Villa Mirador, built on the cliff, is surrounded by coves covered with fine pebbles on three sides, and backed by the ocher-red cliffs of the condescending Mount Estelle.From the open space in front of the house there was a burst of shouting, and the two girls sat on the threshold of the hall, watching with interest a thin, handsome, sullen young man giving orders, under whose direction the coachman and the butler, Turning around the big pillars of the circular flower shed.Clumps of climbing vines climbed up against the parapet, with six or seven weapons and several pots of boiling beans leaning against the wall.

"Stand still!" ordered the thin young man, whose name was Maxime Duthieres. "Now drill your weapons! Dominique, Alexander, you each choose one." These are a bunch of old shotguns collected from second-hand dealers. Not only are they scrapped, but they are also covered with rust. "There is bullet in the chamber, sir!" reported Alexander. Maxim was taken aback. "Damn it! Be careful. Are you ready? Alexander, you hold the right side of the fence. Dominique goes to the left. Both of you take a sniper stance. Eyes wide open, as big as lanterns, Huh? Hit me hard at the sight of a mast or a robber ship's sails in the sea...Ah! I forgot one thing—the Henry IV cannon."

He dragged a length of chimney, and the two wheels of the chimney rattled, and he aimed the chimney at the sea. "Pay special attention to the heart," he said. "What heart, sir?" "Attention, the heart of the cannon. This is the most vulnerable part of the cannon. Never touch it." "What if the enemy climbs the cliff?" "One of you poured red bean soup thoughtlessly, while the other rushed over with a bayonet." He blew the charge horn, ran back and forth fidgeting, checked here and there, sorted out all kinds of weapons, kept busy like the conductor of a jazz band full of fantasy, worked hard for a long time, and finally Exhausted, facing the two girls, with his back to the sea, he slumped on a chair.

"Dear me!" he said, "the Commander-in-Chief's job! I have a bad digestion and live on macaroni all day long." The Gordoin sisters, Henriette and Janine, slender, with short-cropped hair and boyish features, watched and smoked. "Are you tired, good friend, huh?" "worn out!" He went on to say: "I'm exhausted, but I'm relieved. If the robber Jericho attacks tonight, as I expected, he will be stubbornly resisted by heavily armed soldiers and powerful artillery fire. etc. Nathalie will be full of praise when she comes back from a walk and sees that the Mirador villa I guarded is solid! Vobon can only do this. What do you think?"

"I say," said Henriette bluntly, "that Natalie is crazy to find a place like this! A crumbling house with no electricity and no telephone! Not even a workman." You see, the train station is two kilometers away, and there is not a single house within a radius of 500 meters!" Maxim retorted: "But what a view!" "You have your back to the scenery and you can't see." "This is the real appreciation of the beauty! Besides, I look at you...I look at you, which makes me feel very, very embarrassed." "What's the trouble?" Janine asked.

"Of the two of you, I don't know which one to marry? The three of us started our love affair in Saint-Raphael, and four months later, Nathalie Manoelson asked us to come here to spend time with her." , and it’s been a week, and I still don’t know which one I like better.” "Whether you like it or not, you don't know, do you?" "That's for sure." "Then you draw lots." "Can't you help me?" "Okay, both of us reject you, this is to help you." He shrugged. "If this assumption is not valid, no one will refuse Maxime Duthier."

"I," said Henriette, "I only marry serious men, and I don't want to carry your burden from morning to night." "My baggage is not too heavy, only forty-eight kilograms!" "Besides," said Janine, "you have no place." "No, I have status! Fortification architect, social pistachio, diner, take my pick. With any luck, I'll marry you both." "Then you've lost your money. We're both penniless. You'd be better off marrying Natalie, who's an orphan and a millionaire." "Natalie?" Maxim said loudly. "I know her too well. First, we are related, her mother is French. Second, we were engaged once."

"forget it!" "She likes me." "Who proposed to break up?" "Of course it is me." "what reason?" "She asked me to give her a Costa Rica stamp, which was the best of my stamps. I refused. So, she slapped me. I grabbed her by the hair. Her father also kicked me in the ass. foot." "How old were you at that time?" "Eighteen." "Eighteen?" "Yes, we are eighteen together." "Ah! That's it. She's Fauville's girlfriend now, aren't you jealous?" Maxim became angry when he heard it.

