Miss Mary in Pride and Prejudice

One day after dinner, the ladies all went to the living room, and the gentlemen stayed in the dining room to smoke cigars. When Mary arrived in the living room, she realized that she had left her handbag in the dining room, and went back to get it.When she walked to the door, the arguing sounds coming from the half-covered door made her stop and listen attentively.

It was Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley arguing.Mr. Darcy's voice was very serious: "Charles, I really didn't expect you to be so reckless in terms of money. How could you invest such a large amount of money in such a project that is based on rumors?"

Mr. Bingley argued excitedly: "No, Fitzwilliam, I believe that this investment will definitely bring me no less than three times the return. I have carefully studied the investment report beforehand, and it is Cass of the reputable French Academy of Sciences. Mr. Terra personally went to South America to investigate. He said that the silver mine discovered in Pachuca, Mexico, is the largest gold and silver deposit ever discovered. There are at least 10 veins available for mining. It is amazing that Dr. Castella asserts that this deposit can be continuously mined for 400 years without being exhausted..."

There was strong disapproval in Mr. Darcy's voice: "But, Charles, don't forget that risks always coexist with opportunities, especially in South America, where the political situation is erratic and ever-changing, everything is even more unknown. , even if this silver mine really exists, it is difficult for you to guarantee that it will be mined smoothly."

Mr. Bingley's originally excited spirit suddenly became sluggish: "That would be the end of it. But now I can only put all my eggs in one basket and hope that the gods will protect me. I really have nowhere to go. Fitzwilliam, now I will not To tell you the truth, Howards End is on the verge of bankruptcy--I lost a fortune on Spanish bonds last year, and if I don't raise a hundred thousand pounds at once, Jane and my children will soon be homeless-- I'm going to have to sell everything I own to pay off the debt."

Mary couldn't help being terrified when she heard this. She had guessed from Mr. Bingley's attitude towards Miss Bingley that he might have encountered financial difficulties, but she didn't expect it to be so serious.

Mr. Darcy paced back and forth in the dining room for a while before he sighed and said: "Charles, in any case, you should discuss it with me. Spanish bonds are a scam. If I knew you would fall into this trap, you would definitely stop you."

Mr. Bingley said bitterly: "But at that time, you were being blackmailed by Mr. Wickham. I wanted to tell you and ask for your opinion, but I thought you were already troubled enough, so I didn't mention it in front of you-what a shame It’s a shame for a long time. At that time, the operation of Howard Manor encountered a little financial problem. If I had enough money to buy good-bred cows and build a well-equipped cattle farm, I would let Howard Manor go quickly. I was on the right track. At that time, a London broker whom I used to trust recommended Spanish bonds to me, saying that as long as the king sat on the throne for one day, the bonds would be paid, and the interest would be very considerable. All the funds on the side have been invested in it, and it even includes Corolla's [-] pounds of inheritance under my custody, which I have to give to my sister when she gets married..."

Now even Mary, who knows little about finance, is aware of the serious difficulties Mr. Bingley is facing - after a series of operating losses and investment failures, he has put all his assets in a very risky mine development plan ——This is undoubtedly gambling, and it is a bet on the happiness of the whole family.

Mary returned to the living room silently. Jane was trying on a new blouse for little Ellen with Elizabeth with a gentle smile on her face. She is determined to never let this situation happen.

The next day, Mary unexpectedly agreed to Miss Bingley's proposition when Miss Bingley proposed to return to Howard again. Jane was an easy-going person, although she wanted to stay with Elizabeth for a few more days, but since her sister and The sister-in-laws all thought that they should go home as soon as possible, and she agreed with them, and Mr. Bingley always listened to his wife.

Of course, Miss Bingley hoped that someone would agree with her opinion, but she didn't want that person to be Mary. She hoped that Mary would be willing to hide in the corner as an old maid, so the guard in her eyes when she looked at Mary was more obvious. Although she had declared, both in her heart and in her letters to her sister, that this mediocre country girl was not a threat to her Miss Bingley.

When Georgiana heard that Mary was going to leave, she was very sad, and she tried her best to persuade Mary to stay in Pemberley for two more months, because her wedding was scheduled for autumn, and she invited Mary to be her bridesmaid.Mary comforted her, saying: "My dear Georgiana, it has been a great honor to be your maid of honor, but Jane needs me more, and there is only twenty miles between Pemberley and Howard..."

