Mystery novel: the logic of lighting (I)

In the endless Indian Ocean, the French passenger ship Baron Carson is sailing for China.

At 8 o'clock in the morning, the deck of the newly washed ship was wet, but it was already full of people blowing sea breeze, French, German Jews in exile, Vietnamese and China. ...

It's mid-June, with short nights and long days, which is the hottest time of the year. When passengers wake up in the cabin, they are inevitably sweating. At this time, take a bath and then come to the deck to blow the sea breeze. Whether you are black or white, fat or thin, you are as refreshing.

On the left side of the deck, a young man with an oriental face leaned against the side of the ship, holding a cigarette in his right hand, and said to another young man next to him, "After Saigon, it is Hong Kong. It is estimated that it won't be long before we can return to Shanghai ... Little B, I haven't eaten Begonia Cake, Grass Head Circle and Babel Duck for more than two years ... "

At some point, the young man's throat made a light sound of swallowing saliva. He reached out and unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt, rolled up his sleeves to his elbows and stood in the wind. Although he looks thin, the muscles exposed in his chest and forearms are very fit.

This young man, Su Sao, has just graduated from studying in France for three years.

The young man named "Xiao Yi" next to him smiled and said, "Second brother, why are you drooling? Babel duck is the best, and Haitang cake is the best. Will you eat less when you return to China? "

Xiao Yi stood behind Su Su in a suspender, short-sleeved shirt and white tennis shoes. He is well-proportioned and handsome, but his eyes are empty. When he looked carefully, he found that he was blind.

An abandoned orphan, grew up in Sujia. He and Su Shao are nominally servants, but in private they are like brothers.

"Gee, your ears have improved again!" Su Youyou spit out a bunch of smoke rings and said, "Is there any progress in olfactory training these days?"

Xiao Yi pondered a little and said, "After practicing these days, I can now distinguish at least seven kinds of powders or perfumes commonly used by women."

"Yes, the speed of progress has exceeded the speed of human evolution ..." Su Sou laughed. "But don't talk nonsense. If eldest brother knows that you are studying women's powder perfume, he may think that you will become a playboy when you arrive in Paris ... "

Xiao Yi smiled and said, "Big Brother knows me. He knows which of us is a playboy. "

Su Sao stretched herself and changed the subject: "It's really boring to take a boat."

Xiao Yi said, "You can read or play cards under the cabin."

"yes." Su Sao interrupted Xiao Yi impatiently. "When I look at the faces of those elm heads, I know they have a few aces in their hands. This is not a challenge at all. "

He looked at the deck with a joke in his eyes: "Let's reason about this game. Listen, there is a woman on the deck near the ship's rail. She is from China, wearing sunglasses and a long white dress. She is twenty-seven or twenty-eight. She is lying on a canvas chair with a novel on her body ... oh, wearing leather shoes and low heels, she is alone. Her expression is a little unhappy or narcissistic. I want other information about this information. "

Xiao Yi pondered for a long time and said, "She is an international student, studying in France, looking for a job when she returns to China, and she is anxious to get married."

"Go on!"

"sunbathing on the deck, wearing sunglasses and reading novels shows that she is a fashionable girl infected by foreign habits, which is most in line with the status of international students; I know that only a few schools in France are in graduation season, and the graduation seasons of schools in Britain and Germany are in July, so I judge that she is studying in France; Students who have nothing to worry about after returning home usually return home after the cool autumn, so most of them are anxious to find jobs before the end of the summer vacation in China. Wearing a long skirt and flat shoes, alone, shows that although she has a new female style, she is still very conservative in her bones; At the age of 27 or 28, when Shao Hua is gone, she is bound to get married in a hurry. Even if she doesn't care about her marriage, I'm afraid her family is in a hurry. "

Su Sao shook her head: "Ha ha, no, what you said about' hurry back to China to find a job' is wrong. This young lady is Sun Bijun, the niece of Sun Yugan, a senior official. In her capacity, are you afraid of not having a job when you go back to Shanghai? "

Small B is stupefied: "How do you know? Can you introduce the name? "

Sue smiled proudly. "Of course I know. We had coffee at a table yesterday and handed each other business cards. "

"You're lying ..." Little B said.