"Fauerville's girlfriend? Don't be delusional. He's a vulgar thing, a heavy truck! No, I'm firmly against it." Maxime Duthier continued to chase.He was so angry that he completely lost his usual composure of telling jokes with a sullen face, and he didn't even notice that a tall and beautiful girl came.The girl stood at the door for a while, holding a bunch of wild flowers in her hands. She listened with a smile.She has a cheerful expression, just like a woman who often participates in sports activities and is in contact with nature and sunshine, her face is ruddy, which makes people feel the strength and flexibility of a young girl.

"Excellent," she said, when Maxime had finished attacking, "I like ambiguity and nonsense. Henriette and Janine, please arrange these flowers. You know better than I do." She didn't continue talking, and she was taken aback when she inadvertently noticed the arrangement in the open space. "Alexander, what are you doing there with a gun? And you, Dominique?" "Miss, we are monitoring the sea." "Sea surface? God, I guarantee you're playing tricks again, Maxim!" Maxim quickly stood up. "Is this a trick, Natalie? It's prudence! Prudence at least!"

"Careful of what?" "My dear friend, a man who lives in a place where his life is at stake should be on his guard." "Beware of who?" "Watch out for Jericho!" He walked up to her and said in a low voice: "Masculinous Jericho was busy last week on the coast of Italy. Now it's our turn to prepare. I've got a good eye, haven't I? Well, I spotted some around the villa. Very suspicious footprints. We are being watched. Jericho is ready to attack." "Where to attack from, my God!" she said with a smile. "The villa is surrounded by cliffs." "Ladders! You ignorant man," cried Maxim. "Ladders! Forced ascents from the sea! And gallows! Execution! Untold atrocities! Haven't you thought of that, Nathalie?" "I was thinking of walking for three hours in the Estelle Mountains, I was almost starved to death, and that Dominique had to pack up, and Fauville would be here soon." "Is Falville coming? The curse!" Maxim said angrily, "Why! Your heavy truck, Falwell, the damn guy, did you come just as you said?" "Yes, and a friend, to be precise, my father's friend—Dr. Shaporo, whom you also know, Maxim, the doctor who has written many excellent psychological studies. They are in Here for tea, I have organized a serenade concert to welcome Fauville. After that, they will continue on their way to Marseilles." "What concert?" "Italian singer's concert, I saw them at the Tria Mansion." When Maxim heard this, he grabbed her arm tightly in fright. "Italian singer? You mean Jericho's spies? Didn't you read the newspapers, didn't you know that he sent spies to lead the way every time he moved?" Natalie glanced at him.This time, he spoke very seriously.Henriette and Janine seemed to feel the seriousness of the matter. "Come on, Maxim," said one of them, "seriously, you're going to make people panic..." "There's no harm," he said. "In any case, I insist that these people should not be allowed to come." "Too late," Natalie said. "Too late? I hope you haven't let them in yet?" "Already entered the door." "Ok?" "Really! They rang the bell. I had the door opened for them." "Ah!" Maxim complained in an exaggerated tone: "The enemy has penetrated deep into the important area. We are finished!" The beauty of Nathalie Manoelsen lies both in the perfection of her lines and in their expressiveness. She is proud and charming.Although she doesn't deliberately pursue it, she is amazing: there is no ostentation, only the harmonious posture of a cute girl; there is no pretentiousness, only nobility and pride; her always simple and natural behavior is even more prominent.As the light changed, her hair was now almost chestnut, and now it was golden.The two big blue eyes are very moving. She lost her mother at an early age and is of French descent because of her mother.She was cared for by housekeepers and schoolteachers from an early age, while her father traveled around the world throughout the year.Mr. Manoelsen was originally from Sweden and was born in the United States. He had a special liking for France. During the period of inflation, he cleared a lot of useless things for France, such as oil paintings, artworks, antiques, gold coins and so on.His agents scoured for him and shipped them to America.Besides, he was a decent man, though hard-hearted, and he didn't pay much attention to his daughter, stopping by to see her only once in a while on the road. One day he took her on a yacht and went as far as Naples.She lived with her father for three weeks, and then he went to Sicily.Two weeks later, in Paris, she learned that her father had died of heat stroke near Palermo. She was twenty-three when her father died.She is naturally restless with the status quo, longing for peace, but can't find a peaceful place; there are many people who pursue her, but she is very wary of love; she wants to find someone who can make decisions for herself, but she is a little restrained , she flew