Chapter 18 Chapter Seventeen Annette

The troubles of the future quickly disappear in front of the troubles of reality.The most realistic is hunger.Tommy has a good appetite, and the steak and chips for Chinese food seem to belong to another era.He recognized the fact, not without regret, that he could not win the hunger strike. He wandered aimlessly around the cell.Once or twice he lowered his dignity and knocked desperately on the door, but there was no answer. "Damn it!" said Tommy indignantly. "They couldn't have starved me to death." A new fear arose in him. Perhaps it was one of those "cunning tricks" that made the prisoner talk, This method is attributed to Boris.After thinking twice, he dismissed the idea. "It's Conrad with the savage face," he decided, "I've got to deal with that guy these days.

That's what's so vicious about him, I believe. " Tommy further imagined that it would be a very happy thing to hit Conrad's egg-shaped skull with something.Tommy tapped his head lightly, letting himself indulge in the imaginary pleasure.The last brilliant idea flashed in his mind, why not let the imagination become a reality?Conrad must be the tenant of this house, except for the beard, the rest of the people just use it as a meeting point.So why not wait for Conrad behind the door, and when he comes in, hit him hard on the head with a chair or an old painting.Of course be careful not to hit too hard.Then go out, and if he meets anyone, he can deal with him with his fists.He is better at this kind of thing than the verbal battle this afternoon.Reveling in his scheme, Tommy gently removed the painting of the Devil and Faust from the hook on the wall, and chose the location.He thought the hope great, the plan simple but brilliant.

Time passed and Conrad did not show up.In this cell the night was like the day.Tommy's watch was accurate, and the time showed that it was nine o'clock in the evening.If supper didn't come, Tommy thought gloomily, it would be a matter of waiting for breakfast.At ten o'clock he was in despair.He collapsed on the bed, seeking comfort in his sleep.Five minutes later, his distress was forgotten. The sound of the lock key turning woke him from his deep sleep.He's not the kind of hero who wakes up and gives full play to his talents.Tommy blinked at the ceiling, not sure where he was, then remembered, looked at his watch again, it was eight.

"Either morning tea or breakfast," reasoned the young man, "better to God, breakfast!" The door opens, and Tommy remembers his plan to get rid of Conrad.After a while, he was glad that it was not Conrad but a girl who entered. She took a tray and put the tray on the table. In the dim light of the gas lamp, Chang Mi winked at her, and he was instantly sure that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.Her hair was brown and shiny, with some golden glitter in it.It seems that the imprisoned sunlight is struggling deep in the hair.Her face was like a wild rose.Her eyes were set wide apart and hazel, a pale golden brown that reminded one again of sunlight.An ecstatic thought flashed through Chang Mi's mind.

"Are you Jane Finn?" he gasped as he said this. The girl shook her head curiously. "My name is Annette, sir." She spoke in mild broken English. "Ah," Chang Mi was a little surprised, "French?" He asked presumptuously. "Yes, sir. Do you speak French too?" "Not often," said Tommy, "what's that? Breakfast?" The girl nodded.Tommy got out of bed and walked over to look at the food on the tray.A loaf of bread, margarine and a large bottle of coffee. "Life can't match the Ritz," he said with a sigh, "but God makes me grateful for the food we're going to get, amen."

He dragged a chair and the girl turned and walked toward the door. "Wait a minute," cried Tommy, "I have a lot of things I want to ask you, Annette, what are you doing in this room? Don't tell me you're Conrad's niece or daughter, or anything, because I just can not believe." "I do housework, sir. I have nothing to do with anybody." "I see," said Tommy. "You know what I called you just now. Have you ever heard that name?" "I've heard people talk about Jane Finn, I suppose." "Do you know where she is?"

Annette shook her head. "Like, she's not in the house?" "Oh no, I have to go, they're waiting for me." "I want to know who they are," thought Tommy, eating his bread, "with luck the girl might help me escape, she doesn't look like one of the gang. At one o'clock Annette reappeared with another tray, this time with Conrad. "Good morning," said Tommy kindly, "you don't use Pierce soap, do you?" Conrad growled menacingly. "No light-hearted answer, man, will you? Look, we can't always be both good-looking and smart. What do we eat for lunch? Tons of meat? How do I know? It's basic knowledge, my dear Watson— - You can't go wrong with the taste of onions."

