Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty-Four

Thank God!Thanks to Favere for laughing out loud, thanks to him poking with his fingers, his face swollen like a pig's liver, his bloodshot eyes staring, and thanks to the fact that the guy swayed from place to place.All this caused Colonel Julian to view the man with hostility and to side with us.I saw the colonel's face showing an expression of extreme loathing, and his hands were trembling uncontrollably.Colonel Julian didn't believe him; Colonel Julian was on our side. "This guy is drunk," he said quietly. "He's babbling about things he doesn't even understand."

"I'm drunk?" Favre yelled. "Oh, no, my good friend! You may be a magistrate, with the rank of colonel, but it doesn't make any difference to me. It's different this time, the law is on my side, and I don't miss a chance. This time In addition to you, there are several administrators in this area! Those people have brains and understand the meaning of the law. They are not like those veterans who were kicked out of the army many years ago because of incompetence, and their chests are full of insignificant medals. Staggering around. Max De Winter killed Rebecca, and I'll prove the guilt."

"Wait a moment, Mr. Favere," said Colonel Julian calmly. "You were there at the arraignment this morning, weren't you? I remember seeing you sitting in the hall, and if you felt the verdict was unfair, why didn't you speak up to the jury and the coroner himself? Why weren't you there? Show this letter in court?" Favre stared at him and said with a smile, "Why? Because I don't want to do it. That's why. I'd rather come here and talk to De Winter in person." "That's why I'm calling you," said Maxim, taking a few steps from the window. "We've all heard Fevre's accusations. I raised the same subject with him: why didn't I tell the coroner my suspicions? He said he wasn't a rich man, if I agreed to give him two or three thousand pounds a year. For the rest of his life, he won't bother me. Frank was there, and my wife was there. They both heard it. You ask them."

"It's all true, sir," said Frank. "Blackmail, pure and straight blackmail." "Yes, that's right," said Colonel Julian. "The problem with blackmail is that it's never pure or straight forward. It's a huge embarrassment for a lot of people when people who do blackmail end up in jail. Sometimes, though, innocent people go to jail. disaster. In this case, we will try not to make that happen. Favere, I don't know if you are sober at the moment, and if you can answer my question with a normal mind.If you don't continue to talk hard and make random personal attacks, we will have a chance to get to the bottom of the whole case as soon as possible.Just now, you made a serious allegation against de Winter.Do you have any evidence to back up this allegation? "

"Evidence?" Favre said. "What do you want evidence for? Aren't those holes in the bottom of the boat enough evidence?" "Certainly not enough," said Colonel Julian. "Unless you can find an eyewitness to testify. Where is your witness?" "To hell with the witnesses!" said Favere. "Of course it was Derwent's fault. Who else would kill Rebecca?" "Chris has a lot of residents," Colonel Julian said. "Why don't you go door-to-door to investigate? I might do it. If the evidence you have can be used against De Winter, it can also be used against me."

"Oh, that's right," Favre said. "It turns out that you were going to support him from the beginning to the end. You made up your mind to be De Winter's backing. You are his guest, and he is your wine and meat friend. In this way, you will protect him. He is the leader of this area. Celebrity at Manderley, owner of Manderley. You damned snob, despicable villain!" "Be careful, Favere, be careful with what you say." "Do you think this will overwhelm me? You think I can't go to court? I'll lay the evidence before you. Tell you, De Winter killed Rebecca because he hated me He knew I was her lover, and he was jealous, madly jealous. He found out she was waiting for me at the beach hut, so he ran off in the dark and killed Rebecca. Then he dragged the body aboard the sailboat , and scuttled the ship."

"Favre, your story is pretty clever, but I'll say it again: you have no proof. Get an eyewitness to be your witness so I may take your accusation seriously. I know the beach house, the house Isn't it used for picnics? Mrs. de Winter used it as a place to store her sails and rigging. If you could turn that cottage into a common bungalow, there's fifty similar houses inhabited around there, It can somewhat confirm your story just now, only in this way can someone in the neighbors witness what happened." "Wait a minute," Favre said slowly. "Wait a minute . . . Derwent may have actually been seen that night. It's not a small possibility! Worth looking into. What would you say if I had a witness?"

