Miss Mary in Pride and Prejudice

Throughout the morning, Mary walked back and forth between the corridor and the living room anxiously, but the door of the study room was closed tightly. Jane's personal maid came to tell her that Jane was not feeling well and wanted to rest in bed for a day, and asked her Take care of little Ellen, which is a distraction for her, but while she is playing with building blocks with little Ellen in the nursery, she is listening to the movement outside with horror, but only Miss Bingley wakes up in the dining room all morning. The sound of breakfast being eaten, the sound of the housekeeper's wife assigning the maids to clean the furniture and floors, and later Miss Bingley playing and singing in the drawing-room.

Mr. Bingley didn't come out of the study until noon. Jane's lunch was delivered upstairs by the housekeeper herself. Mary went to visit Jane and found that she was just tired and unwell due to the pregnancy reaction. She was in a good state of mind. Unaware of the bad news, Mary then went to the nursery to accompany Ellen for lunch, leaving Miss Bingley alone in the dining room. Miss Bingley couldn't help complaining about the boredom and boredom in Howard End, and she moved again. In London's mind, Mary hoped that she would make up her mind to leave this time, because she had a premonition that Mr. Bingley would not be able to hide the news for a long time, and soon there would be an uproar at home.

Mr. Bingley didn't come out for lunch, but only asked the valet to tell Mary and the others not to wait for her. Miss Bingley didn't notice any difference, thinking that her brother was just busy with the affairs of the manor, or had a bad appetite in summer.Mary was even more worried. After sending little Ellen to take a nap, she finally couldn't sit still when it was tea time. She ordered the housekeeper's wife to put the pickled herring sandwiches, coffee, and milk pots on a tray, and she carried the tray herself. Send it to the study.

When Mary saw Mr. Bingley again, she couldn't help being stunned. Compared with the morning, Mr. Bingley seemed to be a different person. His hair, which was always shiny and neat, was piled up on top of his head in a mess like a thatch, his tie was torn off randomly and thrown on the chair with the neckline spread open, and there was a pungent smell in the study. Smells of hard liquor.

When Mary put the tea tray on the messy desk, Mr. Bingley looked at her dully, as if he didn't recognize who it was for a long time, and Mary couldn't help feeling sorry for him: "Charles, you haven't eaten all day Please..." At this moment, Mr. Bingley recognized her, and said in a hoarse voice: "Oh, it's Mary, I thought it was Jane, how can I explain to her? She married a full The stupidest man in England, married to a bankrupt... Just yesterday she was discussing with me what kind of cradle to order for the child who was about to be born, and now I might even buy them brown bread to feed them Great..."

Mary said sadly: "Don't be so pessimistic, Charles, Jane is not a person who can't bear hardships. As long as you love each other, there will be no difficulties you can't overcome. Besides, you still have so many friends, and Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth..."

Mr. Bingley shook his head sadly, and said: "You have no idea how bad I am, Mary. Not only have I lost all my property, but I'm in debt. Oh, I really don't want to, it's a real disaster." Nightmare. If Caroline hadn’t repeatedly asked me to buy my own property and become a squire, I should have lived a comfortable life like my father, relying on the interest of five thousand pounds a year from the inheritance of my ancestors. But when I put all my money into Howards End, and I found myself a complete novice at running a farm."

Mr. Bingley grabbed the goblet at hand again and took a big gulp of whiskey. He coughed from choking. Mary silently took the wine bottle and glass away from the desk. Mr. Bingley didn't object, and he continued without realizing it. : "In the past two years, I have been studying hard and bargaining with farmers and traders, but Howard has been losing money... Last year, I followed Darcy's advice and bought good-bred cows and foals, and the situation turned around. Earnings have to wait, calves and foals need time to grow up, and bills are coming in like snowflakes..."

Mr. Bingley covered his face with his hands, and tears gushed from between his fingers: "I must have been obsessed with ghosts before I bought Spanish bonds. As a result, I have been stuck in a quagmire since then, and I can't get out of it. In fact, during this investment Before the Mexican Silver Mine, I was on the verge of bankruptcy, and I had to risk everything to save Howards End, so no one can save me now-not only did I lose all my property, but I owed a huge debt of a hundred thousand pounds. "

Mr. Bingley stood up, no longer feeling sad, dull and indifferent from the great blow.He wobbled a few steps in the study, and said to himself: "Oh, no, soon the creditors will take me to court, and what awaits me is a debt prison... ruined reputation... shame on the family ...what have I done?"

Mary was stunned by his words. Not only was Howard Manor unable to keep it, but she also had a debt of [-] pounds. She couldn't imagine how to pay it off even if it was only half of it.Just as she was trying her best to calm down Mr. Bingley, a trembling voice sounded at the door of the study: "Charles, what were you talking about just now? You are bankrupt? What about my money? My twenty thousand pounds What about the dowry?" Miss Bingley stood at the door, clutching the frame with her slender fingers, white at the knuckles, her eyes wide and full of terror, and she trembled as if in a fever.

Mary felt that she was going to faint at any moment, and just when she was about to help her, Miss Bingley waved her hand violently, rushed forward, grabbed her brother's front collar, shook it desperately, and growled hoarsely: "You Say, where's my money? Did you put my money in those speculations?"

