Chapter 13 13. Lazar

Dorotai stood aside, watching his every subtle movement intently.Several other young people were as sullen as her, and did not respond.Only the Italians made the sign of the cross on their chest. "He's alive!" continued M. de la Rue. "He's watching us." Very strange staring eyes, not saying what he wanted to see.These are the eyes of a newborn baby who has not yet thought.Dazed, unconscious, it avoids the light of the flashlight, as if it wants to continue to sleep. On the contrary, life slowly came to him, as if the heart was resuming its beating, and the blood was gradually circulating normally.The arms and hands have some reasonable movement.Then, suddenly, his legs moved to the edge of the bed, propping up his upper body.After a few tries, he sat up.

So they saw the man from the front, and in order to avoid the direct light on his face, one of the young men turned up the flashlight, and the light moved to the wall above the head of the bed in the alcove, illuminating the light which the Marquis mentioned in his letter. portrait. They found that the portrait was the person on the bed.The same broad forehead, the same deep-set eye sockets, the same protruding cheekbones, the same thin chin, and the same protruding ears.However, different from what was said in the letter, this man was much older and thinner, and the portrait showed an aristocratic gentleman with excellent complexion and excellent condition.

He tried to stand up twice, but ultimately failed; he was too weak for his legs to support his body.At the same time, he seemed to be suffocating, breathing very hard, perhaps because he had stopped breathing for a long time, or perhaps because there was not enough air in the room.Dorothy saw two boards attached to the wall, pointed to the wall to Webster and Dario, and told them to remove the boards. A small circular window, or rather a small hole, was exposed on the top, the diameter of which was no more than thirty to thirty-five centimeters at best. A fresh breeze blew into the house.The man was also bathed in it. Although he still seemed unconscious, he turned towards the window opening, opened his mouth wide, and took a deep breath.

All these minutiae go very slowly.The eyewitnesses were stunned, as if they had seen the mysterious stages of the resurrection, but they could not determine where the final result was.Every minute of the resurrection of the dead was a new miracle beyond their imagination, and they looked forward to the irresistible conclusion that would make everything natural, so to speak, to the disintegration and destruction of this incredible robot. Dorothy stomped impatiently, as if losing his temper with himself, trying to shake himself out of his numbness. She turned her head away from the bewildering sight, with an expression on her face that reflected her trying to think, and her companions averted their eyes from the man when they saw her.Dorotai's gaze was carefully exploring something.The blue eyes became darker.They seem to see farther than ordinary eyes, seeking truth in farther regions.

After a minute or two she said in a low voice, "Try it." She returned to the bed resolutely.In any case, one thing was certain, obvious and irrefutable: the man was alive.Therefore, he should be treated like a living person, he has ears to hear, he has a mouth to talk, and he has a personality that distinguishes him from his surroundings. This person has a name and a surname.All indications are beyond doubt that his presence in this closed room has nothing to do with a miracle - a hypothesis considered last, but the successful result of some kind of experiment - however extraordinary it may appear, we have no right "Priority" rules out this assumption.

So, why not ask him? She sat down beside him, held his cold and wet hand, and said to him seriously: "We have come here at your call...we are gold medals..." She didn't go on, and didn't know what to say for a while.The words that have been said seem ridiculous and childish, and she believes that those who listen to her must feel this way.She tried her best to continue: "In our families, the gold medals have been passed down from generation to generation, and finally passed to us... This tradition has lasted for two centuries. Your wish..." However, she really couldn't continue these pretentious solemn words.Another voice said softly in her mind, "My God! Whoever says that is an idiot!"

However, the man's hand grabbed hers and slowly became warm.He seemed to hear the voice speaking, as if he understood that it was speaking to him.So, instead of firing empty guns, Dorothei told him bluntly, as if the resurrection from the dead did not affect the basic needs of the poor man in front of him. "Are you hungry?... Would you like something to eat?... Do you want water?...Answer me...how do you feel better?...Me and a few friends of mine will do our best..." The light shone on the old man from the front. His mouth was open and the corners of his mouth drooped. He looked dumbfounded, expressionless, and desireless.

Without turning around, Dorothy called the notary and said to him: "Mr. de la Rue, don't you think we should give him the second envelope and the supplementary will. Maybe he will restore it when he sees it." What's more, it belongs to him, and we should return it to him according to the instructions in the letter." Monsieur de la Rue agreed with her and handed over the envelope, and Dorothy handed the letter to the old man, saying: "You wrote it yourself, and it will help you recover the gem. No one knows what's inside. You take it." She reaches out.It was obvious that the old man wanted to respond with the same motion.

