Miss Mary in Pride and Prejudice

The curtain of the opera finally opened, and Mary looked at the program list sent by the manager of the theater. There was a detailed lineup of actors on it, and some of the names she had admired for a long time were like thunder.For example, the baritone actor Mr. Bennuchi who played Figaro and the soprano actress Miss Dela Casa who played Susanna. Their amazing singing voice and acting skills are spread throughout England, but unfortunately they have never set foot in England. island.

Therefore, after the first act began, Mary stared at the stage intently, and had no time for him.All the dialogue and songs are in French, although Mary has taken French lessons, it still sounds a bit laborious, especially in this comedy with endless tricks, intricate relationships and dazzling plots, but because Mary She had carefully studied Mr. Beaumarchais's script, so the chaotic situation caused by the love songs of men and women and various promises and promises did not confuse her, on the contrary, she enjoyed watching it.

Especially the beautiful singing voice of the day is even more mesmerizing. When Figaro played by Mr. Bennuchi sang "A man should go to the army", those people who were talking absent-mindedly below the stage finally turned their heads , cheering for him, Figaro shook his head and sang to the poor poor Cherubino who played the servant: "You don't have to be a lover anymore, and you don't have to talk about love every day. Don't comb your hair, spray perfume, and don't be full. Forget about the romantic affairs in your head. Forget about serenades and love letters, and throw away the red velvet hat and flower scarf..."

The rest of the lyrics were covered by thunderous applause. Mary retracted her body in displeasure, and turned her head to look at those arty people who didn't know how to appreciate real art, but when she turned her head, she seemed to be Like a spell, all the hustle and bustle subsided far away, because she found that there were people sitting in the central box that had been empty all along, and one of them was the Earl of Leicester.

No one cares about Cherubino's fate on the stage anymore. Mary's eyes are all entangled in Earl Leicester. He hasn't changed much since the last time he parted from her. No, maybe his appearance hasn't changed much. , but his demeanor is so calm and composed. His eyes overlooking the stage seem to be sympathetic to all beings, but in fact he has no expression on his face. Mary thinks that he makes her very strange.

Then, she noticed the woman sitting next to the count. She recognized at a glance that it was the woman she met at the door of the jewelry store on the Champs-Elysées Avenue during the day. She had already changed into an evening dress studded with pearls. , and the beautiful lily brooch was pinned on her chest. In order to set off the brilliant yellow diamond, the beauty hardly wore any other jewelry, except for her radiant gown. , wearing an ancient Greek-style cashmere shawl.Completely different from the count's calm and detached attitude, she seemed to have the enthusiasm unique to French women. She applauded Figaro enthusiastically and threw a bouquet of golden jasmine flowers in her hand onto the stage. The first act ends when Figaro picks up a bouquet of yellow jasmine flowers and exaggerates kisses and bows to the audience.

The intermission between the first act and the second act was very short, and most people chose to stay in their seats, so the buzzing voices started, and the girl wearing the lily brooch also asked Earl Leicester Leaning over, the two were talking about something very intimately, and Mary felt like a fire was burning in her heart-you never know how much you like someone until you see him with someone else.

Just when Mary had been staring at the central box and couldn't take her eyes off, the Earl of Leicester suddenly looked up and saw her.He was taken aback, stood up from the chair, and leaned out of the box, as if to make sure that he had read correctly.Mary's mood suddenly became disturbed, and she quickly turned her eyes to see the clown who was juggling on the stage.But at this time, the Earl of Leicester not only recognized her, but also Anne, and waved his hand. Anne happily nodded to the earl. The earl simply returned the salute, and left his box.

Annie reminded Mary who was staring at the stage in a daze: "Honey, I think the Earl of Leicester will come to visit us soon." Mary bit her lip and decided that since it was inevitable, she would come to the meeting pretending to be nonchalant. to him.Sure enough, the door of the box was knocked soon, and Mrs. Jenkinson invited the Earl of Leicester to come in. The Earl seemed surprised that Mary appeared in Paris, but his demeanor was the same as before, and he greeted her family with courtesy and thoughtfulness. On the contrary, Mary was too flustered to answer fluently, and despised herself several times in her heart.

Then Annie undertook all the tasks of the conversation. She briefly explained the reason and schedule of the trip to the earl. The earl said that after receiving her note, he arranged the meeting for a week because of the complicated things. After that, but it happened that tomorrow a friend changed the original date due to something, so he will be free all day tomorrow, and he hopes to go to the hotel to visit the two ladies.Anne agreed with a smile. The earl would occasionally pay attention to Mary's face during the conversation, which made Mary worry that her expression was unnatural, so she couldn't cheer up to speak. greetings, and then remained silent.The count didn't sit for long, and when the music of the second act sounded, he took his leave.

Mary did not understand the plot of the second act at all. In fact, she only heard a few lines of the lyrics when the actor sang the most famous aria: "Do you know what love is?" I want to tell you all about my mood. I can't explain this wonderful feeling, I just feel that my heart is churning. Sometimes I am happy, sometimes sad, love is like a fire burning in my chest..." This song touched After leaving her, she couldn't restrain herself from frequently looking in the direction of the central box, and found that the Earl was also looking in her direction, which made her feel a lot better.

But Miss Cynthia's shining brooch often hurt her eyes, and Mary found that this distinguished princess was very enthusiastic and unrestrained. She kept staring at the stage, laughing and screaming from time to time. , applause, or clenched fists angrily and waved on the stage... A lovely girl with such rich emotions and beauty at the same time, which man would not be moved by her?How can I expect him to always fall in love with an ordinary girl with an ordinary appearance and a dull temperament?

