Chapter 6
1705 Words
Lizzie was really nervous.
It was the first time in her life, and although it just a key to a circus, and most of them were not good people, she was nervous and her palms were sweating.
She wanted to buy the whole circus, but then she thought, why did she give the money to these bad guys?
So, she stole the key over.
Her hands and feet have never been so sensitive, even feel that she is a natural thief —— otherwise why so easily stole the key, but also casually back to the edge of the cage.
Until the key was in the keyhole and the spring clicked very lightly, she recovered a little, turned to block the open lock, and whispered, " That... Do you have anywhere to go?”
The startled emotion in Eric's eyes gradually turned into a very strange look.
He stared at her, surveyed her, and looked for the first time at a woman so carefully, not to miss any detail.
Lizzie didn't notice Eric's look. She is bowing her head to count the money, count to the end, distressed to find that the whole body is actually only two hundred dollars —— two hundred dollars, can it be too little?
She has no idea of money, do not know whether this money is enough to live —— except for the card table and cap shop, she almost no needs to spend money. Go out to play, either by the unknown crowd, or the shop is her father's business. These two hundred pieces, or the day before yesterday she played cards remaining chips, otherwise at this time a penny can not pay out.
Thinking of this, she was somewhat embarrassed: "This... for you," she turned her back to the cage and put the money in. " It is not much, but it should be enough for you to see a doctor and have a hot meal.”
Eric's eyes were even more eccentric.
People saw him as a beast, never putting his hand into the cage, afraid that he would bite off their arms like a mountain lion.
She turned her back to him, putting her hand in front of him, still clutching a thick stack of bills.
The stack of notes was about two hundred dollars. Remember, the circus costs a dollar, because in a big city like New Orleans, and in some remote towns, it don't even exceed twenty-five cents.
As for seeing a doctor, he himself was barely a doctor, with only some simple tools to handle the wound.
Two hundred dollars, really too much.
If she took the money to the slums, she could even buy a dozen souls. He did not understand why she gave him so much money.
... And, why, to save him.
why?
Seeing his delay, she bit her lower lip, changed positions, and slipped the money into his boots.
"Don't care about dignity," she said, in a low voice. " It's no shame in using women's money. Many so-called gentlemen use women's money. Take it over. Life is important.”
She actually thought that he had some dignity.
Eric didn't know what to say. His mind was so dizzy, as if not dizzy, still as calm and rational as before, and what happened before him was beyond his knowledge.
He could only be silent, nodded, and accepted the money.
"If you can't live outside ——" she said carefully, " Well, I have no other meaning, there are still many outlaws outside, they plunder passers-by, trains, traders, doing bad things everywhere, you are hurt, it's normal —— can write to me, I will help you.”
"This is my business card."She handed him a small, delicate card," but the recipient should never write it as Elizabeth. I rarely use that stupid name, everyone called me 'Lizzie,' and I only use the name Lizzie Adler.”
He still remembered the word "dignity", and accepted the card without saying a word.
Lizzie had nothing to say about this one-sided conversation.
She clenched the bead-mother fan and looked around again, thinking that it was almost impossible to just open the cage and allow Eric to escape. He would be shot by the group like a wounded male antelope.
Then she thought of the magic Eric performed on the stage. There should be the rest of the ingredients, as long as she can make that magic trick, cause a stir, Eric can take advantage of the chaos to escape!
Scking the date, stealing circus keys, setting fire to the theatre... Lizzie feels further away from the word "lady", maybe women in the north may not be born ladies in the south.
She took a deep breath, for a while to calm down, low, hurried asked: " That magic —— can tell me, how to change?”
·
He couldn't teach her a big magic trick in a few words, but told her that there were several bottles of private wine backstage, labeled as bourbon, It's the rest of the trick.
The concentration of boowine is very high, which is no inferior to the wine made before the Prohibition movement, and some are even mixed with medical alcohol. As long as she could strike a match, she could make a big fire.
