Chapter 9 The Mystery of the Female Tenant

It was late at night when he arrived at his destination in a yellow stagecoach.After three hours of slow climbing and climbing, trapped in the car.His limbs were stiff and exhausted.The village presented in front of me was a mass of dark shadows, and every household had already fallen asleep.Only the noise and lights in front of the small hotel, a busy scene - but not for a long time.A few horses dragged wearily across the road, their harnesses dragging in the dust, and disappeared into their stables.The heavy carriage remained where it was, like a yellow-bellied beetle with a broken leg. The teacher spent ten guineas (Guinea, a currency issued by the United Kingdom in 1663, equal to twenty-one shillings, and ceased to circulate after 1813.) for a trip. After just a few hours, I was exhausted, but still very excited.This high valley in the Alps is extremely quiet.Over the rolling ridges of the Midi region, the stars twinkled, and the snow-white mountains stood against the ebony cliffs like ghostly shadows.The bitter cold smelled of pine trees, of dewy meadows and freshly sawn timber.He felt the novelty and couldn't help but be overjoyed. For a moment, his body and mind were completely immersed in this atmosphere.The other three passengers who were with him were busy ordering others to carry their luggage and enter the arranged guest rooms.He turned and stepped over the rough straw mat into the brightly lit foyer.There was a large topographical map of the mountains hanging on the wall by the door. He really wanted to go up and take a closer look, but finally gave up.

Suddenly, he was taken aback and felt uneasy, which made him fall from the utopia to the reality.It turned out that this small inn was the only inn in the village. There were no vacant rooms here, and even the sofa in the store was occupied... I blame myself for being so stupid, why didn't I think of writing a letter to book a room beforehand?Having said that, this is impossible, because his trip is completely improvised.I remember that it had been raining for a week in Geneva, and suddenly the clouds opened and the rain stopped that morning, and the sun was shining brightly.Encountering such fine weather, he made up his mind in a hurry.

A porter with a gold rim and a grim-faced old woman--he noticed her grim--had been babbling and pointing, endlessly, pointing all the way up and down the village, He seemed to be coming up with some ideas, but he couldn't quite understand it, because his French was limited, and he was confused by the dialect spoken by the man and the woman. "Over there!"—he might find a room there—"or over there! But here we are, alas, full—full, never thought of. Tomorrow, perhaps—if so-and-so Retired..." At this point, the stern old woman shrugged her shoulders many times, and glanced at the orderly in gold-rimmed uniform, and the orderly looked sleepily at the teacher.

At last, with some inexplicable hope, he left the hotel according to the old woman's incomprehensible guidance, and walked along the street to the dark houses that the old woman had pointed out just now.All he knew was that he had to knock on someone's door and beg him to stay overnight.He was so sleepy right now that he couldn't think of any other more comprehensive solution.The handyman seemed to come out to accompany him, but in the end he turned around and went back to chat with the old woman.It was dark all around, and the houses looked hazy, and only the outlines could be seen.It was cold, and the roar of water pouring down could be heard all over the valley.He vaguely felt that dawn might not be far away, and he might even wander around in the woods to spend the night.Suddenly there was a loud voice behind him, and when he looked back, a figure hurried towards him.It was none other than the handyman who came—he came running.

Another tripartite meeting began in the small shop of the inn. You said something, and I said something. It was very chaotic.All the while the old woman and the orderly were murmuring incessantly in their dialect, and whispering in low voices, and after a while they concluded: "If the gentleman doesn't object—there's a There's a room, on the ground floor after all - but it's 'occupied', so to speak. That is to say..." However, this gentleman did not go to the bottom of the matter, so he wanted to go down to this room that undoubtedly fell from the sky.Hotel management ethics and the like have nothing to do with him.Since the old woman provided him with a place to live, why should he argue with others about whether the room she provided was legal or not.