"Stand back, servant," he said, waving his hand, "nagging will do you no good." That night, Tommy sat in bed thinking.Will Conrad come with the girl again?If he doesn't come, is it possible to take the risk of making friends with the girl.He decided that something must be done.His situation was indeed hopeless. At eight o'clock, with a familiar sound, the key was turned, he jumped up, and the girl came alone. "Close the door," he ordered, "I want to talk to you." She complied with his request. "Listen, Annette, I want you to help me get out of here."

She shook her head. "Impossible. There are three people downstairs." "Oh:" Tommy silently thanked the information. "But if you could, would you help me?" "No, sir." "why not?" The girl hesitated. "I think—they're our own, and you spy on them. So they're quite right to keep you here." "They're a bunch of bad guys, Annette. If you help me, I'll get you out of the bunch, and you might get a lot of money." The girl still shook her head. "I dare not, sir, I am afraid of them." She turned and went away.

"Won't you do anything to help another girl?" Tommy went on. "She's about your age, and you won't save her from her clutches?" "You mean Jane Finn?" "yes." "You came here looking for her, didn't you?" "Exactly." "I don't know anything—only names." She was walking towards the door, when suddenly she uttered a cry.Tommy froze. She saw the painting that Tommy had leaned against the wall at night.Then he saw the terror in the girl's eyes.Inexplicably, it eased right away.The girl suddenly walked out of the room.Tommy was puzzled, she thought he was going to attack her with the painting.No, he put the picture back on the wall.

