Chapter 15 Chapter fifteen

After Storitz's house was destroyed, I felt that the agitation in the city had subsided a little, and the people were relieved.However, although people burned his house, after all, he was not caught, and he may have escaped.Some innocent townspeople, using their imaginations to the fullest, insisted that the criminal was dead: why couldn't he be surrounded when the crowd rushed into the house?Even if he is invisible, how can he escape the scorching flames? We searched the rubble at the scene and dug through the ashes, but found no evidence that William Stolitz had been burned to death.At that time, even if he was in the house, he must be hiding somewhere out of the fire.

A new letter came from the Spremberg police, urgently confirming: William Stolitz has not shown up in his hometown, his servant has also disappeared, the two disappeared without a trace, and it is unknown where they are hiding.They are likely to remain in Raz. Unfortunately, I shudder again, while the town is a little calmer, the Rötlichs are not.Poor Mira's mental state showed no signs of improving.She is indifferent to her own behavior and indifferent to the care and attention of those around her. She doesn't know anyone.Doctors are afraid to be optimistic.She didn't have intermittent emotional agitation, and if she did, the doctors could still find ways to stimulate her to make some kind of beneficial response.

Although Mira is extremely weak, thankfully, her life is not in danger.She lay quietly on the bed, her face pale as a dead person.If someone tried to help her up, she uttered a whimper, with a look of horror in her eyes, twisted arms, and muttered unwritten sentences.She remembered the terrible past?In her insanity, she saw the bouquet destroyed and the corolla taken away, and she vaguely returned to the church? ...she heard threats to her and Mark again? ... Well, we'd rather she be like that, at least she's got memories of the past in her head!We can only wait, time heals everything?

You may see what life this unhappy family leads!My brother stayed at the Rothlichs' and never left him.He, the doctor and Mrs. Rothlich were by Mira's side. He fed Mira with his own hands, and he looked for some light of reason in Mira's eyes. If I insisted on asking Mark to leave, even for an hour, my request would no doubt be denied.The only time I saw Mark and Captain Haralan was when I visited the Rothlichs. On the afternoon of the 22nd, I wandered aimlessly in the streets and alleys.I don't know if I have a premonition in my heart what will happen? On a sudden whim, I decided to take a walk on the right bank of the Danube.I've wanted to go there for a long time, but the situation doesn't allow it, not to mention the current state of mind is not suitable.I crossed the bridge, crossed the island of Szendor, and set foot on the other side of Serbia.

A magnificent wilderness is presented in front of you.In this season, the crops and pastures grow lush and pleasing to the eye.I found a lot of similarities between Serbian farmers and Hungarian farmers: the same beauty and charm, the same gestures.The eyes of the men are slightly cold, they are taking solid steps like soldiers, and the women are full of demeanor.Serbs are more politically passionate than Magyars, and people are active in politics, both in the countryside and in the cities.Serbia is known as the "Gateway to the East", and its capital, Belgrade, is a city with administrative functions, which is choking its throat.Although it belongs to Turkey, and the Hungarian army paid 300,000 francs in taxes to Turkey, Serbia is the largest Christian settlement in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.The Serbian nation has outstanding military talent. A French writer said it well: If there is a region in the world where thousands of troops can appear immediately as long as you stomp your feet, it can only be Serbia, this patriotic and military province.Serbs are born soldiers, they are born soldiers and they die soldiers.Isn't this the holy land that the Slavic nation longs for, the capital Belgrade?If one day in the future, this nation rises up against the Germans, if a revolution breaks out, it will be a Serb who holds up this independent flag with a firm hand!

I walked along the steep river bank, thinking all the way.On the left is a vast plain, heavily deforested, and it is frustrating not to see a dense forest.Although the Serbs have a saying: to cut down a tree is to kill a Serb! William Storitz also haunts my memory.I wondered to myself if he was hiding in a villa in the fields, if he had regained his human form.Won't!His story spread on both sides of the Danube. If anyone saw him and Helmen here, the Serbian police would arrest them immediately and hand them over to the Hungarian police. Around 6 o'clock, I returned to the bridge, walked to the middle of the bridge, and walked down the central street of Swindor Island.

I had just gone about ten paces when I saw Mr. Stapler in the distance.He was alone and came to me.The two of us chatted about topics of mutual concern. There is nothing new in what he said, and we all agree that the panic of the previous days in Raz City has passed, and the city is beginning to return to calm. We walked and said that after about three quarters of an hour, we arrived at the northern end of the island.As night fell, it was dark under the trees, the path was deserted, and the wooden house was closed at night.We met no one else along the way. Time to go back to Raz.We were about to walk towards the bridge when voices were heard.

I stopped abruptly, took Mr. Staplek by the arm, and motioned him to stop; then I leaned over and whispered to him: "Listen...someone talking...the voice...is William Stolitz." "William Storitz?..." the police chief also asked softly. "Yes, Mr. Stapler." "If it's him, then he hasn't seen us yet, so we must not let him find out!" "He's not alone..." "Yes...maybe and his servant!" Mr. Staplek pulled me, stooped, and hid behind a bush. The darkness protected us, and we could hear their conversations without being detected.

We quickly ducked into the bushes, about ten paces from William Stolitz; if we could not see the speakers, they were all invisible. So we were soon convinced that William Stolitz and Hellman were in Raz. What a godsend to run into him here, find out what his plans are, learn where he's been staying since the house burned down, maybe even capture him himself. It never occurred to him that we were there, eavesdropping on their conversation.We half-buried among the branches, holding our breath, feeling indescribably excited.The two master and servant sometimes approach and sometimes stay away from the bushes, and their conversation is sometimes clear and sometimes vague.

