Chapter 27 Chapter Twenty Seven

We walked over to the car and stood.For several minutes no one said a word.Colonel Julian handed over the pack of cigarettes and offered cigarettes to everyone one by one.Feffer's face was pale, and it seemed that the news just now had hit him hard.I noticed that his hand holding the match was shaking.The traveling artist stopped playing the organ, held his hat, and walked towards us leaning on a cane. Maxim gave him two shillings.Then he went back to the organ and played another tune.The great church bell struck six.Favere started to speak, but his face was still bloodless, and his tone of pretending to be indifferent could not conceal the timidity in his heart.He lowered his eyes and didn't look at anyone, but just looked at the cigarette in his hand, and at the same time kept turning it between his fingers.

"Does anyone know," he said, "if cancer is contagious?" No one answered him.Colonel Julian shrugged. "I never dreamed of it," Favre said incoherently. "She kept it a secret, not even from Danny. It's a bloody horror, isn't it? No one would connect it with Rebecca. Would you guys like to have a drink?I'm completely wrong about this, and if I'm wrong, admit it, and I don't care.cancer!oh my god! " He leaned against the body of the car, covering his eyes with his hands. "Screw that organ bastard off," he said. "That ghostly voice is really unbearable."

"Wouldn't it be easier if we went away?" said Maxim. "Can you drive your own car? Or let Julian drive it for you?" "Give me a break," Favre muttered. "I'll get over it. You don't understand, it's a fucking slap in the face." "Well, for God's sake, cheer up," said Colonel Julian. "If you want a drink, go back inside and ask Baker. I think he knows how to cure convulsions. Don't make a fool of yourself in the street." "Oh, you're so proud, it's all right," Fevre stood up straight, looking at Colonel Julian and Maxim.

"You have nothing to worry about. Maxim has the upper hand now, doesn't he? And you have found a motive for Rebecca's suicide. If you say so, Baker will give you the written testimony for nothing." You come to your door. Thanks to your efforts, you can eat a good meal at Manderley every week and be proud of yourself. It goes without saying that Max will ask you to be godfather when the first baby is born." "Shall we get in the car and go?" Julian said to Maxim. "We can make plans for the next step as we go." Maxim opened the door and Colonel Julian got in.I sat down in my old seat in front.Fevre remained leaning against the body of his car, motionless. "I advise you to go directly to your residence and go to bed to sleep," Colonel Julian said bluntly. "Slow down when driving, otherwise, you will find yourself in the shift for killing someone. You and I will never see each other again, so I would like to remind you now: As an administrator, I still have That's a little power. You'll get a taste of that power if you ever show up in Chris or the district again. Blackmail isn't a good business, Mr. Favell. People in our neighborhood know how to deal with blackmail, Although it may seem a little new to you."

Fevre's eyes were fixed on Maxim.His face was no longer as pale as before.That familiar, annoying smile appeared on the corner of his mouth again. "Well, you've had luck this time, Max, haven't you?" he said slowly. "You think you've won, don't you? You know, Skynet is fully restored; besides, I won't let you go, but in another way..." While starting the car, Maxim asked, "Do you have anything else to say? If you have something to say, it's best to say it now." "No," Feiffer said. "There's nothing more to say, I don't want to delay you. Go ahead." He stepped back to the sidewalk, the faint smile still on his lips.The car moved, and as we turned the corner, I looked back and saw him standing where he was, staring at us.He waved to us and laughed.

The car sped forward, and everyone was silent.After a while, Colonel Lijuan said: "He's out of the house. He's smiling and waving like that. It's just a bluff. These guys are all the same. He has nothing to sue now. Baker's The testimony was enough to render him speechless." Maxim was silent.I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, but I couldn't see any expression on his face. "I've always felt that Baker was the key to the solution," Colonel Julian said. "Sneaky doctor appointments like that, even from Mrs. Danvers. You see, she's already suspected that she's got some unmentionable disease. Of course, it's a terrible disease, so terrible that it makes people feel sick." A young, beautiful woman is frightened out of her wits."