Three days passed meaninglessly like this.Chang Mi felt a lot of mental stress, and he couldn't see anyone except Conrad and Annette.The girl also became silent.She speaks only in monosyllabic words.A worry and doubt pooled in her eyes.Tommy felt that if this solitary confinement continued, he would literally go mad.He learned from Conrad that they were awaiting orders from Mr. Brown.Tommy thought maybe he'd gone abroad or left the country and they'd have to wait for him to come back. On the third night, things suddenly went wrong. Just before seven o'clock he heard heavy footsteps in the corridor, and soon the door opened, and Conrad entered, accompanied by the sinister-looking Fourteenth.Seeing them, Tommy's heart sank. "Good night, head," said the man, with a glance. "Take those ropes, man!" Conrad, who had been silent all this time, took out a long, strong rope.Then Fourteen quickly put the rope around Tommy's hands and feet, and Conrad held him down. "What the hell—?" Tommy asked. The dour Conrad's smile kept Tommy from going on. Fourteen quickly completed his task, and Tommy was soon bound and unable to move.At last Conrad said, "You think you've lied to us, don't you? Bargaining what you know with what we don't 2 You've been cheating: cheating 2 Actually you know less than a kitten. But your number is fine, you pig. " Tommy lay still, unable to say anything, he had failed.For some reason, Mr. Brown, who had unlimited power, saw him through.Suddenly he had an idea. "A fine speech, Conrad," he agreed, "but why tie the hands? Why don't this gentleman cut my throat right away." "Garn," said Fourteen unexpectedly, "think about it, we have no experience with you here, and the police are looking around for us, great! We have ordered a car for you, sir, tomorrow morning. carriage, and we shall not risk it in the meantime. Look." Tommy said, "Your words can't be more clear, and your face." "Stop it," said Fourteen. "Very glad," replied Tommy, "that you are making a terrible mistake—a mistake, and it will cost you."' "Don't you fool us like that again," said Fourteen, "talk You're still in the posh Ritz, aren't you?" Tommy didn't answer.He was pondering over how Mr. Brown had discovered his identity, and whether Tuppence had reported it in extreme anxiety. His disappearance had been made public, and it was difficult for these villains to judge based on the existing facts. The two left, and the door was slammed shut.Tommy was lost in thought again.They were not gentlemen, and his limbs were numb and stiff.He was completely alone and helpless, with no hope in sight. About an hour later he heard the key turn, and the door opened, and it was Annette.Tommy's heart beat faster. He had forgotten about the girl. Could she help him?Suddenly he heard Conrad's voice: "Come out, Annette. He doesn't need dinner tonight." "Oui, oui, je saisbien, ① but I must take another tray. We need cutlery on the tray. " ① French.Meaning: Yes, yes, I am familiar. ——Annotation. "Huh, come on," Conrad growled.The girl went to the table, without looking at Tommy, and put up a hand to turn off the light. "Damn it"—Conrad had come to the door—"why did you do that?" "I always turn off the light. You should tell me first, should I turn it on again, Mr. Conrad." "No, come out quickly." "Le beaupetit monsieur," cried Annette, pausing in the darkness by the bed, "you tied him up, alas, he's like a chicken tied up before cooking!" Delighted, it unnerved Tommy, and just then, to his surprise, her hand fumbled and she shoved something small and cold into Tommy's palm. "Come on, Annette." "Mais me voila.②" ① French.Meaning: Kind little Mr. ——Annotation. ② French, meaning: but that is me. ——Annotation. The door closed, and Tommy heard Conrad say, "Lock it and give me the key." The footsteps faded away.Tommy lay there marveled for a moment, and what Annette had handed him was a small pencil knife, open.From her demure avoidance of looking at him and turning off the lights, Tommy concluded that the room was closely guarded.There must be a peephole somewhere in the wall.Remembering how cautious she used to be, he understood that she had been being watched.Did he reveal himself by saying something?hardly.He had revealed that he wanted to run away and find Jane Finn, but there was nothing to suggest his identity. It is true that the questions he asked Annette proved that he did not know Jane Finn personally, but he made no pretense of knowing her either.The question now is, does Annette really know that much?Was her denial mainly for the sake of eavesdropping? He couldn't come to a conclusion. There is a more important question.Although he is bound tightly, can he manage to cut the rope?He carefully rubbed the knife back and forth on the rope between his two wrists, clumsily, the knife cut his wrist, and he let out a small "wow" in pain.Yet he continued to cut back and forth, laboriously and incessantly.The hand was badly hurt and the rope was cut. With the hands free, the rest is much easier.Five minutes later, he stood up.It was difficult to stand up due to the numbness of the limbs.Bandaging the bleeding wrist first, then he thought as he sat on the edge of the bed, Conrad had taken the key, and he was looking forward to Annette's help.The only way out of this room was the door, and he had to wait for those people to come.When they came again... Tommy smiled: in the dark, he groped carefully to find the famous painting and remove it from the wall hook.Somewhat relieved that his first plan did not go in vain.Now there was only waiting, and he waited patiently. After a long night, Tommy had a hard time, when he finally heard footsteps, he stood up, took a deep breath, and held onto the painting tightly.The door opened, and a faint light came