She extended her hand forward again, and he looked down at the envelope, opening his fingers to accept it. "You got it all right, didn't you?" she said. "You will open the envelope in a moment! Inside is the secret of the gem. This is a very important thing for you. The secret of the gem... a great fortune." She stopped suddenly again, as if petrified by a sudden thought, an unexpected discovery. Webster said to her, "Yes, he understands. When he opens the letter and reads it, all the past comes back to his memory. We can give him the letter." George Ellington supported him, saying: "Yes, madam, we can give him the letter. It is his secret."

However, Dorotai did not carry out what had been announced.She looked at the old man very seriously.Then, she picked up a flashlight, took a few steps back, and took a few steps closer to take a closer look at his crippled hand. Suddenly, she burst into laughter. She had been holding back for a long time, and finally broke out uncontrollably. She held her chest in both hands, bent down, and laughed until her stomach ached.Her handsome head was tilted forward and backward, and her curly hair fluctuated accordingly.Her laughter was so charming, youthful, and irresistibly contagious that all the young people present laughed along with her. On the contrary, Mr. de la Rue looked sullen, thinking that under the circumstances at that time, such a The way of laughing was very inappropriate, and he said angrily: "I am really surprised... I don't see what is funny... We are facing a very big thing..."

Seeing his seriousness, Dorothey laughed even harder, and she said in a broken voice: "Yes... a big deal... a miracle... Oh! God, that's so strange! It's such a joy to laugh! ...I've been putting up with it for a long time...yes, it's the obvious truth, and I'm serious...a bit uneasy...but anyway, I want to laugh so much!...all this is so weird Already!..." The notary muttered: "I don't see anything so strange! . . . the Marquis!" Dorothy was so happy that he couldn't help himself.Rubbing her hands, laughing until she shed tears, she simply repeated: "The Marquis! . . . the friend of de Fontenelle! . . . the Marquis who is dead! . . . ! But don't you see it? . . . " "I saw the mirror getting blurry...eyes slowly opening." "Yes, yes, I agree. But what else? . . . " "What else?" "What's in his mouth?" "Come closer." "have what?" "Have……" "What, tell me." "Have a false tooth!" M. de la Rue repeated slowly: "Is there a false tooth? . . . " "Yes, one of the molars is false...a molar inlaid with gold!" "Well, so what?" Dorothy didn't answer right away.She gave M. de la Rue enough time to wake up and let him realize the significance of this discovery for himself. "Huh?" he repeated, no longer so sure. "Well, it's like this..." She said out of breath with a smile. "It's like this... I'm very anxious... I don't know if there was such a thing as gold teeth in the time of Louis XIV and Louis XV... because you know... If the Marquis can't have gold teeth in his lifetime, then in When he died ... in this tower ... he called a dentist ... that is, he knew from the newspapers or elsewhere that he could replace the one with false teeth that had been aching since Louis XIV came to power bad teeth..." At last Dorothy repressed an untimely impulse which repelled M. de la Rue.There was only a smile left on her face, but she was still very happy, and she was quite sarcastic!Naturally, the four foreigners were also smiling. They crowded around her, and they were so happy that they couldn't be described in words. On the bed, the man was still dumbfounded and expressionless, continuing his breathing movement.The notary pulled several people aside, formed a circle with their backs facing the bed, and said in a low voice, "Then...then...according to what you mean, miss, is this a deliberate play?" "I'm afraid that's true," she said, nodding comically, with certainty. "But, Marquis..." "The Marquis had nothing to do with it," she said. "The story of the Marquis ended on July 12, 1721, the day when he swallowed the poison and brought an end to his glorious life. Although the Marquis held the hope of resurrection, he only left Several things: 1. a handful of ashes mixed with the dust of the room; 2. a strange letter written by himself, which M. de la Rue has read to us; four, the clothes he wore when he shut himself up in the tomb, which is this room, at the time of his death." "Where are these clothes?" "Dress up one of us... unless he buys a new one, the Marquis' clothes are too worn out to wear." "But how did he get in? This window is too small to get in from anywhere else. How did he get in? . . . " "Probably the same path we took." "Impossible! Think about it, there are so many obstacles, the road is so steep, and the thorns and thorns blocking the road..." "Who knows if the thorns were opened somewhere? Was the plaster wall knocked down and rebuilt? Did someone find the door to this room before us?" "If that's the case, this person should know about the Marquis' secret agency, the operation of those two stones, etc." "Why is it impossible? The Marquis may