The second act ended with the chorus of all the actors on the stage. It was a funny septet. The actors had different expressions, some were complacent, some were gloating, some were pitiful, some were full of sympathy, and some were bewildered Measures, the audience returned the wonderful performances of the actors with warm applause.The curtain is closed, and the intermission time will be longer this time. Ladies will go to the dressing room to touch up makeup, secretly compare each other's clothing and hairstyles in their hearts, or gossip about various anecdotes that happened recently; gentlemen They will go to the theater corridor to smoke, chat with friends, or go to the theater bar to have a cocktail.

Anne said that the theater was a bit stuffy, and she wanted to go to the corridor to get some air. Mrs. Jenkinson accompanied her. Mary was afraid that she would run into the Earl of Leicester in the corridor. She couldn't imagine how embarrassing it would be, so she said I just want to stay in the box.Not long after Anne went out, most of the boxes were vacated. In the central box, Miss Cynthia also walked out of the door holding the arm of Earl Leicester. Mary breathed a sigh of relief, she finally had time to sort out her messy mood .

However, she did not get a few minutes of peace. There was a knock on the door, and then the Earl of Leicester appeared at the door, followed this time by the French princess.The Earl of Leicester said politely to Mary: "Miss Bennet, please forgive me, but I would like to introduce you to a friend——Miss Cynthia Clovis."

Mary had to stand up and shake hands with the princess. Looking closely at this lady, she was even more beautiful. She had a Greek-style round face, blue eyes like a pool of autumn water, and a straight and small nose. The painters were amazed, and her attitude was very clear and friendly. After introducing each other, she said in fluent English: "I often hear the earl mention your name, Miss Bennet, the earl praised you as a well-read Talented women."

Mary blushed a little, and said hastily, "The earl is overrated. I just read for entertainment when I have nothing to do. You know, I have always lived in the English countryside, and the life there is not as colorful as Paris."

Miss Cynthia sighed loudly: "I like the rural life in England very much. I have never been to my father's manor in Ardèche. It is said that the farmers there are ignorant and rough. During the Grape Picking Festival in Leicester Castle, it is amazing that the lord can work, gather and eat together with the farmers."

Mary replied softly: "Yes, I have been there before, and I was very impressed. It was a really happy time." When she said this, the Earl of Leicester looked at her intently.

It can be seen that Miss Cynthia has poured her true feelings into Earl Leicester, she looked at him with love in her eyes, every word she said was to please him, and even making friends was to take care of him Emotions.

Then they talked about the opera they were watching, and the Earl of Leicester saw that Mary was holding Mr. Beaumarche's script in his hand, and explained to her: "The script performed today is not Mr. Beaumarchais's original. , but the version adapted by Mr. Burnt, an outstanding Austrian court poet, and composed by Mr. Mozart, a great European composer, is more compact and humorous than the original, and the music is also more expressive."

Mary has never heard of Mr. Burnt, but Mr. Mozart is a musical genius she has long admired. Among the piano concertos she often plays, there are many Mozart works, so she listened with great interest to the count's continuation: "Although this comedy has been well-received throughout Europe, it is a pity that His Majesty Joseph II, the Emperor of Austria, considered it offensive and banned it from being staged in Vienna."

He paused, looked at the disapproving expression on Mary's face, and smiled softly: "However, it is precisely because of His Majesty's willful decision that we have the honor to listen to the band performance directed by the musical genius himself. I have to say, indeed Well-deserved reputation."

Mary asked in surprise: "What? Are you saying that Mr. Mozart is here? Did he direct the music just now?" Miss Cynthia and the count both laughed. Mary was a little ashamed of her ignorance, but the count Immediately stood up considerately, and asked the personal servant waiting outside the door to ask Mr. Mozart to come over.Mary was shocked by his power, that he could call a great musician immediately, but seeing Miss Cynthia's nonchalant expression, she knew that this must be the Earl's usual method.

Mr. Mozart came in. It seemed that he was very familiar with Miss Cynthia. The princess sat lazily on her seat and stretched out her hand to him. Mr. Mozart bowed and kissed the back of her hand.The music master stepped down from the music world but was so humble and humble, which really surprised Mary. Her extremely admiring and admiring attitude made the master flattered and thanked again and again.But Mr. Mozart left after a while, because the third act was about to start, and he had to organize the band to get ready, and Anne and Mrs. Jenkinson also came back. After some introductions and compliments, Mr. Earl and Miss Cynthia finally After saying goodbye and leaving, Mary sat back in the chair as if all her strength had been pulled away.

Anne sent Mrs. Jenkinson to buy herself a glass of cider martini, and she took the opportunity to cheer up Mary and said: "My dear, it must be because of you that the earl has been so gracious to visit twice - I sent someone When I sent him the note, he would not be able to see me until a week later, but now he is going to visit us at the hotel tomorrow. Don't worry about the princess, the situation in France is changing rapidly, Besides, they even cut off the head of the king, who would care about the duke? Just wait, when the opera is over, the count will definitely come to say goodbye in person." Her words made Mary feel much better. So when Figaro and his girlfriend had a misunderstanding on the stage, Mary was able to explain the plot to Annie again.

But before the third act was over, the Earl of Leicester left ahead of time with Miss Cynthia on his arm. He put the cashmere shawl on Miss Cynthia's shoulders in a caring manner, and then they walked out of the door of the box arm in arm. The lights in the corridor flickered at the door.The back of him turning away was like a ray of sunlight pulling away from the earth, leaving Mary in the boundless darkness.

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