Chapter 43 Chapter Forty-Two

"What? Did you mean that Miss Rossi's room was also robbed?" Hugh's big eyes widened. "Is anyone else in the hotel also robbed?" "Probably not," I said sullenly. "Has something been stolen?" He poured me a glass of wine. "No," I said gloomily, "of course I didn't put money, nor did I put anything—of value—in there." "Then what are they looking for?" Xio raised his glass to me and took a small sip. "It's a long story," I sighed, "but what they're looking for has a lot to do with other things we're going to talk about."

He nodded, "Okay, then please talk about this relationship." "I said it, and you have to say it too." "Of course." I drank half a glass of wine, braced myself, and started from the beginning. He listened without saying a word, intently.But when I mentioned Rossi's decision to go to Istanbul to investigate, he jumped up, "Ah," he said, "I want to go there too. I mean back there — I've been there twice, Not to find Dracula." "Let me save you some effort." This time I filled him with wine and told him about Rossi's adventures in Istanbul, his disappearance.

When Xio heard this, although he still didn't say a word, his eyes were wide open. Finally, I describe my encounter with Helen, what she told me about her relationship with Rosie, and all our travels and research so far, including the encounter with Turgut, "You see ’ I concluded, ‘it doesn’t surprise me that my room has been turned upside down to this point.’ "Yes, that's right." He seemed to be thinking for a while. "It's wonderful that we meet like this. But I'm very sorry that Professor Rossi has disappeared. It's very strange." "I was afraid that you would not believe me, but it does not seem so."

"These books," he said thoughtfully, "I counted four—mine, yours, Professor Rosie's, and the professor's in Istanbul. Quite odd that four books should be so alike." "Have you ever met Turgut Bola?" I asked. "You said you've been to Istanbul a few times." He shook his head. "No, I've never heard of that name. But he's in literature, and I wouldn't run into him in the history department or at a conference. You know Well, it never occurred to me that that thing was a map—the dragon in my book. It's a remarkable idea."

"Yeah, and it could be Rosie's life or death," I said, "but now it's your turn. How did you come across this book?" He looked serious. "It's the same as yours—and those two—." He was silent for a while, and I felt that this was a difficult topic for him, "Well, I took my degree at Oxford nine years ago, and I really like history, from the beginning." Hugh wiped his mouth with a napkin and shook Shaking his head, he seemed to think of the stupid things he did in his youth, "I knew that by the time I finished my second year of college, I would learn my history quite well, which motivated me even more. Then the war came and interrupted everything, I had almost finished three years at Oxford at the time. By the way, I heard about Rossi there, but never met him.” He rubbed his chin with a big rough hand, “I love my major very much. , but I also love my motherland, and I joined the army right away, the navy. I went to Italy and came back a year later with wounds on my arms and legs." He touched the white cotton shirt on the cuff carefully, It seemed strange that there was another bleeding there, "I recovered quickly and wanted to go back to the field, but they didn't want me - I hurt one of my eyes when the ship exploded. So I went back to Oxford, trying not to be alarmed At the end of the war, I was about to finish my delayed studies, and there was a girl from my hometown, the love of my life, who finally agreed to marry me." He picked up the empty wine bottle and sighed He took a deep breath, and let it go, "I'm almost going through it, our wedding is scheduled for the end of June. On the night before my last exam, I was studying in a corner of the school library, hiding behind the bookshelf, those little There are always some really good books in the library, and I let myself wander for a while and read a copy of Dryden's sonnets within reach. Then I forced myself to put the book back, thinking I'd have to go out and take a breath Smoke and concentrate on studying again. To my surprise, when I came back, I found Dryden's book on my desk, as if I forgot to put it back on the shelf. I thought I had read too much and was confused. So I turned around and put the book back, and there was no room. I was sure it was supposed to be next to Dante, but there was another book with a weird looking spine and a little monster carved on it. I Take it off, and it flips open in my hand—well, you know.

His friendly face was pale now, "Don't you smoke?" He lit the cigarette and took a deep puff, "The look of the book, the age, and the dragon attracted me, just as the same The same thing that attracted you. There were no librarians at three o'clock in the morning. So I went to the catalog desk and rummaged through it myself, but only saw the name of Vlad Terbis and his direct descendants. There was no stamped, so I took it home. "I had a bad night's sleep and I was completely out of my mind for my exams the next morning. All I wanted was to go to another library or go to London to see what I could find, but I didn't have the time. I took this with me when I went back to get married A little book, take it out and read it whenever I have time. I can't help but think about this book, and I can't help but talk to her, chatting endlessly until she tells me to shut up.

