Chapter 12 Chapter Twelve

"I put you in the child's bedroom before," Beatri said, "I hope you don't mind. Simon is now using the room he used to share with—with you." Bitui complained secretly to herself: God Ah, what's the matter with you, why didn't I think that he was Bert? "It would be too extravagant for you to use the guest room." Bo said he was happy to live in the former child's bedroom. "Do you want to go up now, or drink some water first?" "I'll go up now." Bo said, walking towards the stairs. He knew Aunt Beatrice had been waiting for this moment—he should know the structure of the house.So he turned and went upstairs, then walked through the narrow passage to the north wing, and went to the children's room facing north.He opened the third of the four doors and went into the room Nora had furnished for the children.It was a quiet room, far from the stables and the road.

He stood by the window, looking out at a large green meadow, thinking of the mountains beyond the dust of the west, and also aware of Beetree Ashby behind him. There were other things he had to take the initiative on. "Where's Simon?" he said, turning to Beatrix. "He, like Jenny," said Beatrice, "is always late for lunch. I think he'll be back soon." So far so good, but he also realized that Beatrice was a little at a loss for answers to his questions, as if he had whipped her.Simon was not waiting for him at home, and Simon might not be easy to deal with.

Beatrice takes the initiative before he can press on. "The bathroom next to the room is yours, but you have to be slow to turn on the hot water. There is something wrong with the ignition oil. Alright, wash your hands and go downstairs for dinner. The Pike family has brought you some good sherry." "Aren't they coming to lunch?" "No, they don't come until dinner, and it's just our family for lunch." Beati watched him walk towards the fourth door, and knowing that he did remember the location of the bathroom, she walked away with relief. He understood why Beatrice was relieved: because he knew where the rooms in the house were.But his mood is very complicated.It was one thing to fool Mr. Sandow, and have fun with it, but it was far from it to deliberately deceive Beatrix.

He absently washed his hands and face, rubbing soap in his hands, and looked at the rolling grassland—this is a grassland that he dreamed of hiring day and night, and even sold his soul to get it.He really wanted to ride a horse right now, and stay away from all the complicated human relationships in the world... Thinking of this, he felt that this transaction was worthwhile.He walked back to his room and saw a blond girl in a tight flowered dress fiddling with a vase of flowers by the windowsill. "Hi," the girl said when she saw him, "welcome home." "Thank you." Bolai responded.Should he know this guy? Of course not! "You look exactly like your brother, don't you?"

"I think so." He took the toothbrush out of the luggage bag and put it on the dresser, thus occupying the room. "Of course you don't know me. My name is Lina, and I'm from the village. My father's Mr. Adam Little, and my boyfriend works in your stable, so I'm here to help." It turned out that she was the maid here.He glanced at the girl and felt sympathy for her boyfriend. "You look much older than your brother. I think you've been through too much to be pampered like your brother. Forgive me for saying that. That's why he was so upset when he heard you were back. That's a shame. no need.

Anyone who takes one look at you will know that you are from the Asyubie family.There is simply no reason why you are not.Listen to me, don't be too polite to him.He has always been used to being flattered, and he can't stand being rude to him.Don't let him push you down. " Bo Lai took out the luggage silently, but she stopped talking.Before she could speak again, Aileen's voice came from downstairs. "Are you missing anything?" The girl hurriedly replied: "I'm just welcoming Mr. Bert back!" Then she turned her head and smiled brightly at Bo, and walked away with her hips twisted.

Bolai didn't know how much Ailian heard. "It's a nice room," said Eileen, "only the sun doesn't get in in the morning. The bed was brought from Carlisle.Aunt Beatrice sold the cot and bought it from the Carlisle auction. Not bad? This was supposed to be in Ali's room.Except for the bed, everything else is the same. " "Yeah, the wallpaper is original too, I noticed." "Robinson and his mates. Yeah. When I was little I liked this General Hervor of Wakeshire, he was wonderful." She pointed to a fairy-tale character on the wallpaper.Their mother Nala specially chose this kind of wallpaper with many fairy tale protagonists printed on it, so that the children would have something fun to do before going to bed.

