Chapter 17 Chapter Seventeen

The weather is getting colder and colder, and many trees have lost their leaves, revealing ugly branches. In fact, I am very afraid of the cold. Every winter, I like to go back to Armand Manor, walk in the surrounding snow-covered forest, and then sit in front of the ancient fireplace and write a soft serenade, waiting for December 24 Mass in the evening. And now I have a hard time imagining how I will spend Christmas more than a month later: I am in Paris, Nazi army boots and rifles are outside the window, turkey is hard to buy, butter is pitifully low, and there are no decent gifts , Even the Christmas tree can only be replaced by small cypress saplings not exceeding one meter.Although my mother was by my side, another seat was vacant. The sweet female solo singing that should have been accompanied by me playing the piano was never possible again, and I couldn't find anything to replace it.

But before I worry about that, I have to worry about getting rid of the three English guests.They live in a cheap apartment, never leave the door, and cannot speak more than two meters away, but this is not an excuse to delay for a week; who knows when the secret police's temporary inspection will come. Fortunately, Lieutenant George Locke, they are very optimistic and well-trained soldiers, and they didn't make any complaints about it, and they didn't show any irritability, which made me very happy; even when I went to visit, they were polite Talking and laughing with me. "T'en...fais pas, t'en fais pas (French: don't mind)! Is that right, my lord count?" Learning French in a blunt tone, the big man with the rank of lieutenant stood in front of me like The corners of his mouth dropped like a child, "Ah, this is really difficult!"

"It's not bad, Lieutenant." I couldn't help smiling, "But it's still very reluctant to pretend to be an extra." "I think I'd better pretend to be dumb." "That's not a bad idea, but why are there three mutes in a small touring group of less than twenty people?" Corporal Charlie Wilson and Corporal Gernard Benson laughed softly, not doing their officers any favors. I patiently repeated these few simple words, then took out the paper in my pocket and handed it to him: "Please be sure to familiarize yourself with our arrangement this time—you and Corporal Benson are our extras, Then Corporal Wilson is the prop man. We'll start from Paris, via Rouen to Le Havre, and do a small show for Mr. Darnard's Salon. If you get there in time, you can take a boat to the Cape London’s African cargo ship fled to Portugal, and then turned back to the UK! But if something goes wrong when passing through the Goron checkpoint, you can only sneak across the border to Switzerland from Trull to Dijon.”

"Can't you go to the territory of the Vichy government?" "The distance between the corresponding stations over there is too far away, it is very dangerous!" I paused, "Besides, you have passports in hand, so it will be smoother to get to Portugal." Lieutenant Locke nodded: "Okay, we listen to you, Mr. Earl." I told them not to stop practicing French, especially the three harmonies sung on the stage; although there will be a lot of people at that time, the flaws in the accent cannot be heard.They assured me, I put the passport on the table, and decided to go over the details with François.

I still drive the original car, and the newly replaced window glass is very clean and smooth. I have also carefully repaired the damaged parts on the leather seat back, and now there is no flaw at all.But every time I hold the steering wheel, I can't help but think of the scene of that night—— The sharp gunshots, the broken glass, the screams of passers-by, and the unusually real body temperature of Major Portman when he threw me down... I can't deny that he protected me and was injured for it!From this fact, he can be counted as saving my life, even if I have no gratitude, his sacrifice cannot be ignored.When I saw him lying so defenseless in front of me, I almost wanted to kill him for a moment; but I didn't do it, I don't know if it was because of this fact.

Three days have passed, and there is no report about this matter in the newspapers, so it proves that the major has really downplayed it.But how to cover up his injury?I don't think he will be able to carry out his official duties as nonchalantly as he used to, and Luwangso's report also shows that he is now struggling with every move. "...the Major hardly ever goes out, but stays at home or in his office," he told me last night. "Those sent to watch found our friend to be sick, pale, and always tired. He canceled a lot of inspection and interrogation activities, and arranged a lot of desk work, which is very unusual compared with the previous period..."

I asked him if he had seen Sergeant Belken with the Major, and Louwangso replied that he had. "He sets off from the officer's apartment every morning, then goes to the major's office to do his own thing, and sometimes goes out in place of the major, but otherwise he's always by his side. But I don't think he sees himself at all, sir. Something is wrong, calmly as if nothing happened..." I'm almost sure there's something wrong with the burgundy-haired lieutenant - who would be so indifferent to the obvious physical discomfort of their superior? If it was really him who shot the gun, he must have killed me.But why didn't he use the hands of the Gestapo against me instead of doing it himself?If he really suspected that I was threatening his chief, his first reaction should be to use normal channels to deal with me, and the chances of success would be much higher.