Mr. Bingley was so ashamed, he whimpered and begged, "I'm sorry, Caroline, I'm the one who's sorry for you, I will definitely find a way to make up for your loss, I will definitely find a way..."

Miss Bingley yelled, she pushed Mr. Bingley away abruptly, and swept the tea tray and everything on the desk to the floor. This did not calm her down, and she went to the Chinese vase in the corner of the room, but Before she could get there, she exhausted all her strength and collapsed on the floor.

Mr. Bingley was pulling his hair desperately, and Mary hastily called for the housekeeper and Miss Bingley's valet, and the three of them carried Miss Bingley upstairs to her own room, and then sent servants to the town to fetch the doctor.The housekeeper poured a glass of brandy into Miss Bingley, and Miss Bingley woke up shortly after coughing. Infected with grief and grief, Mary shed tears with her for a while. Later, the doctor came, and after seeing Miss Bingley, she said that she was just a little mentally stimulated and nothing serious. Mary was relieved and handed her over. To her personal maid to look after.

After the commotion, Jane had heard the wind and went downstairs to the study. When Mary returned to the study, what she saw was this: Mr. Bingley was sitting on the chair in front of the desk, with his head resting on Jane's arms and weeping. , Jane stood there, hugging and comforting him tenderly.Mary withdrew silently. Although everyone believed that men were stronger and smarter than women, when real disasters struck, it was women who were more courageous and responsible.

Mary went back to the nursery to look after little Ellen. She thought about the situation for a while, and felt that there was little she could do to help. After thinking for a while, she picked up a pen and wrote a letter to Elizabeth of Pemberley Manor. Mr. Darcy, who is the most capable and willing to help Howard, knows the situation here.Then, before little Ellen woke up, she had time to write another letter in completely different wording, which was addressed to Miss Bingley's older sister, Louisa, who looked after the emotional runaway during such trying times. Miss Bingley is most suitable.

In fact, before Mary wrote the letter, Mr. Darcy had seen the news of Mexico in the newspapers, and set off immediately.So it was less than three hours after Mary sent the letter. In the evening, Mr. Darcy dismounted outside the mansion. He breathlessly greeted Mary who ran out to greet him, and then asked eagerly: "How is Charles? "

Seeing Mr. Darcy, Mary felt that she had a backbone, but unfortunately she didn't have much exciting news to tell him: "It was very bad when I heard the news just now, but fortunately Jane can still hold on and can comfort him, so it will be better. But he was hopeless and despondent, and . . . Miss Bingley was crying and fussing all the time."

Mr. Darcy frowned slightly, and walked into the study. Jane was very relieved to see him coming in time, and shook hands with him, and then Mr. Darcy asked to have a private conversation with Mr. Bingley, so Jane and Mary withdrew In the study room, Mary saw that Jane's face was very pale, so she persuaded her to go back to her room to rest, and tried her best to dispel her plan to go to Miss Bingley's room, because Mary was worried that Miss Bingley would say something when she was in an extremely sad state. If you hurt Jane, you will leave irreparable scars on each other.

Near midnight, Elizabeth also arrived in another carriage. It turned out that she didn't know about Howard Endor. When Mr. Darcy left in the morning, she thought it was a business emergency and didn't take it to heart. When she received a letter from Mary in the afternoon, she realized how serious the matter was.So even though her youngest daughter was less than half a year old, she still left the child in the care of the nanny and housekeeper wife, and rushed to Howard Manor overnight by herself.

Seeing her sister, Jane finally couldn't help sobbing and crying, but the release of this emotion was only temporary. Both Elizabeth and Mary advised her to consider that she was still pregnant, and to give Mr. Bingley a helping hand during this extraordinary period. With all her support, she couldn't fall anyway.Jane has always been sensible and strong. At this time, she accepted the fact that Mr. Bingley's investment failed. She said to her sisters: "Whether Charles is rich or poor, I will always love him and support him. I don't think I am afraid of living a poor life." , I just feel sorry for Caroline, Charles also lost all her money, this is really wrong, if I can make up for her loss, I am willing to pay no matter what the price. "

Elizabeth remained silent, but Mary knew that this elder sister had always been very thoughtful. Naturally, she was not only thinking about Miss Bingley's 20 pounds, but how to save Mr. Bingley from being imprisoned was the top priority.Mary is not very worried about this, because she believes that Mr. Darcy will definitely help. However, even if Pemberley has strong financial resources, it is impossible to make up for Mr. Bingley's shortfall of up to [-] pounds, so Howard Manor is bound to be lost.

Mary stood in the corridor and asked the two sisters to talk about themselves. She leaned her forehead against the glass window to feel a bit of coolness, and it also calmed down her heart that had been burning all day. Sad.At this time, she thought of the Earl of Leicester again, but even if he had the ability to deal with the situation, there was nothing he could do. Mary didn't want to seek further help from the Earl of Leicester at all, so she lowered her body and begged him for information , is already her bottom line. Thinking of the words and deeds of Earl Leicester, Mary shook her head. She decided to do her best to help Jane face the predicament in front of her. As for those whimsical methods, she resolutely drove them out. own mind.