have left a copy of this letter... or a draft. But... no... Note, there is a greater possibility! The Marquis de Beaugreval has told us the truth! Because he had expected it, because he mentioned the servant Geoffroy in his letter, saying that his loyalty was quite likely to be shaken, and he even thought that this good man might record the whole incident. And he did record it. This record was circulated among relatives and has survived to this day." "Pure speculation." "Mr. De La Rue, this is a correct and correct guess, because besides us, besides these four young people and me, there are other people, other families, who also circulated the Bogleval The story, or parts of it. For months I have been fighting to get back the essential token, the gold medal that was stolen from my father." Dorothei's words aroused great repercussions.She explained this: "The Chagny-Roblelet family in the Orne, the Argonne family in the Ardennes, the Darvernoy family in the Vendée, all the families have kept this legend. .Around this legend, greed and violence expanded viciously, and tragedies happened, theft, murder, and madness." "But," Ellington pointed out, "we're the only ones here. What are the others doing?" "They're waiting. They're waiting for a day they don't know. They're waiting for a gold medal. I saw a beggar and a workwoman in the church of La Roche-Périac, and they were waiting for a miracle. I also saw two A mental patient came to an appointment, they waited for the low tide by the sea. Also, I brought to court a week ago a robber named d'Estrèche, a dangerous man, a distant relative of our family, who Killing someone for a gold medal. Would you believe me if I said we were dealing with an imposter?" Dario disagreed: "So, the purpose of this person coming here is to play the role that the Marquis hopes to play two hundred years after his death?" "That's right." "Why did he do this?" "For the gems, I tell you, for the gems!" "However, since he knows there are gems, he just needs to find them, and when he finds them, he can keep them for himself." "He must have searched, believe it, and searched and searched, but in vain! There is a new proof that he only knew Geoffroy's records, because Geoffroy's master did not Tell him where the gems are hidden. To know where the gems are hidden, and to attend this gathering of the descendants of Bogleval, after years of careful preparations, on this day, July 12, 1921, he Played the role of Marquis." "This is a dangerous role! A role that cannot be played!" "It's possible to pretend for a few hours, and that's enough. I said, a few hours... think about it, after only ten minutes, didn't we agree to hand him the envelope containing the answer, very Perhaps that was the purpose of his fetish. He obviously knew that there was an additional will, an explanatory document. But where to find it? Barbière the notary is gone! All the heirs are gone! Where to go Look for it? Look for it here, look for it at the party on the 12th of July! Logically speaking, this supplementary will must be brought here! Logically speaking, people will return this thing to him! In fact, I already have it in my hand. I was about to hand it to him. A second more and he will know the secret. Then, goodbye. Once you get the jewel of the Marquis de Beugreval, the so-called The Marquis de Beaugreval would disappear without a trace, that is to say, he would flee as quickly as possible." Webster asked, "Why didn't you hand him the envelope? You guessed it? . . . " "No, not guessing. But, I was on guard. I handed the envelope, mostly to test it out. If he accepts, it's an inexplicable reaction in such a short time, and it's a shame for him." Very unfavorable evidence! He accepted it. I saw that he couldn't wait, and his hand was shaking violently. I was convinced, and at the same time, I was overjoyed by the accidental discovery: I saw the golden teeth in his mouth!" All these things are intertwined and closely connected, and Dorothy reveals the changes of things, the cause and effect relationship between them, just like showing people a tapestry, showing that harmonious unity comes from complex combinations of patterns and colors. . The four young people were amazed, none of them doubted what the girl said. Archibald Webster exclaimed, "It's as if you've been through the whole thing." "Really," Daario echoed, "it's as if the revived Marquis performed in front of you from beginning to end." "Profound observation, rigorous logic!" said Ellington from London. Webster added: "Very good intuition!" Dorotai didn't return their compliments with her usual smile.She sensed that the whole thing was taking a turn for the worse, and that something she dreaded was about to happen.What is it?What are you afraid of? Everyone was silent, and M. de la Rue suddenly exclaimed: "Hey! I think you are mistaken. Mademoiselle, I can't agree with you at all." M. de la Rue is such a person, he does not change his mind easily, but once changed, he clings to the new idea firmly.Suddenly, the resurrection of the Marquis seemed to be a dogma he must rise to defend. He repeated: "I totally