Colonel Julian shrugged.I saw Frank glance at Maxim questioningly, and Maxim kept silent, just staring at Favere.Suddenly, I understood what Favere meant, and I knew who he was talking about.In a moment of trepidation, I had to admit that he was right.There was indeed an eyewitness that night, and I recall sporadic words.I didn't understand the meaning of those words at first, and thought they were the incoherent ramblings of a poor idiot's head. "She's down there, isn't she? Not coming back." "I never told anyone." "They'll find her there, won't they? The fish ate her, didn't they?" "She never Not coming back." Bane knew, Bane saw it.Although Beth was insane and crazy, she was always a witness.He must have been hiding in the woods that night to have seen Maxim untie the boat and come back from the sea on the rubber raft alone.I felt that the color on my face was gone, so I quickly raised my head and leaned against the cushion.

"There's an imbecile around here who hangs out at the beach all the time," Favre said. "At that time I used to come to Manderley and Rebecca for trysts. This man haunted this area, and I saw him often. He always spent the night in the woods or on the beach in sweltering weather. The boy is a little nervous, so Wouldn't come forward and testify automatically. But if he did see something that night, I've got a way to get him to tell the truth, and there's a damn good chance he'll catch him.” "Who is this man? What nonsense is he talking about?" asked Colonel Julian.

"He must be referring to Bane," Frank said, and then glanced at Maxim again. "The son of a tenant on the Grange. But the man can't take responsibility for what he says or does, because he's a born idiot." "What the hell does that matter?" Favre said. "Doesn't he have eyes too? He knows what he sees. Just ask him to say 'yes' or 'no'.Now you're scared, aren't you?Not so confident anymore? " "Can this man be brought in for an inquiry?" asked Colonel Julian. "Certainly," said Maxim. "Tell Robert to come to Bain's mother's immediately, Frank, and bring this man."

Frank hesitated.I saw him give me a sideways glance. "Go, for God's sake," said Maxim. "Don't we want to get this over with quickly?" Frank obeyed and walked out of the house.At this time, my old problem of heartburn occurred again. A few minutes later, Frank returned to the library and reported: "Robert is driving my car. As long as Yuan En is at home, he will be there in ten minutes." "He's definitely home when it's raining," Favre said. "Not going out. I'll show you all how I get this man to talk." He smiled at Maxim, still flushed.He was so excited that he was steaming all over, and beads of sweat hung like soybeans.I noticed that the fat on the nape of the man's neck was piled up outside his collar, and his ears were set too low.That playboy good looks don't last long.This person is already obese, with fat all over his body.He took another cigarette. "It's like a little gang of you guys forming here," he said. "No one would betray anyone. Even the magistrates were in the party. But of course we can't count the bride. How can a wife testify against her husband? Crowley no doubt made a lot of money." Good thing, he also knows that if he tells the truth, he's going to lose his job. If I didn't guess, there's a little bit of jealousy in the back of his soul. You didn't get much out of Rebecca, Crowley, Isn't the path in the garden long enough? It's easier this time, isn't it? A bride is always grateful for your kindness when she faints. When she hears that her husband is sentenced to death At that moment, your arm was a ready support." It happened so fast that I didn't even have time to see Maxim's movements.All I saw was Favere staggering, falling on the arm of the sofa, and then rolling to the floor.Maxim was standing beside him.I felt disgusted that Maxim's taking Favere was out of place.How I wish I