Miss Mary in Pride and Prejudice
Chapter 35 The Ball in the Duke's Mansion
The opera finally came to an end around midnight that night.When Mary walked out of the Grand Opera House and passed the passionate group of nude sculptures, she no longer looked at them from the perspective of artistic appreciation, but felt extraordinarily glaring. In the carriage going back, she seemed to prevent others from having the opportunity to say Expressing sympathy or comforting words, Mary kept talking about the ending of the opera just now: "This opera seems to have a happy ending on the surface, but in fact there are still hidden elements of tragedy. The perpetrators were not punished, but His attempt to do evil was defeated because of the wisdom of the weak. The flirtatious earl would still mess with the young and beautiful maid whenever he had the chance, and the most pitiful thing was that kind countess..."
Mrs. Jenkinson agreed with her point of view very much, and delivered a rather professional speech on the different singing styles of actors: "In my opinion, Figaro's singing is too slick, which makes the characters appear oily and does not reflect A firm and witty character. As for the role of Rosina, she is the best lyrical soprano I have ever heard, elegant and reserved. Susanna is lively and simple, and Cherubino is innocent and lovely... From the count suspecting that there is a man hiding in the lady's room The duet at the beginning, the trio when Suzanne appeared after the door opened, and then the gardener joined to form a quartet, and finally ended with a septet. The composer used the brisk melody and concise and clear phrases to push the plot to the climax of dramatic conflict... ...a rare masterpiece!"
Her tirade was drowsy, but Mary was more than ever grateful for Mrs. Jenkinson's chatter, because it absolved her of the obligation to talk, and Mrs. Jenkinson was only interested in enjoying the conversation, not at all. Needing someone else to express her personal opinion, she has stayed with Mrs. de Bower for too long, and she has acquired some old lady's willful habits.
Back at the hotel, Anne saw that Mary was extremely depressed, so regardless of her physical fatigue and Mrs. Jenkinson's presence, she said bluntly to Mary: "Dear Mary, I really can't bear to see you worrying about gains and losses and deceiving yourself like this..." But The look in Mary's weeping eyes made her unable to continue, so she let out a long sigh, hugged Mary, and said, "Honey, go to bed and have a good sleep, tomorrow you will be full of strength."
The Earl of Leicester arrived at the hotel at nine o'clock the next morning. To say that this time really did not conform to the Parisian routine, it can only be said that he was a little too impatient to meet someone.The good thing is that Anne and Mary have already got up early and had breakfast according to the British work and rest habits, and because it was still early, the cozy little reception room in the hotel was empty.Anne received the Earl of Leicester there. She took Mary to accompany her, and after exchanging pleasantries, she left for a while under the pretext of going back to the room to pick up the documents.
Mary felt awkward during this time alone with the count, she didn't know what to say, and the count seemed equally unsteady, walking up and down the room, tapping his fingers now and then on the mantelpiece. With brass decorations, the interior is extremely quiet, and even the sound of firewood burning in the fireplace can be clearly heard.
After a while, the count asked Mary about what she had seen and heard during her travels, so they talked about the experience of crossing the British Channel by boat, and the scenery along the way from Calais to Paris. Tell the earl about the coincidence.
The count pondered for a while after hearing this, and then slowly said: "Well, I have always attached great importance to Mr. Lisbon's talent. He came from a noble family, but devoted himself to the priesthood. He is a very ambitious young man. But he is not the church of that area. Pastor, I just asked him to act for a while while the parish priest was on leave to recuperate in the Mediterranean - he had been working as a private secretary to the Archbishop of Canterbury in London."
Mary didn't expect Mr. Lisbon to have such connections and background, so she couldn't help being a little surprised.But the count obviously didn't want to discuss this topic in depth, so he took another two steps and asked determinedly: "What do you think of Miss Cynthia? Do you like this new friend?"
Mary thought about her words and replied: "Of course I like it very much. I think the princess is very kind and friendly, and she is so beautiful and charming, so cheerful and generous, so..." She hasn't finished saying so many "so"s to Miss Cynthia, Annie took the documents and came back, secretly glad that she finally didn't have to praise a woman so against her will.