"Does the next room still have nursery rhyme wallpaper?" "Of course. Come and see." He followed her, but while Elaine was talking about the pictures, he kept thinking about what the blond girl had said about Simon.At the same time, he also felt that it was such a coincidence that he should sleep in Eli Lodin's bed tonight. So Simon refuses to believe that he is Bert. "There's no reason to say you're not," the girl's words only proved that Simon was unwilling to accept it. Why? He followed Eileen downstairs, still thinking about it. Eileen led him into a room full of sunlight.Aunt Beatrice was busy pouring sherry while Ruth sat at the piano, fumbling for a tune.

"Would you like to hear me play?" Ruth asked eagerly. "No," Elaine answered for him, then turned to Beatrice and said, "We went to see the old wallpaper in the room. I've forgotten how much I liked General Hervor before. Fortunately, I moved Leave that room, otherwise you must still be entangled with him." "I've never liked that kind of kid stuff," Ruth put in. "You haven't read those stories at all, and you can even talk about knowing those people?" Ailian retorted. "We won't have that room anymore when the two sisters don't need a wet nurse anymore," said Beatrice. "That room is too far from the rest of the house."

"It took a long time to wake them both up in the morning," Eileen said. "Ruth had to be woken up several times, so we had to put them in a room closer to the family." "Meticulous people need sleep more," Ruth protested. "When have you been careful?" Ailian asked back. "Not because I'm meticulous, but because Jenny is so big, isn't she, Jenny?" she said, asking Jenny for permission.Jenny had just walked into the room, her hair on her forehead wet from a morning of running.But Jenny's eyes were on Beetui. "Simon is back." She said softly, and walked straight to Beetui, as if to make sure of something.

