[Pride and Prejudice] Rich Lady

"Miss Lucas, you are here." Mrs. Bennet welcomed the children of the Lucas family reservedly and politely.

When the children of their family stood together with her own daughters, Mrs. Bennet was even more proud: her daughters were really the most beautiful beauties in the neighborhood, and the other girls were completely reduced to foils.

Jane is used to this kind of treatment, but Elizabeth is not used to it. She is naturally low-key and wary in front of unfamiliar people.In particular, among the guests was Miss King, who was full of style. She made a few harsh words from time to time, which made Elizabeth very tired.If there were not too few neighbors near Longbourne, and the social circle was extremely narrow and closed, she would have retaliated with sharp and mean words, and taught this girl who thought she was articulate what it means to be articulate and eccentric!

Maria is crazy and gets along very well with Kitty and Lydia, who are a few years younger than her, but today she did not come to these two young ladies, but talked to Mary affectionately.She thought that Mary was the most talkative girl in the Bennet family, with a soft face and a soft heart, not as strong as her sisters, and she might play with her kite.

Elizabeth had planned to give Mary a good grooming today. With Mary's background, she would definitely be able to surprise the whole family.Unexpectedly, a few kites attracted almost all the neighbors, so the plan had to be postponed.But that's okay, Elizabeth plans to invite her sisters to Meryton tomorrow to buy some things, and she will definitely be able to dress up Mary even better with sufficient preparation.

With this matter on her mind, Elizabeth could not help but pay more attention to Mary.Looking at it this way, she discovered the problem. Mary is indeed not good at communication, and she hardly has much to talk about with others.

Although her knowledge is almost the best among this group of young ladies, it is obviously not of much use. Mary can't find topics, and her responses are dry and uninteresting.Kitty and Lydia were surrounded by many friends, but for Mary, apart from the sporadic polite greetings from the ladies, for a while, only Maria from the Lucas family came over.

Maria Lucas was such a cunning little cunning, she saw Mary's mind, and just said something affectionately, which made Mary overwhelmed: as if not sharing her beloved toy with her would be sorry for the deep friendship.

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. Anyone can see how precious Mary is to her crane kite. During the test flight, she would rather pay Kitty the pocket money she planned to buy for books than use her own kite for experiments.

Seeing that Mary was unwilling but still about to give up, Elizabeth came out and greeted her sister with a smile: "Mary, what are you doing there, please invite Maria over here." It is not easy to refuse other young ladies' requests to fly kites by themselves. Elizabeth is not stingy, but does not want Mary to attract complaints from her two younger sisters.

Mary breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to the second sister.Elizabeth trimmed her hair. "It's safe to fix the spool there. The wind is just right. Don't keep staring at it. Your kite won't fall."

Mary nodded, and Elizabeth deliberately led her to talk, deliberately mentioning some anecdotes, which were published in the Times.Mary has a superb memory, and she loves to read. She has read all the newspapers that Elizabeth ordered for the Bennet family after earning money.

"Oh Mary, you know so much!" exclaimed one girl.

Mary's little face was flushed, and she had never been more confident than she was at this moment.As she chatted more and more, she found that the ladies were not interested in those knowledge and truths, but only inquired about some news.Mary can always remember the small details in the newspapers of different dates, and with a little thinking in her head, she can describe the cause and effect of various events-in order to attract readers, this kind of insignificant news interest in newspapers is always described. It's very interesting, this greatly facilitates Mary, she can copy it directly.

After a while, more ladies surrounded Mary, and Jane was able to escape.

While Elizabeth was paying attention to Mary, there was another person who was also thinking about her.That is the gentle and careful Jane.Jane had been keeping Lizzie and Charlotte's anomaly yesterday in mind, and when the Lucas girls came to visit, she felt that this was the best opportunity.She was determined to create an opportunity for the two of them to get along alone. Jane felt relieved that Lizzie was a lively and intelligent girl, and Charlotte was kind and kind.

Jane asked the maid to set up tables and chairs in the courtyard, and waited until the ladies' interest in kites was suspended, and asked them to sit down and talk at the right time.The ladies were fascinated by the new things Mary said, and they all sat down happily around her.

"Lizzie, why don't you ask Charlotte for a walk?" said Jane, smiling, beckoning to her secretly.