But the handyman was clearly a little uncomfortable.He accompanied the guest to the guest room.He told in detail some other situations that the proprietress didn't mention in English mixed with French. Teacher Ming Teng couldn't help but feel uncomfortable after hearing this, and only felt that he had fallen into a possible tragedy. Everyone who has had the experience of climbing high valleys has experienced a unique stimulation, and understands that its main attraction is that the climbing process is full of dangers, and there is a vague and strong sense of fear in the face of the scenery in front of you. .When you look up at the desolate and towering ridges, you can't help but think of those people who enjoy climbing. They travel day and night to climb to the top of the cloud-covered and fog-locked mountains, trek step by step, and conquer the ice-covered peak.On high they sow perpetually evil and fear.This air of adventure, often accompanied by the possibility of the most sinister tragedy, has always attracted the explorer, excited his imagination, and prompted him to reflect.Ming Teng didn't quite understand what the frightened handyman said, but he still understood the general meaning of the other party.The room was originally occupied by an English woman.She insisted on going out without a guide.She left the store two days ago, not long before dawn—the handyman saw her leave with his own eyes—but she never came back!The route she was on was rough and dangerous.But for skilled climbers, even without a guide, it's nothing.The British woman is an experienced climber.And she's pretty opinionated.She is an extremely confident woman who does not listen to other people's advice and advice.Besides, she was eccentric.Always alone, sometimes locked himself in the room, not letting others in for days and nights.It was clearly a monster.

Ming Teng heard many of these things from the mouth of the handyman, during which he helped carry the luggage and tidy up the room.In addition, he also heard that a group of people has been sent to search the mountain immediately, and they may return at any time.If that's the case...the room is still unoccupied, but the owner is still her. "If your husband doesn't object—if he's willing to take the risk, he won't be afraid of being kicked out of the house unexpectedly in the middle of the night..." This handyman who kept talking, not only let him learn more details, but also Make this transaction highly doubtful.So Ming Teng tried to get rid of the servants as soon as possible, so that he could lie down on the hastily made bed and enjoy a few more hours before he was evicted from the room.

To tell the truth, he felt uncomfortable at first--really uncomfortable.He is in someone else's room.He has no right to be here.Isn't he trespassing on someone else's territory?When he opened his luggage, he couldn't help but look around frequently, as if he was afraid that someone would be watching him in the corner.It seemed as if at any moment there would be footsteps in the passage outside, a knock at the door, and the door opened, and he saw the brisk Englishwoman looking him up and down, left and right, angrily.Worse, he would hear him asking himself, what was he doing in her room—her bedroom?Of course, he would explain the whole story, but after all... Then, thinking that he was already disheveled, a strange thought flashed through his mind for a moment, and he couldn't help laughing—just a slight smile.After he smiled slightly, he immediately felt the miserable situation he had felt before.Perhaps, at the moment when he laughed, she was already dead on the dangerous peak, her whole body was cold, her limbs were broken, the cold wind was playing with the white snow, her hair was playing with her, her eyes were staring blankly at the sky The stars... Thinking of this, he couldn't help shivering.He had never met this woman before, and he didn't even know her name, but her image clearly appeared in front of him.He almost thought that she was in this room with him, hiding somewhere, watching his every move.

He opened the door softly and put his boots outside.Then close the door again, turn the key and lock the door.He unpacked the luggage and placed the few things scattered in the room.The matter was settled quickly, because firstly, he only brought a small handbag and a backpack; secondly, there was only one sofa in the room where clothes could be stacked.There was no chest of drawers in sight, and the huge, sturdy one was locked.The Englishwoman's belongings had obviously been hastily stuffed into the cupboard.The only indication of her recent stay here is a bouquet of Alpine roses, withered in a glass vase on the washstand.In addition, a faint perfume smell remains.But although there was only this small sign in the room, he could still see that there was a strange smell in the whole room, indicating that the room was occupied, which was very unpleasant.After a while, he felt that this breath subtly contained the feeling of "the person just left".Then he added the weird impression of "still in the room". Thinking of this, he couldn't help turning around and looking behind him impatiently.

In short, he hated the room so much that he wanted to throw the dead roses in the vase out of the window, and hang his raincoat over the wardrobe door to hide it as much as possible out of sight.For in his imagination this large and ugly wardrobe, full of clothes a woman might never need again, kept coming to mind with vividness and vividness, and the sight of it must have aroused his uneasiness. And panic, and then there will be an indescribable fear gradually emerging in my heart.In any case he could not see this disgusting wardrobe, almost instinctively, he had to hide it.Finally, he turned out the light and went to bed.

