Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

In what chaos has Raz, this peaceful, happy city that was once the envy of the other Magyar cities, fallen!I can only compare it to a city that is invaded by foreign enemies, and is always on high alert, knowing when a bomb will fall.Everyone worries about where the first bomb will drop and whether their home will be the first to be destroyed! In fact, what were people afraid of William Stolitz? ...Not only did he not leave Raz, but he insisted on letting everyone know of his existence. Things got worse with the Rothlichs.Two days had passed, but Mira still hadn't returned to her senses. Her lips moved, but she could only spit out some incomprehensible words. Her panicked eyes wandered, never fixed on someone.She couldn't hear us, she didn't know her mother, and she didn't know Mark who was at her bedside.The young girl's room, previously filled with laughter and laughter, was now filled with gloom.She is only in a temporary madness, will careful nursing overcome this crisis?Or is there no hope of ever recovering? ... Who can tell?

She was so weak, it seemed as if the springs that had been holding her tight had snapped.She was lying on the hospital bed, almost motionless. As soon as she raised her hand, she immediately dropped it again.We wondered if she wanted to lift the veil of unconsciousness that was covering her body...whether she wanted to show her will one last time...Mark leaned on her chest, spoke softly to her, and wanted to go from There was an answer in her mouth, a hint in her eyes...but no, nothing! As for Mrs. Rotelitch, motherly love in her nature prevailed.She supported herself strongly by a spiritual force.She rested for a few hours, but the doctor forced her to do so.But how could she sleep soundly? Nightmares keep coming, and even the slightest noise can wake her up! ... She thought she heard someone moving about in the house, and she thought it was him, it must be him, slipped into the house, and wandered about her daughter!So she got up and felt relieved when she saw her husband or Mark guarding Mira's bedside... If this situation continues, how can she bear it for weeks or months? ...

Several colleagues of the doctor come to consult every day.One of them was a well-known psychiatrist who was specially invited from Budapest.He made a long and careful examination of the patient, and could not give a reason for this state of mental retardation.She has no reaction to any external things, no nervous attacks, only indifference, complete unconsciousness, and deathly quietness. Faced with all these, even the best doctor can't do anything. My brother now lives in the next room, and he doesn't want to leave Mira for a single step.I hardly ever leave my house, unless I go to the city hall to inquire about information.Mr. Staplek told me all the gossip and gossip in Raz.From him, I learned that the whole city of Raz is already excited.At present, it is not just William Stolitz alone, but a group of invisible people headed by him. They carry out vicious conspiracies and tricks, invade the city, and make everyone hard to guard against! ……what!If one person can be caught, he must be smashed to pieces!

Since the cathedral riots, I've seen less of Captain Haralan.You can only meet him at Rothlich's house.I knew that he couldn't get rid of the inherent thoughts in his mind, and he kept running in the streets and alleys of Raz without asking me to accompany him.Has he already thought of a plan and is afraid that I will dissuade him? ... Or was he hoping that by this desperate encounter he would run into William Storitz?Or did he wait for the guy to show up in Spremberg or elsewhere, and go straight to him? ... instead of me not stopping him ... no!On the contrary, I want to accompany him personally... I want to help him get rid of that brown-haired beast!

But how likely is this? ... No, there is absolutely no such possibility, not in Raz, not anywhere else! On the evening of the 18th, my brother and I had a long talk.I've never seen him so depressed. I'm worried he'll be overwhelmed and get seriously ill.He should be taken away from the city and brought back to France, but how could he agree to part with Mira?But, after all, it is not impossible for the Rothlichs to leave Raz for a while!Isn't this a question worth considering? ... I thought about it seriously and decided to consult with a doctor. At the end of that day's conversation, I said to Mark:

"Poor little brother, I think you're going to give up hope, you're wrong... Mira's life is not in danger, all the doctors agree... her loss of sanity is only temporary, please believe... she will regain her wisdom... She's going to be her, you, and the Mira her family loves..." "You don't think I'm desperate," Mark replied, his voice choked up, "Mira... my Mira... sober up! . . . God bless you! . . . But she's not yet at the mercy of that devil !... You think he'll let it go with all his hatred? If she's going to go on revenge...if he wants to?...God, Henry...you know me, I can't go on!...He can do anything, We can't deal with him...he's omnipotent...everything!..."