Elizabeth couldn't bear to disappoint her sister's kindness, and there were not enough seats in the courtyard, so she had to invite Miss Lucas, who had always been distracted, to take a walk by the lake.

The location of Longborn is unique, from the back garden, around the hedge, you can see the clear lake.The hedges cut off the noise, and the place is extremely quiet. The clear lake water reflects the blue sky, and the stork, with its red legs bent, combs its feathers leisurely with its long beak, and ignores people when they come.

"It's so beautiful." Elizabeth sighed. Beautiful scenery always makes people relax and helps people open their hearts.

"Charlotte, I'm sorry I broke your heart." Elizabeth said softly, looking at the stork.

Perhaps she had really forgotten this friend in the beginning, in her haste to flee Longbourne so that her family would not perceive the difference.But after she settled down in Taurus College, she didn't think about it, but at that time Elizabeth didn't know what to say to her friend except greetings.So when Tao Lisi got along happily and harmoniously with her new friends, and when her relationship with Longborn's relatives gradually warmed up, she deliberately ignored this friend.Elizabeth knew now that her indifference must have grieved Charlotte--Charlotte had made a point of asking herself last Christmas if she would come back.

Miss Lucas was surprised, and she tried to respond briskly: "Don't say that, Lizzie, life in the city is not so easy to adjust to, you are busy, I know."

But Miss Lucas's eyes were already slightly reddened uncontrollably.

Once Elizabeth was indeed her most cherished friend, and her friendship was not entirely due to Mrs. Lucas' teachings, at least most of them were not.Charlotte really thought that Elizabeth was clever and pleasing by nature, and she was happy and proud to have such a close friend.

Elizabeth sighed, she sensed her friend's grievance, she was still looking elsewhere, trying to analyze herself: "Charlotte, go out here, I only realized how big the world is outside, and then I realized how shallow, ignorant and conceited I was before. What I have heard and learned is no longer that the quality of our life is in the hands of our father and husband. Finding a decent husband as a husband is the most important thing for every lady; and whether the future married life is happy Happiness is all based on chance' This generally accepted concept, I have seen some completely different ladies, confident and brave, they are willing to work hard to control their destiny..."

"This shocked me a lot. I felt that I had to think about my future path. I have changed, Charlotte. I'm not sure if you can accept my change? I'm ambitious and cautious at the same time. I don't want to let the neighbors know, I don't want to be looked at by others. I don't even want to get married, you know how shocking it is."

"As long as you see me and read my letter, I don't think I can hide my change from you, Charlotte, you know me so well." Elizabeth said, "My thoughts and thoughts have all changed. I even delusional to influence the people around me."

"My indifference must hurt you, and it is my fault, which cannot be excused."

"But Charlotte, if we have a direction to work hard and can make a lot of money, will you still stick to your point of view? Find a decent and rich husband and pin everything on him?"

Charlotte was stunned for a while, then said: "Why not? Elizabeth, I don't know what wonderful ladies you have met. Maybe they did manage their own lives, but what does this have to do with us? According to me As we know, even the ladies in the city, those real nobles, their lives depend on their status and property to find them a good husband, so that those high-class people can continue to enjoy the glory comfortably."

Charlotte felt that Elizabeth was too idealistic, more innocent and reckless than she was before she left Longbourne.

She tried to convince her friend to be realistic. Yes, Charlotte still regarded Elizabeth as a friend, so she couldn't bear to watch her crash into the predictable tragic end: "Not married? Rely on your thousand pounds of property, then you will be happy The chances are definitely not greater than mine. Dear Lizzie, you have a good looks, this is a gift from God, don't let it down."

"I think that school has taught you badly, Lizzie! A good school should teach girls to be self-cultivated and improve the value of ladies, not to make students have those unrealistic ideas." Charlotte emphasized: "For girls of our background, marriage is the biggest retreat and the shortcut to a comfortable life. You and I, Lizzie! Not only have no property, but it is even more impossible to do work like servants or maids to get paid, We have no other way at all, if we can't get married, then the future life will obviously be dark!"

"Marriage is an exchange of equal value, and our greatest wish should be to get a better husband." Miss Lucas concluded.

"You mustn't be confused, Lizzie, Mrs. Bennet will faint if she knows you don't want to marry."

