Chapter 3 will written on parchment

will written on parchment Armand de Lafayette made a special trip from Paris to New York, USA for a private matter of another good friend.His good friend is the French artillery lieutenant Drake.After disembarking, he first went to the famous Pratt Bar, the time was April 12, 1849, in the evening. The noisy bar was filled with smoke and crowded.Amang sat on the bar cabinet and politely drank a glass of sherry.The bartender looked the stranger from head to toe with very unfriendly eyes, and then half-guessed that Amon didn't look like a local, and he just came from Italy.Amon smiled and nodded to admit, then smiled and shook his head to deny, and finally explained that he was French and came from Paris.The sarcastic bartender was still pestering Armang to say his name.

When Amon spoke his full name calmly and naturally, all the people around the bar cabinet who could hear his voice stopped their activities at once, and turned to look at Amon sideways, with surprise on their faces. admiration or a look of doubt: Is this plain young man really the man who occupies a place in modern French history?What is the relation of the Marquis de La Fayette? Aman was still very calm and naturally took out a bundle of documents from his pocket and threw them on the bar cabinet.Several furry heads immediately gathered together.All paperwork was printed in French—foreign characters that were incomprehensible to these people.The heads that came together spread apart again.

At this time, someone in a corner claimed in standard French that he might be able to do a little favor.I saw a half-old man with a thin head and dark skin curled up in an old and dirty military overcoat, holding a wine bottle, walking over with some shaky steps.His eyes were cloudy, and his mouth was full of brandy, but his manner was very dignified.Amon instinctively took off his hat to greet him, and the stranger returned the gift in a decent and solemn manner.He called himself Thaddeus.Perry. Mr. Perry approached Amon, flipped through the documents, and then held up a letter written in English and told the people around him that it was a letter of introduction written by the US envoy in Paris to US President Taylor.

Immediately, all sounds, even the faint hiss of the gas lamps, seemed to cease.Then, all the hostility and discrimination turned into intense love in the blink of an eye: someone patted Amon's back, someone squeezed his hand sorely, and the shame-faced bartender tried his best to block those who were vying for love. Those who buy wine and snacks from Amon are afraid that they will overthrow the respected Mr. Amon.He told Amon that he could get drunk without paying the bill. But the little Mr. Purry was pushed down by the crowd.Amon stretched his neck and stood on tiptoe, trying to see him, but to no avail; Amon waved his hands to stop this scene, but it was useless.It wasn't until a big man with a red beard yelled a few times that people calmed down.

Amon straightened his messy clothes, put the documents away, and expressed his gratitude to everyone for their friendship, but he came to New York this time because he had something very urgent to do, so he wanted to leave after paying the bill. Wanting to help him, he would like to ask by the way if anyone has heard of Mrs Severnette, who lives at 23 Thomas Street, with whom he would like to settle an injustice. Of course someone knows: Mrs Severnette is very rich, but also very stingy, what justice can be said with such an old woman. Amon told everyone: Mrs. Severnette's daughter, Miss Claude, lived in extreme poverty in Paris.And Madame herself was lured here from her home in Paris by a woman named "Naxibi".The lady and the daughter had never been on good terms, but Miss Laudai had recently become engaged to an artillery officer, and was in desperate need of money.The purpose of his trip is to persuade Mrs. Severnette to change her harsh attitude towards her daughter.

Before the words were finished, the bartender eagerly grabbed Amon's hand and told him to go to No. 23 Thomas Street, because the news came out there this morning that the mean old French woman had a stroke and she didn't know how long she would live. To Amon, this news was no less than a bolt from the blue.The big man with the red beard roared: "Hurry up and get out of the way to make way for Lafayette's nephew!" As he said that, he rushed ahead and grabbed Amon and walked towards the door.People cheered Amon, surrounded him and pushed him to the door.Amon moved his head back to say goodbye to everyone, and suddenly saw the thin Mr. Purley, who was sitting at a small round table in the corner, wiping the cigarette stains on his coat.Under the erratic gaslight, his face looked very pale.

Amon's carriage went straight to No. 23 Thomas Street, and he kept thinking along the way: If Mrs. Severnette died without leaving her daughter a penny, how could he go back to Paris to explain to his good friend? At last the carriage stopped at the gate of 23 Thomas Street.Amon jumped out of the carriage and knocked on the door knocker vigorously. It took a few minutes before he heard the sound of the bolt twitching.First, he showed one eye and stared at Amon for a long time before the two doors were fully opened.It was Miss "Naxibi" standing inside the door: she was not old, not even middle-aged, and she still had an indescribable charm.It's just that his face is gloomy, and his two green eyes keep rolling.She knew Amon, but she refused to let him in because Amon was not a relative of Mrs. Severnette.

