Miss Mary in Pride and Prejudice

During her stay in London, Mrs. de Bourgh included Sister Mary in the list of invited guests because of her attendance at the ball, so Mary was often honored to attend grand banquets and simple dinners at Mrs. de Bourgh's house. .In these activities, unexpectedly, Mary met her first close friend in her life: Miss de Bourgh.

For nearly 20 years, Miss Anne de Bauer has been living under the meticulous shadow of her mother, and she can hardly find herself, let alone a friend of the same age.Maybe there is a real fate with Mary, the two young ladies hit it off right away, Miss Anne is very afraid of talking to strangers, even her own family members rarely hear a word from her, but when she is with Mary, she can speak freely, He even laughed heartily, which surprised Mrs. de Bourgh who thought she knew her daughter very well.

However, although she thinks that Mary is not worthy of being her daughter's close friend, she has no intention of interfering with her daughter's little freedom, because in recent years, she also feels that her daughter's social circle is too narrow, so she also hopes that she can have Several female companions of the same age.She just often gave some instructions to Mary domineeringly, hoping that she could improve enough to be worthy of being Miss de Bourgh's friend. Fortunately, Mary's temperament was easy-going, and she was tempered by an equally unbearable mother. 19 years old, so she was quite tolerant of Mrs. de Bour's rude words and deeds, and dealt with them well.

Mary also found that Miss Anne was actually a very good-natured and kind-hearted girl, but she was shy by nature and had such a mother who liked to dominate others, which made others mistake her for being arrogant and withdrawn.And Anne loves reading and thinking as much as Mary, so the two young ladies have endless things to say when they are together.

Mr. Darcy's family left London shortly afterwards, and returned to Pemberley.Kitty returned to Mrs. Gardner's house, and Mary was invited by Anne to visit Rosings Manor for two months.Mary accepted the invitation with joy, and her friends were even more delighted.So at the end of the summer, Mary came to Rosings Manor in a luxurious carriage of the de Bourgh family, together with the de Bourgh mother and daughter, surrounded by many servants.

The daily life in Rosings Manor is very monotonous, except for the pastor's family who live nearby, there are few people to communicate with, and because of her prejudice against Mr. Collins, Mary is not willing to have anything to do with the Collins couple. There were too many intersections, although she was still very flattered by her, but Mary guessed that it was because her two older sisters were married to people of high status at that time, not because of her relationship with him.

Fortunately, Mary herself can find pleasure in books and piano.Under her guidance, Mademoiselle de Bourgh often played for a little while, but was often interrupted by Mrs. de Bourgh's ignorance, because the lady was always impatient to teach others in every way. guide.As for Mrs. Jenkinson, Miss de Bourgh's governess, Mary thought she was a little too protective of Miss de Bourgh, but now it seemed that she was rather negligent.

Mrs. Jenkinson spent most of her time listening to Mrs. de Bourgh's high-spirited speeches, so she could be said to be kind to Miss de Bourgh except whether she was warmly dressed and fed properly. Indifference, because of such a mother and such a tutor, Miss de Bourgh's 16 years have hardly learned anything useful, and Mary is delighted to find that she can be Anne's in every respect. teacher.

Mary took an unprecedented interest in this sudden new job, and Mrs. Jenkinson gave Anne to Mary except when she was out and when guests were visiting.Upstairs, in their own small sitting room, the two young ladies chatted, read, drew, recited, and played the piano to their heart's content.Anne became more and more trusting and close to her friends. As her knowledge grew, her complexion became much ruddy, and her eyes became more energetic than before.This change is not only noticed by Mrs. de Bourgh, but even Colonel Fitzwilliam, who often visits, has noticed Anne's change, and is grateful to Mary for it.

Undoubtedly, Mary could see that Colonel Fitzwilliam's attitude towards Anne was not like a lover who fell in love. In Mary's view, he planned to marry Anne more out of interests. wife.Yet he was such a pleasant fellow that Mary did not wish to despise him for it, and she thought he would be a good home for Anne.

As for Anne's thoughts, it took a lot of thinking. She followed Colonel Fitzwilliam obediently as her mother wished, and almost regarded him as a member of the family, but it was hard to find any deeper affection, especially When Colonel Fitzwilliam occasionally went to London to handle errands, Anne not only did not show a little bit of parting, but also felt relieved, as if she was particularly relaxed, and she looked much more cheerful than usual.

