Miss Mary in Pride and Prejudice

Not long after, Mr. Davis came in a hurry, and the doctor told him the words again. Mary had never seen such despair and grief. Davis seemed to be stabbed unexpectedly. He was speechless for a long time with his mouth open, and then he leaned against the wall for a long time without looking up, only his shoulders were trembling constantly.

Mary felt deep sympathy, but she had to remind Mr. Davis to control his emotions and not tell Anne the truth.According to the doctor, Annie's child was abnormally developed and much smaller than a normal fetus, and it might not be possible to keep it.Mr. Davis finally couldn't help crying, and Georgiana and Mary couldn't help crying beside him.

At this time, the nurse came out and said that Anne had woken up, so everyone pretended to be calm and went into the back room to see her.Anne looked sluggish, but said she was all right, and wanted very much to go home at once.Mr. Davies, thinking that staying in the clinic would do no good, hired a buggy and drove Anne back to their riverside cottage.

Annie fell asleep as soon as she got back to her bedroom, collapsing like a weary hiker who has exhausted his last drop of water in the desert.Mary, Georgiana, and Mr. Davis, after taking care of her to sleep soundly, came into the living room and discussed in low voices what to do next.Georgiana advocated that Anne should be consulted and treated by a famous doctor in London, especially Dr. Cartwright who had been treating Anne in the past. He knew Anne's physical condition best, and it might not be as bad as the doctor in the village said.

Mary agreed with Georgiana completely, but Mr. Davies opened his mouth, but nothing came out.Mary was stunned, and suddenly realized that he had no money to hire a famous doctor in London.Georgiana, ignorant of the world, was only eager to urge Mr. Davies to hurry, preferably to set off for London at once.But Mary bit her lip and thought for a while, and finally said: "I think the most practical way now is to write a letter to Mrs. de Bourgh and tell her about Anne, and she will bring Dr. Cartwright to help Anne. diagnosis and treatment."

Mr. Davis opened his mouth agape, as if stunned, at the suggestion, and then objected violently, without giving any reason for his objection.Georgiana thought it was a good idea, and proposed to write the letter herself. She and Mary selfishly hoped that the relationship between Anne and her mother could be reconciled. After all, Mrs. de Bower had only one daughter, Anne. He also loves her very much.

They were arguing endlessly like this, and when they couldn't convince each other, a guest came to the cottage by the river—the pastor who rescued Anne in the church yesterday came to see if the patient had recovered.Mr. Davis immediately asked the pastor to come in for tea. Although Mary had seen this man yesterday, she was so flustered that she didn't even look at his face carefully. Only now did she realize that the pastor of the church is an extremely handsome and pleasant man. young people.

He only wears the simplest black robe and wide-brimmed hat, but he behaves elegantly and speaks well. It is hard to imagine that he can go in and out among the poorest villagers all day long, talk about his livelihood, and solve problems for the people. demeanor.Davis introduced that this is Mr. Lisbon, the new pastor of the church. After the original village was demolished, Mr. Lisbon did his best to relocate the church and the villagers' residences.Mr. Lisbon smiled and said that it was a favor given to the villagers by the generosity of the Earl of Leicester. He just made this favor more consider everyone's feelings when giving alms.

Mary thought Mr. Lisbon looked a little disapproving when he mentioned the Earl of Leicester demolishing the old village, but he concealed it well, and he had a good laugh when he smiled.His eyes are blue like the deep sea, and the light and profoundness in his pupils make people involuntarily trust and follow him.His face is smooth and has the outline of an ancient Roman statue. This is really a rare handsome man.

Georgiana, who was not always afraid to speak to strangers, especially a young man, stepped back silently after the greeting to spill the coffee and clear the dessert plate.Mr. Lisbon asked about Mrs. Davis's illness, and no one had any good news for him. It seemed that he already knew Anne's identity and the whole story of her marriage to Mr. Davis. At this time, he thought for a while and said, "Maybe it's time Let Mrs Davis' mother know about it."

"That's what I was thinking," exclaimed Mary delightedly, "but Mr. Davies has scruples." Mr. Lisbon turned to Davies, with the most pleasant smile, for he was not an eloquent speaker, Because he did not cite classics to persuade Mr. Davis, but he is simply a wizard who is well versed in the psychological activities of mortals and can point directly to people's hearts. He persuaded Mr. Davis in a few words. Mrs. de Bourgh did it.