The car continued along the straight road.Telephone poles, coaches, open-top racing cars, small villas with new gardens at a certain distance from each other flashed before my eyes and intertwined in my mind into patterns that I will never forget. "I suppose you never thought it would be like this, did you, de Winter?" said Colonel Julian. "No," said Maxim. "did not think of." "Of course, some people have a morbid fear of the thing," said Colonel Julian. "Especially women. That must be the case with your wife.She is not afraid of heaven or earth, but this is the only thing she is afraid of.She didn't have the courage to face the torment of the disease.

In any case, she was exonerated from that statement. " "Oh," said Maxim. "I think it won't do any harm if I creep in Chris and the County and say that a doctor in London has given us a motive for her suicide," said Colonel Julian. "It's just in case, so people don't gossip. You know, things in the world are hard to tell. Sometimes people are so eccentric. If they knew that Mrs. de Winter had cancer at the time, it might be better for you two. many." "Oh," said Maxim, "yes, I see." "It's kind of inexplicable and irritating," said Colonel Julian slowly, "that if there's a little bit of something going on in the country, it's going to make a lot of noise in the country. I don't know why. Unfortunately That's exactly what happened. I don't mean to say that I expected anything to happen. But it's better to be on the lookout. The average person, given the chance, will make up some of the most outlandish things. rumors come."

"Oh," said Maxim. "Of course you and Crowley can control Manderley and the people on the manor and keep them from talking nonsense; I have a way to deal with Chris. I also need to take care of my daughter. She has a lot of trouble with a large group of young people and these people are great gossip-mongers. I think it's a good thing the papers won't bother you any more. You'll find it's no longer in the papers in a day or two!" "Oh," said Maxim. The car drove through the northern suburbs and came again to Finchley and Hampstead. "It's half past six," said Colonel Julian. "What are you going to do? I have a sister who lives in St. John's Park.

I'd like to surprise her, mess with her for a supper, and catch the last train back from Paddington Station.I know she's been at home all week.I'm sure she will be delighted to see you two, too. " Maxim gave me a hesitant look. "Thank you for your kind invitation," he said. "I think we'll go our own way, though. I've got to hang up on Frank, and there's this and that. I think we'll grab something to eat somewhere, and then we'll start on our way. Find an inn for the night. I think that's what we're going to do." "Of course," said Colonel Julian, "I quite understand. Could you send me to my sister's place? It's just on the corner of the Alvinau Road."

