Chapter 8 Chapter 8: The Weird Curse

Perhaps it was the errand that ignited my long-suppressed explosiveness, or perhaps Miss Birlingham had overestimated the workload.In short, on the afternoon of the fourth day, our work is coming to an end.I can't help but pray in my heart that I can leave some work so that I can have the opportunity to go to the museum with her again. Although the time of this cooperation is very short, the relationship between me and Miss Burlingham has made a breakthrough.Because such a relaxed and pleasant working relationship is rare, especially between men and women, and it is even more rare to see such frank and sincere ones.

Every day, what awaits me is a pile of reference books that have been marked with key points, and a stack of blue notebooks that are opened in four directions; every day, we work at the same desk, exchange books with each other, and go to milk together Enjoy afternoon tea.Afterwards, we walked home in the direction of Queen's Square, and we talked about work, Egypt under Amenhotep IV, and Egyptians still using clay tablets as writing tools... that was a really long time Have a great time, have a great time.But when we exchanged books for the last time, I couldn't help sighing that it was going to be over soon.We're nearing the end of our collaboration and my duties as doctor to this lovely patient are coming to an end - her hand has healed and the splint has been removed... Anyway, she won't need me anymore helped.

"What are we going to do now?" I asked her as we walked into the central hall. "Isn't it a little early for tea? How about we go to the exhibition hall?" "Well, that's a good idea!" She responded to me happily, "Some of the exhibits there are related to the books we have read. In the third exhibition room, there is a statue of Akhenaten (A), the eighteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt. The tenth pharaoh, who reigned from about 1379 BC to 1362 BC, is Amenhotep IV. We can go and see the reliefs." I immediately responded to her suggestion. Under her leadership, starting from the Roman exhibition hall, I saw many statues of Roman emperors that looked similar to modern people along the way.

"Seriously," walked up to a statue marked Trajan (T), Roman Emperor, the second of the Five Great Emperors.In fact, it is clearly Phil May (PM), a nineteenth-century British cartoonist.She stopped before the bust of her, "I really don't know how to thank you or repay you." "That's not necessary." I replied, "I am very happy to work with you, and that is the greatest reward; but..." I continued, "If you really want to repay me, it is actually very simple." "What should I do?" "Meet my friend Thorndike. As I have told you, he is a very warm-hearted man. At present, he is very interested in the case of your uncle's disappearance. From what I know of him, if this case goes to the stage of litigation, He will be glad to give you personal assistance."

"Then what am I going to do?" "I just hope that when he has the opportunity to give your father some advice or help, you try to persuade your father to accept it. In any case, don't object." Miss Bellingham looked at me for a while, thinking, and said: "I understand. What I can repay you is to get more favors through your friends." "No," I argued. "Don't get me wrong. In Dr. Thorndike's case, this is not a handout, but a professional obsession." She smiled suspiciously. "Don't you believe it? Let me tell you an example!" I said eagerly, "A surgeon rushed to the hospital to perform an emergency operation on a cold winter night without any payment. What do you think is the reason? It's just altruism." Are you messing around?"

"Yes, isn't it?" "Of course not! He did it because it was his job, and he had the responsibility to fight diseases and save lives." "However, I don't think there is any difference." She said a little blankly, "For love, not for reward? Regardless of these, if there is a chance to meet, I will do what you want; but, I don't see this as a reward for you." "I don't care about this, as long as you promise me to do this." After saying this, we were silent for a long time. "It's strange," she said suddenly, "every time our conversation ends up coming back to my uncle. This reminds me that the treasures he donated to the museum before are in the same exhibition room as the Akhenaten reliefs." Li, do you want to go and see?"

"Well, I really want to." "Okay, then let's go and see those exhibits!" She paused for a moment, then said shyly with some blush on her cheeks, "Then I also want you to meet a very close friend of mine. Of course, if you are willing to." The last sentence she added in a hurry made my mood plummet.I cursed this friend of hers in my mind - if it was a man!However, I still politely expressed that I would like to get acquainted with the man who had won her friendship.However, she burst into inexplicable laughter afterwards, her voice was as beautiful as the cooing of a pigeon, which immediately made me embarrassed.