"One morning—two days before the wedding—I had an idea. You know, there's a big house not far from my parents' village, and the landlord is a nobleman, a book collector, and I thought, I can manage to get here Look around the famous home library and maybe find something about Transylvania. "I browsed through these curiosities, and at last I came across a book about Hungary and Transylvania, which mentioned Vlad Tebes, and then another. Let me again To my surprise and delight, I finally came across a text that specifically stated that Vlad was buried in Snagov Lake, before the altar of a church he renovated. This is a legend, an English adventurer who visited the area Marked it down - he only called himself 'a traveler' on the title page. He was a contemporary of the Jacobin collector. That was about a hundred and thirteen years after Vlad's death, you know. ten years.

"A traveler" visited the monastery at Lake Snagov in 1655.He talked a lot with the monks there.They told him that legend had it that at Vlad's funeral a large book—the treasure of the monastery—was placed on the altar.The monks present signed their names on the book, and those who could not read drew a dragon to pay respect to the order of the dragon.It is a pity that there is no mention of the whereabouts of the book.But I found it unusual.Later the traveler said that he asked to see the tomb, and the monks showed him a slate on the floor in front of the altar with a picture of Vlad Dracula written in Latin - probably also It was painted on, because the traveler didn't say it was carved on it.He was taken aback by the absence of the usual cross on the tombstone.I took care to note that the epitaph—why I did so I do not know—was in Latin. "

Xio lowered his voice, glanced behind him, and put out the cigarette butt in the ashtray on the table. "I wrote the epitaph, studied it for a while, and read it aloud: 'Reader, dig him out in one word—' You know what it's written on. It's still raining hard outside, and there's a fan in the library. The window was not closed, it was flapping, and I felt a puff of humid air from someone nearby, I must have been startled, because I knocked over my teacup, and a drop of tea dripped on the book. I wiped the water away , scolding myself for being so clumsy. At this point I looked at my watch—it was one o'clock in the afternoon, and it was time to go back to dinner. There was nothing relevant there, so I put the book back where it was, thanked the housekeeper, and by the way I walked home along the path full of June roses.

"I went back to my parents' house expecting to see them and maybe Elsie sitting at the dinner table, but instead there was an uproar. Several friends and neighbors were there, the mother was crying and the father was looking sad." Now Hugh lit another cigarette, the match flickering in the growing night, "He put a hand on my shoulder and told me that Elsie was coming back from shopping in a nearby town in a borrowed car. , There was a car accident on the road. "I found a car and drove to the hospital, and she was lying there with her head wrapped in bandages and her eyes wide open. The terrible thing about this..." His voice began to tremble, "It's terrible , I always thought it was an accident, a real accident, but after hearing your story - Rosie's friend Hedges, and your - your cat - I don't know what to make of this Something." He puffed on his cigarette fiercely.

