Chapter 23 Chapter Twenty Two

"Oh my God." She sat down and folded her arms. Briony was still standing there, in the same position, with one foot still on the garden path and the other on the doorstep.The radio in the hostess' room was on, and the laughter of the audience came from it.A funny monologue by a comedian followed, which was finally interrupted by applause from the radio.A happy piece of music suddenly played.At this moment, Briony took a step into the hall. "I have to talk to you," she mumbled. Cecilia was about to get up, but then changed her mind."Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" she asked.

"You didn't hear from me, so here I am." She tugged on her nightgown, patted her pockets, and seemed to be looking for cigarettes.Her complexion was darker, and her hands were brown. She didn't find what she needed, but she didn't intend to stand up immediately.She spoke not so much to change the subject as to pass the time. "Are you an intern now?" "yes." "Which ward is it?" "Matron Drummond's." Briony was not sure if Cecilia was familiar with the name, or if she would be upset that she was training in the same hospital as her sister.

There is one more obvious difference here.Cecilia always spoke to her in a motherly, superior tone.Little sister! There is no place for you now.Her stiff tone was a clear warning to Briony not to ask her about Robbie.Briony took another step toward the hall.She realized that the door behind her was still open. "Where do you work?" "Near Morten, an emergency hospital." An emergency hospital, which is a requisitioned place, often treats critically ill patients from field transfer hospitals.There are too many restricted areas.There, some things can neither be said nor asked.The sisters looked at each other.Although Cecilia's hair was disheveled, as if she had just gotten out of bed, she was more charming than Briony remembered her.Everyone said that long horse face always looked weird and vulnerable, even in the bright lights.At this moment, the plump purple lips are curved into a curved curve, making this face look extremely sexy.Perhaps from fatigue or sadness, the eyes appear dark and large.The nose is long and unique, and the nostrils are flared gracefully. This face seems to be wearing a mask, finely carved, quiet and peaceful.It was a face that was difficult to read.Briony's panic added to her sister's face, making her feel bewildered.Not seen in five years, she barely knew her.Briony is not sure about anything at this time, she racks her brains to find a neutral topic, but whatever is brought up, it will inevitably lead to sensitive topics-these topics she always has to face no matter what. .In this unbearable silence, she could no longer bear to look at each other, and finally spoke:

"Any news from the old man?" "No, no news." Her flat tone showed that even if she knew, she didn't want to answer. "And you?" "I got a scrawled note a week or two ago." "OK." This topic cannot be discussed here.After a silence, Briony asked again: "Any news from home?" "No, I have no contact with the family. What about you?" "She writes from time to time." "Any news from her, Briony?" When her name was brought up, the question took on an ironic tinge; and as she forced herself to think back, she had the feeling that she had become a betrayer for her sister's sake.

"They took refugees, and Betty hated them. The park has been plowed into cornfields," she drawled.It feels so boring to stand there and enumerate these minutiae. But Cecilia said coldly: "What else? Go on." "Well, most of the lads in the village are in the East Surrey Front, only . . . " "Except for Danny Hardman. Yes, I know that." She forced a smile, and waited for Briony to continue. "They built a house near the post office and took all the old railings. Aunt Hermione lives in Nice now. Oh, by the way, Betty broke Uncle Clem's vase."

Upon hearing this, Cecilia's indifference disappeared immediately.She uncrossed her arms and rested her cheek in one hand. "Broken?" "She dropped it on a step." "Did you mean it was broken into pieces?" "yes." Cecilia thought for a while and finally said, "This is too bad." "Yes," said Briony, "poor Uncle Clem." At least her sister stopped teasing now.The inquiry continued. "Do they still keep the fragments?" "Don't know. Emily said the old man was yelling at Betty." The door swung open, and the landlady stood before Briony, so close that she could smell peppermint on her breath.She pointed to the front door. "This is not a railway station, miss. How do you get in and how do you get out."

Cecilia stood up unhurriedly, adjusted the silk belt of her nightgown, and said lazily: "This is my sister, Briony. Mrs. Jarvis, when you talk to her, Please watch your attitude." "In my own home I can say what I like," said Mrs. Jarvis.She turned to Briony and said, "If you're going to stay, stay. Or leave now and close the door behind you." Briony looked at her sister, guessing there was no way she would let her go now.Mrs. Jarvis had inadvertently become her ally. Cecilia said nonchalantly, "Don't mind the landlady, I'm leaving for the weekend. Close the door and go upstairs."