The first sentence we hear is (William Stolitz is asking): "Can we move in tomorrow?" "Tomorrow," replied Hellman, "no one will know who we really are." The two were talking in German, which Mr. Staplek and I could understand. "When did you arrive in Raz?" "This morning. We agreed that you will be waiting for me here on Swindor Island. No one will disturb you at this hour..." "Did you bring the potion?" "I brought... two bottles and hid them in the room." "Is the house rented?" "It's rented, and I used a pseudonym!"

"Hailmen, can you guarantee that we can live in in broad daylight without being recognized..." William Stolitz just uttered the name of a city, but unfortunately we couldn't hear it clearly, because the voice of the voice was far away from us. When the voice was close, only Hellman repeatedly assured: "No, don't worry about anything... I used the name comparison, and the Raz Police Department couldn't find us." Raz police station?They also live in a Hungarian city? The footsteps became weaker and weaker, and they walked away.Only then did Mr. Staplek dare to speak to me: "Which city? What alias? . . . have to find out." "And," I added, "why did they go back to Raz again? . . . " I couldn't help but secretly fear for the Rothlichs. As they approached again, the answer became clear: "No, I will never leave Raz," said William Storitz, his voice full of anger, "as long as I have not avenged myself, as long as Mira and that Frenchman..." He didn't finish speaking, and then there was an angry howl in his chest!At this time, he was very close to us, and we could grab him as soon as we reached out!But Hellman's words grab our attention. "The people of Raz now know that you can be invisible, they just don't understand the secret of invisibility." "No one will ever know... ever!" said William Stolitz through gritted teeth. "I'm done with Raz!...every house...they burned me when they thought they burned my house My secret!... Crazy! No?... Raz can't escape my revenge, and I'm going to keep him alive!" As soon as the words fell, the branch was suddenly lifted.It was Mr. Staplek, who sprang in the direction of the sound, which was three paces from our hiding place. I followed and got out, and he called me: "I caught one, Mr. Vidal. You are in charge of the other!" His hands were visibly bound around a human body, invisible but totally palpable... A force so strong pushed him away that he would have fallen to the floor if I hadn't grabbed his arms. At that time, I judged that the situation was extremely bad for us, because we could not see the opponent at all.There was silence all around.There was a burst of laughter on the left, followed by the footsteps of "Papa Papa" and walked away. "Bad start!" exclaimed Mr. Stapley. "But we've figured out that, though they've been invisible, they can still touch his body!" It was bad luck to let the two bad guys slip out of their hands.We don't yet know where they are hiding.We clearly understand that the Rothlichs and the whole city of Raz are still in the hands of that rascal! We walked out of Swindor Island, crossed the bridge, and parted on the Batiani Embankment. That night, just before nine o'clock, I went to the doctor's house and was alone with the doctor, while Mrs. Routlich and Marc were by Myra's side.It was important that the doctor be told at once of the events on Swindor and remind him that William Stolitz was in town. I told him the whole thing, and he understood that it was imperative to leave Raz in the face of that fellow's threat and his determination to avenge the Rothlichs.Must leave... Secretly leave... The sooner the better! "My only concern is, can Mira handle the bumps of the journey?..." I asked. The doctor bowed his head, thought quietly for a while, and replied: "My daughter's health is intact...she has no physical pain...only her sanity is harmed, I hope, as time goes by..." "Especially quiet," I said, "in another country where she'll find quiet, where she has nothing to fear... where her parents, brothers, and her husband Mark take good care of her... Mark and she have been taken care of by held together by a bond, and nothing can sever the bond..." "Nothing, Mr. Vidal! But we can avoid danger by going far away, won't William Leader Toritz follow us?" "No...as long as we keep the secret and don't reveal the date of departure...don't reveal this journey..." "Secret," the doctor muttered under his breath. This sentence revealed the doubts in his heart (just like my brother did before), as far as William Stolitz has a secret... Is it possible that he is not hiding in the house at this moment, eavesdropping on our conversation?Could he be plotting some new plot to keep us from leaving Raz? In short, it was decided to leave Raz City.Mrs. Rotelich did not object either.She wished Mira had already been escorted to another place... far away from Raz! Mark didn't object either.I did not tell him about our chance encounter with William Stolitz, Hellman on Swindor.I don't think telling him will help either.I just told Captain Haralan when he got back. "He's in Raz!" he yelled. He did not object to the move, but strongly favored it, adding: "Perhaps you are accompanying Brother Ling?" "I have no choice, I must accompany him, and you must also prevent..." "I'm not going." He replied, his tone showing that his inner decision was unshakable. "Aren't you leaving?" "No... I'm going to stay here... I have to stay in Raz... because that guy is... I have a hunch it's wise for me to stay! . . . " This is not the time to argue about premonitions, so I didn't argue with him. "But, Captain..." "I trust you, dear Vidal, with you by my family's side - they are your family too, I am relieved..." "You can rest assured!" The next day, I went to the station and booked a train box.This is an express train, departing at 8:57 p.m., only stopping at Budapest Station on the way, and arriving in Vienna in the early morning of the next day.Let's transfer to the "Orient Express" again, and I have sent a telegram to ask someone to reserve a compartment. I then went to Mr. Staplek and told him the plan. "You are right," he said, "it's a pity that the whole city cannot go!" The chief of police looked concerned, probably because of the threats we heard last night. At about 7 o'clock I returned to the Rötlich house.I believe that all preparations should be taken care of before departure. At eight o'clock, a heavily curtained four-wheeled carriage was parked outside the door, and the Rothlics, Marc and the delirious Mira were riding in it.Captain Haralan and I took another carriage and drove back to the station by another road, so as to avoid people's eyes. The doctor and Mark went into Mila's room and prepared to carry her into the carriage.Mira is gone! ...