"Oh, how beautiful!" exclaimed the Countess de Cauder in a low voice. "What?" asked the count, turning back to his young wife, "what is beautiful?" He looked around, trying to find something she was admiring. "Oh, I didn't see anything at all, my dear," replied the countess, with two red clouds suddenly flying up on her already rosy cheeks, "just thinking of those who were killed in New York with a kind of admiration." It's just a magnificent building that people call a skyscraper." The beautiful countess shifted her body in order to sit more comfortably, and then picked up the book that had fallen on her lap because she "didn't see anything at all." Magazine.

The husband buried himself in his book again, somewhat wondering how the lady, two days after her official departure from New York, should suddenly feel admiration for buildings that she had always so disliked. After a while, the count put down the book in his hand. "It's boring, Olga," he said. "I'd like to play cards with some people. Maybe they'll be bored too." "You're not very courteous, my husband," replied the young woman, smiling, "but I'm terribly bored, too, and I can forgive you. Go, if you like, and play that loathsome poker game. "

After he was gone, she stole another glance at a tall young man who was lounging on a recliner not far away. "It's beautiful!" she said softly again. Countess Olga de Cauder was 20 years old.Her husband is 40 years old.She is an honest, dependable, devoted wife.But since she had no right to choose a husband at all, she was not obsessed with fate and the husband her noble father-he was a Russian-chosen for her. It would be a great mistake, however, to conclude that a handsome young stranger was in some way mentally unfaithful to her husband, just by uttering a slight exclamation at the sight of her.She simply admired him as she admires any particularly beautiful specimen.There is no doubt that this young lad looks pleasing to the eye.

When her furtive glance rested on the young man's face, he rose and left the deck.At this time, a waiter happened to pass by the Countess de Cauder. "Who is that gentleman?" she asked. "His registered name is Mr. Taishan, Ma'am, and he lives in Africa." The waiter replied. "Hey, this family business is big enough." The young woman thought, and now she was more and more interested in him. Tai Shan walked slowly towards the smoking room, and unexpectedly met two men outside the door.Those two people were lowering their voices, talking mysteriously.If one of them hadn't given him a guilty, odd glance, he'd hardly have thought of them.The two men reminded Tarzan of the rendered villains he had seen on the Paris stage.They were all dark, obviously plotting something, and they shrugged and looked around furtively, making them all the more villainous.

Tarzan went into the smoking room and sat down on a chair a little away from the people in the room.Not in the mood for conversation, he sipped his absinthe and thought sadly of the past few weeks.More than once he wondered if it would be smart to give up his inheritance for someone to whom he owed nothing. He likes Clayton, it's true.But...ah, but that's not the point.It was not for William Cecil Clayton, Lord Greystoke, that he denied his parentage.He was for the woman he and Clayton both loved.This woman, due to the willfulness of Fate, was awarded to Clayton and not to him. And the fact that she loved him made it doubly unbearable.

But he understood that he had no choice but to make a decision at the small train station in Woods, Wisconsin.For him, her happiness is the number one priority.Although he is not deeply involved in the world and has just started to deal with "civilized people", he already understands that life without money and status is unbearable for most of them. Jenny Potter was made for both of those things.Had Tarzan wrested them from her future husband, no doubt, it would have left her in misery and misery.However, once Clayton was deprived of his title and property, she might leave him, but Tarzan never once thought of it that way.Because he thinks that other people are like him, born with only this kind of loyalty.Honest quality.Even at such a critical moment, he did not have the slightest cunning.If anything happened to further bind Jenny Potter to her promise to Clayton, Tarzan could only accept it.

Tarzan's mind drifts from the past to the future.He tried to keep himself in a cheerful mood, looking forward to returning to the jungle where he was born and spent his boyhood.He is 22 years old, and he has spent 20 years in that harsh and brutal forest.However, in that vast and endless jungle, who or what would welcome his return?No, only Tante, the elephant, can be called a friend.The other animals would hunt him down, or run away when they saw him, as they had done in the past. Not even the apes of his own tribe offered him the hand of friendship. Although civilization did not bring anything to the ape Taishan, it made him understand the value of friendship and understand the warmth of friendship with sincere happiness.All other life seemed dull by comparison.It's hard to imagine a world without even a single friend, not even a speaker of a new language that Tarzan already loves so much.Therefore, looking forward to the future, Taishan really does not have much fun in his heart.