With Mrs. Jarvis watching, Briony followed her sister upstairs. "As for you, Miss Mork," the landlady called up.Cecilia turned quickly and interrupted her immediately. "Enough, Mrs. Jarvis. You've said enough." Briony recognized the tone.This nightingale-like pure voice is specially used to deal with difficult patients and tearful students.It takes years of training to reach such a level of proficiency.Cecilia had undoubtedly become a ward nurse. Cecilia stood on the first-floor platform.Just as she was about to open the door, she gave Briony a cold look that told her that nothing had changed, that nothing had eased.From the half-open bathroom door, there was a burst of wet aroma and hollow dripping sound, presumably Cecilia was about to take a bath just now.She ushered Briony into the room.The ward nurses who pay attention to tidiness all have another scene in their rooms, as if they are living in an artificial oyster farm.She wouldn't be surprised to see Cecilia's room in disarray.She used to be such a mess.However, the impression left on her here was that Cecilia's life was simple and lonely.A small room was divided into several parts, and a narrow one was used as a kitchen.Next door maybe a bedroom.The wallpaper pattern resembles vertical gray stripes on a boy's pajamas.This gives people a more imprisoned feeling.The linoleum is the leftover material from downstairs, and its shape is irregular, and the gray floor is exposed in some places.There is only one window in the whole room, and there is a sink with a faucet and a single-burner gas stove under the window.There is a table against the wall and it is difficult to squeeze past.The table was covered with a yellow striped tablecloth, on which was a vase of blue flowers (perhaps bluebells) and a full ashtray.There is also a stack of books on the table, and at the bottom of the stack are "Grey's Anatomy" and "Selected Works of Shakespeare".The few books on them had thin spines, and the names of the authors were gilded and silvered, but all were faded.She saw Hausmann and Craib.There are two bottles of beer on top of the book.In the corner farthest from the window was a door leading to the bedroom, with a map of Nordic pinned to it.

Cecilia took a cigarette from a pack of cigarettes beside the pot.It occurred to her that her sister was no longer a little girl, so she gave her one.There were two chairs at the table, but Cecilia did not invite Briony to sit down. With their backs against the sink, the two women were smoking, waiting for each other to speak.The effect of the landlady's presence was slowly wearing off--at least it seemed to Briony. Cecilia said in a calm and low voice, "I went to see the lawyer when I got your letter. There is not enough evidence, unless there is new hard evidence. You just changed your mind, and it is not enough. Laura will continue to say that she is not You know, our only hope lies in old Hardman, and now he's dead."

"Hardman?" He's dead, he's got something to do with it - Briony looks confused.She tried to remember.Did he go out to find the twins that night? Did he see anything? Did the court say something she didn't know? "Don't you know he's dead?" "I don't know, but..." "It's unbelievable." Cecilia tried her best to maintain an impartial attitude, but her efforts were going to waste.In a fit of rage, she left the kitchen, squeezed across the table, and walked across the room to stand by the bedroom door.Her voice was breathless.She tried her best to control her anger.