away again; and in this way, she wandered everywhere, from Paris to Vienna, from London to Egypt.Recently, after staying in the East for a while, she rented Villa Mirador and planned to spend four or five months there.She was fascinated by the beautiful scenery of Cannes and Leyland Island in the distance.Her capricious temper was greatly satisfied, but if it hadn't been for Maxime who came to amuse her, and his two friends, the Gordoin sisters, she might have been tired of it. At five o'clock they, together with Dr. Chaplow and Forville, drank tea in the open space in front of the house.Through the stone frame on the flower shed, you can see the blue sea, the sun is shining on the sea, and an endless curve extends along Cannes and Jouin-Le-Bain to the Cape of Antibes. A female singer, accompanied by plucked string music, sang in the garden uphill on the other side of the house, and the singing came over, low and intermittent. Dr. Shaplow looked stiff and pedantic, or like an old-time judge, with whiskers, a white tie, and gold-rimmed spectacles.He is a retired military doctor and is keen on traveling. He has traveled with his friend Manoelson many times. Since the death of this friend, he has come to visit Natalie whenever he has the opportunity.He had a small estate near Monte Carlo, and Forville drove up from Italy and picked him up along the way. As for Falville, he had been Mr. Manoelson's secretary at first, then partner, and now alone in charge of an export company.Among Natalie's many suitors, he was obviously the most persistent, warmest, and most sincere one. The nickname "Heavy Truck" is very apt for him.His tall stature, thick shoulders, and straight torso give people a sense of strength and strength. Seeing his bewildered expression and somewhat cramped demeanor, people feel that he lacks confidence in himself.Natalie didn't have much confidence in him either. She didn't think there was anything wrong with this extreme, frightening, love-hate relationship, and even violent love, but she was always wary. At this time, Maxim took the doctor and the sisters to the nearby garden.I want to see the true face of the "Gang of Three".The garden is full of lemon and olive trees and is surrounded by a rather high wall. Nathalie followed, walking alone with Forville.The diva was Italian, young, tall, dark, and generally pretty, shabby, wearing a cape with a shawl, the grayness of which was accentuated by a yellow scarf.She sang a ballad, and, like someone who often sings in the open air, her voice was exhausted, sometimes almost a hoarse cry.Two men were playing the violin, one of them was obese and low-spirited, trying to create a funny effect while greeting people, the other was a subordinate, thin and pale.Both of them looked furtive.Exactly the kind of guy people always say never to meet in the woods. Falwell asked in a low voice: "Do you like this piece of music?" "I like it," said Natalie. "It's very common, but it's very touching. You know, I am very old-fashioned in terms of artistic taste, and I am not fashionable at all. I am ashamed to say it. I especially like ancient pipe organs." After a while he said, "Natalie..." She interrupted him with a smile: "Stop talking." "Don't say anything?" "Stop confessing." "I have nothing to confess, Natalie. You understand my feelings." "I understand. You always express your affections by moonlight or at sunset, because you would be unnatural in any ordinary hour." "There is no moonlight now." "There is no moonlight, but there is the vibrato of the guitar." He sighed. "You're a real embarrassment! Keep winning your favor." "Win my heart first." "I used to feel..." "Don't talk, don't talk. You know, Forville, it's hard to get results after years of pursuit without a single heart." "Who can make your heart beat?" "anonymous." "In what way?" "Love at first sight. I believe in love at first sight." Falwell's face darkened.He was in agony. "That is to say, there is no hope?" "There is always hope if you will." "Your father gave me hope, Natalie. He thought highly of me. He knew how much I loved you. You remember, the last time I saw him in Naples, he accepted my request very clearly, and It was in front of you...you didn't object." She jokingly said: "There is a big gap between disagreement and agreement! Poor Forville, are you so stupid?" "Stupid what?" "You're always groping. You're looking for my weaknesses." "You have no weaknesses." "But you are still looking. You want to catch me like a bird in a bamboo basket. But if I like strength and courage, then the things I hate most are intrigue, surprise attacks, greedy The gaze and those hot hands ready to grab you." Falville couldn't help it, and he said in an almost rough tone: "Forget it, what do you want? Nathalie! How can I succeed? You have to admit that your attitude towards me is very disgusting." angry." She didn't answer.She listened, intoxicated by the singing, and he felt that everything he said was in vain. Her heart was moved by the woman's singing, and she laughed unceremoniously at the