Mary treated the matter with her usual rigorous attitude, and did not make a casual comment.Annie didn't seem to want to share her opinions on the major events in her life.Only Mrs. de Bourgh, who had taken Colonel Fitzwilliam as her prospective son-in-law, was more than usual fond of dictating and irritating him.

After more than two months of such a peaceful life, Mary began to consider whether she should say goodbye and go home. Unexpectedly, as soon as she uttered her words, she was strongly opposed by the mother and daughter of De Bauer. Anne hoped that she would spend this autumn together. And Madame de Bourgh ordered Mary to stay until Christmas, in her usual dogmatic tone.

Moreover, she also added a reason that her elders think is the most important reason, that is, their mother and daughter have been invited to the Leicester Manor to participate in the annual grape picking festival, and she can go with Mary, "You are so tall It won't take up too much space in the carriage." Anne blushed at her mother's rude words, and said earnestly to Mary that she would definitely feel that her trip was worthwhile.Mary has always been soft-hearted. Although she was not interested in Leicester Manor, Anne involuntarily agreed in her pleading eyes.

In the evening, when she returned to her bedroom alone, thinking of seeing the Earl of Leicester again and the scene of her last meeting with him, Mary couldn't help suspecting that she would become an unwelcome guest in the Earl's castle.She couldn't help regretting that she had been easily persuaded and accepted the invitation, and now it was too late to regret it, and she could only brace herself and face reality.

Colonel Fitzwilliam, besides the de Bourgh mother and daughter and Mary, was going to Leicester Manor.They set off on a sunny day, and the field was the most beautiful time in golden autumn.Mary found her traveling companions quite satisfactory, aside from Madame de Bourgh's relentless spout.Colonel Fitzwilliam is elegant and well-informed, and Anne is a pleasant companion, though she is silent.Therefore, she admired the scenery outside the car window and felt that the trip was worthwhile.

On the way, they stayed for two nights, and at noon on the third day, they finally arrived at Leicester Manor.Mary has never seen such a magnificent view. In comparison, Pemberley Manor is too elegant, Howard Manor is too simple, and Rosings Manor is too gorgeous. Looking into the distance, I couldn't help feeling relaxed and happy, and let out a long breath.

Mrs. de Bourgh was quite satisfied with her reaction, and she gave an eloquent introduction to the history of Leicester Manor.The first Earl of Leicester was the favorite of the great Queen Elizabeth I. He had been favored by the queen for decades, took power, built a magnificent castle with money, and named the manor with his own title.

Obviously, Anne and Colonel Fitzwilliam already knew this story well, and it was only told to Mary. It's a pity that Mary never had much interest in anecdotes such as promotions and titles. She just listened to it and kept her eyes full. Looking at the beautiful scenery outside the window.It wasn't until Colonel Fitzwilliam slowly talked about the origin of the current Earl of Leicester that she became a little interested.

According to Colonel Fitzwilliam, the current Earl of Leicester, whose real name is David Essex, is just a little-known little man. Sold out, and when Mr. David Essex came of age, he found that the family business in his hands had already withered, and he was even reduced to the point where he had to find a job to support himself.He did go to a school for equestrianism for boys from aristocratic families for a period of time as a riding teacher.

Perhaps it was for this reason that Mrs. de Bourgh always looked down on him, even after he inherited the huge family property of the Leicester family, she didn't choose him as a candidate for her son-in-law.In the old lady's own words: "Although he is very suitable for his status now, his demeanor is still not as good as that of a natural noble born with a golden spoon in his mouth."

Mary was a little curious, and couldn't help asking: "Then how did this Mr. Essex inherit such a large fortune?" Colonel Fitzwilliam said with a smile: "Oh, Miss Bennet, not every family They are all as prosperous as your mansion, and the Leicester family is sparsely populated. In the previous generation, even the direct line was extinct, so they had to be inherited by the collateral line." The old lady added with a straight face: "How many nobles have declined like this. Yes, if the current Earl of Leicester doesn't think carefully and choose a wife whose background and talent are worthy of the family of Leicester Manor, I don't think the Leicester family will be much better."

Speaking of which, Madam glanced at Colonel Fitzwilliam with satisfaction. The colonel just smiled and did not continue, and the conversation cooled down. Anne kept silent without any sense of existence. At this time, she seemed to be integrated into the decoration of the carriage. board.Mary's attention returned to the scenery outside the window. At this time, the carriage had gradually entered the manor. Turning around the woods, she saw vineyards all over the mountains.