Chapter 10 8

August 19, 1916 Regent's Park Central London, Marylebone * They came out of the park and walked towards Marylebone in the dark.Most of the street lights had been turned off for fear of an air raid, and the few that remained lit were covered with blue glass and gave off a foggy glow.Searchlights were shot into the sky, searching for the German Zeppelin among the clouds and starlight. Ashley hired a car, and Yin Mozhen talked non-stop excitedly in the back seat, jumping up and down the topic, talking about a village in Brittany where she wanted to live, and talking about the one her father gave her last month. A Kodak camera that can be signed on the film, she mainly reads in French, and likes the symbolist poets Paul Verlaine, Remy de Gourmont and Tristan Corbere the most. A great performance is "The Rite of Spring" danced by Nijinsky.

He's starving now in a concentration camp in Hungary, can you believe it?imprisoned the dancer Yin Mozhen looked at Ashley and smiled. You think I'm crazy don't you?It does not matter, I do not mind. The car rounded the fountain of Piccadilly Circus in the dim light, with the curtains drawn, the billboards hanging from the houses like huge blank slates, and the atmosphere was sombre and eerie.Ashley looked at the statue of Anteros, the god of love in the center of the fountain. He was naked and shot an arrow towards the darkness.The car stopped beside the red-brown awning, Ashley paid the fare, opened the door for Yin Mozhen, and stretched out his hand for her to support.The girl showed disbelief and got out of the car with a smile, as if this moment was a favor for him.

They went into the café and sat by the mirrored wall, sinking into gaudy scarlet velvet upholstered chairs, the room filled with smoke.Waitresses emerged from the smoke to take their orders, their paper collars stained and yellowed, their starched napkins hanging from the sleeves of their black coats, their eyes weary and indifferent.Yin Mozhen ordered two glasses of brandy, and winked at Ashley, who stretched her neck to look around. The environment is not bad, with its own aesthetic feeling, but, it's weird, the waiter is actually a woman The waitress came back with two short sippy glasses and put them on the table, the brandy swirling in the glasses.

Yin Mozhen leaned forward and said: I want you to tell me about mountain climbing, just once. Want to know what? Everything is good, everything is wanted.I've always been curious.When we were kids, when we lived in Paris, we used to go to Switzerland.I remember being terrified of those mountain guides who waited for guests at the door of the hotel early in the morning, never came in, just stood outside smoking their pipes and talking in a horrible dialect.I know they live in a very high place, so I always feel that the mountain is another country, ordinary people can't go there, they have to have a guide.Even the names of those places are very mysterious, for example, Mer de Glace is near Mont Blanc, right?

Ashley nodded.belong to the same mountain group. He picked up the napkin, took off the silver ring, spread out the entire linen square, took out the pen from his pocket, pressed the nib of the pen on the napkin twice to let the ink come out, and started to draw the entire mountain range from those two spots of ink. sketch. He said: This is the Mont Blanc mountains.This is Mont Blanc, nearly sixteen thousand feet high.This is the Chamonix valley and town, and this is where you probably lived.The whole range is less than twenty miles long and about ten miles wide. Gliding the nib across the entire linen napkin, Ashley pressed heavier on the ridgeline where there were peaks to make the ink stand out.

This is Maudit, about 14,600 feet, and the south face is very difficult to climb. you climbed? Ashley nodded.This is Aiguille du Midi, so named because looking from Chamonix at noon, the sun happens to be on the top of the mountain.Here is the Grandes Jorasses (Grandes Jorasses), a beautiful north face, I have never climbed.This is your glacier valley, did you know that the glacial river flows a hundred yards a year? Yin Mozhen shook her head.Have you ever stood on it? There was, once, very slippery.We went down without skates in the middle of the night, which was not very pleasant. It must be beautiful.

I did not notice. They asked the waitress to order a second round of wine, Ashley continued to drink brandy, and Yin Mozhen drank black currant cream. She said: You surprised me.When talking about mountains, you seem to only care about height and features, which is different from what I think. It is useless to say that the mountain is good, but it is hard to tell the good of the mountain. Give it a try, I want to know. Ashley frowned, closed the pen cap, took out a silver box from his vest pocket, lit a cigarette, and put the silver box on the table.Yin Mozhen also picked up one, and Ashley raised her eyebrows.

Are you going to smoke here? She didn't speak, just nodded.Ashley helped her light a cigarette, then stared at the glass ashtray, and slowly began to speak with hesitation: It is impossible to live without danger. You may waste your life, or you may bow your head to your desk for decades, or die alone in a hospital. Danger is everywhere.Foolish people turn their heads away and pretend they are exempt, while others go straight to the source of life. Yin Mozhen asked: What is that? Ashley flicked ash in the ashtray. I have no idea.It's different for every man. It's different for every woman.What about you?

