然我必须承认，如果你们能花点小钱来卡斯克岛看我，我就心满意足了。佛莱迪，我知道你父亲一定会很喜欢这个主意的，而且我也想让你瞧瞧在我们精心经营下，如今教会已大有改观了。我们将要盖一幢新的建筑物，我打算出一笔钱赞助，但圣男路卡这老小子并不喜欢这样，他并不想要一个有钱的妻子；事实上，他已经认为我太富裕了。他对这些一点也不感兴趣，他只要我；当然了，这有点太过超然了，不过还挺甜蜜的；不过，你也是知道“圣男路卡”这种人的。 好了，千万别为了这件事而做任何改变。那个地方是你的，克里斯派，我们都知道如果不是你，那个地方也不会有今日的繁荣的。 路卡说我们不能把这里弄得太华丽，教会的旨意不在此，它是建立在信心，忠实和关怀上的。你知道他这个人，佛莱迪，你会了解我的意思的。 我把信放下来，克里斯派说：“我没想到会有这样的结果。她太轻率了，好像这件事一点也不重要似的。” “对她而言，新生活才是最重要的，她已经拥有路卡这么好的男人了，还有何可求。所以我们应该假装一切都没发生过一样，别再想了。” “那以后怎么办？这个地方已经不是我的了。” “克里斯派，”我说。“它本来就不是你的。” “万一她改变主意了呢？你以为她能埋首在教会奋斗多久？你也知道泰玛莉丝这个人，她一向都只有三分钟热度。” This is true. 他继续说：“而当她了解到这个地方有……谁知道？或许她会决定回来接管也不一定？” “你是说把你逐出家门？怎么可能？她根本不知道如何经营这一大片产业。” “或许哪天她厌倦这个神圣的丈夫，或许……” “当然了，这世上没有什么不可能的事。” "so……" “克里斯派，”我说。“我们还有对方啊！这才是全世界最重要的事，我相信泰玛莉丝已学会了爱人的喜悦，这是她从没经验过的。你该看看她的转变有多大，她已不再是那个被佳斯顿．马奇蒙骗得团团转的那个傻丫头了，我相信她已经学会看清什么是生命中最重要的了。” “我呢？”他问。 “你也是，克里斯派。”我说。 他突然笑了，看起来一副心满意足的样子，顿时年轻了好几岁，就好像我们度蜜月的那段时间一样，那时他还深信那个秘密绝对不会被发现。但即使是在那时候，有几次他的脸上也会有恐惧的阴影抹过；而如今，这些全都消失得无影无踪了。
那天晚上出了一件大事。我当时是被那不寻常的声音吵醒的，当我从窗外看出去时，我看到整片天空好像打铁的炉子般，炽热得把黑幕映成胭脂红了。 我立刻跳下床，克里斯派站在我旁边。 “不知道是哪里着火了。”他说。 我们穿上衣服，便匆匆忙忙地出去了，楼下早已聚集了几个仆人在那儿大声嚷着。 当我循着浓烟的方向看时，莲家——这个想法立刻浮现在我的脑海里。我们急忙赶到小屋……而眼前所见竟是——炽热的火舌正在吞蚀曾历尽多少风波的七鹊屋。 露西一看到来的是克里斯派，便立刻跑向她儿子。他用双手抱着她，而她则歇斯底里地在他怀里哭了起来。 这简直就像一场梦魇——燃烧的木头发出劈叭的声音，四处耀武扬威的火焰，在墙壁面前兴高采烈地飞舞着，随着裂痕斑斑的砌石慢慢地散发热力。 露西哭累了，不过还是在啜泣着，她不停地一次又一次喊着佛萝拉的名字，那时我就知道——佛萝拉死了。她从育婴室的窗子跳下去，尸体在花园里的矮树丛旁被发现。 我这辈子绝不会忘记那天夜晚的。我记得当时眼前的事物变得模糊不清，人们一边奋力扑火，一边互相嘶喊着。接下来我得花好多的日子，才能将莲家小屋着火的画面，从脑海中移到记忆箱里的最后一层。 事发原因是茶余饭后最大的话题。佛萝拉．莲的行为举止向来就很怪异，她一定是点了根蜡烛，睡觉前却忘了把它吹熄：它有可能是不小心被弄翻了，火的爆发力很强，蔓延的速度相当快。那个可怜的家伙一定是太过惊慌，才往窗口一跃而下，其实她大可从楼梯走下楼的，她的姊姊就是这么做的。