through the door.Conrad came straight over and lit the gas lamp. But I deeply regret that it was Conrad who entered first, and it is also a pleasure to be even with Conrad.Number Fourteen followed.As he crossed the threshold, Tommy hit him on the head with the painting.Number Fourteen fell with a shattering sound of glass, and Tommy ran to pull the door. The key was still on the door. He twisted the lock to get the key back out, while Conrad was inside, slamming on the door. , and kept cursing loudly. Tommy hesitated.There was a commotion on the floor below, followed by German shouts. "What's the matter with Gott im Himmell Conrad?" ① German.Meaning: My God! ——Annotation. Tommy felt a small hand take his, and beside him stood Annette.She pointed to a rickety staircase leading to the top floor. "Quick—up here!" She dragged him up the stairs, and they came to a dusty attic full of timber.Tommy looked around. "This won't work, it's a trap. There's no way out." "Hush, wait." The girl put her finger to her lips.She climbed to the top of the ladder and listened carefully as the door banged and the German and the other guy tried to squeeze in. Annette whispered, "They'll think you're still inside. They can't hear Conrad. The door is too thick." "I thought you could hear the room?" "There's a peephole that looks into the next room, which is pretty clever for you to guess. But they don't think about it, they are too eager to get in. " "Yes—look here—" "Leave it to me." She bent down, and to his surprise Tommy saw Annette fasten the end of a long rope to the handle of a large cracked jug.She was very organized.She turned to Tommy and said, "Do you have the key to the door?" "yes." "Give me the key." Tommy handed her the key. "I'm going down now. Can you go down and hide behind the stairs? That way they can't see you." Tommy nodded. "There is a large cupboard at the bend in the stairs, and you stand behind it. Take hold of one end of this rope with your hand. When I let out the other end, pull hard!" Before he could ask, she had crept down the stairs, and ran into the crowd, shouting: "MOn Dieu! Mon Dieu! Qu'est—ce qu'i1ya?" The German turned and shouted at her. Cursed: "Go back, go back to your room and ask." Tommy grabbed the rope and descended very carefully to the back of the stairs.As long as they don't turn around there is no problem.He stooped and crawled behind the cupboard, and the men stood between him and the stairs. "Ah!" Annette tripped and bent down. "Mon Dieu, Voil la clef! ②" ① French: My God!God!What is there? ——Annotation. ②French: My God!The key is there! ——Annotation. The German snatched the key out of her hand and opened the door.Conrad stumbled out, swearing. "Where is he? Have you caught him?" "We didn't see anyone," said the German sharply, pale. "Who do you mean?" Conrad cursed again. "He ran away." "Impossible. He must pass us." At this time, Tommy was smiling happily and pulled the rope.From the back attic came the sound of a crock being broken.Instantly, the men jostled each other up the rickety stairs and disappeared into the darkness as fast as lightning, and Tommy jumped out of his hiding place and dragged the girl down the stairs.There was no one in the hall. He groped to unbolt the door and opened the door. When he turned around, Annette was gone. Tommy stood there dumbfounded. Would she run upstairs again?How crazy she is.He was so anxious that he would not leave until he found her. Suddenly there was a shout overhead, first the Germans, then Annette's clear scream: "Actually, he's already gone, fast, who would have thought?" Tommy remained where he was, motionless.Was that an order to leave him? he thought so.What was said loudly upstairs came to Jimmy's ears: "This is a terrible house. I want to go back to Margaret. Go back to Margaret. Go back to Margaret." Tommy ran back to the stairs again. She asked him to go and stay by herself?Why?He should take her away at any cost.Then his heart sank, and Conrad saw him, and jumped down the stairs screaming wildly.The others followed behind him.Tommy knocked Conrad down with a fist that caught him on the jaw and he fell like a log.The second man tripped over Conrad, and the gunfire rang out from the top of the stairs, and the bullet grazed Tommy's ear.He realized that he must get out of here as soon as possible, and as for Annette, there was nothing he could do.At this time, he was even with Conrad, and this punch was really enjoyable. He ran to the door and slammed it behind him.The square was empty, and there was a bakery's car in front of the house.Obviously he must get out of London in this car, he has to go in this car.When the car drove a few miles from Soho, the driver spotted Tommy and got out of the car to stop him. Tommy quickly punched the driver and knocked him to the pavement. Tommy ran off, but it was too late.The front door of the car opened and a hail of bullets hit him. Luckily he was not hit. He ran away around the bend in the square. "One more thing," he thought, "they can't keep shooting, or the police will come after them, dare they do it?" He heard the footsteps of the man chasing him behind him, so he quickened his pace, and once he ran out of this lonely path, he was safe. There must be a policeman nearby--he really didn't want the policeman's help if he could solve the problem without it. Explaining to the police can be embarrassing.After a while, Tommy's luck came. He tripped over a lying man on the ground. After the man uttered a warning cry, he got up and ran to the other side of the street. Tommy retreated to the corner of a house. Glad to see his pursuers, one of the Germans was desperately chasing the man.He sat quietly on the steps.After a while, he gradually calmed down.Then he walked slowly in