But once the room was without light, he couldn't stand it even more.What's more, amidst the darkness, there was a sudden gust of air-conditioning that came from nowhere.Strangely, when he lit the candle beside the bed, he found that his hands were shaking. This situation is naturally too embarrassing.He has reached the point of paranoia, and he can no longer let it go.But the way to get out of this predicament is also unique.All his actions just now showed that there was a ghost in his own heart, which gave birth to panic, and once the panic had penetrated into his heart, it would be difficult to get rid of it.He lay sideways on the bed, with his head resting on his elbows, and carefully recorded the things in the room—the intention was to count the objects he saw and touched one by one, then draw a line, and finally add them up to get Result: "Everything in the room is on top! I counted everything in. Nothing was left behind. Now I can sleep with peace of mind!" While he was absurdly taking stock of the belongings in the room, counting, counting, he felt a terrible sense of unbearable burnout, making it difficult for him to carry on.The feeling came surprisingly fast, subduing him easily without knowing it.All he felt was limpness—an indescribable sense of exhaustion.The first effect it has is to remove the fear in the mind.He no longer has enough spare energy to be afraid and tense.He still felt cold, but the panic was gone.In terms of personality, he was always full of vitality, but at this moment, a poisonous exhaustion began to sneak into the corners of his heart, and it seemed to turn into mental depression for a moment.He suddenly realized how stupid he was, how empty life was, how vain effort and struggle--everything that made life worthwhile seemed meaningless now--a feeling that seeped into him. Infected every cell of his being, leaving him in a state of debilitating weakness.An incomprehensible and hopeless sense of world-weariness permeates the corners of his heart... All the images in his heart are cast in gray shadows: don't you see those tired and sweaty horses struggling to climb up? Poe, but ended up in vain; don't you see the stern-looking proprietress, in order to satisfy the desire for money, go all out and go all out - for a small profit of a few francs; Looking at the handyman in Phnom Penh, he exhausted his tongue, dedicated his attention, worked hard, and wished to give him everything he knew!But what is the benefit of their toil?As for himself, he was nothing more than a little preparatory schoolteacher with a hard and tedious job, and what good did he get in the end?What future do you get?The mysteries of life are unfathomable, and the ultimate destination is unknown, so what is the value of all kinds of unreliable labor?In this way, it is stupid to work hard, abide by the law, and work hard!Carpegas is like a flower in a mirror, a moon in water, a noble life is nothing more than a bamboo basket fetching water! Thinking, thinking, Ming Teng suddenly felt that his mood should not be so decadent, he jumped up, and almost knocked over the candle.He had never been so depressed and decadent under normal circumstances, so this sudden abnormal state of mind caused him to react violently, but only briefly.A moment later he was oppressed and overwhelmed by the rolling waves of depression.His job—which at best would make him the headmaster of a small prep school—would be as stupid and fruitless as this trip to the Alps.What a fool he was to go away from home, put on a rucksack, and climb some mountain, be exhausted, get nothing, and end up with empty hands.Thinking of this, he felt a kind of eerie sadness.Life is a terrible deception!Religion is just child's play!Everything is a trap--a trap of death, a colorful bait the Creator puts on the bait!But what is this bait picture?Worthless!Everything in the world is empty.Only one thing is true - and that is death.The sooner you discover this truth, the happier you will be. So why wait for death to come? Thinking of this, he was so frightened that he jumped off the bed.too terrifying.Could mere bodily fatigue make him so dark and depressed mentally, make him feel so hopeless, make him so cowardly, suddenly feel hopeless and hopeless?Normally, he is optimistic and energetic, leading a healthy and not outdated life.This appalling sense of decadence completely destroyed the foundation of his character, and turned into a desire to die.This seems to develop into his second personality.He had read some books, and naturally knew that some people's temperament, memory, hobbies, etc. have become completely different from the original ones due to shocks.At the time he was terrified of it.Although scientists are conclusive, it is unbelievable.But now something similar happened to him.There is no doubt that he is experiencing the psychological changes of another person!It's immoral.too terrifying.But - alas - it was interesting after all. He found it interesting, and this feeling was the first sign that he was beginning to return to his own self.Because being interesting means being alive, it means loving life. After jumping out of bed, he ran to the center of the room in two or three steps and turned on the light.The first thing he saw was the big cabinet. "Whoa! That's the thing—the damn wardrobe!" he blurted out, loudly.Inside were all the underclothes, skirts, coats, and summer dresses of the dead woman.Anyway, he knew that she was dead... At this moment, from the open window, the sound of the waterfall