Ashley said: There is no name for it.Whether it's hard work or struggle sounds silly.In short, something that you need but are not necessary, and you want but have no good reason for.Not animal desires.That desire does not come from the body, but from the soul. So, why would you want to? I can't explain it. You have been explaining just now, let’s continue. Ashley looked at the tablecloth and shook his head and said: In terms of comfort, if it lasts for a long time, it will become uncomfortable.All feelings in the world are compared.There is no heat without cold, and no light without darkness. Ashley's life is easy because of mountaineering.It's the mountaineering that makes him feel, the cold that makes the fire in an Alpine cabin more pleasant, the sore muscles that turn an ordinary hot bath into a sensory revelation, the hours of climbing that make sardines with biscuits and jam better than a thousand meals Premium dinner at the restaurant (Criterion).

It is impossible to live without hardship, Ashley said: the pain caused by the trivialities of daily life accumulates continuously, cannot be ignored, and is more tormenting than physical pain, cold and fatigue.These annoying little things make a person weak, boring, and superficial, and fighting for bigger things can increase courage and wisdom. It is always small things that break people down. The train is delayed, the pudding is burnt, and the room is not protected from the wind. From my personal experience, the misery of the room without the wind is worse than the cold on the mountain.Difficulties can make people excited, but most of the time people only worry about small things like burnt pudding.It takes a real struggle to see the true colors of life, to understand that it doesn't matter if the pudding is burnt.

Yin Mozhen looked at Ashley across the table with firm eyes, and kept turning the silver bracelet in her left hand with her right hand. So you climb mountains to make the rest of your life seem easier? Ashley nodded.Sometimes yes, but not every time. Another reason is beauty.Ashley waved his smoking hand towards the entire room, saying that he thought all human buildings were just screens, and those steel and glass blocked the magnificent scenery.Uncultivated land is everywhere beautiful.Even in cultivated places, if you follow the stream, you can find natural beauty.Stepping into the Ice Valley in the middle of the night is not only to witness the mysteries of the natural world with your own eyes, but also to stay away from the city and the hall of mirrors of human beings, and explore your position in nature. People in the mountains not only enjoy the beautiful scenery, but even become part of the beautiful scenery. Yin Mozhen smiled and took a puff of cigarette. Well said.I'm so excited to dig these out of you, just wondering if this could be another joke you're pulling.Are these true words, or do you just pick and choose what I want to hear? You think too highly of me, I'm not good at lying. No wonder, I bet you must be very good at it.But you may also be afraid of being serious, because sometimes you are too serious. Ashley didn't answer, but only looked behind Yin Mozhen.He closed the cigarette case, put it back in his pocket, and leaned forward towards Yin Mozhen. He whispered: A certain couple sitting in the distance has been watching us. Yin Mozhen turned her head cautiously, and saw them sitting a few tables away.The man has a Van Dyke mustache and goatee, and wears a white evening dress with a loose tie hanging around his neck.The woman is laughing, with her hand on the man's collar.When the man met Yin Mozhen's eyes, he toasted her, and then led the woman over. I don't know if I could ask you a favor.I made a bet with my girlfriend and need proof.It's hard not to go unnoticed with such a lovely young couple like you. The man's voice was hoarse and his accent was a bit difficult to understand. Ashley said: It is a great honor. The man flicked his hand in the air and pointed at the giggling female companion. My girlfriend said you must be blood relatives. The woman added: Either siblings or cousins, you can tell from the eyes. The man shakes his head. But in my opinion, you are a couple. Ashley looked back at Yin Mozhen in embarrassment, she smiled and toasted to drink.Ashley took a puff of smoke. He said: Both are right.This is indeed my cousin, and we just got engaged tonight. The man raised his glass to toast again; the milky green drink swirled out. I knew it.I wish you happiness. The man and woman staggered back to their seats. Ashley said: Who are these people? Yin Mozhen said: He is drunk, I think he is quite attractive. Yin Mozhen went to the bathroom, and Ashley lit another cigarette to kill time.There are no orchestras or other entertainment here.Look at the pair of drunk men and women, the woman is kissing the man's wrist and pulling his tie.Ashley looked down at the watch, and opened the metal cover that protected the surface. This watch was bought yesterday, and the clerk said that the pointer was luminous, but now there is dim light in the room, so it cannot be seen. Suddenly, Yin Mozhen came back, with a bright smile on her face, leaning forward while leaning on the chair. I got the apocalypse in the bathroom. real? Let's go to the Alps, Switzerland is fine because it is a neutral country.Let's go find a hut there to hide in, a hut in a deep valley that can only be reached by foot, there must be such a place there, right? Ashley's heart warmed, and he was afraid of blushing, so he quickly took a deep breath of the cigarette. Of course. Yin Mozhen's face glowed.No one can find us hiding there. This is the apocalypse? one of them. what else? I lost my key and can't get in the house. Lost? Yin Mozhen pulled out her chair and sat down. Really dropped.But there's nothing surprising about it, it's a wonder I didn't lose it sooner. Is anyone home? She shook her head and said: Speaking of the point, they all went to Sussex today, even the housekeeper, and she won't be back until morning. They went through Yin Mozhen's things.Ashley barely touched the ground when he searched for the carpet by the table.A few waiters came to help, and searched around the table not very actively, but they couldn't find it. Yin Mozhen said: It might fall in the park. Ashley laughed. You don't mean that it is impossible to find it there now. It is possible.