Chapter 7 7. The date is approaching

Gangding Villa is surrounded by green trees, the terrain is gentle, and the valley of the Main River is like a ring, hooping the pastures, orchards and buildings of the villa.Within the range of the villa, there are hemispherical hills full of cedar trees, and exposed rocks can be seen everywhere.The Main diverged at one point, forming a graceful pool that cut off the ring that bound the house and left it alone, reflecting in the water the dark foundation stones, pink brick and gray slates of the old dwelling. Today, it is just a cottage.Part of the downstairs is a food storage room and a granary, which shows that this was once a very prosperous farm with a wide range of production, but after Raoul's grandfather took charge of the family, the situation has plummeted.

The old baron, so he was called—he acquired the title and fiefdom before the Revolution, the baronial domain of Darvernoy—the old baron, a good hunter, a master drinker, charming, especially fishy, ​​disdainful of farming At a glance, his son, Raoul's father, inherited his carefree habits. "I came back from demobilization and did everything I could do," Raoul said to the girl, "in order to turn things around and get the family back together. But what can I do? My father and grandfather had only one idea, apparently because The legend you know: We shall get rich sooner or later. Why bother with ourselves? They have not. Now we are in the hands of a usurer who has redeemed all our debts, and I am at Robleigh Park At that time, I learned that my grandfather signed a sale contract, and within half a month, this usurer will kick us out of the villa!"

He was a brave lad, not very quick-witted, and somewhat cramped in manner, but honest, earnest, and deliberate.His heart has been conquered by Dorotai's elegant temperament, and his insurmountable timidity prevents him from expressing his extremely strong emotions through words, but he does not conceal his admiration and eagerness.As long as she said it, everything was done properly. At her suggestion, he reported the attack on his grandfather to the police and charged the stranger.He openly told those around him that he expected to get a fortune in the near future, and also told everyone that the search for the gold medal was in progress, and that finding the medal was a prerequisite for obtaining property, etc.In the end, he didn't say Dorotai's name, but he didn't hide his distant relationship with Dorotai, nor the reason why the girl came to the villa.

St. Quentin forced the one-eyed magpie to travel day and night. Three days later, he led Castor and Pollux to the villa.Dorothy would not accept any accommodation except in the caravan of her closest relatives, and the caravan was parked in the middle of the yard, and the five of them resumed their common, happy and casual life.Castor and Pollux still fought, but not as violently as before.Saint-Quentin goes fishing in a pond.The captain was still so defiant, and took on the task of protecting the old baron, telling his endless stories to the old man and Goliath. As for Dorotai, she looked around carefully.Others think she is mysterious and secretive about some ideas and practices.She spends hours each day playing with her little friends or coaching them in their skills.Besides, her job was to keep an eye on the Baron.With dull eyes and trembling legs, the old man, accompanied by the faithful Goliath, came to the orchard from time to time to lean against a fruit tree.She kept an eye out, hoping to find any instinctive reactions or traces of time.

For several days she remained in the pavilion, which contained several shelves of old papers, old volumes, pamphlets printed in the last century, local chronicles, country reports, parish records, and so on. "Well," Raoul asked with a smile, "is there any progress? I feel your eyes are brighter." "Maybe... I don't deny it..." Dorothy's eyes!Everything about her face is beautiful, but the most fascinating part is the eyes.Raoul observes his surroundings through them and is only concerned with the information they convey.Dorotai let him look at him, maybe he also felt a certain sense of satisfaction.The shy young man loved her and respected her, and she was touched because all she had seen so far had been flattery with ulterior motives.

One day, as she took him to a boat moored by the lake and let him drift along, she said to him, "We're almost there." "Where?" he asked uneasily. "It's almost that day, and so many twists and turns have been heralding the arrival of this day!" "Do you think so?" "Raoul, you saw the baron with the gold medal in his hand the other day. It is the core of the legend that sums it all up. I don't think you are mistaken. It's a pity that you didn't have time to understand the truth, and the poor old man has lost his mind. .The thread linking the past and the future is cut off.”