Is it to protect the major's reputation? Then Major Portman should be his accomplice, he didn't have to risk his life to protect the person who created the crisis for him.And afterward he was obviously covering up something on purpose, as if trying to keep the situation to a minimum.According to his previous personality, this is a good opportunity for in-depth investigation! This incident is full of contradictions before and after, and it makes my head hurt when I think about it.I pressed my forehead and rubbed it vigorously. At this moment, a thought flashed across my spine like lightning——

Could it be that the sergeant's actions were personal? My fingers holding the steering wheel suddenly tightened: Yes, only this can explain everything! The major didn't order him to kill me, so he couldn't do it through the military and without his superiors knowing.The major did not anticipate this attack from his subordinates, and was thus wounded. I try to remember in my mind that straight but unremarkable face under the wine red hair. There is nothing crazy about it, but I know it did not leave a pleasant impression on me when we first met. .If his personal behavior can reach this level, it will have to make me have new doubts; why did he do this?

The sycamore trees outside the car window retreated neatly, and I drove slowly absent-mindedly, my mind full of question marks. The depressing scene on the street has not changed. I see passers-by in thin clothes hurrying on their way with paper bags in their arms.The cold wind makes it impossible to stay outdoors, but there is not necessarily much coal and firewood to light up the fireplace at home. Two German soldiers in military overcoats and carrying rifles pulled a stooped old man next to the store with cigarettes in their mouths.I recognized his identity from the yellow six-pointed star on his chest - Jewish.