came, which reminded him of the snow-capped and desolate mountain, and it appeared clearly in front of him.He saw her—did see her, lying where she had fallen, her face covered with frost, snow flying around her hair and eyes, her severed body lying on the ice.For a moment, faced with the image of a woman who was shattered after a difficult climb, his sense of mental exhaustion—the sense of emptiness in life—disappeared quietly.Isn't it true that the small power of man dares to fight against the great power of the cruel and ruthless nature, although it is a heroic act, it is futile.His original nature was restored.But immediately felt the terrible cold, emptiness and inaction again. He found himself standing in front of the huge wardrobe where her clothes were stored.He suddenly wanted to see the clothes—things she had used and worn.Closets are close at hand, almost within reach.Sure enough, he touched it immediately.He tapped it with his knuckles. Why did he knock it?Can't tell.Maybe it's instinct.Something deep inside drove him—commanded him to do it.He knocked on the cupboard door.The dull sound of the planks brought terror to the silent room.Why would it bring terror?He couldn't tell himself.Just as he couldn't explain why he couldn't help knocking on the wardrobe.But the fact is that he heard a faint sound in the closet, which clearly indicated that the woman was inside, and he stood there trembling in shock.At the same time he had a terrible premonition, almost expected to hear a response from inside—perhaps the rustle of a skirt hanging inside, or, worse, the sight of the locked cupboard door slowly opening. His eyes opened. From then on, it more or less appeared that he had partially lost self-control, at least loss of judgment.You can see that there is an irresistible desire in his heart to open the cabinet door and see the clothes inside, so he uses all the keys in the room to try one by one, but he just can't open it.In the end, before he realized what he was doing, he rang the bell. But at two o'clock in the morning, after ringing the bell for no reason or reason, he stood in the middle of the room waiting for the attendant to come in.It was then that he realized for the first time that something outside of himself had compelled him to make this move.It was almost as if he was being directed by an inner voice... At last footsteps could be heard from the other side of the aisle, and an angry, sleepy-eyed maid came in, standing in front of him with a confused face: it's so late, ring the bell to call Which one is man made?This didn't bother him, and he said what he wanted to say easily.The force that forced him to open the closet just now made him speak involuntarily. "It's not you I'm ringing for!" he said firmly and impatiently. "It's a man I want. Wake up the boy and send him over at once—quick! Do you hear—quick! !" Seeing him so anxious, the maid was startled and left quickly.After she left, Ming Teng realized that what he said just now not only frightened the maid, but also exceeded his expectations.After the words were out of his mouth, he realized what he had said.Then he knew that some power, a power alien to his own nature, had taken advantage of his mind and his organs.It was the same force that had just seized him with a dark sense of melancholy.The missing woman's psychic powers were so powerful that they took hold of him for a brief moment—perhaps through the atmosphere of what was still hers in the room, conveying her will.However, even at this moment, the handyman had no time to put on his coat and collar, and came to stand in front of him, he still insisted that the other party find the key to the wardrobe and open the door, no doubt, no doubt. delay.He still didn't understand why he was so stubborn. The scene was odd enough.After the handyman went to the other end of the aisle and whispered to the maid, he managed to find the key and gave it to him suspiciously.Neither the porter nor the maid really understood what the excited Englishman was doing and why he was so eager to open the wardrobe at two o'clock in the morning.They both looked suspicious, looking at what he was going to do next.His impatience, and even the terror he had just manifested, infected the two servants, who were startled by the harsh rattle of the key as it turned in the lock. The two of them held their breath, watching the cabinet door rattle open slowly.I could only hear another key in the cabinet door "click" and fall to the wooden board-the wooden board at the bottom of the cabinet.It turned out that the wardrobe was locked from the inside.But it was none other than the maid who uttered the shriek, and she stood in the passage, and fell down on the banister of the stairs in fright, because she saw first—the orderly did not save her.The teacher and he ran to the cabinet door at the same time.The cupboard door was open, and they both saw—no dresses, skirts, or coats on the pegs—and what they saw was the body of the Englishwoman, hanging precariously in the air, her head outstretched. .As soon as the cupboard door was opened, the air flowed in, causing the female corpse to turn around slowly, facing the two of them... On the back of the cupboard door, there was an envelope from a hotel with thumbtacks on it, and these words were written crookedly in pencil: "Tired—unhappy—despaired—unable to live—darkness. I must have done it at once... I wanted to do it on the mountain, but I was afraid and went back to my room unseen. This is the last Easier and better..."