I walked beside her with big strides. Although I was calm on the surface, I was anxiously speculating about the upcoming scene in my heart.He may be a hidden figure in the museum, a repulsive third party who destroys the perfect intimacy between me and Miss Burlingham; he may be a handsome young man who makes my fantasy Instantly shattered.Her shy smile and flushed cheeks sounded ominous to me, making me wonder along the way, with a tinge of frustration.It wasn't until I reached the spacious entrance to the exhibition room that I glanced at her apprehensively, and she just smiled mysteriously at me.At this moment, she stopped in front of a display case, cleared her throat, looked at me and said solemnly:

"This is the friend I want to introduce to you," she said, "Let me introduce you to Artemidorus (A), a Greek dream interpreter in the second century AD. Excavated in Feium Oh... don't laugh!" she pleaded, "I'm very serious. You must have heard of it! There are some devout Catholics who believe wholeheartedly in ancient saints. Like me, I am very impressed with Artemisia. Ruth has such feelings. You can't imagine that when I was alone, lonely, and had no friends to talk to, he was the one who comforted a lonely woman's heart. His face was always full of tenderness and wisdom, For that alone, I'm sure you'll like him too. I hope you'll share our secret friendship. Am I being silly, or being sentimental?"

After hearing her say this, I was really relieved.My emotional thermometer, already at its lowest point, is gradually rising and almost reaching its peak.How gratifying and heart-wrenching that is!She actually expected me to share in her mysterious friendship.And she always came here to talk silently with this ancient Greek when she was alone, what a wonderful behavior this is!This fits perfectly with her mysterious temperament.I was deeply moved by her, and at this moment I was intoxicated by the intimacy that was just emerging. "What? Do you think I'm ridiculous?" Maybe because I didn't respond for a long time, she looked at me slightly disappointed and said.

