[Comprehensive classics] Let Gao Leng learn the language

The noise outside the Buitenhof prison rushed up towards the prison wall like a raging tide.

Although Ms. Gao Leng couldn't hear clearly, let alone understand the conversation between the Dutch citizens and the army guarding the Buitenhof Prison, she knew that something terrible was about to happen.

She heard the yelling of the citizens and the security team going away, but the cruelty of the voice was no less than before.

It turned out that they had gone to the town hall to demand the withdrawal of the troops around the prison.

At this moment, John de Witt slipped into the prison quietly.

Ms. Gao Leng met him head-on. He walked anxiously and looked melancholy.

He touched her chin and said to her, "How do you do, beautiful Rosa, how is my brother?"

Ms. Gao Leng felt very uncomfortable when someone touched her chin.She knew in her heart that this gesture might be a custom of the place.

She couldn't understand what he was saying, and John was wondering why the beautiful girl looked so dumb, when the gatekeeper Grievous's rough voice came from behind: "The girl is frightened into a dumb, since She has been like this since the day she saw Corneille being tortured."

John's body froze for a moment, and his expression became more melancholy. As he walked towards Corneille's cell, he said, "Poor girl, poor brother."

John climbed the stone stairs to the cell door.

His brother Corneille, who was now lying on a mattress in the cell, was tortured, as we have said, by the Attorney-General during the preliminary hearing.

Once the deportation sentence was settled, no special torture was required.

Corneille lay in bed with a broken wrist and broken fingers, not acknowledging a crime he had not committed.After three days of torment, he was finally able to breathe again, and he heard that the same judges who had expected him to be sentenced to death had only sentenced him to expulsion from the country.

He has a strong body and a tough heart.His physical strength has been fully restored, rather by his own will than by actual help.

He was calculating how much time the legal formalities would require him to spend in prison.

Corneille was thinking of John when he entered the prison, almost murmuring his name.In the continuous pain, he was almost numb, and finally became a habit. He felt that his soul and reason were about to break free from the shackles of his body.Like a stove flame rising into the sky.

Johann hurried up to the prisoner's bed, and Corneille stretched out his wounded arms and bandaged hands.He had succeeded in outdoing his brother, not in allegiance to his country, but in the hatred the Dutch felt for him.

John kissed his brother's forehead affectionately, and gently placed his injured hands on the mattress.

"Corneille, my poor brother," he said, "you are very miserable, aren't you?"

"Brother, once I see you, I don't feel pain anymore."

"Ah! My poor, dear Corneille, you don't suffer anymore. Believe me, I do suffer when I see you like this."

"Indeed, I think of you more than I think of myself; they tortured me, and I never grunted, but once I could not help saying: "Poor brother! "Now that you're here, let's forget all about it. You came to get me, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"I'm all right. Help me up, brother, and you'll see I can walk pretty well."

"You won't have to go far, my dear, my carriage stops behind Tilly's pistol squad, by the fishpond."

"Tilly's Pistols! What are they doing here at the Fish Pond?"

"Hi!" The Speaker said with a wry smile he was used to, "Because they think people from The Hague will come to see you leave, and they are afraid of trouble."

"Trouble?" Gao Naiyi stared at the troubled younger brother, "Trouble?"

"Yes, Corneille."

"Then, that's all I heard just now," the sentence seemed to be said by the prisoner to himself.Then he asked his brother:

"There are a lot of people on the Buitenhof Square, aren't there?"

"Yes, brother."

"So, I want to come here..."

"How about it?"

"How did they let you come here?"

"You also understand, Corneille, that we are not welcome," said the Speaker sadly, "I came here by a detour."

"John, are you afraid to show your face?"

"I intend to come to you without a moment's delay, and I will do as a man in the political arena and at sea encounters a headwind: let the wind make the rudder."

At this moment, the uproar came from the square into the prison, even more violently than before.They've forced the city hall to sign off the troops.

"Ah! ah!" said Corneille, "you are a great helmsman, John; but I wonder if you will be able to steer Trump as you once did, amidst these people's reefs. The fleet passed through the fords of the Eskau, and was lucky enough to reach Antwerp to fetch your brother from Buitenhof."

"God, Corneille, at least we must try," replied John; "but first, I must speak to you about one thing."

"Let's talk."

The yelling boiled up again.

"Ah! ah!" continued Corneille; "how angry these people are! Are they against you or against me?"

"Against us both, I suppose, Corneille. I told you, brother, that the Orangemen, in their shameless slander, attack us for negotiations with France."

"These fools!"

"Well, but they took that to attack us."

"However, if these negotiations succeed, they will not suffer the defeat of Ries, Orsay, Wesel and Rheinburg, they will not let people cross the Rhine, and Holland, in its marshes and canals You can still think you are invincible in the middle.”

"It's all true, brother, but, what is more certain, if anyone discovers our correspondence with M. de Lois at present, no matter how good a helmsman I am, I will not be able to save this ship. The flimsy boat that the brothers and their estate sent out of Holland. These letters, if they fell into the hands of honest men, would prove how much I loved my country, and how much I personally sacrificed for its freedom and honor; these If the letter falls into the hands of the Orangemen who are victorious over us, it will destroy us. Therefore, dear Corneille, I hope that when you leave Dordrecht and come to me in The Hague, you will have the Those letters were burned."