Armand asked Mrs. Severnette if she was still alive, and the answer was yes, but completely paralyzed.Amon mentioned his wife's daughter Claude, and Naxibi knew that Amon liked Claude, and this time he came here just to get some of Mrs. Severnette's inheritance in the name of Claude, so he said it was a pity He came a step late, and reminded Amon in a low voice: If he no longer likes Miss Claude but likes her, maybe he can get a few million francs or more... Amon is telling Nasibi: Miss Claude has agreed to marry his good friend, Lieutenant Drake, and he himself has no intention of marrying a woman he doesn't like for money.Just as they were in a stalemate, someone came out of the darkness holding a candle. This person also spoke French tremblingly, and he heard the argument outside.

By candlelight, Amon recognized the man as his brother's friend, Lawyer Duroc.It was he who wrote to Amon's brother, saying that he had persuaded Mrs. Severnette to change her unfair attitude towards her daughter and let Amon come to handle specific matters.Now that Armand has arrived, the lawyer regrets again: just last night, a document of vital importance to everyone present disappeared. Amon proposed to see Mrs. Severnette who was paralyzed in bed.Depressed Duroc led Amon into a large square room.There was a big bed with four pillars and a top in the room, three sides of the big bed were tightly hidden by green curtains, and through the curtains, one could see Mrs Severnette, leaning her head and shoulders against the pillow. , lying there stiffly.The strap of her nightcap was tightly fastened to her chin, and only two horrible eyes rolled towards the coming person. Her dry lips moved slightly occasionally, but she couldn't speak.

Duroc asked softly in English the American doctor Harding who was bending over to the bed. The doctor's answer was still disappointing: only a few hours to live, maybe even shorter.If anyone wants to know more from her, hurry up. Only then did Amon notice unburned coals piled up on the grate of the fireplace, and a local police officer was sitting on an armchair beside him.The police officer, who was picking his teeth with a jackknife, did not understand the French they were speaking in, and seemed unconcerned by the presence.Miss Nasibi didn't say a word, just walked up and down beside Amon, her half-closed green eyes were shining brightly, it was impossible to tell whether her expression was gloating or anxious.