"Then what hope is there if you can't find the gold medal? It's been searched everywhere, in his room, in his clothes, in the house, in the orchard. Nothing." "He can't keep the answer forever. Even if his brain is broken, his instinct is still there. The instinct formed over the centuries, that is very strong! He may put the medal within reach, or within sight. The place is: when the time comes, an unconscious movement will reveal the truth." Raoul asked: "What if de Estreche took the medal?" "No, otherwise you would not have heard them fighting. Your grandfather held out to the end, and de Estreche fled because of our presence."

"Ah, the robber!" said Raoul sharply. "Let me catch him and I can't spare him!" The boat glides gently on the water.Dorothei didn't move, and whispered: "Shut up! He's listening to us." "Well! What are you talking about?" "I said he was hiding there and he could hear everything we said." Raoul froze. "Oh, oh, what does that mean? Did you see him? . . . " "No, I guess he's around. He can see us." "Where do you see us from?" "From somewhere in the La Dome. I've been thinking that there must be some hidden inaccessible place in the Dome, and I found the proof in an old book that happened to be about the Royalists in the Vendée A burrow in the ground, probably near Tiforge and Krison."

"But how would he know?" "Recall that on the day of the murder, your grandfather was alone at home, or that he thought he was alone. He walked on the hills and exposed one of the exits. However, de Estreche always Spying on his movements. The bastard has been using this shelter ever since. You look at the terrain there, high hills and low valleys. Left and right, near and far, in caves, everywhere A place that can be used as an observation post, so that you can see and hear what is happening in the villa below. De Estreche is there." "What is he doing there?"

"He's looking for something," she said with certainty, "and besides that, he's spying on my investigations. He's the same (although I can't guess what his reasons are for doing it), and he wants a gold medal for fear that I'll Get there first." Raoul said: "Then, we must report to the police!" "Not yet. The cave he is hiding in has more than one exit, and there may be some passages through the bottom of the river. If he scares the snake, he will run away." "So, what do you plan to do?" "Get him out of the cave and let him fall into our trap."