"Maybe we can have other ways to get happiness?" Elizabeth asked, "I don't reject marriage, but I don't want to put myself on the shelf, as if my feelings and thoughts are not important at all, only property and beauty can save me. Add some weight. What I want is equal affection."

Charlotte sneered at her friend's innocence, and she suddenly entered the role of Mrs. Lucas. She looked at Elizabeth as an ignorant and stupid girl, and she condescendingly persuaded the girl not to be stupid.

"Okay, Lizzie, I admit you're romantic. Maybe you can get that kind of romantic love, but please stop trying to convince me, okay?"

Elizabeth could not help being a little agitated that everything she said should be played upon by Charlotte's girlish romantic thoughts.

"Then your pragmatism is to find a matching husband and pin all your hopes on him?"

Charlotte nodded: "This is my ideal, I've been looking forward to it. If I can get a comfortable life, I won't get bored even if the first floor remains the same."

"But if you don't try to change, or work hard, how can you be sure that your own life should see the end at a glance?"

Perhaps it was the friend's blunt words that annoyed Charlotte: "Elizabeth, you are not me! I don't understand what it's like to be an 'old girl' who has no money, looks ordinary, and is getting older, so please don't use your Judge me with standards and perspectives, let alone try to change me. I feel that there is nothing I can change. Those that don’t suit me will not make my life better. On the contrary, they will make me out of place and push everything into an unchangeable abyss .”

"You are only 22 years old! Why are you so sure that the future is fixed?" Elizabeth wants to say that she has other ways to make money. She will definitely not disclose her own business, but she can say that it is the property of Baroness Laura. .Many ladies and ladies have properties under their names, and no one would be surprised if country girls secretly do some work such as embroidery and weaving for some pocket money—as long as they don’t make trouble, everyone knows it.

But Charlotte didn't wait for Elizabeth to finish, and said hastily:

"But I have several younger sisters. If I can't get married, they can't enter the social scene. Even when they are old, it will make the Lucas family look down!"

"Elizabeth, the best future I can conceive is to be wooed by a gentleman of wealth, preferably with some status, who will give me a decent and comfortable life—like my mother did, Lou. Mrs. Cass is doing just fine, she has a nice home. I can be better, as long as I don't have too many kids."

"I still remember what you said to me last year, Elizabeth, you said that if you look forward to love, you must marry a gentleman who can respect each other, love each other, and be truly noble. I envy you for your bravery and frankness, but you will not put yourself down because of it My greatest strength is self-knowledge, and marriage is a decent and reliable way out, and I look forward to this way out sooner.”

"When we are both married, you will find that you are not happier or nobler than me at all, we are all the same! It is more likely that I do not have the unrealistic vision that you have, but it makes my life easier. Happiness! When I have what a woman should have in life, I will be content, that is the life I want! Don’t mention your whimsical ideas to me, change and progress, that’s what gentlemen should worry about They only like women to support them, and your thoughts will offend them, Elizabeth, for your own sake, I advise you not to say this again, and put away your thoughts, so that you can be happy !"

Elizabeth heard what she said with such certainty, and thought of the end of Mrs. Collins in Mrs. Darcy's memory, she only felt sad: Charlotte did get the comfortable life she dreamed of in the first few years of her marriage to Collins, and Collins was a priest. The salary is enough for them to live decently.But as time went by, especially after Collins inherited the land and house of Longbourn, although he got more property, the peaceful and comfortable days that Charlotte expected gradually faded away.

Charlotte's life finally followed Mrs. Bennet's old way, and she had no son, and Longbourn was left behind.But Mr. Collins is far less virtuous than Mr. Bennet.He felt a great loss of face, so he turned angry and resented his wife.Inheriting a large property from a distant relative was originally one of the proudest things in Mr. Collins' life, but when Mrs. Collins, like his aunt, was unable to produce an heir to Longbourn, this pride changed. The panic, over time, turned into embarrassment.

Mr. Collins was so angry that he abused his wife in private: he didn't give her pocket money, ordered her around like a servant, and ridiculed and belittled her all the time.Charlotte had to take care of her daughters again, and she had to endure these tortures. After a few years, she became old and out of shape.

Mrs. Darcy could have supported Charlotte, but at that time Jane and Darcy passed away one after another, which polished off all the energy of the lady.Even if she receives a distress letter from her former friend, Mrs. Darcy can't let go of her grudges to help her.