Sue rolled her eyes. "This is called the ability to collect information efficiently. There is no denying that I am much better than you at this point. "

Xiao Yi snorted heavily, expressing his admiration for Sue's sister-in-law with this nasal sound.

Just laughing, Sun Bijun, lying on the canvas chair, suddenly jumped up like a spring and rushed to the stern angrily.

Su Sao looked up and found Sun Bijun's goal at a glance. In the corner of the stern, a man leaned against the ship's rail and kissed a woman. The woman has a slim waist and plump hips, wearing a crimson tube top, navy blue shorts with meat attached, and red nails exposed in the hollowed-out white leather shoes, but her skin color is a little dark, so she is a mixed-race.

Soon, Sun Bijun ran to the two men and pointed at the man's nose and growled, "Yang Guangzhong, in broad daylight, you actually hugged a wild woman to do such a thing!"

(2) jealousy on the deck

Sun Bijun's voice was very sharp, which suddenly attracted everyone's attention on the deck.

The pleasure of watching is regardless of race or nationality, not to mention the boring life on board. The people on the deck quickly gathered at the stern, spontaneously stood in a circle, pricked up their ears and opened their eyes.

Two women and one man, the standard configuration of farce.

The man named Yang Guangzhong was busy releasing the woman in his arms, pretending to tidy up his suit, without looking at Sun Bijun, selfishly pushed his way through the crowd and silently walked to the cabin.

Sun Bijun was cold with anger and shouted at Yang Guangzhong's back: "Shame on you!"

The dark-skinned, plump woman put her hands on her chest, raised her chin, and showed a disdainful smile at her mouth. She said sweetly, "You seem to be Miss Sun Bijun, right? Everyone is just idle and bored, so why be so serious. In public, don't give you a man face ... "

"My man? What a joke! The eight characters are not yet awkward. " Sun Bijun smiled coldly and retorted, "Naked, shameless."

"Naked? This is called the trend! Some people are as thin as sticks and can't wear them if they want to! " At some point, the woman defiantly turned a circle in front of Sun Bijun, with too little cloth on her body, and her slender waist and plump figure immediately took in everything in a glance.

Most of the male passengers and crew were angry and drooling.

Although Xiao Yi can't see, his hearing is excellent: "Second brother, who is this woman?" I'm telling you, when it comes to meanness ... "

Su Sao said, "Go, you want to die! Her name is Lucy, a half-breed, a social butterfly on the boat, and she has an unclear relationship with several people ... "

At the stern, Tracy's words accurately hit the pain point of Sun Bijun, making her look even paler. Indeed, although Sun Bijun has fine eyes, he is slim and his outline lines are too stiff, like a pen-and-ink painting, lacking the softness and fullness unique to women. Even his lips are thin and his lipstick is not rich enough.

But women will find weapons to fight back. I heard Sun Bijun say, "Bah! Some women really don't know themselves, their skin is as black as the bottom of a pot, and they show it to others! "

Lucy left the pie mouth and was about to fight back-

At this time, a man's voice came from outside the circle: "Stop it, stop it. The two ladies are spring flowers and autumn moons, and they are good at winning games. Miss Sun is a typical oriental beauty, which is subtle and gentle. Miss Tracy is of China, Portuguese, Spanish and Arabic descent. She is unrestrained and free in beauty, which is quite similar to the character of our French nation. "

While speaking, the man has separated from the crowd and came in. He wore suspenders, patent leather shoes, an egg-shaped head, blue eyes and a well-maintained moustache on his lips. He was short and fat, and when he walked, people wondered whether suspenders could cover his protruding belly.

"Who is this man?" Small b asked curiously.

"This man's name is batiste, and he is a detective of the Paris Police Department. He was nicknamed "the mysterious detective". Because he is short and fat, his subordinates call him' pig walking upright' behind his back. "

"Does it mean that he is fat?"

"No, he's stupid."

Tracy flashed a pair of smiling drunken eyes, pursed her round lips, rolled up batiste's arm like no one else's watching, and sprinkled jiao: "Mr. batiste, why are you here?" Didn't you invite me to have coffee with you? "

Batiste reached out a sausage-like finger, touched his proud beard and said, "It's not too late! I've come to invite Miss Lucy, so let's go to the restaurant and enjoy rich and greasy coffee. "

Lucy smiled charmingly, snuggled up to him, and they walked to the restaurant talking and laughing.

