Miss Mary in Pride and Prejudice

Early the next morning, they put into practice the tour plan of the first day.Although there is a chill on the Seine River in winter, it is nothing to those who are used to the cold and biting winter in the British countryside. Mary and Anne visited the Place de la Concorde with great interest in the morning of this day. Mary has already memorized it in her heart, so she can always explain it clearly and logically wherever she goes, so that Mrs. Jenkinson who is following thinks she has been here.

To the north of the Place de la Concorde is the Madeleine Church, to the east is the Tuileries Garden, and to the west is the Champs Elysées, famous for its opulence and luxury.In terms of time, if you want to take a leisurely tour instead of looking at flowers on horseback, you can only choose one place.Mary originally wanted to visit the Tuileries Garden, which was a miracle in the history of architecture designed by Empress Medici herself. Mary wanted to admire the bronze sculptures of those great artists from close up, and drink in the quiet garden surrounded by oak trees. Enjoy a cup of coffee while listening to the boat songs on the Seine.

But this time, because Mrs. Jenkinson followed reluctantly, Mary was worried that her complaint would be disappointing, so she chose a more suitable event for Mrs. Jenkinson—shopping. Mrs. Kimson's unanimous approval.

Anne no longer has to worry about money anymore. Mrs. de Bower opened her purse to her, and Mary also had two hundred pounds from Elizabeth in her pocket, and her father also sent her fifty pounds. Her mother even secretly subsidized her with a hundred pounds so that she could "enjoy it to the fullest", so Mary also had enough pocket money.Like all young girls who first arrived in Paris and had a lot of money, they were fascinated by the beautiful hats, furs, fabrics, lace, gloves and accessories.

They bought new material and immediately went to the nearest tailor to have it cut in the most fashionable fashion.Anne bought two beautiful fur hats, and bought one for her mother, Elizabeth and Georgiana, and Mary bought herself a snow-white fox fur muff, which was a luxury she had long wanted. She felt that she came to Europe once in her life, and there seemed no reason not to indulge herself like this once, and she didn't want to come to Paris and be regarded as a country girl who had never seen the world.

In a century-old jewelry store, Mary and Anne were reluctant to leave. Not only jewelry was sold there, but there were also thousands of items that women used for decoration, all of which were exquisite in materials and exquisite in carving. On the black rosewood booth, all kinds of treasures are displayed on the black velvet cushion, all of which are inlaid with gold and treasures. It is really dazzling and beautiful.

The shopkeeper obviously paid more attention to the ladies accompanied by male customers, because most of the goods were paid by the gentlemen, but when Annie bought a whole set of tortoiseshell combs and a delicate Spanish cosmetic box, the shopkeeper's attitude changed completely. , He personally served these two wealthy ladies with a smile on his face, and even called his wife down from upstairs, and asked her to re-change Anne and Mary's most popular hairstyles in Paris with a pair of skillful hands.

When they came out of the inner dressing room, Mrs. Jenkinson, who was waiting outside, could hardly recognize them, especially Mary, her hair, which was originally tightly tied at the back of her head, was opened and divided into three strands, very elegantly. And it was randomly placed on the top of her head, and naturally fell from both sides, forming a few rather playful little curls, making her more youthful, beautiful and charming.

Anne smiled and said, "My dear, you are so beautiful." Mary replied, "It's because of your beautiful combs." It turned out that Anne insisted that Mary use her new tortoiseshell comb, which matched her honey-colored The hair complements each other perfectly.

They came out talking and laughing like this. The shopkeeper of course used the French-specific exaggeration to praise the beauty of the ladies as rare in the sky and hard to find on the earth. He also tried his best to sell other products in his shop: "This young lady is really beautiful. So discerning, I would also like to invite you to take a look at these beautiful headbands made of the finest quality silk imported from China, the daughter of the Chancellor of the Exchequer ordered a whole dozen here last month...and these pearls Hairpin, how round it is, this is a black pearl from Tahiti, only a lady like you with obsidian eyes is worthy of wearing it..."

While he was talking, Mary saw a beautiful brooch displayed in the window. The workmanship was extremely exquisite. The small platinum material was engraved with twisted branches and leaves. Every pattern was clearly identifiable, especially the top. Shaped in the shape of a lily flower with a pear-shaped citrine set just right at the stamen, the finishing touch transforms this brooch from a delicate piece of jewelry to a work of art.

Mary couldn't help holding her breath: "It's so beautiful, boss, what's the price of this brooch?" The shopkeeper came over to have a look and said, "Oh, young lady, you have too much aesthetic vision. Excellent work..." He talked eloquently for a while before returning to the subject, "However, this one is custom-made and no imitation is allowed. Of course, if you really like it, then..." He said with a businessman's habit With a cunning attitude, she said a price, which was a high price that Mary could not bear, and she could not afford it even if she emptied her pockets, so she had to say dejectedly: "Since others don't want to have imitations, I will reluctantly do so." Bar."

The shop owner coaxed her for a while, and seeing that she really didn't intend to buy it, he said: "Actually, a small shop would not dare to imitate a custom-made item for a big customer. Made by Miss, the gem inlaid on the brooch is not an ordinary citrine, but a yellow diamond purchased by the earl from South Africa at a high price. The princess was originally scheduled to come to try it on herself this afternoon, and I think it's time for her to come .”

Mary suddenly lost her desire to shop. When she walked out of the store, she felt the chill of the Seine River hit her face, and she shivered.Mrs. Jenkinson thought that Anne should go back to the hotel to rest, so everyone stood on the side of the street with a little hopelessness and waited for the taxi to come.