I let out a long breath, "I'm very, very sad, this is terrible for you." "You know, it's been years and time has helped. It's just—" I didn't know then, and I don't know now, what it was that he wanted to say but didn't say—useless words, unspeakable loss. "I was surprised by what you told me about Lake Snagov," I said after a while, "that the epitaph matches what Rossi found on the map in the Istanbul archives, which is very important. I Think—this proves that Snagov is at least Dracula's earliest burial site. So, why is the topography of the map different?" "I do not know either." "Have you continued to investigate Dracula since then?" "I haven't had it for several years." Xio pressed out his cigarette butt. "Do you want to read this book?" he asked. "Is that the one you're writing?" I didn't realize it all at once. "It's not—my dragon book." I was taken aback, "Is it right here?" "I have it with me all the time," he said sternly. "Your copy isn't in your room, is it?" "Yes," I couldn't help smiling, "I've always carried it with me." The Brie-covered book was smaller than mine, but the binding was the same fine vellum, frayed, but the central dragon was the same, taking up the entire page and glaring at us.Without saying a word, I opened my briefcase, took out my book, and placed the two dragons side by side.They are exactly alike, seeming to leap at each other. "You know, this reminds me of something else I forgot to tell you just now. Miss Rosie and I went to the school library this afternoon before going back to the hotel, and she wanted to look up what she had seen there earlier. s things." I described the book of Romanian folk songs and that strange lyric about a monk entering a big city, "She thinks it might have something to do with the story told in the Istanbul manuscripts, which I've already told you. The poem is vague, But the woodcut at the top of the page is interesting, like a little church in the woods with a dragon in the middle and a word." "Dracula?" Hugh guessed.That's what I guessed in the library too. "No, it's Evelino." I checked my notebook and showed him the spelling. His eyes widened. "But this is extraordinary!" he exclaimed. "What? Tell me quickly." "Ah, that's the name I saw in the library yesterday." "In the same library? Which library? Same book?" I was too impatient to wait politely for an answer. "Yes, in the school library, but not the same book. I stayed there all week looking for material for my book. You know, Dracula and Hunyadi were sworn enemies, and then Matthias ?Corvinus can't stand against each other, so every now and then you can come across something about Dracula.I mentioned to you at lunch that I found a manuscript written by Corvinus, the one that mentioned The manuscript of the ghost in the amphora." "Oh yes," I said eagerly, "did you see the word Evelinu there too?" "Precisely, no. The Corvinus manuscript is interesting, but not for that. It says so." He pulled out his notebook and read a few lines to me, "1463 , the king's servants found information about the vampire-may he disappear in hell-disaster from the classics, and dedicated it to His Majesty. These materials are for the royal collection. I hope this will help him drive away the evil in this city and make the vampire Gone forever, so that no more pestilence can befall our homes." "Wait. Whoever the good scribe was, he went on to list material he had found in various texts, including the ghost in the amphora. You can also see that the manuscript is dated Dracula The first year after his arrest he was imprisoned near Buda for the first time. You know, you said that the Sultan of Turkey had the same concerns and you saw it in the Istanbul literature, which reminds me of Deira Wherever Kura went, he caused trouble. Both materials mentioned the plague, and both mentioned vampires. Very similar, aren't they?" He paused to ponder, "Actually, the mention of the plague is not superficial in a way—I Saw an Italian document in the library of the British Museum, which said that Dracula used germ warfare against the Turks. In fact, he must have been one of the first Europeans to wage germ warfare. Once he When people got contagious diseases, he used to make them dress like Turks and send them to the Turks' camp." Under the candlelight, Hugh's eyes narrowed, appearing to be engrossed.It occurred to me that in Hugh James we found a highly acute human intelligence united. "That's fascinating," I said, "but what about the word Evelino?" "Oh, I'm so sorry," Hugh smiled, "I'm digressing a little bit. Yes, I did see that word in the library here. I think it was in a book of ten written in Romanian three or four days ago. Happened to come across it in the 7th century New Testament. I looked carefully because the cover was obviously heavily influenced by Turkish design. The bottom of the title page reads Evelinu - I'm sure it's exactly the same. I didn't think much of it at the time—to be honest, I always skipped a beat when it comes to Romanian, a language I don't know much about, to be honest. It was actually the font, which was quite elegant, that caught my attention. I think it's a place name or something." I moaned, "Is that so? Haven't you seen it elsewhere?" "I'm afraid not." Xio reached for the coffee cup that was put aside, "If I see it again, I will definitely tell you." "Well, maybe it has nothing to do with Dracula after all," I consoled myself, "I wish we had time to go to the library and have a look. Too bad we're flying back to Istanbul on Monday—after the meeting, I have no right to be here any longer. If you find anything about—" "Of course," said Hugh, "I've got another six days to stay. Shall I write to you in the Department if I find anything?" This immediately made me nervous.I haven't seriously thought about going home for several days. I don't know when I will check the mailbox in the department. "No, no," I said hastily, "at