didn't know about it, how I wish I wasn't there to witness it.Colonel Julian was stern and said nothing.He turned around and came to stand beside me. "I think you'd better go upstairs," he said calmly. I shook my head. "No," I whispered. "No." "The guy can say anything at the moment," he said. "It's not very nice what you've just seen, is it? Of course, your husband is right, but it's a pity to do it in your presence." I didn't make a sound, just watched Favere slowly get up from the ground.He slumped down on the sofa, wiping his face with a handkerchief. "Bring me a drink," he said. "Bring a glass of wine." Maxim gave Frank a wink, and Frank walked out the door.No one in the room spoke.After a while Frank came back into the room with the whiskey and soda tray.He prepared a glass of wine and handed it to Feiffer. Favre drank from it, with the greediness of a beast.When he put his mouth on the glass, he showed a vulgar look of indulging in appetite, and his upper and lower lips covered the wine glass at once, which was even more peculiar.There was a deep red mark on his face, where Maxim had slapped him. Maxim had turned again and walked back to the window.I looked at Colonel Julian, who was studying Maxim with subtle concentration.My heart started beating wildly.Why was Colonel Julian staring at Maxim like that? Did he start to waver and have doubts in his heart? Maxim didn't notice this gaze, he still watched the rain scene by himself.The rain has not abated, and the endless ticking fills the room.Favor finished his drink and put the glass back on the coffee table next to the sofa.He was breathing heavily and didn't look at any of us, just stared blankly at the floor in front of him. The phone rang in the small room, very sharp and piercing.Frank went to answer. Then he came back again, looked at Colonel Julian and said, "It's from Qianjin. The people in the house asked if we can wait for you to go back before dinner?" Colonel Julian waved his hand impatiently: "Let them eat first. Just say I don't know when I'll be home." He looked at his watch and muttered, "It's a pity they managed to make a phone call What a good time to choose." Frank went into the closet to answer.I imagined the girl on the other end of the line, probably the one who loves to play golf.I imagined her saying loudly to her sister: "Dad let us eat first. What the hell did he do? The ribs will be too old to bite when they are cold." A small family over there is also in chaos tonight. The work and rest rules at home were broken by us.All these insignificant incidents, one after the other, caused each other, and in the final analysis it was because Maxim had killed Rebecca.I looked over at Frank, who was pale and stern. "I heard Robert driving back," he said to Colonel Julian. "There's a window over there that faces the driveway." He walked out of the library and went to the lobby to meet him.Favre looked up as Frank spoke, and then he got up from the sofa again and looked towards the door with a sinister grin on his face. The door opened, and Frank walked in, talking back to the people in the hall outside. "It's all right, Bane," he said softly. "Mr. de Winter would like to give you some cigarettes. There is nothing to be afraid of." Bane walked into the room bewildered, holding his sailor cap in both hands.With no hat on, the man looked bald and completely transformed.The first time I saw it, it turned out that his head was completely shaved and he didn't have a hair on his head.Bane looked really different now, a downright ugly monster. The lights in the room seemed to dazzle his eyes.He looked around the room in a daze, blinking his small eyes constantly.His eyes fell on me, and I responded with an uneasy faint smile, but I don't know if he recognized me.He just blinked furiously.Favre walked slowly towards him and stood in front of him. "Hi," he said. "How's life going since