Chapter 22 Chapter 21

Three days later, the day before the Assizes, Robert came to Franchise to take the Sharpes and daughters to Norton for the night, and when he arrived he found the whole place permeated with the joy of a wedding.First of all, on the steps on both sides of the main entrance of the house, there are a large cluster of astonishing yellow flowers standing on each side. Entering the house, the formerly dark porch is also lined with flowers, and it looks as splendid as a church decorated for a wedding. "Navier!" said Marianne, waving her hand in explanation to the dazzling lights in the room.

"He said the house needed to be decorated for the cheers to come." "I wish I'd thought of that, too," said Robert. "After all these days, I'd be amazed you could think of anything else. And we wouldn't be celebrating today if it weren't for you!" "You mean, if there wasn't a man named Bell." "Bell?" "Alexander Bell. He invented the telephone. Without that invention, we'd still be in the dark. But it's going to be months before I can bear to use a telephone again." "Do you take turns using the phone?"

"Well, no. We each have one. Kevin in his office with his staff, me in his apartment in St. Paul's Church Court, Alec Lunsden in his office with three of his men And other places, you can use the phone without restriction without being disturbed." "There were six of them." "Seven, plus six phones. And we desperately need them!" "Poor Robert!" "At first it was fun. We were all excited to go hunting, knowing we were on the right track and success was in sight. But by the time we looked up all the names of Chadwick in the London area phone book I can't find anything to do with the guy named Chadwick who flew to Copenhagen on March 29th; and all the records the airlines can give us are confirmation that on the 27th, someone ordered from Rabolo Two air tickets, at which point we all lost the enthusiasm we had at the beginning. Of course, the news about Labolo cheered us up a bit. But other than that, it was just hard work. We found out what our country was Denmark asks what kind of commodity is bought and sold, and divides this information equally between us."

"Is there any product information?" "No, it's buyer's and seller's stuff. The Danish Tourist Board is a godsend to us. They dumped us a bunch of stuff. Kevin, his staff, and me in the export department, and Lens Don and his crew did the importing. Then came the tedious work; we contacted the managers of each company and asked them, 'Is there a Bernard Chadwick in your company?' You You know, there are countless companies that don't have Bernard Chadwick's name on their clerks. And I know a lot more about our exports to Denmark than I did before."

"I believe! " "In the end, I was so tired of the phone. When the phone in front of me rang, I really didn't want to answer it. I almost forgot that the phone was connected at both ends. For me, at that time, The phone is just a tool for inquiry, and it is used to communicate with various places in the country. So when my phone rang, I stared at it for a while, and then suddenly realized that it is two-way, and now someone is calling Give me." "And that's Lunsden." "Yes, that's Alec Lunsdon. He said: 'We've got him. He buys ceramics from a company called Blaine. "'" I'm glad Lunsden found him in the end.That would make up for the failure he'd had in chasing the girl. "Yes, he does feel more balanced.Later, we hurriedly went to talk with the people we needed and applied for subpoenas.And all that effort now awaits tomorrow's trial in Norton.Kevin couldn't wait.He was ready to vomit questions full of questions. "

"If I had a little pity for the girl," said Mrs. Sharp, coming in with the overnight bag, which she tossed carelessly on a mahogany table against the wall, Attitude would make Aunt Lynn swoon, "That would be standing on the witness stand for Kevin McDermot's hostile interrogation." Robert noticed the bag, which turned out to be quite delicate and expensive—probably A memento of her early, wealthy marriage - old and worn with age.He secretly decided that when he was going to marry Marianne, he would give the mother of the bride a cosmetic case as a present—small, light, elegant, and expensive.

"I would never," said Marianne, "feel any pity for that girl. I would knock that girl off the face of the earth like a moth in a closet, except I always Moth is sorry." "What the hell is that girl trying to do?" asked Mrs. Sharp. "Has she thought about going back to her family?" "I don't think so," said Robert. "I think she's been angry and resentful because she's no longer the center of gravity of that family at 39 Meadowside Lane. Like Kevin said a long time ago: self-centeredness and unbridled vanity are the key to cultivating A bed of evil. An ordinary girl, even an emotional teenage girl, would be heartbroken to hear that her adoptive brother no longer made her the center of his life; Throwing a tantrum or becoming difficult to get along with, or deciding to say goodbye to the world and shaving your hair, or a lot of other teenage girls would adapt. But selfish girls like Betty Kane, they don't have adaptation in their philosophy of life Other people's ways. What she wants is that the world must change because of her. Criminals always think that way. No criminal thinks he's wrong."