However, when the count saw that Anne was relieved as soon as she came in, his face became gloomy. He took the folder entrusted by Mr. Davis, opened it, looked at it carefully, and promised that Anne would hand it over to a reliable person. hands, Annie is naturally grateful to him.The earl left quickly, and did not change his mind because of Anne's efforts to keep him.
But before leaving, he took out a few invitations, which were the invitations that Miss Cynthia asked him to pass on to the three new friends. Just three days later, there will be a grand ball at the residence of the Duke of Clovis. All the princes, dignitaries, gentlemen and ladies of Paris, even Mrs. Jenkinson were invited.
After the Earl left, Mrs. Jenkinson was very grateful for the Duchess' attention to her. Yesterday she also commented on Cynthia's dress that was too fancy. Today, she said all good things for the Duchess: "She is so beautiful, she can be called noble and elegant, If you want me to say, she and the Earl are a perfect match... Especially her well-tailored dress, which accentuates her figure, makes the Earl look down on her..."
All day long she prattled on about the various advantages and advantages of the princess, only to have unexpected results.Mary, who originally wanted to excuse herself, was finally inspired to be aggressive. She stroked Elizabeth's blue dress hanging on the hanger, winked at Anne, and said with a smile: "Then we won't let him take it down." See?" Annie clapped her hands in relief and laughed.
On the day of the ball, Mary stayed in her room from the afternoon to dress up, and Anne invited the most outstanding tailor and hairdresser in Paris to serve Mary.As for Anne herself, due to the miscarriage, her body has not yet fully recovered, her face is sickly, she looks haggard and pale, she is just an ordinary married noble woman, she came to the reception room early, and greeted her with Mrs. Jenkinson Earl of Leicester.
Because they didn't have a carriage, they agreed in advance that the Earl of Leicester's carriage would pick them up on the way to the ball. Mr. Earl arrived at five o'clock in the afternoon, and then they drank tea and waited in the reception room until seven o'clock. Did not go downstairs.Mrs. Jenkinson couldn't help complaining: "My God, it takes four hours to put on makeup, which is unheard of." The Earl was not in a hurry, he was leisurely flipping through the newspaper in his hand, and looked at the door expectantly from time to time.
At a quarter past seven, Mary finally came downstairs, but was it really Mary?She was wearing a sea-blue velvet ball gown, which had been expertly trimmed to make Mary's figure look slender and slender. There are star points and starbursts, which flicker as you walk.She was covered with a pure white fox fur shawl, and matched with that fox fur muff, she looked extraordinarily luxurious.On a thin white gold chain around her fully exposed neck was an aquamarine the size of a hazelnut, flanked by a pear-shaped white diamond the size of a sesame seed, which perfectly complemented the color of Marie's eyes.Her thick honey-colored hair was pulled back in an elegant chignon, decorated with a set of exquisite tortoiseshell combs, very fashionable and very luxurious.
Anne smiled and stood up and hugged Mary, looked at her carefully, then turned her head and said to the count with a smile: "Mr. Earl, don't you think it is worth waiting for these four hours?"
The Earl of Leicester stared at Mary intently for a long time before he showed a sincere smile. He stepped forward, held Mary's hand, kissed the back of her hand, and said, "Of course it's worth it. You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen." Beautiful lady, Miss Bennet." Mary had gained confidence from herself in the mirror just now, and at this moment she recognized herself even more, and she said charmingly: "Thank you, Earl."
Annie caressed her chest with her hand, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart: "This silly girl finally has a day of enlightenment." Then her fox fur shawl, her tortoiseshell comb, her aquamarine...all Not in vain.
The Earl of Leicester's carriage arrived at the residence of the Duke of Clovis near the Place de la Concorde on time at eight o'clock.Numerous candle torches illuminated the inside and outside of the duke's mansion like daylight. There was a lot of traffic in front of the gate, and horse-drawn carriages brought groups of well-dressed gentlemen and ladies. All kinds of government officials and foreign envoys wore their unique uniforms. , mingled among them with their heads held high, accepting compliments or contempt from everyone, a large number of beauties piled up with lace and jewelry ostentatiously displayed their most beautiful demeanor, countless tabloid reporters braved the cold wind and stood under the steps Frantically identifying the names of the dignitaries who came to the ball, and some people with suspicious identities who looked like followers were poking around, looking for the latest news that accidentally leaked from those high-spirited talks...