"No, that's not it," I explained eagerly. "I want you to feel my sympathy and appreciation, but I'm afraid of being too exaggerated and offending you, so I'm at a loss." "Oh! Don't pay attention to this, as long as you can understand me! I know, you will understand." After she finished speaking, she smiled again, which immediately made me feel elated. We stood there in silence, looking at the mummy before us - our friend Artemidorus.It doesn't look like an ordinary mummy.In terms of form, it belongs to Egypt, but it feels full of Greek flavor.On the box where the mummy is placed, it is decorated with brightly colored lines, which not only contains Egyptian flavor, but also is so slender and elegant.In contrast, the surrounding mummy is too vulgar and barbaric.Most striking, though, is the portrait that replaced the mask.This painting really opened my eyes.Mainly because it is not an oil painting, but an tempera tempera, an ancient painting technique in which egg whites or egg yolks are mixed with pigments to paint, mostly on a canvas covered with a plaster surface. No matter from which angle you look at it, it is very similar to modern paintings, almost without a trace of old or ancient taste.Unrestrained painting, and just the right amount of brilliance, it looks like it was just done yesterday.Really, there is no exaggeration at all, if it is framed in an ordinary gold frame and placed in a modern painting, no one will doubt it. Miss Bellingham noticed my admiration, looked at me approvingly, and said with a smile, "It's a beautiful portrait, isn't it?" She seemed to be talking to herself, "His face is very charming .Affectionate, warm, with a touch of melancholy, but full of charm. When I first saw him, I fell in love with him! You see, the Greek flavor is very strong, isn't it?" "Well, that's true, even though it's surrounded by Egyptian gods and symbols." "Perhaps it is because of these gods and symbols," she said, "that we have a deeper understanding of the moderate attitude of the Greeks, who liked and were willing to appreciate all foreign cultures. Standing next to the coffin is the dog-headed god , the queen of the gods, and the god of death, and below that are the guardian gods of kingship and the gods of wisdom. However, we cannot conclude that Artemidorus worshiped these gods because of these. The reason why these gods are here is because they They have become beautiful decorations, and they are also very important figures. The sincere feelings for this ancient man are just reflected here." She pointed to the horizontal plaque beneath the mummy's pectoral. "Yes," I replied solemnly, "very noble and very human." "It was very sincere," she added, "and it was really touching, 'Farewell, Yathmidorus!' It vividly expresses the grief of human beings when they say goodbye. Compared with those exaggerated and hypocritical mourning texts, Or modern people's insincere epitaph of "not lost, just one step ahead" is really much more elegant! He has left his clan forever, and they will never see him or hear him again The voice is gone, they know this is the farewell. A few simple words, but it contains deep love and sadness!" We didn't say a word for a long time, as if we were overwhelmed by this long and touching sorrow.I stood quietly next to the beloved girl with great contentment and some meditative joy.Just as I was concentrating on the human emotion that has been immortal for a hundred years, she suddenly turned around and looked at me with a frank look on her face, and said: "You are a very rare friend, your sympathy is innate , and even contains the rich imagination of women." I think in this case, most men will continue to praise their good temper, but I still hold back.At this point, praising yourself doesn't seem to do much good.I am already very happy to be able to win her appreciation.When she finally left the display cabinet and walked into the exhibition room next to her, standing beside her, I had transformed into a proud young man. "This is Akhenaten, but when the museum translated the hieroglyphs, it translated it as Kunnaten." She pointed to the fragment of the slab that read "Portrait of Amenhotep IV " said the colored relief gravel. I followed her hand and saw that the great king had a feminine and feminine face: a huge skull and a sharp nose.Behind him stretched out countless light tentacles like the caressing of the sun god. "Let's not stay here for too long, otherwise we won't have time to appreciate uncle's donations. Because today the exhibition hall is only open until 4 pm." She said, walking to another room.Finally, I stopped in front of a large floor-to-ceiling showcase with a mummy and a large number of exhibits. A simple explanation was written on the black-and-white sign: "They put all the donations in a cabinet, so that people can clearly see what the coffins of the upper class looked like at that time." Miss Burlingham explained, "You see, the funeral of this person is very luxurious: Daily necessities, furniture, and the ink palette used for writing during his lifetime, as well as the servants who served him." "Where are the servants?" I asked curiously. "It's those little figurines!" she replied. "They are the servants of the dead, and they are for him to use in the underworld. It's a strange idea, isn't it? But I think it makes sense, because in their view, the dead will have eternal life.” "Well, I agree." I nodded. "This is a way of showing religious belief. However, it should be troublesome to transport these things back to London from Egypt?" "That's right, but it's worth it! Because this is a very beautiful collection, and it's very meaningful, and the workmanship is also very exquisite. Look, how detailed and fascinating are the figurines and head sculptures on the funeral urn. Of course Well, the mummy itself is very handsome, although his back is a bit ugly due to the layer of asphalt, but Seberhotep must have been a handsome man when he was alive." "Is the mask on the face just a portrait?" "Hmm. But actually, that's pretty much what he actually was. The mummy was kept in a mummy box, the kind that resembles a mannequin. The mummy box is made of layers of linen or papyrus, a living The plants in the swamp were once widely distributed on both sides of the Nile River, but now they are on the verge of extinction. Papyrus can be used as ropes, baskets, shoes, etc., and even boats can be made. Ancient Egypt used to be rich in