"How? When?" "The sooner the better. I'll see Mr. Varlin, the usurer, and he'll show me the contract of sale. He's been dreaming all his life about getting the Hilltop, and if he's still there by seventeen o'clock on the 31st of July." Before receiving three hundred thousand francs in cash or state bonds, the estate will be his." "I know," said Raoul, "I can't get rich in a month..." "No, there is hope, the hope that has always supported your grandfather. He said: "Vallin, don't be too happy. I will pay off all my debts to you on the 31st of July." .Raoul, this is the first time we have heard such a definite statement. Before this, it was only speculation, only legend. Now there is a fact. According to your grandfather, this fact proves that the surrounding These tales of large fortunes will come to fruition sometime in July." The boat docked.Dorothy jumped lightly onto the shore, and at the same time said aloud, not in the least afraid of being overheard: "Raoul, today is the twenty-seventh of June. In a few weeks you will be rich. I will, too. Get rich. My prophecy is about to be fulfilled, and de Estreche will be hanged high." That evening, as the night fell slowly, the girl quietly stepped out of the villa and walked onto a small path with high hedges on both sides without anyone noticing.In less than an hour she came to a small garden with lights burning in the depths of it. With his unique method of investigation, Dorothy discovered that there was an old lady named Juliette Azel, who was said to be a former girlfriend of the baron.Although she was deaf, weak, and not very clear-sighted, the Baron visited her from time to time before falling ill.Besides, Saint-Quentin asked the maid who waited on her, and according to this open-mouthed woman, Juliette Hazel also had a medal, which was exactly the same medal that everyone was looking for at the Heights.The girl's idea was to take advantage of the weekly holiday of the maids and come to the door in person and ask Juliette Azel directly.However, things backfired.The door was not locked, and the room where the old woman lived was low and comfortable. As soon as Dorotai stepped over the threshold, she saw her sleeping soundly under the light, with her drooping head facing the embroidery frame in her hand. "How about I look for it myself?" Dorothy thought. "If you ask, you may not necessarily answer, so why ask her!" She looked around, carefully examining the pictures hanging on the wall, the clock in the glass case, the candelabra and so on. A little further on, a staircase leads to the various rooms upstairs.She was walking towards the stairs when there was a sudden creaking sound from the door.She saw no sign of it, but she was sure that de Estreche was about to appear.Perhaps, he has been following her?Perhaps, he used a series of tricks to attract her... She felt scared and just wanted to run away.stairs?Upstairs?It was too late.There was a glass door beside her, which seemed to lead to the kitchen, and from the kitchen to somewhere, perhaps a way of escape.She entered through the glass door and soon realized she had made a mistake.It turned out that this was a dark storage room, or a closet.Her body had to be pressed against the wall panel to close the glass door again.She becomes a prisoner. At the same time, the door was gently pushed open.Two people walked in cautiously, and after a while, one of them whispered, "The old lady is asleep." Through the glass behind the shattered curtain, Dorothei easily recognized de Estreche.His collar was turned up, and his hat ears were fastened tightly under his chin.His accomplice also covered half his face with a scarf. "Look at the stupid things you've done for this chick!" said the latter. "Stupidity, no," replied de Estreche gruffly. "I have to spy on her, it's as simple as that." "Forget it, you're always following her ass. You're so dizzy... you won't stop until she takes your head off." "I don't deny it. She has almost succeeded at Robleigh. But I need her." "why?" "For that medal. Only she can find it." "Anyway, she can't be found here, we've searched the house twice." "It must not have been searched carefully enough, otherwise why would she have come here too. She was coming here when we saw her. She must have sniffed out the wordy maid and chose the old woman alone at home." day." "Ah! You're keeping your eyes on this posturing woman!" "I'm not letting go of her," said de Estreche savagely. "If it falls into my palm, let me tell you, she will never forget it for the rest of her life!" Dorothy shivered.She was horrified by the simultaneous hatred and determination in this man's tone. Then, he stopped making a sound, stood behind the door, and raised his ears to pay attention to the movement around him. A few minutes later, Juliette Hazel continued to sleep, her head bent lower and lower toward the work in hand. Finally, de Estreche muttered: "She won't come. She must have changed her mind on the way." "Well, get out," suggested his accomplice. "no." "You have a solution?" "I'm determined...I'm determined to find the medal." "However, since the first two times have yielded nothing..." "That's because our method is wrong. We must change the method. The old woman deserves it!" He punched the table, nearly waking Juliette Azel. "What the hell, how stupid we are! The maid made it very clear: there's a medal in this house, exactly like the one they found at the Grange. So, take advantage of it, eh? There's none at the Baron's." Do something successful, do it today." "What! Do you want to...?" "Yes, I want her to tell the truth, just like we want the baron to tell the truth. The difference is, this one is a woman." De Estrechet took off his hat.The ugly face reveals cruelty and barbarism.He went to the door first, closed the door and turned the key in the lock twice, then put the key in his pocket.Then, he went all the way to the chair where the old woman was sleeping, and after staring at it for a while, he suddenly rushed forward, grabbed her throat tightly, and pressed her back on the chair back.The accomplice sneered. "It needn't be so hard! Cinch too hard, and the poor old thing will die!" De Estreche let go of his hand a little.The old woman opened her eyes and groaned feebly. "Say," ordered de Estreche. "The Baron handed you a medal. Where did you keep it?" Juliette Azaire didn't understand what was going on.She struggled desperately.The other, furious, grabbed her and pushed and pulled. "Well, what are you talking about? Where's the medal? Where's your old lover's medal? He gave it to you, eh? Don't deny it, you old fellow. Your maid tells everyone about it." .Come on, hurry up. Otherwise..." He picked up an iron firewood frame covered with a copper head from the stove at the bottom of the slate stove, and while holding it up high, he shouted: "One... two... three... I will smash it when I count to twenty." Rotten your head!"