disagree with you! You pile up baseless assumptions. No, this man is not an impostor. There is some evidence in his favor that you have overlooked." "What evidence?" she asked. "Here! His portrait! He is exactly the same as the Marquis de Beaugreval in the portrait. This is an irrefutable fact. The portrait is by Nicolas de La Gillière!" "Who told you that this is a portrait of the Marquis and not of the man himself? Isn't it easy to be like a man?" "But what about this ancient frame? What about this ancient canvas?" "We should be sure that the frame is a frame from the past. We should also be sure that the canvas has not been changed, but has been slightly altered to make the portrait approximately the same as the false Marquis." "And the severed finger?" M. de la Rue exclaimed triumphantly. "Fingers can be chopped off." The notary was angry: "Ah! It's impossible, ten thousand impossible! No matter how attractive the bait is, no one will mutilate his own limbs. No, no, your statement does not hold water. Ah, you Think, like this fellow would cut off his own fingers! Just this fellow, dead and stupid! He can't do such a thing! This is a piece of shit, a coward..." The above argument surprised Dorothea.It just pointed out the most incredible part of the whole incident, and she just drew the due conclusion from it. "You are right," she agreed with him, "that a man like him could not mutilate himself." "under these circumstances……" "In this case, it means that this cruel thing was done by another person." "Another cut off his finger? An accomplice?" "Not just an accomplice, he's the boss. He wasn't the one who planned the whole thing. He didn't direct the plot of this adventure. He's just a tool, a rogue chosen for his scrawny appearance. Behind the scenes The character is still in the shadows, he is a terrible character." The notary shuddered. "As if you knew him?" After a while, she replied slowly, "It is very likely that I know him. If my instincts are not mistaken, the mastermind of the whole conspiracy should be the man I brought to court, the same man I mentioned just now." de Estreche. He is in prison, but his accomplices—for there are many of them—continue what he started and try to carry it through... Yes, yes. Now," she went on, "it can be assumed that de Estreche has arranged it. He has persisted for many years, and this conspiracy is in keeping with his insidious and cunning character. We must be on our guard against him. Even in prison cell, he is also a dangerous opponent." "Danger...danger..." said the notary, trying to be as calm as possible, "I really don't see any danger threatening us! Besides, the matter is coming to an end. For the sake of those gems, let's open the additional will. For me Say, my mission is complete." "Mr. De La Rue, the matter is not whether your task has been completed," Dorothy continued, her words reflected that she was still thinking hard. "It's a question of how to escape the disaster. I don't quite know the nature of the disaster, but all the signs point to it approaching us, and my feeling is getting clearer. Where does the disaster come from? I don't know, but it does exist." "It's terrible," muttered M. de la Rue. "Is there a way to deal with it? What should I do?" She turned toward the corner of the alcove. The man on the bed stopped moving, and the shadow covered his head and upper body. "Let's ask him. You know, this secondary character didn't come here alone. He was given this position and watched by himself, those lackeys of d'Estrèche. They were waiting behind the scenes. The result of the show. They're spying on us. Or eavesdropping on us... Let's ask him. He'll tell us what they'll do against us if the plot fails." "He won't say..." "It will... it will... he's in our hands, and it's good for him to ask forgiveness for the part he played. A man like him can be seen as a follower... look at him. " The man didn't move.Nothing is indicated.However, his posture seems unnatural.Sitting like him, half bent, should have lost his balance long ago. "Ellington . . . Webster . . . " ordered Dorothy, "take a picture with the flashlight." The two flashlights shoot out a beam of light at the same time. Some time passed. "Ah!" Dorotai sighed, she was the first to see the terrible thing, and couldn't help taking a step back. The six people suddenly encountered a strange scene that could not be explained at once.They thought the man had frozen, when in fact his upper body and head were tipping forward slowly, almost imperceptibly, but tilting.Two round eyes protruded from the eye sockets, and under the concentrated illumination of the electric light, the two terrifying eyes shone like dark rubies.His mouth was twitching as if to shout, but no sound came out.Then, his head dropped to his chest, pulling his entire upper body. Within a few seconds, everyone saw a dagger with an ebony handle, half of the blade was inserted into his right shoulder, and blood gushed out from the bottom of his neck.He finally couldn't take it anymore.Like a wounded beast, he slowly knelt on the flagstone floor and suddenly fell down with a plop.