When the Earl of Leicester's carriage stopped in front of the mansion, the Earl of Leicester's valet jumped out neatly to put the shelf. He got out of the car, and according to the custom, he led the married Anne on his arm, and Mary and Mrs. Jenkinson followed closely behind.Mary could not help feeling a little vanity when she heard several gentlemen asking for her name.
As soon as they entered the resplendent hall, they saw the gray-haired old prince and the beautiful princess standing side by side at the door to welcome the distinguished guests.The old Duke still looked healthy, at least his mind was as sharp and astute as a young man's. He shook hands with the Earl of Leicester enthusiastically, and when the Earl introduced Mary to him, he used a slightly exaggerated French style. The tone of voice praised Mary's beauty.
In comparison, the Duchess was more enthusiastic than her father, but it was a pity that it was only for the Earl himself. For Anne, she only exchanged a few words with the attitude of a casual acquaintance, nothing like the first meeting at the Grand Opera House that day. Harmonious and charming.Mary knew in her heart that maybe the princess felt threatened all of a sudden, but she didn't feel treated poorly because of the indifference of the master's family—she and the princess had only casual acquaintances.
At the dinner before the ball, Marie was arranged between a young Directorate finance minister and an Italian nobleman living in Paris. It hints at how important Mary's own position in the Directory is.And another Italian nobleman, although he has reached middle age, is still suave and suave. His compliments to the lady are more attractive, and his demeanor is more in line with the taste of the upper class. Smile, nod, and agree politely, because the etiquette requirement of talking to your neighbors at a banquet is more thorough in continental Europe than in Britain.
Later, Mr. Minister talked about General Napoleon who was trapped in Egypt: "I heard that after being sniped by your British army, he diverted to Syria, and encountered many difficulties there, mainly because of the shortage of food and pay. There is also the epidemic, but if he hadn't expressed his allegiance to the Directorate, he could have received the full assistance of the French government..." The minister said happily, "Of course, he is not favored by the Earl of Leicester, and it is An important reason, um, Mr. Earl has made great contributions to the establishment of the First French Republic, it is impossible for the First Consul to ignore his likes and dislikes..."
Mary subconsciously looked at Earl Leicester, they were so far apart, he was sitting at the head, and next to him was the alluring princess, who was teasing him with a charming smile, and there were no less than ten young people surrounding her Turning around, vying to show their courtesy, but there is no doubt that she only has the earl in her eyes.As for the earl's intentions, it's hard to guess. He is very attentive to her, but still keeps a proper distance, and sometimes seems unfathomable. went in.
The author has something to say:
Mrs. Jenkinson agreed with her point of view very much, and delivered a rather professional speech on the different singing styles of actors: "In my opinion, Figaro's singing is too slick, which makes the characters appear oily and does not reflect A firm and witty character. As for the role of Rosina, she is the best lyrical soprano I have ever heard, elegant and reserved. Susanna is lively and simple, and Cherubino is innocent and lovely... From the count suspecting that there is a man hiding in the lady's room The duet at the beginning, the trio when Suzanne appeared after the door opened, and then the gardener joined to form a quartet, and finally ended with a septet. The composer used the brisk melody and concise and clear phrases to push the plot to the climax of dramatic conflict... ...a rare masterpiece!"
Her tirade was drowsy, but Mary was more than ever grateful for Mrs. Jenkinson's chatter, because it absolved her of the obligation to talk, and Mrs. Jenkinson was only interested in enjoying the conversation, not at all. Needing someone else to express her personal opinion, she has stayed with Mrs. de Bower for too long, and she has acquired some old lady's willful habits.
Back at the hotel, Anne saw that Mary was extremely depressed, so regardless of her physical fatigue and Mrs. Jenkinson's presence, she said bluntly to Mary: "Dear Mary, I really can't bear to see you worrying about gains and losses and deceiving yourself like this..." But The look in Mary's weeping eyes made her unable to continue, so she let out a long sigh, hugged Mary, and said, "Honey, go to bed and have a good sleep, tomorrow you will be full of strength."
The Earl of Leicester arrived at the hotel at nine o'clock the next morning. To say that this time really did not conform to the Parisian routine, it can only be said that he was a little too impatient to meet someone.The good thing is that Anne and Mary have already got up early and had breakfast according to the British work and rest habits, and because it was still early, the cozy little reception room in the hotel was empty.Anne received the Earl of Leicester there. She took Mary to accompany her, and after exchanging pleasantries, she left for a while under the pretext of going back to the room to pick up the documents.
