Miss Mary in Pride and Prejudice

Mary was startled, and turned her head quickly, and saw an old woman with a kind face standing not far away, holding a basket in her hand, which contained a large handful of lettuce leaves and a few zucchini.The old woman's clothes were simple and neat, with a clean plaid kerchief and an apron on her head, which looked very pleasing to the eye.

After seeing Mary's face, the old woman couldn't help being stunned, and then her eyes lit up, she looked at Mary with a smile, Mary was a little confused by her look, and said apologetically: "I'm sorry, madam, I'm just curious There are still people here who are using fish cages to catch fish, so they accidentally knocked down the fish cages, and I am willing to compensate you for the loss..." She said this, and went to find the change in her handbag.

The old woman quickly said: "It's okay, it's okay, I just had nothing to do and made a fish cage. In fact, my master, the Earl of Leicester, will send me enough ingredients every half a month. You don't have to worry about food and clothing at all, so kind lady, please put away your money bags."

Mary was surprised when she heard Lester's name: "So you are a servant of the Earl's House?" The old woman said with a smile: "Yes, I used to serve the Earl's mother, Mrs. At that time, he had not inherited the title and property of the Leicester family.” The old woman introduced herself as Mrs. James, and she saw that Mary was very interested, so she invited Mary to her log cabin for a cup of herbal tea. This is an opportunity to talk about the past and to comfort myself. Although the life here is quiet and peaceful, it is very lonely.

Mary was so curious that she agreed to Mrs. James' invitation, so they walked along a forest path for more than ten minutes, and came to a clearing in the forest. The small wooden house, the design of the house is very simple and practical, without too much decoration, but the yellow tulips are planted outside the door, which is very fragrant and charming.Mrs. James told Mary: "This is Mrs. Essex's favorite flower. I helped her take care of these flowers all day long, so I developed the habit of planting them. Other flowers can't be seen. "

Mary murmured, "It's very beautiful." Mrs. James invited her to sit down in the room, and saw that although the furniture in the room was simple, they were all very comfortable. The overall style is very in tune, and Mary can't help but praise a few words.While pouring tea for Mary, Mrs. James said: "These were all given to me by the earl. Since my poor wife passed away, I left the Essex house and have been working as a maid for others. I haven't saved much. Savings, fortunately, the earl missed the old days, and when I was old and weak, he was willing to take care of me and give me a place to live..." She looked around everything in the house, and continued, "It's exactly the same as the original home. Every time I come to Emerald Valley, I will come here to sit and have a cup of tea I made." Mary suddenly realized why the furnishings in the house looked so familiar, it turned out to be the same as the former residence of the Earl of Leicester in the Lake District. Very approximate.

Mary took a sip of the herbal tea, which smelled like mint. She asked, "Is this tea the old flavor?" Mrs. James replied with a smile, "Yes, Mrs. Essex made the recipe herself. out." Mary said, thinking of the yellow tulips, "Mrs. Essex is a fine lady indeed."

As soon as someone praised her mistress, Mrs. James smiled and said, "Yes, she is the kindest and kindest mistress I have ever seen, but it is a pity that she was worried about her livelihood all day long when she was alive. Time and energy to enjoy it all." She said with a soft sigh.

Seeing that Mary wanted to hear it, Mrs. James came to chat: "Do you know? Although the Earl of Leicester is very rich now, when he was young, he didn't even have a decent coat. The poor lady wept for a long time. But she was so in love with the Earl's father, Mr. Robert Essex, and never complained. She was the most patient woman. In order to give Mr. Davy a good education, they The couple cut down on food and clothing, even when the wife was sick, they couldn't afford to hire a doctor..."

Mrs. James was a little sad, but the sadness caused by the old events quickly dissipated, and she continued, "Later, my wife passed away due to illness. It is sad to say that it is just typhoid fever. If it is treated in time, nothing will happen. Yes, but the best time for treatment was delayed in order to save money... After the wife passed away, the old man was so sad that he followed him soon after. Mr. David was not yet 14 years old and had to drop out of school to give Those rich kids were equestrian instructors—he was smart since he was a child, he learned everything in no time, he was excellent in everything he did, his wife and husband were very proud of him when they were alive—and then his distant uncle passed away There is no heir, and Mr. David inherited the title of the Leicester family and became very rich, but it is a pity that neither the wife nor the husband can enjoy it."

Mary had previously heard the anecdote of the Earl of Leicester inheriting the family heritage, but she had never heard of his childhood and youth life experiences from such a close audience. She thought that these might affect his current attitude towards people and things Bar.After talking in this way for a while, when the sun was setting in the west, Mary heard a voice in the distance, and guessing that Miss Bingley had called for "salvage" to find her "lost" lady, she took leave of Mrs. James.