We came to his sister's house, and Maxim pulled up a few steps from the gate. "You worked so hard for us today," he said, "I don't know how to thank you. You know how I feel without telling you." "My dear fellow," said Colonel Julian, "I shall be of pleasure at your service. Of course, if we had known what Baker knew, we would not have had to make such a fuss. But there is no need to talk about it now." Take it to heart. You'll have to forget about this as a very unpleasant and unfortunate episode in your life. I'm sure Favre won't bother you again. If he does, I hope you Tell me right away. I know what to do with him." He got out of the car and picked up his coat and map. "If I were in your position," he said, without looking directly at us, "it would be Going away for a while. A short vacation. Maybe a trip abroad." Neither of us have an interface.Colonel Julian was carelessly folding the map in his hand. “Switzerland is a great place to visit at this time of year,” he said. "I remember, once my daughter was on vacation, our family went there to rest and had a great time. It was refreshing to take a walk there." He hesitated and cleared his throat. "It's not out of the question that some little trouble will arise then," he said. "I'm not saying that Favell will come out to make trouble, but I'm afraid that some people in the local area will gossip. No one can tell what Taber is saying to others, what he is talking about. Of course, all It's nonsense. But you know that old saying, don't you? Out of sight, out of mind. Out of sight, gossip dies out. It's the way of the world." He stood and checked his belongings. "I don't think I've left anything behind. Maps, spectacles, sticks, coats. That's all. Well, again, gentlemen. Don't be too tired. It's been a rough day." He went through the door and up the steps.I saw a woman come to the window, smile and wave to the visitor.Our car drove forward and turned a corner at the intersection.I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.Now that there were only two of us left, there was such an almost unbearable sense of relief that the burden had been lifted, as if the abscess had burst through the head.Maxim was silent.I felt his hand on mine.We passed through the traffic, but I turned a blind eye to it all.All I could hear was the rumble of passing buses, the beeping of taxi horns, the inescapable and constant din of London, but I did not belong to this noisy world.I don't want to think about another piece of cool, peaceful, and quiet paradise.Nothing can hurt us anymore.We've come through it safely. When Maxim stopped, I opened my eyes and sat up straight.We parked in a side street in Soho, opposite a little restaurant, one of those little restaurants that line the street.I was dazed and looked around in a daze. "You're tired," said Maxim briefly. "Hungry and tired. I can't walk a step. Eat something and it'll lift me up. Me too. We'll go in and get something to eat. I can give Frank a call, too." We get out of the car.The shop was dark and cool, and there was no one there except the proprietor, a waiter, and a girl behind the counter.We headed for a table in the corner.Maxim began to order food. "No wonder Favor wanted to drink," he said. "I'd like a drink, too. You need some too. Just some brandy." The boss is a fat man with a nice smile on his face.He brought us a few long thin rolls in paper bags, home baked, fluffy and crispy.I picked up a slice and devoured it.My brandy soda tasted mild and moist, and my whole body became hot after drinking it, which gave me an indescribable pleasure. "After dinner we walked on at our leisure, and there was no need for such haste," said Maxim. "The weather will be cooler at night. We can find a place to sleep along the way. We will continue our journey tomorrow morning and go back to Manderley." "Okay," I said. "You really don't want to go to sister Julian's for dinner and catch the last train home?" "No." Maxim finished his drink.His eyes looked very large now, and around their sockets there was a shadow, which was darker against the pallor of his face. "In your opinion," he said, "how far Julian has guessed the truth?" I looked at him over the rim of the glass.I didn't make a sound. "He knows," said Maxim slowly. "Of course he does." "Even if he knew," I said, "he'd never tell. No, never." "Yes," said Maxim. "yes." He asked the boss for another drink.We just sat quietly in this dark corner, enjoying the peace of this moment. "I believe," said Maxim, "that Rebecca's lying to me was calculated. It was the last of her tricks. She deliberately induced me to kill her. And she has done all the consequences." Foresaw it, that's why she laughed so loudly, and stood there laughing before she died." I didn't make a sound, but kept my head down on my brandy-soda.Everything is over, everything is over.It was no longer a big deal, and Maxim no longer had to turn pale and feel uneasy about it. "This is her last prank," Maxim said. "It's also the most clever one. Even now, I'm not sure if she won in the end." -Where did you