There was a sudden silence all around.Only Ruth was moving.Ruth stood up, as if expecting something to happen. Then Beatri continued pouring sherry. "Very well, so we can have dinner right away." Bolai knew it well, and felt that Bicui's reaction was so good, he really wanted to applaud her. "Where's Simon?" Eileen asked with affected ease. "He's coming downstairs," said Jenny, her eyes on Beatrice again. The door opened and Simon walked in. He paused for a moment, glanced at Bolai before closing the door with his backhand, and then said: "You are really here." There was no special meaning in the words. He walked towards Bolai slowly until he was face to face with Bolai by the window.His eyes were strangely clear, but expressionless.His body is tense, as if you touch him with your finger, he will make a sound like a string. But in an instant, the taut strings relaxed. He looked at Bo Lai's face for a while, and the lines on his face suddenly softened. "Did they tell you?" he said slowly, "I never believed you were Bert, and now I have to take it back—of course you are Bert." He held out his hand: "Welcome home." The silence behind them was broken, and the sound of conversation immediately filled the space.They congratulated each other, and the sound of clinking cups and laughter flew together.Even Ruth, who was a little disappointed that no one was listening to her, happily drank some more sherry--only a touch of her lips was usually allowed. At this time, Bolai was glad that he had finally passed the tense level, but he also had a little doubt: Why did Simon have such a relaxed expression? What did he expect? What did he have to worry about? I don't believe Bo Lai is Burt.Is that a psychological defense against disappointing himself? Did he tell himself, "I don't believe that Bert is still alive, so I won't be disappointed if it's not the real Bert who comes back." ?” Does that expression of sudden relief mean that he finally found out that he really is Bert? But it doesn't look like it. He observed Simon, who was talking and laughing happily, and the doubts in his heart could not be solved. A few minutes ago, Simon seemed bent on finding out, but now he didn't care at all. Why did he feel relieved? He still had this doubt when he ate.But in the face of what you and I said at the lunch table of the Asyubie family, he had no choice but to put this doubt aside for the time being. "You have finally done it," said the voice in his heart. "At last you have come to the Asybes' house and are on an equal footing with them, and everyone is happy." But not everyone is happy.Jenny seemed to be very loyal to Simon, and she seemed very quiet amidst the conversation and laughter of the crowd.Simon couldn't say he was really happy either. Aunt Beatrice was the happiest, and Eileen became more and more active as she talked. Ruth, regardless of his neglect of her appearance, was very affectionate to him, and was the only one who called him Bert directly. This situation became more and more obvious as the lunch continued.It seemed that everyone avoided calling him "Bert" consciously or unconsciously. Bolai secretly hoped that his "advocates" Not Ruth, but Jenny.If he could really have a little sister, he wanted his little sister to be like Jenny.But Jenny didn't look him in the eye, which made him feel uncomfortable. The restaurant is full of portraits, behind Jenny happens to be William.Portrait of Asybe VII.Wearing the military uniform that he joined the army to resist Napoleon's invasion. Bolai was already familiar with these portraits, and every time he looked up at the portrait of William VII, he would automatically think of what Lodin told him: William VII knew the steeple of Keyou Garden very well, and he and Lodin was sitting under the steeple of Keyou Garden, reviewing the family's story.Looking at the portrait of William VII at this moment, he felt a little guilty: It seemed that the people in the portrait had seen through him long ago.What an ironic coincidence. One thing helped him a lot, however.Like Lodin told him back in the Green Man restaurant, except for the "first" part - how he gets off on a boat instead of killing himself - he has to lie a little bit, he's pretty comfortable To describe the future life truthfully without any changes; besides, the Asybe family will try to avoid talking about the unpleasant "first" process, so he doesn't need to worry too much about the content of the conversation . He didn't even need to bother to pay attention to table manners.Lodin had also told him the good news: No one among his relatives and friends would care about these red tapes except Nansi, who was born in a family.This is much more free than the old-fashioned orphanage. So Bolai didn't need to change his eating habits much.Ruth was a little disappointed by his performance. "You didn't eat with a fork." Seeing Bo Lai's puzzled expression, she added, "I always watch American movies like this: they cut something with a knife, and then eat it with a fork." "I don't chew gum like they do," he added. "I really don't know how their eating habits evolved," Beatri said. "Perhaps they had few knives in the early days," Eileen said. "But in the early days they should have had a lot of knives. Knives are very useful," Simon said. "Maybe they are used to eating diced meat, so when the meat is cut into pieces, they want to put it in their mouths quickly and chew it into pieces." Diced meat." While listening to their chatter, Bolai thought, their family is really British.They can "resurrect from the dead" He talked freely about the American way of life in front of him.They don't even need to ask him "do you remember" Questions of this type. Bitui also happily watched everyone chatting with great interest. "Do you smoke?" Bitui asked after pouring the coffee, pushing the cigarette case in front of him.Since Bolai had his own cigarettes and liked them quite a bit, he handed over his cigarette case to Bicui. "I stopped smoking a long time ago." Bitui said, "I saved some money." So Bo came to give the cigarette case to Ailian. Ailian touched the cigarette case with her finger, and leaned over to read the words on the cigarette case. "Borre Farah," she read, "who is he?" "It's me." Bo said. "You? Why are you called that name?" "I