Sun Bijun spat at their backs. She turned through the crowd and walked angrily to the first class, ready to quarrel with Yang Guangzhong.

A four-or five-year-old boy was running around on the deck when Sun Bijun ran into him in a hurry, and the ice cream in his hand spilled on her white skirt.

The boy sat on the ground, staring at his leg, and cried with a "wow": "You pay for my ice cream, you pay for my ice cream ..."

Sun Bijun jumped back, took out a handkerchief to wipe his skirt and shouted, "Whose child is this?"

A woman in her thirties, wearing a semi-old black cheongsam, rushed out, held the child in her arms, clamored for a slap in the face, and hurriedly apologized: "I'm sorry! Miss Sun, I'm so sorry. "

"excuse me? Do you know how much my skirt costs? How can you afford it if you are poor? " Sun Bijun vented all her grievances on the opposite woman.

The boy's mother bowed her head and dared not answer back. The little boy in his arms kicked and cried, "You hit me, let her eat ice cream with me, let her eat ice cream with me ..."

When Sun Bijun's lies were exposed, he blushed, rested his hips with one hand and pointed at the mother and son with the other, shouting, "Bah! You can lie at such a young age. You must have learned it from adults. Obviously, you ran around and hit me, okay? "

The boy's mother held the child in her arms, lowered her eyelids, and added a pair of eyebrows that were naturally upside down, which made it even more pitiful.

Su Sao came over with a frown and said, "Miss Sun, forget it. Don't argue with them. Your strength may have been spent on another argument-how much is your skirt? Why don't I pay for them? "

Sun Bijun knows Sister Su. Although he was annoyed by his unkind words, it was not good to continue. He said angrily, "I'm just angry that the child lied." Forget it, don't lose it. I am not short of money. "

Say that finish, she took another look at Sue and turned away.

Small B whispered, "This woman is really annoying ..." Small B was gentle, and he said it was annoying, so the other party must be extremely annoying.

At this time, the boy's father rushed over in a panic and bowed down and thanked Su Shao.

The boy's father is a young man from China. He is slender, with short legs and arms, and his forehead and sideburns are covered with fine wrinkles. When he speaks, his body always leans forward slightly, his face is apologetic, his eyes cringe and he looks like a slave.

He said cautiously, "Thank you very much, sir. My name is Chen San, and I am a policeman from the French Concession in Shanghai. This is my wife, A Xiang. She is a waiter on this ship for the time being and is responsible for cleaning the cabin. "

Su Sao waved, said "you're welcome" and turned away with Xiao Yi.

Didn't go far, there was a child crying behind him-it turned out that the boy dropped the ice cream and cried to buy it again, but it attracted his mother A Xiang's mouth.

I heard A Xiang scold loudly: "Aren't you a policeman in the French Concession? I always brag about how good I am at ordinary times, but when I meet something, it doesn't work at all. I watch my wife and children being bullied by others ... "

Chen San stood beside A Xiang, bent lower.

The celebrity was killed on a rainy night.

After dinner, the more stormy the sea is. Dark clouds piled up in the sky, the stars and the moon were dim, and the boundless darkness swallowed up the vast blue sea.

In the second-class cabin, Xiao Yi is training his ability to listen to the wind and debate.

Su Sao sat cross-legged on the bed and threw sandbags in all directions of the cabin. Little B leaned his head sideways, recognized the wind of sandbags flying with his ears, and quickly pointed to the location where sandbags landed with a Colt pistol in his hand.

Soon, Xiao Yi's head was sweating profusely. On several occasions, the gun seemed to hesitate.

Sue sister-in-law throws sandbags faster and faster, while Xiao Yi moves more and more slowly. Finally, Xiao Yi shook his head and gave up. He gasped and said, "Second brother, no! I can't hear you. "

Su Sao handed Xiao Yi a towel, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't lose heart, it's so windy outside, you've done a good job."

Xiao Yi took the towel and wiped his sweat, and said, "Second brother, the sound of the wind and waves makes people feel a little scared. What will happen on this ship? How do I have a sense of foreboding ... "

Su Sao interrupted Xiao Yi: "Don't talk nonsense, this is the most taboo of the crew. Go to bed early, I have to read for a while. "

Little b promised and climbed into bed to rest.