Just as they boarded the taxi, a carriage drawn by four white horses decorated with ornate coat of arms stopped on the side of the street.A young girl got out of the carriage under the service of a personal maid. As soon as she appeared, she attracted the attention of everyone around her, as if the night sky was illuminated by shooting stars.Mary couldn't see the girl's face, but she could see her back, she was graceful and graceful, with a slender waist, wearing a long white dress with a cashmere shawl hanging down to her skirt, very luxurious , very elegant.

Anne said softly, "That must be the Duke's daughter, Miss Cynthia." Mary clenched her gloves tightly and remained silent. An uncontrollable emotion welled up in her heart. Jealousy ugly thing.

Anne looked at her friend with pity, and told the coachman to go to the hotel. Once back at the hotel, Mary excused herself from walking and went back to her room. Anne wrote a letter to the Earl of Leicester in the hotel lounge. Out of prudent considerations, she did not write that Mary was traveling with her, but only informed the earl that she would stay in Paris for two weeks, and hoped to see him during this period, and handed over the documents to Mr. Davis in person.After finishing writing, she handed the envelope to the front desk of the hotel and asked them to deliver the letter to the Earl of Leicester's mansion in Paris.

In the evening, Mary regained her composure. She felt that she had the courage to come down to dinner, so she went downstairs to the dining room. Anne was reading the note sent back by the Earl of Leicester, which said that she had recently I have a busy schedule for the day and would love to visit Mrs. Davies on Wednesday morning the following week.Mary didn't comment on this, she decided to just treat that man as a stranger she met by chance, and she would never take him to heart again.

During dinner, Anne asked Mary if she would like to go to the Grand Opera House to enjoy "The Marriage of Figaro" as originally planned. She was worried that Mary was a little tired during the day and might want to rest earlier.Mary expressed at once that she had fully recovered her strength, and was very much looking forward to hearing the greatest performance in the whole civilized world.

So they went to the Grand Opera House according to the original arrangement.Mrs. Jenkinson had entrusted the front desk of the hotel to book a box in advance, and they went in and sat down early. Mary took the opportunity to appreciate the gorgeous and elegant interior decoration of the famous Grand Theater. The box occupies the upper three floors of the Grand Opera House. Mary's box is located on the left side of the second floor, and you can see the whole picture of the stage. Mrs. Jenkinson thoughtfully brought a small telescope, and went to the entrance of the theater to buy two packs of candy, and then there were various kinds of candies one after another. People walked into the adjacent box, and Mary found that this was really the best place to appreciate Parisian high society.

It is said that for Parisians, the purpose of going to the opera house is often not to watch the opera itself, but to show each other their splendid clothes in this luxurious place.Now sitting in the box opposite them is a noble lady with goose skin and white hair. Her hat is decorated with two-foot-high ostrich feathers, and she is covered with jewels. She looks like a Christmas tree. When she turned her head to tell the maid who served her something, the ostrich feathers on her head would sweep across the railing of the box, and her hands would appear on the railing of the box from time to time, even from the opposite side, she could see The brilliance of the large diamonds made Mary think of Mrs. de Bourgh, and laughed.

And in the box on the right next to them is a young couple, who looks like a foreign envoy from an oriental country. The long blue silk shawl, the husband also gave a bouquet of white roses to his wife, and placed it on the front shelf of the box. They were really an enviable couple.

Now there are people coming from the box on their right. It is a young and beautiful woman in her twenties, her skin is as tender and delicate as curdled milk. She is wearing a gorgeous dress and the best fur coat, but both Without a personal maid, no female companion, let alone a man, she walked in just like that, and put a small bouquet of irises on the front shelf of the box.Just from her clothes and manners, one can tell that she should be a prostitute. Mrs. Jenkinson flapped her fan back and forth in disgust as if smelling some bad smell, and frowned and complained that the box given by the theater owner was not good. Her voice was not very low, and Anne was worried that her neighbors would hear her, so she looked back at Mrs. Jenkinson, and Mrs. Jenkinson stopped for a while.

Knowing the identity of that woman, Mary and Anne, good-natured women who seldom come into contact with fireworks women, were quite curious about prying eyes, so they stared at her attentively while trying their best not to let her notice it.As for the young prostitute, she simply ignored the three women in the adjacent box. In fact, all women were ignored by her.After she sat down, she picked up a small silver binoculars and looked at the people in the box one by one, looking for faces she was familiar with.When she seemed to recognize someone, a charming smile would flicker across her mouth, her unique way of saying hello.Although her demeanor is frivolous, her eyes are seductive, which is the style that rich women are willing to exchange for large sums of money.

Just when Mary was watching it interestingly, Mrs. Jenkinson summoned the manager of the theater angrily and asked him why he didn't give them the luxury box in the middle. , tremblingly explained that the luxurious box in the middle had been booked by the Count of Leicester for a year. In fact, regardless of whether the Count of Leicester would come to the opera that night, he had booked a box in every theater in Paris. So that you will not be disappointed when you want to watch any show at any time.

Although Mrs. Jenkinson was dissatisfied, she had no choice but to retreat before the title of Earl of Leicester. What she comforted was that the box that should have been enjoyed by the Miss de Bauer family was occupied by an English nobleman. Better than a Frenchman without a king.Mary looked worriedly at the throne-like box in the center of the theater. The door was closed and no one was there, and no one entered until the opening music sounded. Mary felt less nervous. But she couldn't tell whether she was thankful or disappointed.