the last time we met?" Bain looked at him stupidly, from his expression, it seemed that he didn't know this person at all.He didn't answer either. "How?" Favre said again. "You know who I am, don't you?" Bane just fiddled with the hat in his hand. "What?" he asked. "A cigarette," Favre said, passing the case.Beth looked at Maxim and Frank. "Never mind," said Maxim. "It's up to you to take it." Beth took four cigarettes, two stuck behind one ear.Afterwards, he started fiddling with the hat again. "You know who I am, don't you?" Favre asked again. Bane still didn't answer.Colonel Julian came up to him and said, "You'll be home right away, Beth. No one here will do you any harm. Just answer a question or two. Do you know Mr. Favell?" This time, Bane shook his head and said, "I've never seen him." "Don't be a goddamn fool," Favere said gruffly. "You know in your heart that you've seen me. You've seen me go to the beach hut. Mrs. de Winter's hut. You saw me there, didn't you?" "No," said Beth. "I didn't see anyone." "You bloody fool and liar," Favere said. "Do you dare to stand in front of me and talk nonsense? Last year, Mrs. de Winter and I walked in the woods together, and we went into the cabin together. Don't you dare to say that you didn't see it? You peeked out of the window once. We were not like that is you?" "What?" Bane said. "What a convincing witness," Colonel Julian teased. Fevre turned around and yelled at him: "This is a pre-arranged scam. Someone has worked hard on this idiot and bought him off. To tell you the truth, this guy has seen me, and there will always be Dozens of times. See, does this thing help you remember something?" He fumbled in the back pocket of his trousers and produced a wallet.He held up a one-pound note and shook it at Beth. "Do you remember now?" he asked. Bane still shook his head. "I haven't seen him," he said, grabbing Frank's arm. "Did he come to send me to the madhouse?" "No," Frank said. "No, absolutely not, Bane." "I don't go to hospital," Bain said. "Terrible treatment there. I'm going to stay home. I haven't done anything wrong." "Relax, Bane," Colonel Julian said. "Nobody's going to send you to a madhouse. Are you sure you've never seen this gentleman before?" "No," Bane said. "I've never seen him." "Do you remember Mrs. de Winter?" asked Colonel Julian. Bane shot me an unsure look. "No," said Colonel Julian pleasantly. "Not this one. I mean the other one, the lady who used to go to the beach shack." "What?" said Beth. "Do you remember the mistress of the sailboat?" Beth blinked and said, "She's gone." "Yes, we know that," said Colonel Julian. "She goes out to sea all the time, doesn't she? The last time she sailed, were you on the beach? It was a night twelve months ago, and she hasn't been back since." Bane rubbed his sailor cap, first glanced at Frank, then at Maxim. "What?" he said. "You were there, weren't you?" Favre said, leaning forward. "First you saw Mrs. de Winter walking towards the beach hut, and then you saw Mr. de Winter following her into the hut. What happened? Go on. Then what happened?" Bane recoiled timidly toward the wall. "I didn't see anything," he said. "I want to stay at home, I don't go to the madhouse. I've never seen you, never before. I've never seen you with her in the woods." He whimpered like a child Woo cried. "You delirious rat," Favre said slowly, swearing. "You bloody lunatic, rat spirit!" Bane wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his coat. "The witnesses you've got don't seem to be helping you," said Colonel Julian. "This cross-examination procedure is a complete waste of time. Is there anything else you want to ask him?" "It's a ruse," cried Favere. "You're plotting against me. You're the same raccoon, and you're all in collusion. I bet someone paid this idiot to come here and tell lies." "I think Bane can go home," Colonel Julian said. "There, Beth," said