Sue lay in bed and read for a while. Soon, thunder rumbled outside and it began to rain.

It was sultry in the cabin, and Sue finally fell asleep. When I woke up, it was already half past six in the morning. Xiao Yi has got up and dressed up. Hearing Su Sao get up, he said, "Second brother, that woman named Tracy is dead. I heard that she was shot. "

"what! Why didn't you wake me up earlier! " Sue Sue complained and got out of bed as fast as she could.

"I just found out, it's not too late." Xiao Yi said, "Please fold the quilt yourself."

When Su Sao and Xiao Yi arrived at the scene, the door of the crime room was already crowded with people. Several devout women kept crossing their chests with their hands, and men shook their heads in succession, feeling sorry for the death of beautiful women.

The security guard on the ship found a rope and tied it to the ship's side as a temporary cordon to prevent irrelevant personnel from entering.

The cabin door is wide open, and the scene in the cabin is clear at a glance. Lucy wore pajamas, bared her legs, twisted her head to one side and died on the square European carpet in the middle of the floor. Her eyes are still open, and she has lost her fantastic charm.

She was shot in the chest, one shot dead, and her pajamas and carpet were red with blood. Her head is facing the sofa and her feet are facing the viewing window. The nail polish on her feet is dazzling red.

Facing the sofa, the circular viewing window of the first class-about 20 cm in diameter-is opening, leaving a pool of water stains on the cabin floor under the window. In the cabin, tables, chairs and benches were neatly arranged, and there was no sign of fighting. On the floor near the hatch, two rows of footprints with water stains were left.

Inspector batiste left his shoes at the door of the hut and explored the scene in his socks. He pinched his chubby chin with chubby fingers, and his thick lips kept wriggling, mumbling, "God, have pity on me and keep me away from blood and tricks!" " I'm on holiday ... oh, oh, poor miss Lucy! "

Next to batiste is Sir Bertrand, the captain of Baron Carson. He is a pure Gaul, tall and thin, with pale yellow curly hair, cold facial contour, unsmiling, always white neckline, always straight suit, serious as a wax figure.

Now, "Wax Statue" is saying in French with a depressed face: "Mr. batiste, please work hard anyway. Now the murderer is still on the ship, and we must catch him before the ship arrives in Saigon tomorrow. Once the ship is docked, the murderer may escape among the passengers ... If the murderer escapes, it will definitely become a scandal and I will be humiliated ... "

Batiste, with a beer belly and a commanding moustache, smiled confidently: "Don't worry, Mr. Bertrand, it's not a big problem-even a cunning fox will show its tail in front of a clever hunter."

Bertrand frowned: "The security guard who found the body said that the cabin door was bolted from the inside, and they knocked it down before entering the cabin, so only the shoe prints of these two security guards were left at the scene. Heard that this is called the chamber of secrets to kill people, is the most difficult case ... "

"Aha, what did I say? The little tail is here. " Batiste said.

(4) Inspector batiste's reasoning.

Batiste went to the viewing window and said, "Where is the Chamber of Secrets? The murderer shot and killed Miss Lucy from this small window ... You see, Miss Lucy's head is facing the sofa and her feet are facing the window. I guess she was facing the window, shot in the chest and fell on her back ... You see, there are still water stains on the floor under the window. I remember it began to rain after 0/0 last night. Under normal circumstances, Miss Lucy would close the window to prevent the rain from blowing in, but the window was always open and the rain left water stains on the floor. This means that Miss Lucy was killed before it rained, that is, before 10. ...

"Now, the murderer's technique and the time of committing the crime are very clear. We just need to find out who approached the window of Miss Lucy's cabin and carried a pistol before last night 10. The murderer must be him. "

After listening to batiste's reasoning, Captain Bertrand's frown did not loosen: "It was very cloudy last night. Everyone hides in the cabin or plays cards in the recreation room. I'm afraid it's hard to find witnesses ... Besides, I don't think I heard gunshots before ten o'clock ... "

Batiste rubbed his hands and said, "Well, let me see ... there must be a loud noise, which covered up the gunfire. The murderer is indeed a cunning fox, and chose a suitable time to commit the crime! As there were no witnesses, they had to go through the sieve one by one. Who is carrying a pistol on the boat? "

"Let me see ... besides the security guards, there are also Mr. McGlon, Mr. Su Sao, Ms. Sun Bijun, Mr. Kazan and Mr. Du Longtan carrying pistols ..."