Mary felt awkward during this time alone with the count, she didn't know what to say, and the count seemed equally unsteady, walking up and down the room, tapping his fingers now and then on the mantelpiece. With brass decorations, the interior is extremely quiet, and even the sound of firewood burning in the fireplace can be clearly heard.
After a while, the count asked Mary about what she had seen and heard during her travels, so they talked about the experience of crossing the British Channel by boat, and the scenery along the way from Calais to Paris. Tell the earl about the coincidence.
The count pondered for a while after hearing this, and then slowly said: "Well, I have always attached great importance to Mr. Lisbon's talent. He came from a noble family, but devoted himself to the priesthood. He is a very ambitious young man. But he is not the church of that area. Pastor, I just asked him to act for a while while the parish priest was on leave to recuperate in the Mediterranean - he had been working as a private secretary to the Archbishop of Canterbury in London."
Mary didn't expect Mr. Lisbon to have such connections and background, so she couldn't help being a little surprised.But the count obviously didn't want to discuss this topic in depth, so he took another two steps and asked determinedly: "What do you think of Miss Cynthia? Do you like this new friend?"
Mary thought about her words and replied: "Of course I like it very much. I think the princess is very kind and friendly, and she is so beautiful and charming, so cheerful and generous, so..." She hasn't finished saying so many "so"s to Miss Cynthia, Annie took the documents and came back, secretly glad that she finally didn't have to praise a woman so against her will.
However, when the count saw that Anne was relieved as soon as she came in, his face became gloomy. He took the folder entrusted by Mr. Davis, opened it, looked at it carefully, and promised that Anne would hand it over to a reliable person. hands, Annie is naturally grateful to him.The earl left quickly, and did not change his mind because of Anne's efforts to keep him.
But before leaving, he took out a few invitations, which were the invitations that Miss Cynthia asked him to pass on to the three new friends. Just three days later, there will be a grand ball at the residence of the Duke of Clovis. All the princes, dignitaries, gentlemen and ladies of Paris, even Mrs. Jenkinson were invited.
After the Earl left, Mrs. Jenkinson was very grateful for the Duchess' attention to her. Yesterday she also commented on Cynthia's dress that was too fancy. Today, she said all good things for the Duchess: "She is so beautiful, she can be called noble and elegant, If you want me to say, she and the Earl are a perfect match... Especially her well-tailored dress, which accentuates her figure, makes the Earl look down on her..."
All day long she prattled on about the various advantages and advantages of the princess, only to have unexpected results.Mary, who originally wanted to excuse herself, was finally inspired to be aggressive. She stroked Elizabeth's blue dress hanging on the hanger, winked at Anne, and said with a smile: "Then we won't let him take it down." See?" Annie clapped her hands in relief and laughed.
On the day of the ball, Mary stayed in her room from the afternoon to dress up, and Anne invited the most outstanding tailor and hairdresser in Paris to serve Mary.As for Anne herself, due to the miscarriage, her body has not yet fully recovered, her face is sickly, she looks haggard and pale, she is just an ordinary married noble woman, she came to the reception room early, and greeted her with Mrs. Jenkinson Earl of Leicester.
Because they didn't have a carriage, they agreed in advance that the Earl of Leicester's carriage would pick them up on the way to the ball. Mr. Earl arrived at five o'clock in the afternoon, and then they drank tea and waited in the reception room until seven o'clock. Did not go downstairs.Mrs. Jenkinson couldn't help complaining: "My God, it takes four hours to put on makeup, which is unheard of." The Earl was not in a hurry, he was leisurely flipping through the newspaper in his hand, and looked at the door expectantly from time to time.
At a quarter past seven, Mary finally came downstairs, but was it really Mary?She was wearing a sea-blue velvet ball gown, which had been expertly trimmed to make Mary's figure look slender and slender. There are star points and starbursts, which flicker as you walk.She was covered with a pure white fox fur shawl, and matched with that fox fur muff, she looked extraordinarily luxurious.On a thin white gold chain around her fully exposed neck was an aquamarine the size of a hazelnut, flanked by a pear-shaped white diamond the size of a sesame seed, which perfectly complemented the color of Marie's eyes.Her thick honey-colored hair was pulled back in an elegant chignon, decorated with a set of exquisite tortoiseshell combs, very fashionable and very luxurious.