least not for the time being. For something useful, please call Professor Bora." I took out Turgut's business card and wrote down the phone number. "Very good." He put the business card in his coat pocket, "This is my business card. I really hope we have the opportunity to meet again." We sat there in silence for a while. "Listen," he said at last, "if what you say—or what Rosie says—is true—that a Count Dracula or a Vlad the Impaler—exist, This is horrible, and I hope I can help you-" "Destroy him?" I finished the sentence calmly, "I will remember your words." I wish we could talk about something more, but right now we don't seem to have much to talk about anymore.We said our friendly goodbyes at the front desk. At this time, the waiter who had talked with me earlier suddenly came out of his small room and grabbed my hand, "Mr. Paul!" He said anxiously. "What's the matter?" Hugh and I turned around and stared at that person at the same time. He was tall, drooping-shouldered, in blue overalls, and had the beard of a Hungarian warrior.He pulled me over so he could whisper.I greeted Hugh and told him not to go.I really don't want to face the crisis alone with no one else in front of me. "Mr. Paul, I know who is in your room this afternoon." "What? Who?" I said. "Uh, uh." The waiter began to hum to himself, looking around, rummaging in the pockets of his uniform.These movements are intentional, but I don't know what he means.I wonder if this person is stupid. "He wants some bribes," Hugh translated his movements in a low voice. "Oh, my God," I said exasperatedly. I took out two large Hungarian bills, and the man's eyes lit up. He quietly took the money and hid it in his pocket, but he didn't say a word about my concession. "Mr. American," he whispered, "I know it's not just one this afternoon. It's two. One comes in first, big man. Then the other. I saw him when I was carrying the suitcase into the other room. And then Saw them. They talked. Walked out together." "Did no one stop them?" I snapped. "Who are they? Hungarians?" The man looked around again.I resisted so much that I didn't pounce on him and strangle him. "The big one is Hungarian, the other one is not Hungarian." "How did you know?" He lowered his voice, "One is Hungarian, but they speak English together." That's all he would say, despite my threatening questions.He looks past me. After a while, I also turned around and followed his gaze through the glass window of the hotel door.Although only for a moment, I did see a greedy face, empty eyes.I'm all too familiar with this face, which should only be in a cemetery, not on the street. The waiter took my arm and stammered: 'There he is, that ghostly face - the Englishman! " I must have let out a yell, shook off the waiter, and rushed for the door. Hugh was very unflappable. He drew an umbrella from a shelf by the reception and ran out after me.Even so nervous, I clung to my briefcase, which slowed me down.We turned around and ran up and down the street, but to no avail. Finally, I leaned against the wall of a building, gasping for breath. Xio was also out of breath, "What is that?" "The librarian," I said with difficulty, "is the one who followed us to Istanbul. I'm sure it's him." "God." Xio wiped his forehead with his sleeve, "what is he doing here?" "Trying to take the rest of my notes," I gasped, "he's a vampire." I'm actually talking more than that.I almost shed tears. "Okay," Hugh reassured me, "we know they've had vampires here before." But he was pale and clutched the umbrella tightly. "Damn it!" "I pounded hard on the wall. "You've got to keep an eye on the outside," said Hugh calmly. "Is Miss Rosie back?" "Helen!" I didn't think of her at that moment. Hearing my exclamation, Xio couldn't help laughing, "I'll go back now to see if she is there, and I have to call Professor Bora." When I returned to the hotel lobby, the terrified waiter was gone. The key to Helen's new room was still on the hook, and I knew she must still be at her aunt's.I was reluctant to use the hotel phone, knowing it could be tapped, but at this point I had no choice but to hope that our conversation would be special and unintelligible to the average person.Finally, I heard a click, and Turgut answered in Turkish, his voice distant but cheerful. "Professor Bora!" I shouted, "Turgut, I'm Paul, in Budapest." "Paul, my dear!" The voice was far and deep, but I thought it could not be sweeter. "There is a problem with the line—give me your number before it goes down." I asked for the number from the waiter, yelled and told him. He yelled at me too, "How are you? Did you find him?" "No!" I cried. "We're all well. I know a little more, but something terrible has happened." "What's the matter?" I vaguely heard the shock in his tone. "The librarian came here with us. What do you think we should do?" "I don't know yet," Turgut's voice was clearer now, "do you always carry the tools I gave you?" "Yeah," I said, "but I can't get close to him, it doesn't work. I think he searched my room today when I had a meeting." "Professor, be careful," Turgut said worriedly. "I'm glad you called tonight. Mr. Akso and I have found a document we've never seen before. He's in Mohammad It was found in the archives of the Orthodox Church. This document was written by an Orthodox monk in 1477 and must be translated." There was a sound of electric current in the line, and I had to shout, "Did you say it was 1477? What is the original language?" "I can't hear you, boy!" Turgut shouted from a distance, "here's a—" I can't tell if it's Hungarian or Turkish - bursting in, swallowing the rest of his words, followed by more clicks.The line is broken. If it wasn't for a taxi to stop at this time, my heart would sink even lower. Helen got out of the car, paid the driver, and walked in through the gate.She didn't notice that I was at the front desk, she looked solemn and said nothing.