Miss Bingley interjected angrily from the side: "Yes, Miss Mary is always on call, and she has nothing to do anyway." But Mr. Bingley glanced at him with a warning look, making her consciously turn to the next one. The ugly words were swallowed back. At present, she is still relying on her brother and doesn't want to completely turn against her brother-in-law, especially now that she has to keep her qualification to be a guest in Howard.

Even so, they still stayed for another full week under the gracious retention of the Darcys This state of the lady made everyone have a common guess. Originally, Elizabeth would use her influence to let Jane's family live until next month, but no one knew that Mary's plan was completely different from Miss Bingley's. , although the two of them have the same needs in terms of meeting Earl Leicester as soon as possible.

On the second day back at Howards End, Miss Bingley urged her brother to visit the Emerald Valley.Mr. Bingley disagreed with this. He told his sister that of course he should be courteous to his neighbors, but it should be the Earl of Leicester who came to visit first.Then no matter how his sister begged or coerced, he insisted on his principles without wavering.So in the afternoon Miss Bingley repeated her old trick, and invited Mary to go for a walk with her.

For this invitation, Mary was right in her arms, and the two young ladies once again walked together in an incoherent manner.They put on sunhats, took parasols, and dressed up more carefully than usual, then went out tacitly and walked towards the Emerald Valley.

To be honest, in the afternoon of this summer season, it is best to go out for a walk in the shade of the trees, and there is a section of the road leading to the Emerald Valley Manor with low heather bushes on both sides, under the scorching summer sun , the road surface is steaming faintly. In this weather, we should really stay in the corridor in the courtyard behind the Howard mansion, drink some iced coffee, and eat a piece of tiramisu. Bravely speed up the pace, regardless of the heat and fatigue, and march towards the Emerald Valley without hesitation.

When they reached the valley, the gurgling water and the shade from the cliffs on both sides of the stream soothed their thirst.But there is no one, and the Emerald Valley in summer is like a paradise, only the chirping birds and the occasional trout splashing out of the water.And this time Mary was not lost, she was already very familiar with the surrounding roads, so Miss Bingley hated in her heart, because she couldn't find a reason to go to the Emerald Valley mansion for help because she couldn't get rid of Mary.

Later, Mary was a little tired of this game, so she sat down under the boulder where she met the Earl last time, and took a nap with her eyes closed. Then she heard the sound of Miss Bingley sneaking away, and she laughed to herself: the same excuse used two Again, wasn't Miss Bingley ashamed of herself?

In fact, Miss Bingley, who was deliberately looking for opportunities, did not meet the nobleman she wanted to meet. When she arrived at the Emerald Valley Manor under the scorching sun, the solemn butler told her a very unfortunate news: the Earl was not at home, and he would not be able to meet until tomorrow. return.But Mary who stayed in the valley had an unexpected adventure.

It turned out that Mary had been enjoying the shade under the stone by the stream for a long time, but Miss Bingley hadn't sent anyone to look for her. She got a little impatient to wait, and it wasn't that she didn't really know the way, so she decided to take this opportunity to find out. .She went upstream along the direction of the stream, the water became thinner and more turbulent, and the woods became denser. There were several sections of the stream that passed through the dense forest. Mary thought it was very magical, and at the same time the beautiful scenery on both sides of the stream It also attracted her, and she went further and further away.

After walking about two miles on the mountain road, Mary could no longer see the boulders where she had stopped when she looked back. She was a little timid, afraid that she would really get lost and cause trouble to others, so she stopped Footsteps, intending to return along the same path.At this time, she suddenly found a strange thing placed at a bend in a stream.

When she got closer, she found that it was a fishing cage, which was delicately handcrafted. The body of the cage was made of vines, and became very thin at the neck. When she got up, she saw that two half-foot-long trout had been caught in the net. As soon as they left the water, the fish fluttered in panic. Mary quickly threw the fish cage into the water, but unexpectedly the fish cage suddenly tilted The two trout took the opportunity to wag their tails and disappeared without a trace.

Seeing that she had gotten into trouble, Mary was worried that the owner of the fish cage would come and see the embarrassment, so she quickly stood up and planned to leave. At this time, she heard an old voice behind her: "Miss, you let my dinner go."

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