Maxim. "Robert will send you back here. No one will send you to a madhouse. Do not be afraid.Tell Robert to get him something to eat," he ordered Frank. Some cold meat, or whatever he likes. " "Aha, you gotta get paid for your service, right?" Favre said. "He did a great job for you today, Max, didn't he?" Frank takes Beth away.Colonel Julian glanced at Maxim, and went on: "The man seemed petrified and trembling all over. I kept an eye on him. He hasn't been ill-treated?" "No," said Maxim. "This man has nothing to do with the world. I have always let him come and go freely in the manor." "There must have been some sort of stimulus in the past," said Colonel Julian. "He rolled his eyes just now. That's the way a dog looks when you pull out the whip to hit a dog." "Then why don't you whip him?" said Favere. "Give this fellow a taste of the whip, and he'll remember me. Oh no, he's been a great service tonight, and he's got a good dinner tonight, and he's not going to give him a whip!" "He can't help you much, can he?" said Colonel Julian quietly. "We're all standing still. You can't bring a shred of evidence against De Winter, you know that. The motive you give for the murder itself is not tenable. If it goes to court, Favell, No fruit for you. You say you're Mrs. de Winter's future husband, and that you and her have had a tryst at the beach house. But even the idiot who was answering the question in this room just swore he never saw it You, even this statement about yourself, I am afraid there is no evidence for it!" "No evidence?" Favre said.I saw him smile, and then he went to the fireplace and rang the bell. "What are you doing here?" asked Colonel Julian. "Take a moment and you'll understand," Feiffer said. I have already guessed his next move.The ringing of the bell summoned Frith. "Mrs. Danvers, please come here," said Favere. Frith looked at Maxim, and Maxim nodded. Frith walked out the door.At this time, Colonel Julian asked: "Isn't Mrs. Danvers the housekeeper here?" "At the same time she was Rebecca's confidant," said Favere. "She served Rebecca for many years before she got married, and it can even be said that she raised Rebecca herself. You will find that Danny, a witness, is very different from Bain." At this moment Frank was back in the library.Fevre turned to him and said, "Send Bain to bed? After he's had enough to drink, he has to say hello, right? This time, it won't be so cheap for you little gang!" "Mrs. Danvers is coming downstairs," said Colonel Julian. "It seems Favre believes there is something to be learned from her." Frank gave Maxim a quick glance which did not escape Colonel Julian's eye.I saw the Colonel tighten his lips.It's not a good sign, no, things are bad.So I started biting my fingernails again. We watched the door and waited.In a moment, Mrs. Danvers appeared.On weekdays, I always deal with her alone. Standing next to me, she looks tall, thin and long, but now she seems to be shorter, and her description is more haggard than usual.I also noticed that, talking to Favere, Frank, and Maxim, she had to bend her neck.She stood at the door, put her hands together in front of her, and glanced at the people in the room one by one. "Good night, Mrs. Danvers," said Colonel Julian. "Good night, sir," she replied. Her tone was old, stiff, and lifeless, a voice I knew all too well. "First, Mrs. Danvers, I have a question for you," said Colonel Julian. "The question is; are you aware of the late Mrs. de Winter's relation to this Mr. Favere?" "They're first cousins," said Mrs. Danvers. "I'm not asking about blood relation, Mrs. Danvers," said Colonel Julian. "I mean a deeper relationship." "I don't understand you, sir," said Mrs. Danvers. "Come on, stop pretending, Danny," Favre said. "You know exactly what he wants to know. I've told Colonel Julian, but he doesn't seem to believe it. Rebecca and I have lived together on