papyrus. It is made of glue. of." The mummy is densely wrapped by this layer of shell, and then forms a mold, so that the shape of the human body and limbs can be preserved.Once the glue dries, the box is covered with a layer of plaster, which makes the outline of the face more visible, and can then be inscribed or painted on.When the body is sealed in the mummy box, it is like a nut wrapped in a shell.Those ancient mummies were wrapped in cloth and placed in wooden coffins. At this time, there was a polite but firm voice in our ears—it is time to close the exhibition room; and it happened that we also had a desire to go to the milk shop for tea at this time, so we continued to discuss the ancient tomb while Driven by the guards, he calmly walked through the corridor and came to the entrance. Compared with the previous few days, we left the museum a little early today, not to mention that today may be the last time we are alone (as far as the current situation is concerned), so we sat in the milk shop for a long time, which caused the dissatisfaction of the proprietress .On the way home, we deliberately picked a few paths, and it was already 6 o'clock when we arrived at Lincoln Law School Square.On the way we passed through Russell Square, Red Lion Square, turned into Red Lion Street, Bedford Street, Knights Road, Hand Lane, and Great Walk. On the final road, we were attracted by the headline of the red-hot poster on the newsstand: "Murder Reconstructed, Man's Remains Found." Miss Burlingham looked at the poster and shuddered. "It's scary, isn't it?" she asked me. "Have you seen the news?" "No, I haven't read a newspaper for days," I replied. "Well, those nasty notes have been bothering you. In fact, our family rarely reads newspapers, and we don't buy them often anyway, but Miss Oman occasionally shows us newspapers that are a few days old. Sometimes it feels like she is a pervert, She likes scary things very much, and the scarier it is, the more she likes it." "So, what did the paper say, what did they find?" I wondered. "The remains of some poor man! He was said to have been murdered, and cut into small pieces. It is so horrible! I tremble just reading the papers. For I always think of poor Uncle John, and my father is very sad." sad." "It's the town of Sidka, the news about the body found in the water mustard field?" "Yes, but they found new bones. The police were aggressive and they searched the place thoroughly and found other parts of the body. The bones were spread very widely, Sidka, Lee, St Mary's Clay town. Yesterday's papers said that another arm had been found in one of the pools in the pond area called 'Cuckoo's Pit' near our old home." "In Essex?" I exclaimed. "Yes! Near Epping Forest, near Woodover. It's horrible! Perhaps the bones were there when we lived there. I think that's why my father was so excited. He When I read this paper, I was so sad that I threw it out of the window. Poor Miss Orman had to rush into the alley to retrieve it." "Perhaps he thought it might be your uncle's remains." "I think so. He said nothing, though; and I hinted at him nothing. We've always held on to the hope that Uncle John is alive." "You really think he's alive?" "No, I think he's dead. I think my father feels the same way I do, but he doesn't want to admit it." "Do you remember what parts of the wreckage were found?" "I don't know about that. I only know that an arm was found in Rhododendron Pit and a thigh was fished out of St. Mary's Claire's Pond. If you are interested, you can ask Miss Orman, and she will tell you all about it. Yours." Miss Burlingham added with a smile, "she must be very happy to know you as a confidant." "Since when did I become a psycho's confidant?" I asked pretending to be annoyed, "and a very bad-tempered psycho." "You mustn't speak of her like that, Dr. Bickley!" cried Miss Birlingham. "She's not really a bad character, but she's a bit hot-tempered. You shouldn't call her a psycho. If you could know her, you would You'll find her gentle, kind, and generous, like an angelic little hedgehog. You know what? She's been busy modifying my old clothes these days because she wants me to dress up for your dinner invitation." "You will be great!" I encouraged her, "I want to take back my evaluation of her just now. I was just joking, but I have always liked this lady very much." "I'm glad you feel that way. Want to come in and have a chat with my father? We've walked a lot, but it's still early." I gladly accepted her invitation.Originally, I planned to ask Miss Orman about the catering of the foreign office, but I didn't want the Burlingham father and daughter to hear, so I had to chat with Mr. Burlingham about our work situation for a while, and then I left. When going down the stairs, I deliberately slowed down and kicked my boots loudly.As I expected, when I reached the door of Miss Orman's room, she suddenly poked her head out. "If I were you, I'd definitely find another shoemaker," she said. It occurred to me that Miss Burlingham described her as an "angelic little hedgehog," and I nearly laughed out loud. "I'm sure you'll replace it at once, Miss Orman. But, I remind you, the poor shoemaker didn't mean to be so ugly." "What a frivolous young man you are!" she said gravely. I couldn't help but grin after hearing her assessment of me, and she gave me a sideways glare.At this time, I suddenly remembered the purpose of my coming here, so I immediately recovered my serious attitude. "Miss Orman," I said, "I need your help with something very important (maybe she will be hooked by saying so)." This trick really worked, and she immediately asked eagerly: "What's the matter? Stop standing here, go into the room and talk!" I don't want to talk about it here, let alone time is running out, so I pretend to be mysterious and say: "No, Miss Orman. Now I have to hurry back to the clinic. If you happen to pass by and have some free time, you are welcome to stop by the clinic. Well, I don't know what to do!" "Yes, I think so. Most men are like this. In comparison, you are much better than them. At least you know that you need help and know how to ask women for help. You tell me now, and I can help you think Think of ways to." "It's a small thing, but I don't know—God!" I glanced at my watch and said eagerly, "I have to go, I can't keep the patient waiting too long." After saying that, I rushed out quickly , Miss Aoman who was full of doubts was left behind.