go?How could she be victorious? "I say. "I don't know either," he said. "I don't know." He gulped down his second glass of wine and stood up from the table. "I'm going to call Frank right now," he said. I sat in the corner, and after a while the waiter brought me a plate of seafood.It was a plate of lobster, steaming hot, with excellent color and fragrance.I also had a second brandy soda.Just sitting there in that little shop and not having to worry about anything made me feel so comfortable.I smiled at the waiter.Out of nowhere, I suddenly spoke French and asked him for some more bread. The atmosphere in the shop is calm, cheerful and friendly.Maxim and I are together at last.It's all over.Everything is over.Rebecca is dead.Rebecca can no longer come to harm us.As Mike Sims said, she asked for one last prank, and now she can't play tricks on us anymore.After ten minutes, Maxim returned to the table. "How is it?" I asked, my voice sounding distant and distant. "How is Frank?" "Frank's all right," Maxim said. "He's been in the office waiting for my call since four o'clock. I told him what happened.He was happy, like relieved. " "Oh," I said. "But something happened," said Maxim slowly, frowning again. "He said that Mrs. Danvers left suddenly without saying goodbye. She was gone and disappeared. She said nothing to anyone, and seemed to be busy all day packing and emptying her own things. Four o'clock Zhong Guangjing, someone came from the station to carry the boxes for her. Frith called Frank to report the situation, and Frank asked Frith to tell Mrs. Danvers to go to the office once. He waited for a long time, but she kept No. Just ten minutes before I called, Frith called Frank again and said that someone had hung up on Mrs. Danvers long distance and that he had transferred it and she answered it in her room. It was about ten past six. At quarter past six, Frith knocked on her door, went in and saw that it was empty, and her bedroom was empty. They searched everywhere, but There was no sign of her. She must have gone. She must have gone straight through the woods when she left the house. She didn't go past the gate at all." "Isn't that a good thing?" I said. "Save us a lot of trouble. We'll have to get her out sooner or later anyway. I believe that she also guessed a little about this matter.The expression on her face last night was horrific.On the way here just now, I kept thinking about her expression in the car. " "Things were a little off," Maxim said. "It's not good." "She's at the end of her rope," I argued. "Wouldn't it be better if she was gone. It must have been Fevre who called her. He must have told her about Baker. He'd tell her about Colonel Julian too. Colonel Julian said , if they dare to blackmail again, let us tell him. We dare not measure them. They won't do it, the risk is too great." "I'm not worried about them blackmailing again," Maxim said. "What other tricks can they pull off?" I said. "We ought to take Colonel Julian's advice and stop thinking about it. It's over, my dear, it's over. We should be on our knees and thank God that it's over." Maxim didn't answer, his eyes were staring blankly. "Your lobster is going cold," I said. "Eat quickly, dear. Eat to refresh yourself. You need something to fill your stomach. You are tired." These words of mine are what he just said to me.I feel that I have regained my spirit and my physical strength now.Now I am taking care of him.He was tired and tired, and his face was pale.I had recovered from my weakness and fatigue, and now he was there suffering from the aftermath of the incident.It was only because he was hungry and tired. In fact, what else is there to worry about?Mrs. Danvers is gone.We should also thank God for this.Everything went so smoothly for us to deal with it, really everything went smoothly. "Eat the lobster," I said. People will look at me with admiration in the future.I will no longer be shy and embarrassed in front of my servants.Mrs. Danvers is gone, and I will slowly learn to manage the house.I'm also going to the kitchen to meet the cook.The servants will like me, and respect me, and before long the plenary will have my way, as if Mrs Danvers had never been given the whole house to dictate.I also want to gradually become familiar with the affairs of the manor.I can ask Frank to explain it to me in detail.I believe Frank likes me.I like him too.I want to personally inquire about the affairs of the farm and understand the management of the farm: what people do on the farm; how the work in the field is arranged.Maybe I'll get my hands on some gardening too, and then I'll give the garden a little twist.I don't like the small square lawn with the statue of the satyr in front of the morning room window. The satyr god must be invited out.There are tons of things that I can do bit by bit.I don't care if people come to visit or stay with us.It is also fun to furnish them with houses, flowers and books, and dishes.We'll still have kids.We will definitely have children. Suddenly I heard Maxim say: "Have you finished your meal? I don't