Mrs. James asked her to come and sit if she was free, because the life in the log cabin was lonely and needed someone to come and talk from time to time.Mary thanked her and went out the door. She had just set foot on the forest path when she heard Mrs. James calling her. It turned out that she was handing him a bouquet of tulips. Mary took the flowers, but she heard Mrs. James say with a smile: " Really please come often, miss, I feel very kind when I see you, because your eyes are exactly the same as those of the late Mrs. Essex, so pure that there is no worldly dust, and you are so knowledgeable , Quiet and shy."

Mary really smiled shyly at her, and went back the way she had come.In the valley, she met a dejected Miss Bingley and a respectful and serious butler. They brought a group of servants to look for her lady who was good at "lost". They must be very disapproving in their hearts.

When they returned to Howards End, Miss Bingley was disappointed and exhausted. She went back to her room to rest without even eating dinner. She unceremoniously blamed Mary for this encounter, saying that if it wasn't for Mary, she would always get lost easily. It would not be so embarrassing, but this kind of lie is obviously not convincing enough for the brother-in-law who knows her well, so Jane and Charles pay more attention to whether Mary has been wronged, and Miss Bingley becomes more and more annoyed.

Mary is in a good mood. She plans to find another opportunity to visit Mrs. James in two days. Maybe she can send a message to the Earl of Leicester after getting acquainted, because she heard from the old lady that the Earl of Leicester often visits the cabin. , and she urgently asked the earl for help.

As if she had a heart-to-heart connection, before she made up her mind to visit the Emerald Valley again, the Earl of Leicester came to visit his neighbors the next morning.Miss Bingley was the first to spot the figure of the earl riding a horse from the window. She immediately rang the bell and called the maid who was helping Mary bathe Ellen to her room to help her tidy her hair, so that Mary couldn't hold Ellen alone. Allen, was lathered all over his skirt.

Then, the Earl of Leicester saw the glamorous Miss Bingley and the rather embarrassed Mary in the living room. Her hair was pulled out and her clothes were disheveled.He glanced at her with a meaningful smile, which made Mary very angry, because she believed that he had bad intentions, and she couldn't help but suspect that he was laughing at her, but she had to put on a smile when she thought that she had something to ask. , entertain distinguished guests in a courteous manner.

Mr. Bingley was very surprised to see Mary come out to meet guests so casually, but he was easy-going and naturally said nothing, but Jane knew that his sister had been busy inside and out since getting up in the morning, because yesterday a washerwoman and a kitchen The handyman resigned at the same time, and the mansion in the mansion was even more tense.

The Earl of Leicester still behaved in the usual quiet manner in front of the crowd, so Miss Bingley almost monopolized the conversation. She was really scary when she talked, and she narrated yesterday's adventure in the Emerald Valley even more clearly, but Mary didn't like to listen to it very much. She described herself as a foolish and bewildered woman, and it was only thanks to Miss Bingley's tact and calmness that she called for rescuers to rescue her from the ravine.For such a strange story, the earl listened very gracefully and nodded frequently, which made Miss Bingley more proud and hated Mary so much.

Soon, someone came to inform Mr. Bingley that the steward of the farm had something to ask him for instructions. Mr. Bingley left the living room and went to the study, and Jane also went to take care of little Ellen. The Earl of Leicester asked the two ladies to take him to the back The cloister to enjoy the scenery in the back garden.Miss Bingley went to the back corridor in the first place, and she ordered the servants to bring tea and fruit quickly and deftly, showing both competence and hospitality.

The Earl of Leicester seemed to enjoy being surrounded by beauties. Miss Bingley poured him a cup of lemon tea made with honey, while Mary presented the muffins she made herself in the kitchen early in the morning. The recipe came from Mrs. Collins' kitchen secrets with fresh cheese and cranberry jam.

Miss Bingley first expressed moderate surprise and contempt for Mary cooking herself, and then became jealous when she saw that the Earl of Leicester seemed to appreciate Mary's cooking skills very much.She was about to say a few ironic words, but the Earl of Leicester timely asked the two ladies to reward him with some music.

Miss Bingley stood up quickly and politely asked Mary to take the lead, but Mary declined more politely, so Miss Bingley walked into the living room with brisk steps, and soon there was the pleasant sound of the piano.

Now only Mary and the Earl of Leicester were left in the corridor.Earl Leicester stuffed the last bite of muffin into his mouth, wiped the corners of his mouth and fingers with a napkin, smiled at Mary, and said, "Tell me, dear lady, what do you need my help for?"