As he sat there smoking a cigarette and meditating, his eyes fell on a mirror in front of him.From the mirror, he saw a table with four people sitting around the table playing cards.After a while, one person stood up and left the table, and another person walked over.Tarzan saw that he politely offered to fill the vacancy, so that the game would not be interrupted.He was the little man of the two whom Tarzan had seen whispering outside the smoking-room door just now. Tarzan was intrigued, and a little spark flickered in him, as he imagined the future and watched the reflections in the mirrors of the people playing cards around the table behind him.Except for the one who just sat down to play, among the other players, Tarzan only knew the name of one person, and that was the one who sat opposite the new player—Count Rolle de Cauder An overly obliging attendant once pointed him out to Tarzan as one of the distinguished passengers, a high-ranking official in the cabinet of the French minister of military aircraft.

Taishan's attention was suddenly drawn to the picture in the mirror.The dark furtive fellow came in and stood behind the earl's chair, and Tarzan saw him turn his head and cast a furtive glance about the room, his eyes flickering in the mirror, not noticing Tarzan's watchful eyes. Eye.The man quietly took something out of his pocket, what it was, Taishan didn't see clearly because he blocked it with one hand. The hand approached the count slowly, and then, with great agility, stuffed its contents into his pocket.After that, he still stood there like a normal person, looking at the cards in the Frenchman's hand.Perplexed, Tarzan became more and more preoccupied; he could not let a single detail of the matter escape his gaze.They played for another ten minutes or so, and the count won a considerable bet on the man who had joined the game last.At this moment, Tarzan saw the fellow standing behind the earl's chair nodding to his accomplice, and the fellow immediately stood up, pointing a finger at the earl:

"If I'd known this gentleman was a professional gambler, I wouldn't have been drawn into the game so easily," he said. The count and the other two card players stood up immediately.De Cauder turned pale. "What do you mean, sir?" he cried. "Do you know whom you are talking to?" "I know all too well I'm talking to a man who's messing around at the poker table," the guy asked. The count leaned over the table and slapped the man across the face.The few people next to them hurriedly stood between them. "It's a misunderstanding, sir," said one of the other two players. "This is the Comte de Cauder of France."