do not know either." "Is that what they really call you? Beau?" "yes." "Why did I call you Bolai?" "I don't know either. Maybe it's because I'm not big?" "Boy!" Ruth exclaimed excitedly, "May I call you that too?" "Of course. That's what they call me all the time." The door opened, and Lina came in to say that a young man wanted to see Mme. Asubie, and she had led him into the study. "Oh, what an unexpected visitor." Bitui muttered, and then asked: "Do you know what he came for?" "He said he was a journalist," Lina said, "but he doesn't look like that. He looks gentle, and he looks talented." In fact, Lina's impression of journalists is like Bolai's impression of middle-class life We know the same thing, from the movies. "No way," Bitui yelled, "The news reporter is gone!" "He said he was from the Xishi Times." "Did he say why he came?" "Of course I'm here to interview Mr. Bert." Lina replied, pointing to Bo Lai with her thumb. "My God," grumbled Simon, "I knew they'd come. I haven't even had half of the windbreaker yet!" Beicui drank all the coffee in the cup and said to Bo, "Let's go, Bo!" As he spoke, he pulled Bolai up: "It's better to solve it earlier. Simon, you can come too." She led Bo Lai out of the restaurant, holding hands, talking and laughing to the study. Beicui's warm treatment gave him an indescribable feeling, which he had never experienced before.But now he had to concentrate on dealing with this reporter, and he had no time to analyze this feeling anymore. The study is located at the back of the house and is a rather dark room.Beetui put a desk, bank account books, and some reference books here.A small young man in a neat blue suit sat inside, flipping through a book on horse breeding.When he saw them coming in, he put down the book and said in a thick Glaswegian accent: "Ms. Asybe? My name is Mak and I work for "Western Times". Already had lunch." "We started late, and we dragged on a little bit," replied Beetui. "It's like this." Mr. Mai said very understandingly: "It's very special. Actually, I shouldn't bother you, but 'report the latest' is my working principle, and the big event in the house is the latest news." "I suppose you mean my nephew's coming home?" "Exactly." "How did you find out so quickly?" "One of my sources heard it from a pub in Carlisle." "That's a terrible word." Bitui sighed. "You mean the bar?" "No. I meant 'source.'" "It's actually one of my assistants. Maybe it's better to say that." Mr. Mai said kindly, "May I know which one is the prodigal son who just came home?" Beatrix introduces Simon and Boley.Simon's face showed the tightness just now, but Bolai seemed quite relaxed.After answering some questions, he thought to himself: Will this reporter want to take pictures, and if he wants to take pictures, he has to find a way to refuse. Beatrice helped him solve the problem.She firmly said that interviews are fine, but photography is absolutely not allowed. Mr. Mai accepted, although with some reluctance. "Without the photos, the story is less compelling." He said without regret. "Isn't your title 'The Wandering Twin'?" asked Beatrice. "No way, it should be said 'return from the dead'!" Simon said.This was the first time he spoke.His cold voice was like a shadow in the huge room. Mr. Mai looked at Simon, pondered for a moment, and then said to Bitui: "I thought about the title 'Carlyle's Passionate Chronicle', but I guess the conservative "Western Times" would not be able to stand it. But "Carlyle" Lane Daily might like it!" "The Clarion Daily! That's a London paper! But—but I don't want them to have it. It's just local news! It's just a family thing!" "To put it bluntly, which piece of news is not a chore?" Mr. Mai said. "But no one is interested in this matter except our family! When my nephew disappeared eight years ago, the "Western Times" only briefly reported it." "I know. I've seen the report. It's just a short piece of news at the bottom of the newspaper." "I don't understand why the news of my nephew's return is worth publicizing." "You don't understand this. That's what hype is about. People die every day, right? But there are fewer people who come back from the dead. Even with today's advanced medicine, it's still rare! This is "Calline" The Daily Journal would be interested in you!" "But where did they hear it?" "I heard that?" Mr. Mai pretended to be surprised and said, "Ms. Asybe, this is the first-hand information that I have worked so hard to dig out!" "You mean you're going to send news of the interview to the Calaine Daily?" "Of course." "Mr. Mai, you must not do this." "Let me tell you, Ms. Yashubie," Mr. Mai said patiently, "I agree not to take pictures, and I will definitely abide by it—I will definitely not secretly take pictures of this young man while he is not paying attention. But I You must not give up this hard-won news." After hearing this, Bicui couldn't say anything more.Seeing this, Mr. Mai added: "Even if I don't send the news, their editors will inevitably copy the news. This way, it will be published in the newspaper anyway, but I get a lot of money." "My God," sighed Beatrice, admitting he was right: "so it's going to be in all the papers in London." "It's not the same. Only the Clarion Journal prints it in London. If it was the Clarion Daily, they wouldn't copy it. And if they did, you needn't worry about it. After finishing speaking, this Mr. Mai looked for his hat and was about to leave. "Thank you very much, Ms. Asybie, and thank you very much, Mr. Asyby. Thank you for your kind reception.I have to say goodbye.Let me congratulate you again - congratulations on your family reunion. "Speaking of which, Mr. Mai's light blue eyes stopped on Simon's face and said to him: "Thank you for your kindness. " "Is your home far away? Mr. Mai?" Bitui asked socially when seeing off the guests. "Home? " "I mean your native Scotland, don't you?" "Oh, yes. Well, how did you know I was Scotch? Yes, my last name is out. Yes, Glasgow is a long way from here, but it doesn't matter—" "Didn't you come by car?" Bitui interrupted him, looked at the vestibule, and asked again. "Yes, I've parked under the driveway. I'd never take the liberty of driving straight up to someone's gate." Pretending to be polite, the young reporter put on his hat and left.