and off for years, haven't you? She loves me, doesn't she?" ?” To my surprise, Mrs. Danvers looked at him for some time without speaking, and there was a certain contempt in her eyes. "She doesn't love you," she said. "Listen, you old fool..." Mrs. Danvers interrupted Favre as soon as he began. "She doesn't love you, and she doesn't love Mr. de Winter. She loves no one, and she despises all men. She is above love." Favere flushed with anger. "Listen. Didn't she often meet me at night along the trail, through the woods, on the beach? Didn't you sit and wait for her to come back? Didn't she talk to me in London?" Shall I spend the weekend together?" "So what?" said Mrs. Danvers suddenly excited. "Even if she does, so what? Doesn't she have a right to pleasure? Love between a man and a woman is a game to her, just a game. She told me so herself. She goes to a man Well, that's because she thinks it's funny. I repeat, she thinks it's funny! She laughs at you like she laughs at all the other guys. Many times, I've waited for her to come home and watch her sit on the bed in the room on the second floor, laughing You men, laughing so hard that you can't help but laugh." This sudden speech like a cannonball is a bit unexpected, and it sounds disgusting.Even though I knew what Rebecca was like, I still felt sick to hear this.Maxim's face was as white as paper.Feffer looked at her dumbfounded, as if he didn't understand the meaning of the words.Colonel Julian was pulling at his mustache.For a while, no one spoke, only the sound of falling rain outside the house could be heard endlessly.After a while Mrs. Danvers was crying.She had sobbed and cried in the same way that morning in her bedroom.I didn't want to watch her sob, so I turned my face away.Still no one spoke; only two voices were heard in the room—the ticking of the rain and Mrs. Danvers' wailing.The scene was so unbearable that I wanted to scream, to rush out the door and scream as much as I could. No one came to her side to comfort her or help her sit down.She just kept sobbing.Finally—it felt like a long, long time—she finally started to control her emotions, and the crying gradually stopped. She stood motionless by the door, the muscles of her face twitching, and her hands were tightly clutching. Black wool coat.When she was completely quiet, Colonel Julian asked her calmly and softly: "Mrs. Danvers, can you think of any reason - no matter how remote it may be - for Mrs. Any explanation?" Mrs. Danvers swallowed hard, her hands still clutching her coat.Then she shook her head and said, "No, I can't think of any." "How?" Fevre immediately hit the nail on the head. "It's impossible. She knows that as well as I do. I've told you." "Don't interrupt, please?" said Colonel Julian. "Give Mrs. Danvers time to think about it. We all agree that, on its face, the hypothesis of suicide is absurd. It is not even possible. I do not doubt the truth of your note. Sex or reliability, anyway, that's for all to see. She was in London for a few hours, and during that time she wrote that note, saying that she had something to tell you. If we could find out what she wanted to tell you, we would Might shed some light on the whole dreadful mystery. Let Mrs. Danvers read the note. Maybe she can enlighten us!" With a shrug, Favre took the note from his pocket, and put it On the floor at Mrs. Danvers' feet.She bent down to pick up the note.Everyone watched as her lips opened and closed to read the note.After reading it twice, she shook her head and said, "Can't help. I don't know what she's referring to. If there's anything important to tell Mr. Jack, she'll be the first to mention it to me." "You never saw her that night?" "No. I went out. I was in Chris all afternoon and night. I can't forgive myself for that, and I regret every day I live." "So you know what's on her mind? And no possible explanation, Mrs. Danvers? You don't