the opposite direction.At this time, the hour hand pointed to half past five, and the day would soon be over. On the corner of the street he saw a policeman, who gave him suspicious looks.This made Tommy very angry.He rubbed his face with his hands and then laughed. He hasn't had a beard or groomed for three days, and he looks like he doesn't know what it looks like!He had no trouble finding a hammam, which he knew was open all night.When he got to the bathroom, it was broad daylight, and when he regained his former energy, he resumed his previous life. First of all, he must have a good meal. He hasn't eaten since noon yesterday.He went into an ordinary coffee shop and ordered eggs, bacon, and coffee. While eating, he looked at the morning newspaper on the table, and suddenly he was stunned.There was a long newspaper article about Kramenin, described as the mastermind of Russian Bolshevism, who had just arrived in London—some thought he was an unofficial envoy.His career has been described lightly.It is firmly believed that he, and not the figureheads, was the founder of the Russian Revolution. In the middle of the newspaper is his portrait. "That's number one," said Tommy, with his mouth full of eggs and bacon. "There's no doubt I must hurry." He paid for his meal and came to Whitehall.He sent his business card saying that there was urgent information to report.A few minutes later, he saw a man named Mr. Carter. The man frowned, his face full of displeasure. "Listen, you don't have to come here to meet me in this way. I think we can all understand each other." "Yes, sir, but I think the matter is too important to waste time." He tried his best to describe his experiences in the past few days as concisely as possible.In the middle of speaking, Mr. Carter interrupted him, picked up the phone and gave a few orders in code words, and the unhappy expression on his face was gone.When Tommy finished, he nodded energetically, "Exactly. Every minute counts, I'm afraid we are too late, they won't wait, they will leave immediately, but they may leave some clues, you say you recognize the number one as Kramenin?That's important, and I desperately need some material exposing him, in case the cabinet is easily brought down by him.What about the others?You said you were familiar with one of the two faces being a labor leader?Check out the photos. " A moment later Tommy picked up a photograph, and Mr. Carter was amazed. "Wesley, figured it out. He came out as a moderate, and as for the other guys, I think I can basically guess." He handed Tommy another photo, and he heard Tommy startled. Called, smiled slightly. "Then I'm right, who is he? The Irishman, the outstanding British Conservative MP. It's all cover-up, we suspected it but had no proof, yes, you've done a fantastic job, young man. You Saying the twenty-ninth is that day gives us very little time—very little time." "But—" Tommy hesitated. Mr. Carter read his mind. "I thought we could deal with the threat of a general strike. It was a coin toss - but we had a fair chance: if that draft treaty were published, we would be screwed and Britain would be plunged into anarchy. Ah, what's that? Car, come on, let's go and see this house you're talking about." "Two policemen are standing guard in front of that house in Soho," Prudeau reported in a low voice to Mr. Carter.Mr. Carter turned to Tommy. "The bird has flown away—as we said. Might as well search again." Re-examining the abandoned house seemed like a dream come true for Tommy.Everything was as it was, the prison cell with crooked famous paintings, the broken jug on the top floor, and the meeting room with a rectangular table, but there was no trace of documents left.That kind of thing is either destroyed or taken away.There was no sign of Annette either. "What you tell me about the girl puzzles me," said Mr. Carter. "You think she came back on purpose?" "I suppose so, sir. She ran upstairs while I was opening the door." "Well, she certainly belonged to the gang; but, as a woman, she would not stand aside and see a handsome young man killed. It was evident that she was with the gang, or she wouldn't have gone back. .” "I don't think she can be one of them, sir, she looks different—" "Beautiful?" said Mr. Carter, smiling.This made Tommy blush to the roots of his hair. He coyly acknowledges Annette's beauty. "By the way," said Mr. Carter, "have you seen Miss Tuppence? She has been writing me many letters about you." "Tuppence? I'm afraid she's nervous. Has she gone to the police?" Mr. Carter shook his head. "Then I wonder how they got to know me?" Mr. Carter looked at him curiously, and nodded thoughtfully. "Quite odd, indeed, unless the Ritz is mentioned occasionally." "That's possible, sir. But they must have found out about me somehow." "Well," said Mr. Carter, looking round, "there's nothing more to say here. How about going to lunch with me?" "Thank you, but I'll go back to Tuppence." "Of course, please give her my regards and tell her not to believe that you can be easily killed by others." Tommy grinned. "I'm going to kill." "I understand," said Mr. Carter dryly. "Well, good-bye. Remember, you're a conspicuous person now, so do yourself a favor." "thank you, sir." Tommy immediately hailed a taxi, and the car sped toward the Ritz Hotel.All the way he thought excitedly of how to surprise Tuppence. "Want to know what she's doing? Likely stalking Rita, and by the way, what Annette meant by Margaret, I didn't understand at the time." These thoughts made him sad, because it seemed that Mrs. Vandermeyer and the Girls are close. After the taxi arrived at the Ritz Hotel, Zhang Mi rushed into the gate of the hotel. When he learned that Miss Cowley had left here an hour ago, his excitement suddenly cooled down.