"What a charming creature," said Mrs. Sharp. "Yes. Even Bishop Labolo would find it difficult to intercede for her. He repeatedly talks about the 'circumstances' used The topic was useless this time.Betty.Ken has all the remedies he suggests criminals should have; love, space to thrive, education, a sense of security.If you think about the bishop, he really had a problem because he didn't believe in heredity.He believes that criminals are created by the times and therefore can change. The 'bad factor' is a superstition and a heresy for the bishop. "

"Toby Byrne," snorted Mrs. Sharp. "You should have heard what the lads who worked in my brother's stable had to say about him." "I've heard of Neville," said Robert. "I doubt anyone can change Neville's opinion of him." "So the engagement is really broken?" asked Marianne. "That's right. Aunt Lynn is now hoping to be the eldest daughter of old General Whitaker. She's the niece of a countess, the granddaughter of a rich man." Marianne laughed with him. "And what about old General Whittaker's daughter?" she asked.

"Yes. Just, handsome, well-bred, good at music, but can't sing." "I sincerely wish Naville a good wife. What he wants is to find his own lifelong interest, a center of gravity that can pour his energy and emotion." "The Franchise is what interests him at the moment." "I know. He's been very good to us. Now, I think it's time for us to go. If I had been told last week that I was leaving Franchise for Norton to wait for victory, I would not have believed it. Poor Stanley can now sleep in his own bed instead of guarding two old women in a lonely house."