understand at all what 'something to tell' means?" "No," she answered...no, sir, not at all. " "Does anyone know what she was doing in London that day?" No one answered.Maxim shook his head.Fevre cursed silently, then continued. "Please note that she left this note in my flat at three o'clock that afternoon. The concierge saw her. After handing over the note, she must have driven straight home, and it was a fast drive." "Mrs. de Winter had an appointment with the barber that day, from twelve to half past one," said Mrs. Danvers. "I do remember that, because I called up from here to London earlier that week to make an appointment for her. I still remember the phone call clearly.Every time she came out of the barbershop between twelve and one-thirty, she always went to her club for lunch so she could keep the bobby pins on her head.She must have also had lunch at the club that day. " "What was she doing between two and three o'clock, assuming lunch took half an hour? That has to be investigated," said Colonel Julian. "Oh, Christ Jesus, who cares what she does?" cried Favere. "She didn't commit suicide, which is the most important point, isn't it?" ① generally should be "Jesus Christ".Here Feiffer deliberately reversed the order and deliberately blasphemed. "I keep her appointments locked up in my own room," said Mrs. Danvers slowly. "I've kept all these things, and Mr. de Winter didn't come to take them away anyway. It's possible that she wrote down the appointments of the day in her notebook. Her habit is to write down each appointment and type it afterwards Fork off the project. If you think Notepad might help, I'll get it." "What do you say, de Winter?" said Colonel Julian. "What do you mean? You have no objection to showing us her notebook?" "Of course not," said Maxim. "Why should I object?" Once again I saw Colonel Julian throw him a quick, bewildered glance.This time Frank noticed too.I saw Frank look at Maxim and then look at me.This time it was my turn to get up and go to the window to watch the rain.I feel that the rain seems to be not as fierce as before, as if there is not much stamina left.The sound of the rain at this moment sounds calmer and softer.Dusk had covered the sky, and the lawn was dark, soaked with water after the downpour.The trees are bowed, as if covered with a layer of tulle.I heard the maid upstairs draw the curtains, prepare to light the lights, and close the still-closed windows one by one.The house is still the same as usual, doing things according to the old routine every day: close the curtains, send the shoes downstairs to scrub, spread a large towel on the bathroom chair, fill the tub with water for me to take a shower, the bed is made and comfortable, slippers Put it under the chair.And those of us were still fighting wits in the library, and although no one spoke, everyone knew that Maxim was here undergoing a life-and-death trial. I turned around when I heard someone close the door gently.It was Mrs Danvers, returning to the library with her notebook in her hand. "I remember correctly," she said calmly. "What I just said is correct. She kept all the appointments in the notebook. These are the appointments on the day she died." She opened the dating record, which was a small red leather book.She handed the notebook to Colonel Julian.The colonel took the glasses out of the case again.His eyes scanned the opened page, and no one said anything for a while.It seemed to me that this moment, when the Colonel was looking through his note-pad while we all stood around waiting, frightened me more than anything else that happened that night. I pinched my hands with my nails; I dared not look at Maxim.Will Colonel Julian hear the beating of my heart in my chest? "Ah," he exclaimed.His fingers rested in the middle of the page.I thought, something is going to happen, something terrible is bound to happen now! "tell