want to eat anything." He then ordered to the shopkeeper: "One more cup of coffee, strong black coffee. Please issue the bill." I don't understand why there is such a rush to leave.The tavern was very comfortable, and there was nothing urgent to attend to. I really like sitting like this, with my head resting on the back of the sofa, leisurely, dreamily planning the future.I could sit like this for a long time. I followed Maxim out of the restaurant, staggering a bit and yawning. "Listen," he said to me when we got to the sidewalk, "if I put you in the back seat and put a blanket over you, can you make do with sleeping in the car? There's Cushions, and my blouse." "Aren't we looking for a place to spend the night?" I said blankly. "Just find a hotel on the way." "I know that," he said. "But now I think I'll have to hurry back tonight. You can't afford to spend the night in the backseat, can you?" "Okay," I said uncertainly. "I think so." "It's a quarter past seven, and if we leave now, we'll be home by two-thirty," he said. "There will not be many pedestrians and vehicles on the road." "You'll be exhausted," I said. "Totally worn out." "No," he shook his head. "I'm fine. I'm going back. Something's not right. Yes, it's not. I'm going to go back." He looked anxious and had a strange expression on his face.He opened the door and began to spread blankets and cushions on the back seat. "What's going to happen?" I asked. "It's strange why you're so troubled now that it's all over. I really don't understand. " He didn't answer.I climbed into the car and lay down on the back seat with my legs tucked under me.He covered me with a blanket. This is also very comfortable, much more comfortable than I imagined.I tucked cushions under my head. "All right?" he said. "Do you think it's okay?" "Okay," I said with a smile. "I'm fine now. I'm going to sleep. I don't want to be delayed on the road. It's better to get home early. We'll be a long time before dawn when we get to Manderley." He stepped through the front door and started the engine.I close my eyelids.The car moved forward, and I felt the springs under my body beating slightly.I pressed my face against the cushion.The car jolted smoothly and rhythmically, and the pulse of my thoughts also beat to this rhythm.As soon as I close my eyes, there are countless images reflected in front of my eyes—everything I have seen, experienced, and past events that have been forgotten, all intertwined in a chaotic way, forming an inexplicable image: Fan The bird feathers on Mrs. Hopper's hat, the stiff straight-backed chairs in Frank's dining room, the large window in the west wing of Manderley, the flesh-colored dress worn by the spring lady at the masquerade ball, walking around Monte Carlo A farm girl on the highway. Sometimes, I saw Jesper chasing butterflies on the lawn; sometimes, I saw Dr. Baker’s Scotch terrier squatting by the deck chair and scratching his ears; sometimes it was the postman who pointed us to the doctor’s house today; A moment later it was Clarice's mother, mopping a chair in the back living room and asking me to sit down.Baine smirked at me, holding the conch in both hands; the bishop's wife asked if I would like to stay for tea.I felt as if I had touched the cool, comfortable sheets of my own bed, or stepped on pebbles in the gravel of the bay.I seem to smell the smell of ferns, wet moss and dead rhododendrons in the forest. I fell into intermittent stupor, and woke up suddenly from time to time, realizing that I was curled up in the seat of the car, and I could see the back of Maxim in the front seat.It was dark just now.It was already dark at this time.The headlights of passing vehicles shine on the road, and the curtains of the farmhouses in the villages beside the road have been drawn, revealing a little light inside.From time to time I moved a little and turned my back to the sky; then I fell asleep again. The stairs in the Manderley House appeared in front of me. Mrs. Danvers was standing at the top of the stairs in black, waiting for me to go up.But when I climbed the stairs, she stepped back from under the arch, and disappeared in a blink of an eye.I looked around, but there was no sign of her.Suddenly, her head stuck out from a dark door and stared at me.I called out, but she disappeared in a flash. "What time is it?" I asked out loud. "What time is it?" Maxim turned his head.In the dark car, his face became paler, like a ghost. "Eleven-thirty," he said. "We're halfway through the trip, trying to get some sleep." "I'm thirsty," I said. At the next town, he stopped the car.The worker at the garage said that his wife wasn't in bed yet and he could make us some tea.We got out of the car and stood in the pit.I stretched my legs and stomped my feet to revitalize my numb limbs.Maxim smoked a cigarette.The chill invades.The door to the pit was open, and the cold wind whizzed in; the tin roof rattled in the wind.Trembling all over, I quickly buttoned up my jacket. "Yeah, it's pretty cold tonight," the pitman said, cranking the pump. "The weather seems