When Elizabeth thought of this, she couldn't help but want to give her a hand.

"If we can give ourselves the life we ​​want, and rely on myself, I can get a comfortable life. I have everything I need in terms of pounds and status. Do we still need to count on men? Do we still need to rely on others and be a vassal animal?" She Trying to convince Charlotte, "My friend, a distinguished noble lady, has many properties and is willing to help us. We can get a decent salary, and if we accumulate it for a few years, there will be quite a lot——Xia Lotte, you are very good at drawing, aren't you?"

But Elizabeth didn't expect Charlotte to be very repulsed by this. She said angrily: "My God, Lizzie, isn't this just a business! You know our family used to do business, and I know what's going on here. Now we can do business." Easy to get out of that class - you know how my daddy doesn't like it when people bring it up, and you want me to sell pictures? How embarrassing!"

Elizabeth hurriedly said, "You've misunderstood me, Charlotte. I have no intention of embarrassing you, and that noble lady would never pay for it. She likes your paintings, and she gave you some small gifts. That's not reasonable." Should it be right? And those things we don’t need, we can entrust our relatives to exchange them into pounds—isn’t it shameful?” Mr. Lucas had been in business before, and his family’s businessman relatives were comparable There are many more Bennets.

"What's more, if you refine your painting skills, I can definitely ask friends in the city to send your paintings to the exhibition, so that someone will invite you to some salons. Isn't this a good opportunity to improve your taste and win the favor of noble people?" Elizabeth tries to persuade her from Charlotte's thinking.

But Charlotte evidently did not think of going out of Meryton to London, and she considered herself ugly and did not want to be ridiculed.So she said, "I think you're putting the cart before the horse, Lizzie. What are we going to do with money, except that money will get us better husbands? When we're married, all the dowry will belong to the husband, as long as He is willing to give us enough pocket money, and will distribute all the property to our children. Even if we have money or not, what does it matter? We should focus on major marriages, not making money."

Elizabeth found it completely unreasonable, that the two of their thoughts were two straight lines running in opposite directions.

Elizabeth thinks that Charlotte is insane, and has nothing left in her mind except marrying successfully; while Charlotte thinks that Elizabeth is so whimsical, that even if there is a dowry of ten thousand pounds, it will not belong to her in the end.

It never occurred to her to dispose of her own fortune.Just as she never wanted to change by herself, Charlotte Bennet didn't think that women should be independent, and that being able to live a comfortable and comfortable life was all she pursued.Charlotte thinks that the feelings and thoughts mentioned by Elizabeth are the delusions of an immature little girl. She doesn't even yearn for love, let alone anything else.

Elizabeth endured and endured, and didn't say "if you have ten thousand pounds, you can live comfortably, and you can calmly find a good husband with high moral character and similar interests, instead of just being a stupid and ignorant clown" Speak up.

But even if they didn't say such words that hurt their friendship, the two of them were no longer in the mood to continue walking.They deeply realize that the other party can no longer be their close friend, and they are as incompatible as Britain and France separated by the English Channel.

Storks pacing leisurely on the beach by the lake raised their long necks, and suddenly picked up a small fish with their long yellow mouths.

Elizabeth's spirits were languid, Charlotte Lucas's listless, and this argument exhausted the young lady's tongue and spirit, and their last intimacy.

Walking silently on the grass, they knew that from now on, the two of them could no longer be close friends who don't talk about each other, but just polite good neighbors.

The stork flapped its wings and it flew away.

The author has something to say: Yu wants to say that Charlotte in this article has completely misunderstood Elizabeth. In fact, Elizabeth is more realistic.Because she thought well, she longed for gold guinea.At the end of the 18th century, when money worship began to prevail, property was a barrier to protect oneself. It could give people, especially women, more choices.Of course, the girl who owns the property must be at least a sensible person.

Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated the nutrient solution~

Thanks to the little angels who threw mines: Xinxin, Jiusi Youning, Poetry and Yuanfang;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigate the nutrient solution: Tuotuo; narration; spring breeze of peaches and plums; in the south of the water, a beautiful duck on the plain?; ;Mosafir; Qing Zhi, Jin Ning, Rose After the Rain, Zeng Yuxin, Red Snow in the Dark Window, Rabbit Meow, Su Xue, Cat in the Moonlight;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!