him. "Yes, it's written here. Hair at twelve, as Mrs. Danvers said just now. There's a cross next to it. So she's at the hairdresser's as promised. Dinner at the club." There's also a fork next to lunch. But what's on it? Baker, two o'clock. Who is this Baker?" He looked at Maxim, who shook his head, and then turned his gaze to Mrs. Danvers. "Baker?" Mrs. Danvers repeated the name. "She has no acquaintance named Baker. I've never heard that name before." "You might as well take a look at it," Colonel Julian said, handing over the notepad. "Look for yourself. It's clearly written as Baker. There's a huge fork next to it, as if trying to break a pencil with such force. No matter who this Baker is, she's obviously met him before." gone." Mrs. Danvers was fascinated by the name on the notepad and the black pencil cross, and she murmured to herself, "Baker. Baker." "I believe that if we know who this Baker is, we shall find the answer," said Colonel Julian. "She didn't fall into the hands of the money-lender?" Mrs. Danvers cast him a disdainful glance and said: "Will Mrs. de Winter fall into the hands of such a man?" "Perhaps a blackmailer, then?" said Colonel Julian, casting a glance at Favere. Mrs. Danvers shook her head again and again.She still says the name over and over again: "Baker. Baker." "Has she no enemies? Has no one ever threatened her? Is she afraid of anyone?" "Mrs. de Winter afraid?" said Mrs. Danvers. "She was afraid of nothing and no one! She was only afraid of one thing, and that was that one day she would grow old and get sick and lie in bed and die slowly. She has said to me many times; 'When I die, Dan Nenny, you must die quickly, like blowing out a candle with a puff.' After she died, this is the only consolation I can take. People say that people don't feel any pain when they drown. I don't know if it is true. real." She looked at Colonel Julian inquiringly, but he made no reply.The colonel mused, pulling at his moustache.I saw him cast another glance at Maxim. "What's the use of all this?" Favre stepped forward and said. "We're always going around in circles. Why bother with this Baker guy? What's he got to do with the whole thing? Maybe a damned sock merchant, or a cream seller. If it's a big deal, Danny here Must know him. Rebecca never kept secrets from Danny." 我一直留心察看丹弗斯太太的一举一动，只见她手捧记事本，一页一页翻着。突然，她叫出声来：“这儿有个线索。就在本子后面的电话号码栏里。贝克的名字旁边有个电话号码：0488.但是没有注明属哪个电话局。” “精明的丹尼，”费弗尔说。“上了年纪倒成了个大侦探！可是你晚了十二个月。 要是在一年前发现这号码，也许还有点用。 " “是这人的电话号码，”朱利安上校说。“0488，旁边就是贝克的名字。可她干吗不注明电话局呢？” “试着给伦敦的电话局一个一个去联系吧，”费弗尔讪笑不已。“这够你忙一晚上的，咱们反正不在乎，迈克斯也不在乎他的电话费账单是不是超过一百镑大关，我说得对吗？迈克斯？你是巴不得拖时间呢，不过换了我处在你的地位，我也会耍同样的把戏。” “号码旁边有个记号，不过看不出这记号代表什么，”朱利安上校说。“丹弗斯太太，你看一看，会不会是个M字母？” 丹弗斯太太又把记事本接过去。“也许，”她不大有把握地说。“跟她平日里写的M字母不太一样。不过也许是她在匆忙中信手写上的。不错，可有是个M字母。” “这么说就是梅费厄电话局0488号罗，”费弗尔说。“真是天才！多么出色的脑子！” “怎么样？”迈克西姆说，一边点着了今晚的第一支烟。“弗兰克。最好还是查一查吧？请打个电话，要求接通梅费厄电话局的0488号。” 心口处的疼痛有增无减。我垂手站着，一动也不敢动。迈克西姆没有朝我看一眼。 “去啊，弗兰克，”他说。“你还等什么？” 弗兰克走进那头的小房间。我们大家等着他打电话回来。不一会儿，他走回藏书室，神态镇静地宣布说：“接通之后对方会回电的。”朱利安上校反剪着双手，开始在屋子里踱步。谁也没再说什么。大约过了五分钟，尖利的电话铃声持续地响起，那是长途电话单调而刺激神经的铃声。弗兰克赶快走去听电话。“梅费厄0488号吗？”他问。“请问有没有一位叫贝克的住在贵处？哦，明白啦。对不起，说的对，我一定把号码搞错了。 多谢，多谢。 " 接着传来他把电话筒放回原处的卡嗒声。然后他走回房间来。“梅费厄0488号的住户名叫依斯特莱夫人。这架电话设在格鲁斯维纳大街。那儿的人从未听说过贝克。” 费弗尔发出一声嘶哑的笑声。“各行各业的人都得挨个儿问一遍呐。他们都会从个个烂山芋里蹦出来的，”他说。“接着干吧，天字第一号大侦探，接下来跟哪一区的电话局联系啊？” “试一试博物馆区①的电话局，”丹弗斯太太说。①英语中“博馆馆”为museum，头一个字母也是M.弗兰克看一眼迈克西姆，后者吩咐说：“去试一试。” 刚才这一幕又从头来过。朱利安上校又在屋子里踱开了。五分钟之后又来了回电，弗兰克走去接电话。他让门大开着，所以我可以看见他俯身在电话茶几上，嘴巴凑着话筒说话。 “喂？是博物馆区的0488号吗？请问有没有一位叫贝克的住在贵处？啊，你是哪一位？夜班门房。对，对，我明白。我不是打办公室的电话。不，我不是这个意思。你能告诉我地址吗？不错，有要紧事情。”电话交谈中止了，他回过头来对我们说：“看样子找到这个人了。” 哦，上帝，但愿这不是真的，但愿别找到贝克。求求您，上帝，但愿贝克已经死了。 我知道贝克是何许人物，打一开始就知道。我眼睁睁看着门那一边的弗兰克，见他突然俯下身去，取过一支铅笔和一张纸片。“喂？对，我听着。请你告诉我怎么拼写。谢谢，非常感谢。晚安。”他拿着那张纸回到房间里。弗兰克，你不是深深敬爱迈克西姆吗？你还蒙在鼓里，殊不知你手里的这张纸片就是今天这该死的夜晚唯一有价值的证据，一旦把它交出来，你就毁了迈克西姆，就好像你手里拿的是一把匕首，准备在背后猛戳一刀，把迈克西姆真正干掉完事。“接电话的是布隆斯勃利一所房子的夜间看守门人，”他说。“那幢房子不住人，只是在白天才充作医生的诊所。看来，贝克已经歇业了。六个月前就离开了那所房子。但是我们有办法找到这个人。夜班门房给了我此人的地址，我把地址记在这张纸上。”