"No . "How to escape... how to escape?" cried Mark emotionally. "No, Henry, you didn't speak your heart...you spoke from your conscience! . . . No! We have nothing to do with that villain! . . . Raz...he can hide himself at any time and sneak into the room!" Mark was too excited for me to answer.He went on talking to himself. "No, Henry," he kept saying, "you want to be blind to this reality...you refuse to see things for what they are!" He grabs my hands. "Who told you he wasn't in the house at this time? I walked from one room to another, in the hallway, in the garden, and I always felt that he was following me! There seemed to be someone around me! . . . Going up, he backs away... when I try to catch him... I can't find anything... nothing!"

He stood up and lunged, as if to catch some invisible person.I don't know how to calm him down! ...the best thing to do is to take him away from the house...far away...far away... "Uh," he said again, "who said it's just the two of us now, maybe he's nearby, eavesdropping on our conversation? Listen... there are footsteps coming from behind this door... ...here he is... let's go together!...we'll catch him...I'm going to beat him! I'm going to kill him...but...this demon...can only death catch him? " Look at how nervous my brother is, don't I worry that he will go crazy like Mira again if he has another attack like this!

what!Why invent this kind of invisibility...why do you have to give this kind of ability to a guy who does all kinds of evil, it seems that he doesn't have enough abilities to do harm to others! In the end, I made up my mind and decided to urge the Rothlich family to leave the city of Raz, taking the delirious Mira and the stubborn Mark away from this cursed city. Although no further provocations occurred after William Storitz's loud declaration from the top of the bell tower: "Here I am! I have always been here!", the atmosphere of terror has spread like a plague to the entire residential area.There is no family who does not feel that they have been harassed by an invisible person!He is not alone!He has a bunch of men at his disposal! ... since the wedding ceremony in the church was destroyed, the church does not seem to provide a place to live!  …What can one do about the atmosphere of terror that newspapers have tried unsuccessfully to sweep away?

The following incident suffices to demonstrate the frenzy of the crowd. On the morning of the 19th.I left the Temeswar apartment to go to the police station. When I was 200 steps away from the Place Saint-Michel, I saw Captain Haralan and I went to meet him. "I'm going to see Mr. Stapley," I said to him, "will you come with me, Captain?" He did not speak, but followed me mechanically, and as we were approaching the Walzplatz we heard terrified cries. Two horses were pulling a carriage down at full speed.Passers-by dodged left and right to avoid being crushed.The coachman had probably been thrown to the ground; the frightened horses were out of control, and were rampaging through the streets.