"My work will start with these passengers ... Captain Bertrand, invite them."

Xiao Yi, standing in the crowd, asked in a low voice: "Second brother, this inspector batiste seems to be unreliable!"

Su Sao snorted and said, "Nine times out of ten, he is a big fool. He didn't even touch the body, so he judged the time of death by a pool of water stains. Do you think it is reliable! "

At this moment, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, "Mr Bertrand, Mr batiste, I have something to do here. I wonder if it will help solve the case? "

Su sou looked down at her voice. The speaker was Chen San, a policeman from the French Concession who was scolded by his wife yesterday.

Chen San pushed his way out of the crowd, holding a silver earring in his hand, and said respectfully, "Mr. Bertrand, Mr. batiste, my name is Chen. I work in the French Concession police station and know a little French. Just now, I heard two gentlemen say that the murderer shot and killed Miss Lucy outside the window. This earring in my hand was found outside Miss Lucy's window this morning. Please have a look. Maybe it was left by the murderer. "

Batiste picked up the eardrop with his thumb and forefinger, squinted for a while and said, "It looks very expensive ... probably left by the murderer after committing the crime. Maybe we can start with the eardrop. "

"Which lady's earrings are these? Does anyone know? " Chen San turned around and asked loudly.

"It seems to be Miss Sun Bijun's ..." In the crowd, someone whispered something.

Chen San turned to batiste: "Some people say it belongs to Miss Sun Bijun. Detective, why don't you call Miss Sun and find out? "

Before batiste could speak, Sun Bijun separated from the crowd and came in and said, "Mr. batiste, Captain Bertrand, this earring is indeed mine, but it has long been lost. I am looking for it."

Batiste's round face showed a smile that saw through everything: "Really? If I remember correctly, your name is on the passenger list with pistols provided by Captain Bertrand just now. Yesterday, you had a big fight with Miss Lucy, and the jewels left at the crime scene happened to be yours. "

"Do you suspect that I killed Tracy?" Sun Bijun changed his face.

At this time, the first mate Baron Carson came back. The first mate stood beside batiste and Captain Bertrand and reported in a low voice for a long time.

Batiste turned around and stared at Sun Bijun with a pair of small blue eyes: "Can you tell me what you were doing before 10 last night?"

"10 before? I'm in a coffee shop. " Sun Bijun holding the shoulder, said coldly.

"Can anyone prove it to you?" Batiste asked.

"I don't know if anyone pays attention to me." Sun Yijun said.

Batiste smiled, his moustache quivering up and down. He pointed at Sun Bijun with a thick cigar in his finger and said, "Liar! Naked lies! Miss Sun, you were not in the coffee shop at that time, because there was only one person in the coffee shop at that time, and that was me. "

He leaned forward and forced Sun Bijun to criticize his head and said, "Can you tell me now? Where the hell were you before last night 10? What did you do? "

Sun Bijun took two steps back involuntarily, and his face turned red and white: "I ... this is my personal privacy, and you have no right to ask."

Batiste shrugged: "Well, since Miss Sun won't talk about it, I'll talk about it for you ... Yesterday during the day, your boyfriend Mr. Yang Guangzhong was robbed by Miss Lucy. You flew into a rage and had a heated argument with Miss Lucy. Everyone present saw it. That's your motive for killing. Last night, you came to Miss Lucy's window with a pistol. You may have used some means to make Miss Lucy face you, so that you can hit her heart accurately. This is how you kill people. However, you have a guilty conscience and accidentally left your earrings at the scene when you escaped. This has become an important evidence to correct you ... Motivation, techniques and evidence are all here. "

Sun Bijun turned pale involuntarily and said angrily, "You are a dirty lie! Mr Bertrand, Tracy is this fat man's lover. It was boring for two people to have coffee together yesterday. This is obviously personal ... "

Bertrand spread out his hands and said, "Miss Sun, I'm sorry. Although your uncle and I are friends, I have to take care of you before going ashore. I promise you won't be hurt or abused. You just lost your freedom, and what awaits you will be a fair trial. "

Bertrand blinked, and two security guards walked beside Sun Bijun. Sun Bijun stamped his foot and shouted, "Yang Guangzhong, what are you looking at? Come and prove that I didn't kill anyone! "

Yang Guangzhong stood motionless in the crowd, as if he didn't hear Sun Bijun's cry for help. There are several obvious scratches on his face.