Anne smiled and stood up and hugged Mary, looked at her carefully, then turned her head and said to the count with a smile: "Mr. Earl, don't you think it is worth waiting for these four hours?"
The Earl of Leicester stared at Mary intently for a long time before he showed a sincere smile. He stepped forward, held Mary's hand, kissed the back of her hand, and said, "Of course it's worth it. You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen." Beautiful lady, Miss Bennet." Mary had gained confidence from herself in the mirror just now, and at this moment she recognized herself even more, and she said charmingly: "Thank you, Earl."
Annie caressed her chest with her hand, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart: "This silly girl finally has a day of enlightenment." Then her fox fur shawl, her tortoiseshell comb, her aquamarine...all Not in vain.
The Earl of Leicester's carriage arrived at the residence of the Duke of Clovis near the Place de la Concorde on time at eight o'clock.Numerous candle torches illuminated the inside and outside of the duke's mansion like daylight. There was a lot of traffic in front of the gate, and horse-drawn carriages brought groups of well-dressed gentlemen and ladies. All kinds of government officials and foreign envoys wore their unique uniforms. , mingled among them with their heads held high, accepting compliments or contempt from everyone, a large number of beauties piled up with lace and jewelry ostentatiously displayed their most beautiful demeanor, countless tabloid reporters braved the cold wind and stood under the steps Frantically identifying the names of the dignitaries who came to the ball, and some people with suspicious identities who looked like followers were poking around, looking for the latest news that accidentally leaked from those high-spirited talks...
When the Earl of Leicester's carriage stopped in front of the mansion, the Earl of Leicester's valet jumped out neatly to put the shelf. He got out of the car, and according to the custom, he led the married Anne on his arm, and Mary and Mrs. Jenkinson followed closely behind.Mary could not help feeling a little vanity when she heard several gentlemen asking for her name.
As soon as they entered the resplendent hall, they saw the gray-haired old prince and the beautiful princess standing side by side at the door to welcome the distinguished guests.The old Duke still looked healthy, at least his mind was as sharp and astute as a young man's. He shook hands with the Earl of Leicester enthusiastically, and when the Earl introduced Mary to him, he used a slightly exaggerated French style. The tone of voice praised Mary's beauty.
In comparison, the Duchess was more enthusiastic than her father, but it was a pity that it was only for the Earl himself. For Anne, she only exchanged a few words with the attitude of a casual acquaintance, nothing like the first meeting at the Grand Opera House that day. Harmonious and charming.Mary knew in her heart that maybe the princess felt threatened all of a sudden, but she didn't feel treated poorly because of the indifference of the master's family—she and the princess had only casual acquaintances.
At the dinner before the ball, Marie was arranged between a young Directorate finance minister and an Italian nobleman living in Paris. It hints at how important Mary's own position in the Directory is.And another Italian nobleman, although he has reached middle age, is still suave and suave. His compliments to the lady are more attractive, and his demeanor is more in line with the taste of the upper class. Smile, nod, and agree politely, because the etiquette requirement of talking to your neighbors at a banquet is more thorough in continental Europe than in Britain.
Later, Mr. Minister talked about General Napoleon who was trapped in Egypt: "I heard that after being sniped by your British army, he diverted to Syria, and encountered many difficulties there, mainly because of the shortage of food and pay. There is also the epidemic, but if he hadn't expressed his allegiance to the Directorate, he could have received the full assistance of the French government..." The minister said happily, "Of course, he is not favored by the Earl of Leicester, and it is An important reason, um, Mr. Earl has made great contributions to the establishment of the First French Republic, it is impossible for the First Consul to ignore his likes and dislikes..."
Mary subconsciously looked at Earl Leicester, they were so far apart, he was sitting at the head, and next to him was the alluring princess, who was teasing him with a charming smile, and there were no less than ten young people surrounding her Turning around, vying to show their courtesy, but there is no doubt that she only has the earl in her eyes.As for the earl's intentions, it's hard to guess. He is very attentive to her, but still keeps a proper distance, and sometimes seems unfathomable. went in.
The author has something to say:
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