"Brother," replied Corneille, "your correspondence with M. de Loire proves that you are the greatest, most generous and able citizen of the Federation of Seven Provinces in recent years. I love the honor of my country, brother, and I especially love Your honor; I will never burn these letters."

"Our lives are ruined," said the Speaker calmly, walking toward the window.

"No, on the contrary, John, not only will our lives be saved, but the love of our people will be restored."

"So, what did you do with the letters?"

"I gave them to my godson Cornelius van Baerle, whom you also know, who lives in Dordrecht."

"Ah! Poor young man, innocent and lovely child! It is rare in the world, this scholar, who knows so much, can only think of flowers that pay homage to God and God who makes them grow! You put this deadly bag The things are deposited with him; but, brother, this poor dear Cornelius has been ruined by you."

"destroyed?"

"Yes, for he may be strong and he may be cowardly. Although he is implausibly shut up in his house in Dordrecht, indifferent to the outside world, and ignorant of what has happened to us, yet He'll know one day, and if he's strong, he'll boast of knowing us; if he's weak, he's afraid to talk about us. If he's strong, he'll speak his secret; if he's weak , he will be forced out. No matter what, Corneille, he will always be ruined, and we will be ruined too. So, if there is still time, brother, let's run away."

Gao Naiyi got up on the bed and held his brother's hand.His younger brother slapped his lapel coldly when he touched the gauze.

"Don't I know what my godson is?" he said. "Can I still fail to see every thought in Beyerle's head, every emotion in his heart? Ask him Cowardly or strong? He is neither weak nor strong; but what does it matter! The main thing is that he must keep the secret, because he does not know it at all."

John turned around in surprise.

"Ah!" continued Corneille, with a gentle smile, "Liuarte of Poultein is a statesman trained by John; I repeat to you, brother, look? The nature and value of the things placed in his custody."

"Quickly, then," cried John, "we'll send to tell him to burn the letter before it's too late."

"Who will be sent to notify?"

"Send my valet, Cleck, to inform us that he was supposed to ride us off, and come with me to the prison to help you down the stairs."

"John, think carefully before burning these honorable papers."

"My good Corneille, I consider that the de Witte brothers must save their lives if they want to restore their honor. We are dead, Corneille, who will defend us? Who will understand us? ?”

"Then you think they'll kill us if they find those letters?"

Johann did not answer his brother's question, but pointed to the Buitenhof square, and at this moment a violent roar rose from the square.

"Yes, yes," said Corneille, "I hear the cries, but what are they called?"

John opened the window.

"Kill the traitor!" the crowd shouted.

"Corneille, do you hear me now?"

"The traitors mean us!" said the prisoner, looking up at the sky and shrugging his shoulders.

"It means us!" John de Witt repeated.

"Where's Clark?"

"Probably right at your door."

"Let him in."

John opened the door, and the loyal servant was waiting at the door.

"Come in, Clark, and remember what my brother told you."

"No, John, it's not enough to have a message; unfortunately I have to write a letter."

"Why write a letter?"

"Because there is no official proof, Wang Baerle will never return or burn that package."

"But, dear, can you write?" asked John, looking at those poor hands, all burned and wounded.

"Ah! As long as you have pen and ink, you will know!" said Corneille.

"At last there is a pencil."

"Have you any paper? They left me nothing."

"This Bible. Tear out the first page."

"it is good."

"But your handwriting will be unrecognizable?"

"Don't worry!" Gao Naiyi said looking at his younger brother. "These few fingers that have survived the executioner's fire, this will that has overcome the pain, may be combined into one strength; rest assured, brother, not a single line of a line trembles."

Corneille really picked up a pencil and began to write.

As the fingers pinched the pencil hard, you could see drops of blood seeping from the split flesh, soaking the white gauze.

Sweat dripped from the Speaker's temple.

Corneille wrote:

Dear Godson:

Burn the parcel I hand you; don't look at it, don't open it, just burn it; and you shall never know what's in it.Secrets in packages like this can cost the life of the custodian.Burn it, and you will save John and Corneille.

Farewell, love me.

Corneille de Witte

August [-], [-]

With tears in his eyes, John wiped away a drop of noble blood that fell on the paper; he handed the note to Clerk, gave a final warning, and returned to Corneille.Corneille turned pale from the pain, as if he was about to faint.

"Now," said John, "when faithful Clark blows his old boatswain's whistle to show he's made his way through the crowd to the other side of the fishpond . . . then we'll be off."

Before five minutes had elapsed, there was a sailor's whistle, long and powerful, through the dark elm tops, drowning out the shouts from Buitenhof Square.

John threw up his arms in thanks.

"Now," said he, "let us go, Corneille."

The uproar against the two brothers gathered in the Buitenhof Square became more and more terrible, so Johann de Witte decided to hasten to take his brother Corneille away.

There can be no doubt that the de Witte brothers were doomed, as soon as they emerged from the protection of the army they fell into the hands of the townspeople.

Ms. Gao Leng can hear the crazy and cruel roar, which is more terrifying than the storm on the sea.

She didn't dare to look outside, and shivered in her heart.

At this moment, she heard a voice from the Space-Time Administration that had disappeared since she came here:

"If you don't get the Bible bequeathed by Corneille, start all over again."

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