"If it's a mistake," said the man, "I'll gladly apologize. However, before apologizing, let the earl first explain how a few cards got into his pocket? " At this moment the man who had smuggled the cards into the count's pocket turned and tried to slip out of the room, but a tall, gray-eyed stranger barred his way. "I'm sorry." The man said roughly, trying to go around. "Wait," said Tarzan. "Why, sir?" said the man very displeased. "Let me pass, sir." "Wait a moment," said Tarzan, "I think, without a doubt, that you alone can explain the matter." The guy lost his temper.He cursed in a low voice, grabbed Tai Shan, and pushed him aside.Tarzan smiled, turned the huge guy around, grabbed the collar and dragged him back to the table.The man struggled, cursed, and argued uselessly.For the first time Nicholas Zhukov got his first taste of the power of this burly man.His well-developed muscles once fought with the lion Numa and the giant ape Teganz, and brought him victory to the uncivilized. The man who challenged de Cauder, and the two players with whom he played cards, stood looking eagerly at the count.Several other passengers were attracted by the quarrel, waiting to see the truth. "The fellow is mad," said the Count. "Gentlemen, I beg someone to search me." "This accusation is simply ridiculous," said one of the card players. "One has only to put one's hand into the count's coat pocket to see that the accusation is quite serious!" insisted the one who had reprimanded the count. Then, as the others were hesitant to search, he went up to the count himself, and said: "Well, if no one else will, I will do it myself." "No, sir," said de Cauder, "I will only allow a respectable gentleman to search me." "There is no need to search the earl. The card is in his pocket, as I have seen it with my own eyes." They turned around in surprise when they heard this, and saw a very strong young man walking towards them with a big hand on the neck of a desperately struggling man. "It's a conspiracy," cried de Cauder angrily. "I have no cards in my pocket," he said, putting his hand into his pocket.A tense silence fell over the small group at this moment.The count suddenly became pale. He withdrew his hand very slowly, holding three cards between his fingers. He looked at the three cards silently, completely shocked, and his face slowly turned red.Pity and contempt also appeared on the faces of those who had seen the earl's reputation being discredited by it. "It's a conspiracy, sir," said the gray-eyed stranger. "Gentlemen," he went on, "the earl does not know that these cards are in his pocket, and that they were slipped in while he was sitting there playing cards. I sat there and there. In this chair, I saw all this process from the mirror in front of me. It was the man I stopped when I was about to escape just now who stuffed the card into the earl's pocket." De Cauder looked from Tarzan to the man he was holding. "My God! Nicholas!" he cried. "Is that you?" Then he turned and stared for a moment at his accuser. "And you, sir. I didn't recognize you when you shaved off your beard. You've done a good job, Balvich. Now I understand, it's clear, gentlemen." "What to do with them? Sir." Tarzan asked. "Give them to the captain?" "No, my friend," said the count hastily, "this is a private matter, and please don't mention it any more. I have been freed from the charge, and that is enough. The less dealing with this guy the better.But, sir, how can I thank you for doing me such a favor?Please allow me to leave my business card to you. Once I can serve you, remember that I am willing to obey your orders. " Tarzan has let go of Rukov.He and his accomplice Balvich hurried out of the smoking room.Before leaving, Rukov turned to Taishan and said: "Dogs take mice, meddle in your own business, there will be times when you regret it!" Tarzan smiled, then, bowing to the Count, handed him his card. The Count read: M. John G. Tarzan "Mr. Tarzan," said he, "I wish you hadn't helped me. For I can assure you that you are hated by two of the truest rascals in all of Europe. Avoid them, sir, by all means." "I have had worse enemies than them, my dear count," replied Tarzan, smiling calmly, "but I am alive and not in the least anxious about such things. I think the two This guy will never think of a way to harm me." "I hope so, sir," said de Cauder; "but take care, and know that you can do no harm today if you give at least one enemy, who will never forget and never forgive. In his evil mind, he is always plotting new plots to persecute those who hinder him or offend him. Let’s just say this Nicholas Zhukov, he is simply a devil. He dares to insult the devil Satan in public and outrageously.” Returning to his bedroom that night, Tarzan found a folded note on the floor, which had apparently been slipped under the door, which he opened, and it read: Mr. Tarzan: No doubt you are unaware of the seriousness of the offense sex, otherwise, you wouldn't be doing what you are doing today.I am very Willing to know that you did this out of ignorance, not to offend a stranger.Therefore, I will happily allow You come to apologize.In accepting your assurance that no further interference has nothing to do with you After what happened, I don't care about it anymore. Otherwise... But, I am sure, you will understand, listen to me The suggestion is the best policy. respect you Nicholas Zhukov A sneer appeared on Taishan's lips, and he quickly put this matter aside from his mind and went to bed. In a cottage not far away, the Countess de Cauder was talking to her husband. "Why are you so morose, Roel dear?" she asked. "You've been so morose all night. What makes you so sad?" "Olga, Nicholas is on this boat. Did you know that?" "Nicholas!" she exclaimed, "it's possible! Rolle. No way, Nicholas is in prison in Germany!" "I thought the same thing today, before I saw him with that cunning rogue Balvich. Olga, I can't bear his persecution any longer. No, sooner or later I'll kill him, even if it's just for you." To the authorities. In fact, I have almost made up my mind to explain all this to the captain before we go ashore. On a French steamer, this is a simple thing to do. Olga, put us this' Nemesis'① is settled forever." "Oh, no, Rolle!" cried the countess, kneeling before him.He sat with his head bowed on the couch that doubled as a bed. "Don't do it, remember your promise to me. Promise me, Rolle, you will never do this. Don't even threaten him, Rolle." De Cauder took his wife's hands in his own, and, before speaking, looked intently at her pale, troubled lids, as if to find in those beautiful eyes what prompted her. The real reason for sheltering this person. "Do as you wish, Olga," he said at last, "but I can't understand it. He has no claim to your loyalty and respect at all. He is a threat to your life and honor, and Threat to your husband's life and honor. I hope you will never regret having sheltered him." "I'm not protecting him, Roll." She interrupted him excitedly, "I believe, I hate him as much as you do. But... Roll, blood is thicker than water." "I'd really like to see how much he weighs today," growled de Cauder grimly. "These two are trying to discredit me. Olga." Then he told her what had happened in the smoking room. "If it weren't for the stranger, they would have succeeded. Because of the damned evidence—the cards are in my pocket, and who can believe my weak defense? Even I doubt myself. At this moment, Mr. Tarzan brought Nicholas before me, and finally explained this trick that only a coward can play." "Mr. Tarzan?" asked the countess, evidently taken aback. "Yes, you know him? Olga." "I've seen him. A flight attendant pointed him out to me." "I don't know, he's a celebrity too," said the Count. Olga de Cauder changed the subject.She suddenly realized that even she herself knew why the flight attendant had pointed out this handsome young Mr. Tarzan to her.She also couldn't explain why the count, her husband, looked at her with a probing look, and she blushed.It was only later that she realized that it was because she harbored a sense of guilt towards her husband...