They pushed him, forced him to bow his head, and dropped the meager amount of bread in his arms to the ground.The wrinkles on the old man's face seemed to be getting deeper, but he said nothing, just saluted the two beasts silently, then picked up the bread and left, leaving the disgusting laughter behind. I turned off the fire, watched this scene happen in front of my eyes, a sour taste came out of my mouth—— That's what the Occupation Army can do!They can do whatever they want, no one can stop their rage and arrogance, they act as masters here!Without exception, there is a sense of superiority shining in their eyes, and they are invincible! The only exception is probably Major Portman, right? He would probably never take part in such a game, but watched his fellow-citizens domineering, then turned away with a sneering sneer, impatient as if watching a bad game.Why would I have seen him simply as an executioner a year ago?Did Marisa's death really give me the wrong message? I actually didn't understand what kind of views I had on that man: How nice it would be if I could simply hate him... It happened to be around twelve noon when I got home, and my mother made me a simple but extremely delicious vegetable soup, and I invited Luwangso to have dinner together; he had been waiting for me in the living room for nearly half an hour. "It's an honor, my lord count, to allow me to taste such delicious food," said my comrade half-jokingly, "and I'll take it easy on François, who has to put up with the landlady every day. Terrible workmanship." I told him that maybe it would make more sense to simply express my thanks again to my mother. "Of course I will not pass up such an opportunity, sir." We talked and laughed and came to the piano room. He closed the door for me and took out the things in his pocket. "This is what you want to investigate, sir; information about Sergeant Heinrich Belken." I took the thin piece of paper, on which was transcribed in handwriting: Heinrich Belken was born in Berlin, Germany in 1910. There is no record of his parents. He only said that he enlisted in the army in 1936. He had a mediocre experience and could not find any achievements that would allow him to be promoted quickly.But there was one thing that was strange—he was always in the same formation as Major Portman.Whether in Germany or Paris, they are always together.Ever since Rostock von Portmann had acquired the rank of general officer, this man, who had no distinguishing feature except for his hair, had been his aide-de-camp. These superficial things are meaningless, and no substantive clues can be found. I folded the paper and put it in my inner pocket, then opened the lid of the violin: "Thank you for the report, Luwangso. I don't think I can get more information than this even if I check it again, right?" "He doesn't have the major's impressive background and background." "So let's stop here." I decided to find the answer from another aspect, but I had to do it myself, "Okay, maybe I can review that melody for you again today, and I hope to see Markey the day after tomorrow. You can still hit the tune when you're a partisan." "My lord," he exaggeratedly squeezed his eyes, "I'm also a backstage worker of the troupe, even if I just listen to it, I can get some musical elements. The tune of 'Swan' is the only way to identify us. Evidence, how could there be omissions?" "Never mind," I reassure, "I'm just trying to make it easier for you to remember." The keyboard is very simple but has no similar melody to other songs. I listened to Luwangso's soft humming and knew that their practice was very serious. Now everything is ready: the passport is complete, the pass to other provinces and the performance certificate are also complete, the cooperation of personnel is not a problem, and there are guerrillas to support.It might be good to send the Englishman away while the major is injured; he doesn't have the energy to deal with us now, the only thing worth noting is the adjutant... "Luwangso," I stopped my hands, "you send two more people to keep an eye on Sergeant Belken. I will take our guests out in two days, if the sergeant does anything special , you just...kill him." The man in front of me showed a look of surprise, but immediately covered it up with a normal smile: "It is rare to hear such an order from you. But rest assured, since it is so rare, I have no reason why it should not be done well." The temporary performance group took a relatively large passenger car, and François and I drove my car in front, and Lieutenant Locke and the others were mixed with other actors and staff and stayed behind us.Before leaving Paris, I told Armand and Laffont that this was just a normal performance, and I asked them to take care of the troupe's affairs.Both Daisy and Luwangso were left by me as guards. On the one hand, they had to guard against sudden actions by the Nazis, especially the major and Sergeant Belken. On the other hand, they had to contact the guerrillas and prepare for them on the road preparation. If I think that there are always people of my own on this road to Le Havre, then I feel more or less relieved. When the car drove out in the afternoon, the road was empty, and there were very few military vehicles passing by.As I turned onto West Avenue, I couldn't help but glance over at the major's apartment. The curtains were closed and there seemed to be no one there.There was a faint strange feeling in my heart, but it flashed away immediately. The car passed Versailles, sped on the outskirts of Paris, passed through Mount, passed Vernon, and came to Goron.Twenty-five minutes later, the intersection in the direction of Vecy-le-Havre and Codatsu was approaching. In the bottom of my heart, I prayed to God that we would have a smooth drive out of Paris, because even the most efficient Germans couldn't check every road out of the city.Just as I was thinking, a checkpoint could be seen under the gradually darkening sky. A few bright red lights flickered in the middle of the road, a German military vehicle was lying beside the checkpoint, and six German soldiers and a few French policemen stood beside the roadblock. A soldier shook his hand at us, and François stopped the car. I handed over all the documents, he flipped through them, and raised his chin at his companion.The two low-ranking recruits boarded our bus. I knew that I had prepared for it, but my heart still missed a beat. "Thank you, Corporal." I handed a cigarette to the man outside the window, "You are still on duty in such cold weather." "Thank you, sir." He smiled, "This is common, it's nothing, besides, there are a few more people accompanying us today!" "What?" I made a puzzled expression, "What happened?" "Oh, it seems that the news from the SS to the Gestapo: British people are going to escape! So we sent more people." Francois next to me froze visibly and glanced at me. I laughed a few times: "Really? You have to be careful..." The soldiers at the back quickly finished the inspection, stepped down and nodded to the corporal. "Good luck!" He opened the barricade and let us pass. A cloud began to hang over my heart from this moment.Francois frowned tightly. "What to do, my lord?" he asked me while holding the steering wheel. I gritted my teeth, wondering if any Gestapo motorcycles had come out of Paris to chase us.If they do find the three Brits, the whole cast will be involved!Now that the news has been obtained here, the order will probably be passed on from one station to another, and it is impossible to go slowly according to the original plan. "Listen to me, François." I told him, "You tell Lieutenant Locke to change to this car, and you take everyone to continue on the same road, it doesn't matter if you go slower! I will speed up in the car." Get to Le Havre in the early hours and just put them on board!" "You want to take risks alone?" He suddenly raised his voice, "This is absolutely not possible!" "You mean wait for the Germans to catch up with us, or catch us all on the way?" "Of course not! But—" "Then do as I say!" I said commandingly, "I'll take the path instead! They're targeting the show group and they're just watching you! It's safer if I take the Englishman alone ! The partisans will help us when we get to Le Havre!" "What if you meet the Germans halfway? Who will protect you?" "There are no checkpoints from here, I just need to get to my destination! Besides, who will be on duty on a country road after dark, this is not Paris!" "My lord..." "It's so decided!" I interrupted him domineeringly when he still wanted to object. The car stopped temporarily, and I told our friends the general situation, and they changed places with François very cooperatively.So I sat in the driver's seat, started the car, and drove into a side road at the fastest speed, leaving the car and other people's concerned eyes far behind me. The road to Le Havre winds along the Seine River, passing through the beautiful Seine Valley.On both sides of the valley are fertile mountains and fertile farmland, and the lights of the farmhouses in the distance gather together, like clusters of oases in the desert.If it weren't for the heavy dark clouds covering the moonlight and the tense air making people feel depressing, I would really like to ask the three friends beside me to take a good look at this beautiful French rural scenery. The sky was getting darker and darker, and the headlights shot two beams of light far away. I don't know what happened to the people behind, but some tiny drops of water gradually densely covered the windshield. "It's raining, my lord," Corporal Benson reminded me. "Oh, yes." I turned on the windshield wipers. "Your French pronunciation is getting better and better, Corporal." He smiled and seemed quite pleased with himself. "It's a pity." Lieutenant Locke sighed with infinite regret, "I didn't use all the things I practiced so hard. Earl, I originally expected to tell my wife that I once performed an opera under your guidance!" They are all lovely people.I really don't want them to fall into the hands of those devils! "There is a chance, Lieutenant, there must be a chance!" I smiled at him the most friendly, "I will invite you again after the victory. It will be a formal performance, I promise." "It's a deal!" His dark eyes lit up. "It's a deal." "Look!" Corporal Wilson in the back row suddenly shouted, "There seems to be someone in front!"