Amon literally ran out of Mrs. Severnette's room at a sprint speed, and then went straight to Pratt's bar.He was going to tell his friends all the doubts that filled his head, and especially to find that Mr. Purry. After all, it was late at night, the streets were empty, and the noisy Pratt Bar became deserted at the moment. Those who patted Amon's back and squeezed Amon's hands went to nowhere.Only the big man with the red beard passed out drunk at the table, and Mr. Purry was still sitting in the corner, staring at the glass in a daze.Amon came to his side, and he seemed to wake up from his meditation. Amon sat down opposite him, and Purley stood up as if flattered, expressing his honor to have someone like Amon by his side.He called to the bartender, but stopped when he reached into his pocket. Of course, Amon refused to ask Perry to pay the bill. When the brandy and the cup came, Purley poured Amon the wine first, and then poured it for himself. He poured much more than Amon's cup and swallowed three points One, and then looked at Amon, as if waiting for him to speak.The exhausted Amon recounted the experience of the previous two hours. Mrs. Severnette, though ill for a long time, was able to get up as usual until early this morning.She was in a good mood at that time, because just last night, after repeated persuasion by Duroc's lawyer, she finally signed a will leaving all the money to her daughter despite Nasibi's obstruction.They avoided Nasibi, bolted the bedroom door, and Duroc wrote the will on three parchments.This canceled a previously signed will leaving everything to Nasibi.Then Mr. Duroc rushed to Thomas Street and found two sane men. In front of these two men, Mrs. Severnette signed the will with trembling hands. After signing off to send them off, Duroc folded the three parchments and prepared to put them in his briefcase.At this moment, Mrs. Severnette suddenly screamed. She grabbed the few sticks and pressed them piously on her chest, saying that she would keep this will for one night. She wanted to read it again, twice, or even a thousand times. Ten thousand times, she must keep every word in the will in her heart. "If I slept, I'd hide it." Duroc pointed out, and the lady knew at once that he was referring to Nasibi, and said it was all right, she could not come in through the locked shutters and guarded doors, although the woman would be nearby.Lady Severnette begged Duroc to stay at her house that night.It was already one o'clock in the morning, and he naturally hesitated.The lady told him that there was a small dressing-room outside the only door in the room, and she told Mr. Duroc to put the writing-desk by that door, so that anyone who wanted to enter the room would have to go through him.For Miss Claudette, and for the old friendship between Mrs. Duroc and Mrs. Duroc, he placed a writing desk outside the door by the doorpost, and watched Mrs. Claude slowly get into bed with the help of the bed frame.Duroc was the last to see the lady's profile before closing the door.A candle was burning on the table to her right.Until 5 o'clock in the morning, Duroc suddenly heard a cry that seemed to be made by a deaf-mute, which made him twitch and feel cold.He hurriedly opened the door and rushed into the room. On the table on Mrs. Severnette's right, the last pale blue flame of a candle danced, and the lady lay stiff.Duroc tried to ask her questions, and she could only roll her eyes.Duroc suddenly thought of the will, the important will that the lady held in her hand like a dying nun holding the cross?It is no longer in the lady's hand, nor is it on the bed, table, or floor. Duroc yelled like a deaf person, and Mrs. Severnette just fixed her eyes on him, and then looked down at a toy rabbit on the bed.It is about 4 inches high and made of pink fleece.Madame Duroc looked again, as if to emphasize the point.Then her eyeballs began to roll, and Duroc's gaze, following this laborious movement, moved to a large barometer on the wall by the door.Madame did this three times before the candle went out. Duroc was convinced that the will could not be stolen, for the shutters were locked and the only door was guarded.The will was not hidden either, for every inch of the room was searched, not even the walls and ceiling were missed. After dawn, they called the furniture master and dismantled all the furniture that could be dismantled, even the back of the mirror.The chimney sweep climbed up the chimney, but returned in vain.Before Armand rushed to No. 23 Thomas Street, a total of 14 people searched for Mrs. Severnette's medical order in this room.Even the toy rabbit was cut open. At that time, Amon, who was at a loss and at a loss, walked up to the barometer, patted it, and checked whether the will was hidden inside.The pointer of the barometer points to the scale mark of "Rain, Cold".Amon looked at it for a while, but couldn't connect it with the matter in front of him.I had to look around to see if there was a gap where I could hide the three parchments.On a shelf there were a few dusty books and a clump of the next day's Sun, which was filthy.Amon tore off the ball of paper, but there was nothing. Suddenly, a low voice came from the dim room: "That woman knows!" It was the voice of lawyer Duroc, and the woman he said was Nasibi. "Tell me, do you know where the will is?" Hearing Duroc's question, Nasibi looked puzzled and extremely surprised. Duroc was a little angry, and he simply went straight to the point: If you can't find this new will, then Xibi can inherit all the inheritance? ! Nasibi first nodded to admit the fact, then, as if he had been wronged, he put his hands on his chest and swore that he didn't know where the new will was going.She claimed to have looked after Lady Severnette, and perhaps the poor woman regretted being ungrateful to her by burning the new will with a candle in the absence of the others, and pulverizing the ashes and blowing them away. At this time, the police officer who could not understand French dropped the knife in his hand and muttered about what others were talking about and what was going on in their minds. The word "brain" inspired Amon, and he suddenly thought of "nightcap". Mrs. Severnette wore a very wide nightcap with a tall tip. Flattened files can be hidden.Amon shouted the word "Nightcap" in English, and the local police officer immediately understood what Amon meant, and rushed to the bed in a few steps, holding a candle in one hand and pulling up Mrs. Severnette with the other. nightcap.It must have been too heavy hands and feet, but the will was not found, but the lady closed the eyes that were still rolling just now forever. Nasibi laughed out loud.Amon rushed out of the room like a madman and came to this bar... Mr. Perry, who sat at the other side of the table, listened very carefully at first, but then seemed to stop listening, looking down at the empty glass, which he kept turning with his dry hands.With his hoarse