Mr. Lisbon didn't stay here for a long time. He also wanted to visit another old lady in the same village who had recently lost her son to comfort her broken heart.Everyone gratefully sent him to the door. Looking at his tall and straight figure, which was a bit extraordinary, Mr. Davis sighed: "This gentleman was born to serve God. He is the most competent man I have ever seen." Priest." Mary also said, "Yes, his black robes don't even get dusty." Georgiana shook her head and said, "But I'm a little ashamed and a little scared in front of him." This feeling is very It was strange, but Mary felt that Georgiana had expressed her hidden feelings. Mr. Davis smiled and said, "Maybe all sacred things are frightening."

Georgiana wrote to her dear and stern aunt, and the rest of the time was spent waiting, while Anne looked weak and tired, and had been in bed, as the doctor had ordered, sleeping most of the time, and in her waking hours. When she was young, Mary and Georgiana would chat with her, read books, and occasionally play the piano.During this period Mr. Lisbon made several visits to the river house, never staying to dine, but the next two times he accepted an invitation to sit and drink tea and chat with two young ladies, although he was widely poor in the village. He is loved and welcomed by the villagers, but he still seems to prefer the company of more educated people, and there are no gentlemen's dwellings near his parish except Leicester Castle.

"We all rely on the earl's favor," he said, but he did not see Mr. Collins's servility in his expression, but showed a kind of detachment and compassion. "The earl is different from the usual lords. He doesn't lease the land to farmers. Instead, he built industries—cheeseries, wineries, textile mills...he hired farmers to do the work, and paid them cash instead of tying them to the land.”

Mary asked, "Do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing for farmers?" Mary's question kept Mr. Lisbon silent for a while, and then he said slowly, "In the long run, this It is the trend of the times. However, without land, some people who are not strong-willed will be more likely to sink, do nothing, or be contaminated with many bad habits.” His daily work undoubtedly has a lot to solve the troubles caused by these weak-willed people and trouble.

Of course they would also talk about the Earl of Leicester, but Mr. Lisbon never commented on the Earl's deeds casually, but he did not have his own views. From some of his words, Mary felt that he thought that with the Earl's status and wealth, he could have done something. More good deeds can at least make life better for the people in his territory.

As Mr. Lisbon was the only one who was allowed to visit frequently, he was often talked about at dinner.In this way, from the successive descriptions of Mr. Davis, Mary learned that Mr. Lisbon was born in a gentleman family, but he had a strong interest in religion and theology since he was a child. He chose to be a priest and donated most of his income to the villagers in the parish. He was widely loved in this area, and his reputation and influence even surpassed that of the spendthrift lord, the Earl of Leicester.

Mr. Davis also smiled and said: "He is also the pastor who has heard the most confessions and secrets. Almost all the girls and young women in this area have confessed to him. Everyone is willing to tell him anything. Under every hut He knows all the secrets, and of course he is very considerate, and will comfort and guide those who are in trouble. But I think he may never marry and dedicate himself to the church.” Mary understood what he was implying, because Once, when Mr. Lisbon was leaving, Mary happened to drop in with him on his way to the bakery in the village, and met Mr. Davies on his way back from work.

Mrs. de Bower never replied, but Anne's condition suddenly deteriorated two weeks later.That morning, Mary brought Annie breakfast, and found that Annie, who was still in a good mood, was unconscious in a pool of blood. She panicked and called for a doctor. Annie's body and spirit were damaged, she was bleeding profusely, and the doctors were helpless.

In the evening, Anne had lost her mind, and Mr. Davis sat beside the bed in a daze, holding Anne's hand, unable to speak a word except tears.Georgiana and Mary cried and cried, and Mr. Lisbon was called for Last Mass.At this time, the sound of a hurried carriage suddenly came from the cobblestone path outside the door, and then a familiar voice sounded: "This place is not even as good as my storage room. The windows all face west, so there must be no sunlight. The flower beds are not tidied up, the roses are all withered, don’t they even have a servant? Hmph, isn’t that man a gardener…”

Mary ran out quickly, followed by Georgiana. It was Mrs. de Bourgh who was coming. The lady was still so aggressive. She had just stepped out of the carriage, and her rich fur coat dragged to her feet. She looked around and found fault everywhere. , but as soon as Mary came out, seeing the tear stains on Mary's face, Madam was stunned, her face turned pale all of a sudden, and the gorgeous fur muff fell to the ground, she asked tremblingly: "What's wrong? What happened? Is it Anne, she..."

Madame de Bourgh did not wait for Mary's answer, but pushed her away and rushed in through the door.Her fat figure knocked down the coat rack at the door and a vase on the small table, and then disappeared through the door of the bedroom. Mr. Lisbon stared at Mrs. Prayer book in hand, compassion in eyes.