Batiste lit a cigar, took a deep breath, and was very satisfied with his impromptu performance-a detective's elegant demeanor was revealed. He was flushed and triumphant, just like a big star standing in the center of the stage, enjoying the standing ovation of the audience.

(5) Gambling: Ten minutes to solve the case.

"I've seen enough. What an idiot-Little B, it seems that it is our turn to play. " Sue threw up her cigarette butt on the ground and strode across the cordon.

Xiao Yi followed closely and crossed the cordon like a normal person without any delay.

A tall and strong security guard came up and stretched out his thick hair-covered arms, trying to stop Su Sao and Xiao Yi. Su Shaocai stretched out his right hand and the security guard tilted to one side.

Su Su said loudly, "Captain Bertrand, I have a different opinion about Miss Lucy's murder."

Captain Bertrand greeted him politely, "So it's Mr. Su. I want to hear your opinion, but this case has been solved by a famous detective, Mr. batiste. "

Batiste raised his beer belly with a cigar in his mouth and nodded proudly.

"I don't think so ... Ms. Sun Bijun has a clear alibi." Su Su said, and walked over to Captain Bertrand and whispered a few words.

Bertrand changed his face and asked in a low voice, "Really?"

Su Sou whispered, "As soon as it got dark, I saw Miss Sun get into Mr. Yang's cabin, and she was too stiff on the deck during the day. In the evening, she didn't have enough time to mend her feelings. How could she have the heart to kill ... She is a young lady of a big family, and her face is too tender. How can such a thing be said in public? As for why Yang Guangzhong refused to testify for her, just look at the scratches on Mr. Yang's face. "

Captain Bertrand frowned and walked beside Sun Bijun. He sent the security guard and asked in a low voice. Sun Bijun blushed, lowered his eyebrows and gently nodded his head.

Captain Bertrand turned to batiste again and whispered a few words.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! " Batiste blurted out, "My reasoning is watertight and can't go wrong."

"It's watertight?" Su Sou sneered, "I think it's leaking everywhere. I doubt whether I dare to listen to your reason with an umbrella ... "

All the onlookers who knew French in the crowd burst out laughing, and batiste suddenly blushed to the neck.

Susao went on to say, "Captain Bertrand, can you give me ten minutes? Let me see the scene, and I promise to help you find the real murderer. "

"Well ..." Bertrand hesitated.

"Ten minutes? The real murderer, do you know how to solve the case? " Batiste rolled her blue eyes and looked up and down at the young man with the opposite oriental face.

Su Sao grinned: "Just a little."

Batiste "ha ha" laughed: "This is the funniest joke I have ever heard ... Ms. Sun's alibi may be just that you are dazzled. Young man, judging from your name, you are from China. In my impression, China people don't understand reasoning at all. You burn incense for divination, consult ghosts and gods, or extort a confession by torture, spank the suspect and slap the suspect's finger, and you will solve the case ... In my opinion, if I give you ten hours, ten days or ten years, you will not solve the case and waste time. "

Su Sou laughed without anger: "Since Mr. batiste is prejudiced against us China people, I can't give in. Why don't we make a bet-if I solve the case in ten minutes, you apologize to me in front of everyone and admit that you are biased against China; If you can't solve the case in ten minutes, I apologize to you and let you handle it. Captain Bertrand, please give me ten minutes for Baron Carson's reputation. "

"You two are friends in the same boat. Why are you so unhappy? " Captain Bertrand saw that the two men were in trouble and hurried out to clean up the site.

Batiste shook his head and said, "No! Captain Bertrand, we French are real knights. In the face of challenges, we never flinch. Since Mr. Su proposed to gamble, let me see Mr. Su's skill. "

Batiste heart way, even if Sherlock Holmes is present, also dare not say 10 minutes can solve the case, the young man cold-washed garlic cloves, oneself let him ruthlessly out of the ugly.

Suso nodded. "Captain Bertrand, you can start timing. Little B, work. "

"Yes, young master."

Little b agreed. In front of outsiders, he called Sue a "young master".

(To be continued)