voice, he asked Amon two questions: first, the exact location of the toy rabbit on the bed; second, whether the will on the three parchments was written on two sides or one side. Both of these questions were queer, but Armon answered Mr. Purry seriously: the toy rabbit was almost at the foot of the bed, at the midpoint on one side of the bed; the will was only written on one side of the parchment, which Duroc said of. This confirmed Mr. Purley's imagination.He raised his head suddenly, his face was red from drinking, his eyes were a little frantic, but his speech was clearer than before.He called Amon's full name like a judge reading a judgment, and then said that he could help them find the missing will.In Mr. Purry's view, they took the problem too complex and unfathomable, and so went astray. Mr. Perry became serious, and turned his eyes to the sailing schedule taped to the wall. He was leaving America tomorrow on the Parnassus for England and then France.If Amon doesn't believe him, he can leave the bar now. Amon asked Perry for guidance. Mr. Perry began to reason: it was Mrs. Severnette who hid the will at midnight. She was not only afraid that Nasibi would take the will, but also that others would collude with Nasibi.Madame was convinced that if she died of a stroke, the police would arrive and they would quickly discover her simple ruse.Even if she was paralyzed, there would certainly be other people in the room, unwittingly acting as guards.The mistake of Amon and others lies in reasoning: Mrs. Severnette stared at a place near the foot of the bed, not at the toy rabbit—it was the only thing the lady could see in the eyes of everyone.And there are bed curtains on three sides of the bed, only the side facing the door is not closed, so Mr. Purry thinks that the bed curtain covers all the way to the foot of the bed. After Mrs. Severnette stared at the place where the toys were put, Turning her eyes a few times to look around indicated that she wanted to draw the curtains of the bed so that she could see what was behind the curtains.Behind the bed curtain is the fireplace, of course. "Fireplace!" Amon almost shouted.Purley continued to reason in a calm and calm tone: the barometer on the wall was showing "rain, cold", indicating that a cold wave was coming.However, on this day in April, it was very warm outside and very stuffy inside. This phenomenon is indeed inconsistent.But if you connect this incongruous weather with the fireplace and the grate, you will find the problem: there are unlit coals in the grate. To light the fire, of course, you need coal, and you need kindling wood, but most of all——paper ! (Amon wants to call out again) And on the shelf of the small cupboard in that room, there is a very crumpled and dirty newspaper—“The Sun”.It is most common to start a fire with newspaper. Perry said this with a contemptuous smile on his face.He swallowed another big gulp of brandy, blushed even more, and began to speed up the sound and increase the volume: if Amon rushed now, he would definitely see the crumpled will protruding from under the coals and logs of the grate.Anyone who opened them would only find that it was dirty white paper with the writing side underneath, and no one would think of this.It's too warm today to start a fire in Nasibi, and there are police officers there 24 hours a day, and no outsiders are allowed to touch anything.In fact, Mrs. Severnette has been warning and hinting to Amon: Do not light a fire, otherwise the will will be burned... At this point, Perry plopped down on the table, half drunk and half asleep, and stopped talking. This kind of reasoning seems ordinary, but it is by no means inferred by an ordinary person.Time has not allowed Amon to ponder over and over again, and he didn't care to say goodbye to the admirable Mr. Perry, so he rushed back to Thomas 23 like an arrow. The police officer happened to be coming down the stairs, and he told Amon: His mission has been completed, and it must be the dead old lady who burned the will with a candle. Amon didn't want to hear this kind of conclusion.Seeing that the front door was unlocked, he ran into the darkened room and to the back bedroom.Mrs. Severnette's body was still lying on the big dark bed, the candle flickered on and off, almost burning into the candle socket of the candlestick.On the ground was a jackknife that the officer had used to pick his teeth.Only Nasibi knelt on the ground in front of the fireplace and struck a match. A blue flame burst out from the end of the match, and she eagerly extended the flame to the grate.Aman only felt the blood all over his body protruding upwards, he rushed over and pushed Naxibi away from the grate, the woman's body bumped into a chair, staggered and fell down.A'Mang stretched out his hand to the coals, the coals scattered, and the small pieces of firewood fell down one after another.Sure enough, Amon found the crumpled and dirty parchment. Excited, Amon called out to Mr. Duroc.He didn't notice that Nasibi who was lying on the ground saw all this clearly.The latter secretly picked up the folding knife left by the police officer from the ground, quietly approached him, and stabbed him in the back. Duroc arrived, but fortunately the incision was not deep, and it would be fine after a little treatment. Duroc called the police again.Seeing that he had nothing to do with himself, the injured Amon returned to the bar.He wanted to thank Purley and at least pay him properly for his work. When we arrived at the bar, the gas lamps were still flickering so faintly, and the bartender was still so attentive and polite, but the small round table next to the corner pillar was empty.Amon glanced around, then pointed to that table, and asked the bartender where the person sitting at that table had gone. The bartender said: "They threw this drunken bum out into the gutter on the side of the street, and he'd have to crawl a bit to get up.For the poor man asked for a bottle of the best brandy, when he could not afford it.They also made him write an IOU before throwing him out. The veins on Aman's cheeks and neck were twitching, and his teeth were gritting.He explained that he had asked for the bottle of brandy and that he would pay for it. The bartender seemed to remember something: that crazy poor man had nagged along the way that a gentleman would pay the IOU for him. Everything is understood.Any explanation and anger are superfluous.At this moment, Amon's only wish is to find Mr. Purry immediately, because Mr. Purry will leave the United States early tomorrow morning.In which hotel did he spend the night tonight, or in what corner did he stay up until dawn? "My good friend Mr. Purry!" said he. Hearing the word Perry, the bartender couldn't help but sneered a few times: that's not his real name.His real name is on that IOU.The bartender fumbled in his pocket for the IOU. The bill reads: I owe you a bottle of the best brandy, forty-five cents. Edgar Allan Poe