"Isn't he going to sleep here tonight?" asked Robert. "No, why should I?" "I don't know. But I feel a little bit wrong about leaving the house completely vacant and unattended." "The police will be patrolling regularly, and since someone broke the glass that night, no one has tried to do any damage. Let alone this evening, we will be back tomorrow." "I know, but I still feel bad. Can't Stanley stay another night? Until this case is over?" "If they're going to break our windows again," said Mrs. Sharp, "I don't think they'll hold back because of Stanley." "Yes, I think you're right. I'll remind Hallam, though, and I'll tell him the house is empty tonight," said Robert, and turned to leave. Marion locked the door, and together they walked to the iron gate in the driveway, where Robert's car was parked.At the iron gate, Marion stopped and looked back at the house. "It's an ugly old house," she said, "but the good thing about it is that it looks the same all year round. The lawn looks a little brown and lifeless in midsummer, but otherwise it's Most houses are at their best at certain times of the year—the rhododendrons are in bloom, the grass hedges are in full bloom, the vines are climbing, the almond bushes are in full bloom, and so on. Thinking is always the same. There are no frills around it. What are you laughing at, Mother?" "I was just thinking that the poor building would look ridiculous with all those yellow flowers." They stood there for a while, laughing at the almost unbearable house with its dirty white walls and its incongruous ornaments, and, laughing, closed the iron gate and went away. Robert hadn't forgotten, however, that before dinner with Kevin at Norton's Fidds Hotel, he had called the police station in Milford to remind them that the Sharps were empty that night. "Okay, Mr. Blair," said the officer, "I'll tell the patrolling officer to open the iron gate and go in. Yes, we have keys.Everything will be fine. " Robert didn't think that would be of much use; but at the same time he knew there was nothing else available.Mrs. Sharp said that if someone really wanted to break the glass again, there was nothing to stop it.He finally admits that he's been worrying too much, and has a relaxed meal with Kevin and his other legal friends. The dinner went off so well that it was late when Robert finally got back to his room at the Fields Hotel.Not only is Fields famous - it's one of those places that Americans traveling to England must visit - it's also modern.Plumbing pipes are concealed behind oak walls, electrical cables run in ceiling beams and telephone wires are hidden between oak planks. The Fields Inn has provided travelers with comfortable accommodation since AD ​​1480, and it looks like it will continue to do so. Robert was so tired that he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.He fell into a deep sleep, and the phone by the bed rang for a long time before he was woken up in a daze. "Hello?" he said, half awake and half asleep.Then suddenly asked to wake up. It's Stanley.Asked if he could go back to Milford Town? Franchise lost fire. "Is it bad?" "Not great, but they think they're saved." "I'll set off and come back right away." He sprinted to the next room for twenty miles, an astonishing speed that would have been a record for him more than a month ago.And when he drove past his house at the bottom of the slope of Milford Town's commercial street with a bang, and continued to drive out of the town to the suburbs, he saw a scorching fireball above the horizon, as if it had just risen. full moon.But the moon was already high in the sky, a crescent moon casting a silvery glow in the hazy summer night.The burning Franchise swayed in the thick smoke and fire, and Robert's heart was suddenly swept by the horror and trembling in his memory. At least, no one was in the house.He muttered to himself whether anyone had the time to salvage the valuables in the house, could anyone judge at once what was valuable and what was not? The iron gates between the walls were wide open, and the garden- Everything can be seen clearly - packed with firefighters and equipment. The first thing he saw, out of proportion to the lawn, was the beaded chair that had been in the living room, and he became hysterical for a moment.Somehow, someone salvaged that. A barely recognizable Stanley tugged on his sleeve and said, "You're here. I think you should be notified." Sweat dripped down his smoky face like a trickle, leaving clear lines, making his young face look cracked and old. "There was not enough water for the rescue. We rescued a lot of things. The things they used to use every day in the living room.I thought that was something they would keep when faced with a choice.We also tossed some stuff upstairs, but the bulky stuff burned. “Mattresses, sheets are stacked on the grass, away from the firefighters’ boots scrambling. Furniture is strewn around, lost in confusion. "Come on, let's move the furniture further away," Stanley said. "It's not safe to put it there. Maybe some flying fireworks will land on them, or those bastards will stand on it." Those bastards are the firefighters, and they are doing their best. Then Robert found himself prosaically moving furniture in the midst of such an astonishing scene of fire, sadly recognizing what he had seen in the house.The chair Mrs. Sharp thought Inspector Grant was too heavy to sit on; the cherry wood dining table where Kevin was invited to lunch;The roar of flames bursting, the shouts of firefighters, the mixed fiery red moonlight, the overhead searchlights and swaying firelight, as well as the crazy adjacent furniture that has nothing to do with each other, all of which made him wake up from the anesthetic. hazy, not sure. Then two things happened simultaneously.The first floor slab caved in.And when the new flames rose to illuminate the surroundings, he saw two young men standing side by side, with schadenfreude on their faces.In the moment, he knew that Stanley saw them too.He noticed Stanley's clenched fist strike the jaw of the one standing farther away, and then, amidst the steaming fire, heard a crackle as the gloating face disappeared into the darkness of the ravaged grass. Robert hadn't hit anyone since he left school and gave up boxing, and he really didn't intend to do so at the moment, but his left arm curled up as if of its own accord, and another defiant face fell on the ground. in the dark. "Smart and crisp," commented Stanley.Then, "Look!" he said. The entire roof crumpled up, like a child distorting its features when it was about to cry, or like a melting film.The little round window, so famous and yet so notorious, tilted forward and then slowly fell back in.A tongue of flame rose suddenly, then receded.Then the whole roof collapsed, fell into the steaming and burning chaos, passed straight through the two floors, and fell into a sea of ​​red.People retreated from the heat like a furnace.The fire finally got out of control and surged triumphantly into the summer night sky. When everything gradually calmed down, Robert realized that the sky was already slightly bright.Peaceful, dove-white morning, full of hope.The surroundings also became quiet, the din and clamor faded away, leaving the moisture slowly evaporating among the wreckage of the fire. Only the surrounding walls stood, dirty and hideous, among the lawns trampled all night.There are also steps and iron handrails.On both sides of the door stood the remains of flower stands sent by Neville, with blackened flowers hanging limply from the edges. Between the pergolas is a square opening leading into the boundless darkness. "Well," said Stanley, standing beside him, "that's it." "How did that happen?" asked Bill, who had arrived too late to see what was left. "No one knew. When the Newsaman police officers came to patrol, it was already on fire," Robert said. "By the way, what happened to those two guys?" "Those two we taught?" Stanley said. "They're going home." "It's a pity that that expression is not evidence." "Yes," Stanley said. "They can't find who is responsible for the fire, just like they can't find who broke the window. And I'm still looking for who is responsible for the wound on my head." "You nearly broke the man's neck tonight. That's the compensation." "What are you going to tell them?" Stanley said.This obviously refers to the Sharp mother and daughter. "God knows," said Robert. "Should I tell them first and spoil their joy of winning, or should I let them enjoy the victory first and then tell them this nightmare?" "Let them get the victory they deserve first," Stanley said. "Don't destroy it." "You may be right, Stanley. I hope so too. Looks like I'd better get them a room at the Rose and Crown." "They won't like it," Stanley said. "Probably not," said Robert resignedly. "But they have no other choice. No matter what they decide afterwards, they have to have a place to stay first.And the Rose and Crown is the best place to be. "But," said Stanley, "I'm thinking, and I'm sure my landlord would welcome them to live with her.She was always on their side, and they had access to the living room she never used if she had a spare room.It's very quiet over there.I'm sure they'd rather live there than go to a hotel and be stared at all the time. " "I don't think so, I'm sure. Their situation is her main concern at the moment. It would be an act of loyalty." "Okay, but please ask, make sure, and call Norton to let me know, okay? You can leave a message at Norton's Fidds Hotel."