It is incredible that there are several passers-by who are as excited as the frightened horses.They asserted that the invisible man was driving the carriage, that William Stolitz was sitting in the seat, and the roar reached our ears: "It's him! . . . it's him! . . . it's him!" Before I could turn around and speak to the captain, he left.I saw him rush towards the carriage, trying to stop it as it passed. At this time, there were many pedestrians on the street. The name of "William Storitz" rings from all directions!The crowd was so excited that countless stones were thrown at the carriage, and gunshots were heard from the shop at the corner of Prince Miloch Street. A horse was shot in the leg and fell to the ground. The carriage hit the horse and flipped over with a "boom". Immediately people rushed up, clutching at the wheels, body and shafts, arms stretched out to grab William Stolitz...but no one! Apparently he jumped out before the carriage overturned.Because everyone firmly believed that it was he who whipped the crazy horses, drove the carriage, and drove through the downtown area with the purpose of creating another terrorist incident! But it must be admitted that this time it was not the case at all.After a while, a Puwangtao countryman ran over.His carriage was parked at the Gaoloumen market, and the horses galloped out in fright.He saw a horse lying wounded on the ground and couldn't help being furious! ... The onlookers didn't listen to him at all. Seeing that the poor man was about to suffer, the captain and I took great pains to bring him to safety. I took Captain Haralan by the arm, and without a word he walked with me towards the City Hall, where Mr. Staplek had been given a report of the incident on Prince Miloch Street. "The whole town is crazy," he told me. "I don't know what else they'll do. . . who knows!" As for me, I asked in the same way: "Is there anything new?" "Yes," replied Mr. Staplek, handing me a German newspaper. "What did the newspaper say?" "William Storitz is in Spremberg." "In Spremberg?" Captain Haralan exclaimed, quickly skimmed through the article, turned to me and said: "Let's go! You promised me . . . we'll reach Spremberg tonight . . . " I am convinced that this trip will be in vain.But I don't know how to answer him. "Don't worry, Captain," said Mr. Staplek. "I have checked with the Spremberg authorities whether this information is true, and the telegram will arrive at any moment." In less than a minute the orderly sent an urgent telegram to the chief of police. According to the investigation, the news in the newspaper was purely fabricated.Not only was William Storitz confirmed not to be in Spremberg, but the police believed he had not left Raz. "Dear Haralan," I said, "a promise is worth a thousand dollars, and I will not break my promise. But at this moment, your family needs us to stay by your side." Captain Haralan left the police station, and I went back to the Temeswar apartment alone. Needless to say, the newspapers in Raz rushed to report the truth about the carriage incident, but I am not optimistic that this truth will convince everyone! Two days passed, and Mira Rotelich's condition did not improve.As for Mark, I think he's calmed down a bit.I am also waiting for the opportunity to talk to the doctor about my plan to leave Raz, and I hope he can agree. On May 21, the city lost the calm of the previous two days.The atmosphere was turbulent, and the authorities felt powerless to control the frenzied crowd. Nearly 11 o'clock, I am walking on the Batiani embankment.Shouts from the city echoed in my ears: "He's back...he's back!" Who this "he" was, I was secretly guessing.At this time, two or three pedestrians came, and I asked them. "Someone just saw smoke coming from his fireplace!" said one. "His face was seen behind the curtains on the platform!" another confirmed. Whether it is necessary to believe these rumors or not, I hurried to the Rue dei Kaili at once. William Stolitz would be so careless, no matter what his appearance was, once he was caught, he knew exactly what was waiting for him! ... No one forced him, he would risk his life to be seen from the windows of his house? Whether the news is true or not, it certainly caused a stir.When I arrived, hundreds of people crowded the boulevards, the ring roads, and surrounded the houses tightly.Mr. Staplek and several teams of detectives rushed to the scene, but they were unable to control the excited crowd and clear the crowded avenue.Men, women and children continued to pour in from everywhere, their emotional and hostile shouts shook the sky and the earth. In the face of people's irrational, not unshakable beliefs: he, he is inside, possibly with the servant Hellman ... possibly with his accomplices ... how the police intervene!This damn house is surrounded like an iron barrel, and no one inside can escape... Trying to pass through the human wall without being caught! ... If William Stolitz really appeared behind the platform window, it must be his real form, and he could be caught before he became invisible again.This time, he cannot escape the flames of public revenge! Despite the police chief's persuasion and the police's efforts to stop it, the house was doomed: the fence was knocked down, the house was hit, the door was washed down, the window frame was torn off, and the furniture was thrown into the garden, the courtyard, and the laboratory. The apparatus was smashed to pieces, a fire broke out on the attic, and flames shot up to the roof, and soon, in a sea of ​​flames, the platform collapsed. Houses, yards, and gardens were searched, but William Stolitz was not found... He was not at home, at least not found, nor was there anyone else without him... Now the house has caught fire in many places, and the flames are engulfing the house. An hour later, only broken frames and walls remain. No one knows if it is wise to destroy the house.... The public's tense nerves may relax for a moment... Whether the people of Raz believed that William Storitz was burned, though invisible. But in any case Mr. Staplek salvaged a large number of documents from the studio.They are all submitted to the city hall, and if they are examined carefully, they may reveal the secret... or the secret of Odo Stolitz... (His son is using it to do his own mischief!)