可怜的佛萝拉，你真是太糊涂了！ 他们说，这件事很单纯，连三岁小孩都看得出是怎么发生的。 我心里坚信佛萝拉是无法面对事实而寻短见的，她前后一共杀了两个人，她承受不了良心的谴责。我相信她是在育婴室布上火苗，然后让人相信她是为了逃生才跳出窗口的。她把秘密出卖给佳斯顿．马奇蒙之后，她再也不相信自己在有生之年，不会再次把这个不可告人的秘密说出去。 我们把露西带回圣奥比邸园。她在那里住了一阵子，但她宁愿住在属于她自己的房子，身为儿子的克里斯派——当然是在邸园内找幢距离较近的房子给她。三个月前，邸园里一个工人的寡妇去逝了，因此她生前所住的地方就这么空了下来；于是，克里斯派令人安排重新整修装潢，打算把它送给露西。 我常和她聊天，她改变态度接受我，而且我不再觉得她想刻意地避开我，我们之间已建立一层新的友好关系了。她是我丈夫的母亲，我开始揣测她的感受——这么多年来她一直照顾着佛萝拉，有一段时间这份工作沉重得让她惊慌不已，而如今她已卸下这份重责；但，首先她只注意到一股强烈的失落感。我想她是在为自己过去对我的态度寻找藉口吧！我记得她总是紧绷地说：“那真是太好了。”她曾这么说，然后她的眼神会变得很不安；这样一来，我就可以清楚地感受到她正等着我离开；当然了，我当时表现出来的好奇心或许有些太过鲁莽了。不过，如今我俩已搭起友谊的桥梁了。 她对我说：“能住得近一点也比较好。” “克里斯派坚持如此。”我告诉她。 “他向来对我就是这么好，甚至在他知道之前他就很仁慈了。” 有一次她说：“生下他，我毫不后悔。” “我可以了解你的感觉。”我告诉她。 “你我一定会成为朋友的，”她继续说。“我生下他，而你却带给他很多的快乐。从我第一次见到他的那一刻起，他就成了我生命的重心。那个法子很缺德，但是以当时的情况看来，却像是唯一可行之路，结果居然为他带来这么好的前程。” "I know." I said.
泰玛莉丝又寄来一封信。教会蓬勃发展，远超过他们所能想像的，她希望我们能过去看看。每星期日上完教堂后，露西总是会到佛萝拉的墓前去看望她，有时我也会陪她一起去，然后再回到她的新家喝杯茶，聊聊天。 有一天，克里斯派和我骑马经过“七鹊屋”的遗址。看着它，我忍不住发抖了起来，它看起来像是咧齿低吼的魑魅般——即使是在艳阳高照的夏日里。 “重建这个地方的时间到了，”克里斯派说，“我们过去看看吧！他们下星期可以先过来把这里清一清，目前为止建筑工人还派不上用场。” 我们把马拴在大门前依然耸立在那里的门柱上，经过那个记忆中熟悉的花园——以前佛萝拉总会推着婴儿车，在花园里的矮树丛面前坐了下来。 “小心。”我们进入已损毁的屋子时，克里斯派警告我说。他紧紧地牵着我的手，带我进入那曾是厨房的地方，大部分的墙壁都已倾倒了。 “这块地会很好清理的。”克里斯派说。 我们走向那些依然完整无缺的阶梯。 “真耐用，”克里斯派说。“这些阶梯相当好、很坚固。” 我们登上楼。一半的屋顶都已不见了，烟火的刺鼻味依然在空气中徘徊不去，我凝视着那些起泡的木头及焦黑的砖头……然后就在地板上，我看到了它，它面向着地板躺在那里。 我把它捡起来。外面的玻璃已成了碎片了，当我一碰到它，立刻就散落满地。而在眼前盯着我看的，就是那七只鹊鸟，图片被浓烟熏得污七抹黑的，整张纸已转黄且也都湿了。 我把图片拿出来，让画框随意掉落在地板上。 “这是什么？”克里斯派问。 “这就是佛萝拉的那幅画——露西为她裱框的那幅——'七鹊图'，有关一个绝对不能说出去的秘密。” 他盯着我，看我将它撕成碎片，随后我将那一堆纸片抛向空中，这时一阵风正从已坍塌的露天屋顶吹了进来，这一片片的碎花便随风四散飘舞了起来…… (End of the book)