Lizzie nodded and was about to walk backstage when he grabbed his wrist.
She looked up at him, puzzled enough to wonder.
When her eyes were gentle and uncondemned, he quickly loosened her hand: " If you can, please bring me a bottle... the wound needs to be disinfected.”
"No problem."Lizzie calmly accepted it.
"Thank you very much."He looked tired, but kept a clear appreciation.
Lizzie looked at him, inexplicably felt that his spirit was much better than before. —— Although the lips are more pale , his eyes are like a burning wasteland general, revealing a kind of amazing excitement.
Well, she's safe. She's afraid he doesn't want to live anymore.
The process of starting the fire went smoothly. Southerners always say that she has the genes of arson and lying, but now it seems true. She just smiled at the circus members and said that she wanted to visit, so she naturally entered the backstage.
A big child was afraid that she would encounter some dangerous organs during the visit, and had been following her closely.
She thought about it, smiled and put him away: " Well —— my chest suddenly a little stuffy, sorry, this is an old problem, can you take me some smell salt? No, brandy would do.”
"Oh, we smell no salt, only brandy. You wait, and I'll get it!"The big child ran away.
Lizzie looked after him, thinking he was a bad woman.
brandy?
If heard by the ladies, they would ask her why she stopped wanted any tobacco and chewed it in her mouth, though she did secretly chew her father's tobacco and smoked his cigars.
The stand was in the cupboard, and she saw it immediately.
The dark brown bottle, labeled as bourbon, and the most hated drink of the upper crowd.
She stood on tiptoe, picked up a bottle, bit the plug with her teeth, and fell calmly to the ground.
If one bottle isn't enough, pour another one and leave two bottles for Eric.
Then, strike matches. Men can easily draw a match, but she rowed for a long time, just draw a little spark, not secretly decided, after this matter must smoke more cigars, as the practice of how to strike matches.
The flames fell on the wet floor, breaking into a sea of fire and a heat wave.
Lizzie did not dare to delay, immediately ran out, caught a man, panic said, " lost, fire! Call the fire station quickly!”
The man was so frightened that he had no time to investigate why the fire was burning, and hurriedly sounded the alarm.
The scene was in a sudden mess. People hurried down the spiral stairs, people looking for buckets, people calling, and people rushed out of the theater to call the street firefighters on patrol.
When Lizzie set the fire, there was no one backstage, and the flames quickly merged, the smoke mixed with alcohol, sweat, perfume, gunpowder, and a creepy explosion.
It is a wonderful feeling. The girl was taught to stay away from the flame, not to touch matches, the southern lady is to see a little smoke will faint, she put a fire in the theater, or a righteous fire —— too wonderful.
She will always remember this wonderful feeling.
Lizzie ran back to Eric. At this time, she was very grateful for the morning decision —— in order to leave a bad impression on the viscount, wearing a visible ankle skirt, if the normal skirt, already did not know a few falls.
Eric was still in the cage.
He leaned against the fence of the cage, looking indifferent at the raging fire, his eyes still bright, brighter than the hot fire, almost frightening.
Lizzie had the illusion that —— if she had not come back, the fire would not have come out of the cage.
Without time to think, she ran to the cage, opened the door, whispered: " Run!”
He turned his head and looked at her, looking there for a long time, as if he wanted to put both her blood and flesh into his eyes.
Lizzie didn't notice his eyes. She slipped the wine into his hand, thinking about other questions: " That —— do you want a cloth?”
"what?"He was stunned.
"Isn't that what it says in novels? At this point, you need me to tear off the dress and dress the wound... " and she pulled up the skirt to reveal a long flounce.⑴
"need not."He immediately turned his head sideways and avoided the touch of white." I can handle it myself.”
"Oh."Lizzie put down her skirt.
As if she might pull her skirt again, he lowered his head and grabbed the cork of the bottle, threw it aside, then aimed at the wound and poured it down.
Must be very painful.
- Writer