to have changed suddenly this afternoon. The last heat wave of the summer is over. It won't be long before we have to think about the fire." "It's hot in London," I said. "Really?" he said. "Well, it's always hot and cold over there, isn't it? Here we always bear the brunt of the wind and the rain. There's going to be a gale down the coast before daylight." His wife brought us tea.The tea has a burnt bitter taste, but it is warm and comfortable to drink.I drank greedily and gratefully.Maxim was already looking at his watch. "We have to go," he said. "It's ten to twelve o'clock." I reluctantly left the maintenance station, a good place to shelter from the wind.A cold wind blew against my cheeks.The sky is full of stars, and there are still a few cloud shadows floating in the night sky. "Yeah," said the pitman, "that's the end of this summer." I climbed back into the car and got under the blanket.The car continued to move forward.I closed my eyes, and there I was, the tramp with the organ on the wooden leg.The song "Picati's Rose" lingered in my head to the rhythm of the car's bumps.It seemed that Frith and Robert had come into the library with tea; the manor porter's wife gave me a quick nod, and hurriedly beckoned her children to the house.I saw the model yacht in the cabin on the bay, and the fine dust covering it.I saw the cobwebs hanging from the little masts, heard the rain on the roofs, and the roar of the sea.In a trance, I wanted to go to the Happy Valley, but the Happy Valley was nowhere to be found.Surrounded by dense forests, the Happy Valley no longer exists.I saw dense shadows of trees and ferns everywhere.The owl wailed mournfully.The moon shone on the Manderley window.The garden was full of nettles, ten or twenty feet high. "Maxim!" I cried. "Maxim!" "Well," he said. "Don't be afraid. I'm here." "A dream," I said. "I had a dream." "What dream?" he said. "I do not know I do not know." I fell again into the abyss of turbulent dreams.I seem to be writing in my morning room, preparing to send out invitations.I held a thick black ink pen and wrote letter by letter.But when I took a closer look at the written invitations, I found that the handwriting on them was not my small handwriting at all, but a kind of elongated italic script with strangely raised strokes.I pushed the bundles away from the blotter table and hid them.I got up and went to the mirror, and there was a face staring at me in the mirror, not my own face, but a very pale, very pretty face, framed by a cloud of soft hair. The eyes were narrowed in a smile.The two lips slowly parted.The face in the mirror stared back at me and laughed.Then I saw her sitting in a chair in front of her dresser in her bedroom, Maxim brushing her hair.He held her hair in his hands, and as he combed it, he slowly braided it into a thick, long braid.The braid twisted like a snake, and he took hold of it with both hands, then, smiling at Rebecca, wound it around his own neck. "No," I screamed loudly. "No, no. We must go to Switzerland. Colonel Julien said we must go to Switzerland." I felt Maxim's hand on my face. "What's the matter?" he said. "what happened?" I sat up and brushed the hair from my cheeks. "I can't sleep," I said. "I can't sleep anymore." "You've been sleeping," he said. "Two hours' sleep. It's a quarter past two. Only four miles from Lane." The cold is more pressing.I was shivering in the dark car. "Let me sit next to you," I said. "We shall be home by three o'clock." I rolled over in the chair next to him and stared out the windshield.I put my hand on his lap.My upper and lower teeth kept chattering. "Cold," he said. "Yes," I said. In front of us are rolling mountains, rising for a while, sinking for a while, and rising again for a while.It was dark all around.The stars have faded. "What time did you say?" I asked. "Twenty past two," he said. "Strange," I said. "Look there, behind those hills, it looks like dawn is breaking. But it can't be. It's still early. " "It's going in the wrong direction," he said. "That's west." "I know that," I said. "Strange, isn't it?" He didn't answer, and I continued to watch the night sky, and as I gazed into the distance, the sky seemed to grow brighter, like it was stained with the first fiery rays of sunrise.The glow gradually spread to the entire sky. "You only see the Northern Lights in winter, don't you?" I said. "Can't you see Xia Tian?" "That's not the Northern Lights," he said. "That's Manderley." I glanced at him, caught his face, caught his eyes. "Maxim," I said. "Maxim, what's the matter?" He picked up the speed of the car and drove at full speed.The car turned over the hill ahead, and we saw Lan Yin lying in a hollow at our feet.To our left was a great silvery ribbon of river that widened to its mouth at Chris, six miles away.The road to Manderley lay before us.There is no moonlight tonight.The night sky above us was pitch black, but the sky near the horizon was nothing like that.There was scarlet, like blood splattered everywhere.The ashes of the fire floated toward us on the salty sea breeze.