stupid things the Italian said. That was the end of the matter.Maxim asked someone to pour port wine for the three singers and musicians, sent them out of the garden, and then closed the gate. "Ah!" He walked back and breathed a sigh of relief. "Reassuring at last. I checked their shoes and found that they were not the same as the footprints I saw earlier. Anyway, we have to keep our eyes open and be vigilant." When he passed by Natalie, he heard Fauville still rambling: "Say, Natalie, what do you want? It's time to end the matter. What do you want!" Maxim interjected: "You need love, Forville, but also respect; you need passion, but you also need obedience; you need action, but you also need to be able to speak... In short, in this mass of contradictory things, who are you? Doomed loser. Forville, I pity you." They returned to the open space in front of the house together, and Fauville said again: "Natalie, you are too demanding of life." "I often blame myself that way too," she replied with a smile. "I have pursuits and ambitions that are out of proportion to my merits. I imagine, without grounds, that I have an extraordinary destiny, and feel that the whole world should provide me with special gratification." "That's why you don't always look at people," Forville pointed out. "On the contrary, I pay attention to people. However, I soon found that they were either too weak, or too cautious, or too sensible, or too spiritual, so I turned around and left them." The doctor shook his head. "Natalie, you will never be loved like this." "I'm starting to believe that. Or rather, I've got to find my Prince Charming." "What does Prince Charming look like in your mind?" "Should be a hero," she said. "What do you call a hero?" "By heroes I mean those who go above and beyond." "Beyond what?" She laughed. "Above all, above right, above custom, above duty, above even their own power." Falville laughed at her and said: "Natalie, you are too imaginative." "No, I'm just dreaming." "It's very dated," Maxim said. "It's very dated," agrees Natalie. "I'm a little behind, I might even say backward. For you, Janine, Henriette, love is a sensible feeling that yields to life. But for me , I still stick to my old naive point of view. I have read many books since I was a girl, and I have read all the novels my mother got from my grandmother. Because of these books I have read, I still yearn for a brave and fearless way of life and worship. London-like characters, even to the point of being absolutely ridiculous." "Are there still Walter Scott's heroes?" "It even includes Cooper's characters." "You don't want to marry the last Moyken," said Maxim. "Marry him? No..." "But what about being kidnapped? Huh? Or being kidnapped by a pirate knight, a sinister pirate?" "Okay." "Well, what if it's Jericho?" "I have no objection," she said cheerfully. Falville did not understand their joke, and shouted: "But Jericho is an ordinary robber, a murderer..." "Who knows? We don't know him. Just relying on a few people who escaped and a few accomplices who were caught? And what they said contradicted each other... Some people said he was a devil, Others said he was generous...every woman, it is said, liked him. Some would give up everything for him." "Nonsense!" said Forville. "It's not all nonsense. We all know that this man has a lot of courage!" "Yeah, put people in a noose and torture them..." "He's got a lot of guts! He's not afraid of danger at all! Do you remember when he attacked the torpedo boat 'Apollo'? Also, he attacked a small village on the Moor Coast in broad daylight, gathered the whole village, and forced They handed over all their gold." "That's enough!" said Maxim. "So many feats that border on legend! He was, as he called himself, the king of the Mediterranean. 'From Suez to the Strait of Gibraltar, I am supreme authority today.'" "The authority to kill," said Forville coldly, "the authority to rape and burn... a medieval brigand!" "I didn't tell you that he was an archangel. But, anyway, a pirate in our time, who makes the whole Latin world shudder with a British warship that seems to have been stolen in Turkey, should be said. Have quite the guts!" Falwell shrugged.However, Dr. Shaporo was amused by Natalie's fierce attitude, and he said, "Well, let me say, if you like the magical and the weird, and at the same time want to stay in the real world, Natalie, I can introduce you to a An even more extraordinary hero." "Greater than Jericho?" "Much better than him." "Say it!" "I am honored to introduce you. Jericho is a myth, a figure distorted by the imagination...but the hero I am speaking of is a real person." "What's the name of your hero?" "The Baron de Ellen-Roque." "Alan Rock? That's not a surname! It's the name of a garden, a fairy garden on the Cape of Antibes." "That's what they call him anyway." "Then what's his real name?" "No one knows, first of all he himself doesn't know." "What! Doesn't your hero even know his own name?" "Indeed." "So, what's the matter with this man?" "Here is a man who has forgotten his past."