"It is strange that Emily brought you news of the corn and the fugitives, but did not tell you of his death! Hardman had cancer. Fearing God's punishment perhaps, he said in his last days Words that are extremely detrimental to everyone." "But, Se..." "Don't call me that!" she interrupted, and then she repeated, more gently, "Please don't call me that." With her hand on the bedroom doorknob, it seemed the meeting was coming to an end.She is going to disappear. She gave Briony an overview with surprising coolness. "It took me two guineas to figure that out. Five years have passed and you've decided to tell the truth, but there's no appeal." "I don't know what you're talking about..." Briony wanted to bring up Hardman's topic again, but Cecilia had to tell her what had been on her mind countless times lately. "It's not difficult. If you were lying then, why should the court believe you now? There's no new evidence and you're an unreliable witness." Briony threw her half-smoked cigarette into the sink.Feeling sick, she took a saucer from the stand and used it as an ashtray.Her sister testified against her, which sounds so horrific, but her perspective is so unusual.She was fragile, stupid, confused, inconstant—she hated herself for it, but she never thought of herself as a liar.How strange, how clear, this must have seemed to Cecilia.That was so obvious and irrefutable! However, for a moment, she even wanted to defend herself.She didn't mean to mislead, she didn't do it out of malice! But who would believe her? She stood where Cecilia had stood just now, with her back to the pool, not daring to look into her sister's eyes. "What I did is unforgivable, and I don't expect you to forgive me." "Don't worry," Cecilia reassured her.She cringed as her hopes faded away. "Don't worry," Cecilia continued, "I will never forgive you." "Even if I can't go to court, I will tell everyone the truth." Her sister gave a wild smile, and it was then that Briony realized how frightened she was of her sister.She was afraid that her sister would be angry, but she was even more afraid that her sister would laugh at her.This narrow room is pasted with striped wallpaper, hiding an unimaginable emotional history.Briony continued the conversation.After all, she came prepared. "I'll go to Surrey and tell Emily and the old man, and I'll tell them everything." "Yes, you said that in your letter. Five years have passed in a flash. Why haven't you gone yet? What's holding you back?" "I want to see you first." Cecilia walked from the bedroom door to the table.She dropped the cigarette butt into a short bottle.With a hiss, a plume of smoke rises from the glass bottle.Her sister's actions annoyed Briony again.She thought the bottle was full.She wondered if she had eaten something dirty for breakfast. Cecilia continued: "I know why you didn't go, because you guessed the same as I did. They don't want to hear about it anymore. The unpleasantness is over. Thank you. The past is irretrievable. Why do the old things Rehash? You know very well that they believe what Hardman says." Briony stepped away from the sink and stood at the end of the table, looking directly at her sister.It is not easy to see through this beautiful mask. She said calmly, "I don't understand what you're talking about. What does it have to do with him? Unfortunately, he's dead. Sorry, I don't know..." At this time, there was a sudden squeak, which startled her.The bedroom door opened slowly, and Robbie stood in front of them.He wore army trousers and a shirt, shiny army boots, his suspenders hanging loosely around his waist, and he was unshaven and his hair was a mess.He just stared at Cecilia.Cecilia turned to look at him, but she didn't walk towards him.For a moment, they looked at each other in silence, and at this moment, Briony shrank into her military uniform under the cover of her sister. He said softly to Cecilia as if no one else was there: "I heard a noise just now, I guess it has something to do with the hospital." "It's okay." He checked his watch. "Better go now." He crossed the room and was about to walk out the door to the terrace when he gave Briony a slight nod. "Excuse me," he said. They heard the sound of the bathroom door closing.There was a moment of silence when Cecilia blurted out as if nothing had happened between her and her sister. "He was in a deep sleep, I didn't want to wake him up just now." Then he added, "I just thought it would be better for you not to meet each other." Briony's knees were already shaking.With one hand propped on the table, she walked slowly away from the stove so Cecilia could fill the kettle.Briony would have liked to sit down, but she would not have done so without an invitation, and she would never ask.So she stood against the wall, but pretended not to lean against the wall.She looked at her sister.Surprisingly, her relief at seeing Robbie alive was quickly replaced by panic at having to face him.She had just seen him across the room.Alas! The possibility of thinking he was dead in battle seemed absurd.The original guess is now moot.Her older sister walked up and down the small kitchen, and she kept staring at her back.Briony wanted to tell her that it was great that Robbie was back safe and sound.What a relief for her.But it sounds so vulgar to say this to my sister.Besides, she is not qualified to say that.She was afraid of her sister, afraid of her ridicule. At this time, Briony not only felt sick, but also felt hot all over.She leaned her cheek against the wall.The wall was also hot, no cooler than her face.How she wanted a glass of water, but she didn't want to ask her sister for anything.Cecilia continued to work, mixing milk and water with egg powder, and putting a jar of jam and three basins of cups on the table.Briony saw all this, but it did not give her any comfort.This only added to her sense of foreboding.She had to confront Robbie.Did Cecilia really think that, under these circumstances, they could still sit together and have an appetite for scrambled eggs? Or was she trying to calm herself by going around? Briony's double He was paying attention to the sound of footsteps on the balcony outside the room.She had seen the cloak hanging behind the door.To distract herself, she said in a homely tone: