[Pride and Prejudice] Rich Lady

Unexpectedly, the dance was extremely lively.

Besides the local gentry, there were many respectable people from the city and the neighboring towns, as can be seen from the various carriages in Meryton Street.There were so many carriages that the doors of the public hall were blocked.The sheriff had to have someone lead the way to the corner dealership, and Meryton's little cart shop made a small fortune.

The Bennets arrived neither too early nor too late.Mrs. Bennet's eyes were red when she saw those luxurious carriages, some of which were even inlaid with family crests.She regretted listening to her husband's words and asked her two school-age daughters to come here dressed in plain clothes.If Lizzie puts out the effort to dress up Mary, her girl must be the center of the whole ball tonight, what a great opportunity!

Mr. Darcy is wearing a double-breasted black Flack, with a long back hem to the knees, a large lapel revealing a layered embroidered neckline, and the same layered wood ear trim at the cuffs, and the hems of light-colored leggings Put it in the boots.

He wore a tall, cylindrical hat, and his sharp lips were tightly drawn under the black mask. Mr. Darcy regretted seeing so many mixed people.

Miss Bingley took her brother's arm, looked critically at the venue, and reluctantly agreed with what Bingley said was grand.

Yes, this lady is always so fickle. After learning that Mr. Darcy agreed to accompany her brother to the masquerade ball, she changed her mind and specially ordered a new dress, which was similar to that of the previous years. The complicated and delicate Rococo style popular in France, with gold and silver threads and thin waist skirts, made her look more graceful.It is a pity that their sister and brother-in-law, the Hursts, were not able to join them.

This is not out of the ordinary. Although the Meryton Masquerade requires people to dress formally, it is not so strict as to control the style of clothes.If this is the case, then the meaning of the masquerade will be lost.

When the ball officially started, the auditorium was full of ladies and gentlemen dressed in novelty, which was dazzling.The Bennet sisters are a bit different in it, they are too ordinary and simple.

Elizabeth whispered to Jane, "Jane, shall we sit in the corner for a while?"

Elizabeth saw a gentleman dressed as a black baron, the pirate Roberts, and a lady dressed as Cleopatra, who had just been guillotined seven years ago, and Queen Mary dancing happily. The ostrich feathers bristled on the top were as high as they were, and they were covered with jeweled flowers and all the ornaments that could be adorned on the head.

They didn't intend to have fun on this occasion, so they wanted to find a corner to sit down. Both Elizabeth and Jane thought it would be very interesting to watch these wild demons dancing wildly from the sidelines.

On the other side, Miss Bingley, who was dressed as a court noble lady, was quickly invited by the man.

A muscular, well-built man said to Mr. Bingley: "May I ask this lady to dance, sir?"

He bowed slightly to Miss Bingley politely: "I wonder if I have the honor to ask you to dance with me?"

Miss Bingley was delighted with her charm, but she didn't want to dance with this stranger for the first time. She looked at Darcy, but Darcy was cold and expressionless.

Mr. Bingley supported his younger sister's fun, and he also had a good idea of ​​the dance partner he was going to invite—a blond girl dressed as Juliet in Shakespeare's opera.

Miss Bingley wanted to show off her attractiveness in front of Mr. Darcy, so she readily accepted the gentleman's invitation.But she forgot that this was not an ordinary occasion like before, but after she finished dancing to her heart's content, she found that she had lost the trace of Mr. Darcy.

In a corner with a wide perspective, Jane and Elizabeth found this excellent audience position, but unfortunately, a gentleman has already taken the lead.It doesn't matter: the gentleman is like a piece of wood, except for the tights, and he is completely black. Elizabeth thought for a while, and asked Jane to make sure that he was not an acquaintance of Meryton, so they would not Mind sitting next to him.

From the corner of her eyes, Elizabeth saw the corners of the gentleman's mouth drooping. Under the mask, she wrinkled her nose mischievously, and she was more and more willing to sit next to this stranger.

"Shua!" Elizabeth opened the folding fan, and the translucent silk fan was embroidered with fiery red manjusawa, and the thin silk thread outlined a cluster of shocking flowers of the underworld.

Jane also opened the folding fan that Elizabeth had just stuffed for her. This one had a pure lily on it.

"I thought you liked roses?" whispered Jane.

"No, I like lotus, peony and plum." Elizabeth replied, "but there are only two Fushou fans in the store, so I can only buy them. In fact, in addition to being strong enough and painful enough, these two folding fans There are no other benefits." The workmanship is not fine, the iron rose vine decoration on the big bone is not in harmony with the fan, and this manzhushahua is not suitable for ladies to hold in their hands.Elizabeth only had the fan bones in her picture, and she planned to make a fan for herself when she was free, so that she could sell it at the ball.

Elizabeth covered her mouth with a folding fan, and she became like a bewitching banshee under the coquettish flowers.

Mr. Darcy never thought of such a fate, and he knew it when the lady next to him spoke.

"I've never been to a dance like this, and it's quite interesting. People dress up in various ways, and even if we just guess who they are, it's enough for us to kill the whole dance." Jane laughed.

Elizabeth laughed softly: "My dear, you are too honest. This kind of dance is not for showing off your costumes, the point is that you can not obey the rules! Even if you know who is under the mask, you can pretend that you don't know. Even the king is there On the dance floor, as long as he wears a mask, even lowly actresses can invite him to dance with him, regardless of whether he is qualified to dance with the king."

Jane also imitated her to cover her mouth with a lily folding fan, "Our rules are a bit too much. Male guests can't invite strange ladies to dance, and high-status people can't easily invite low-status people... Sometimes these rules are really embarrassing and annoying—— There were more female guests than male guests at a ball I attended before, and some men deliberately refused to be introduced to women in order to legitimately refuse to dance with them, and several women had to sit for the whole time , very embarrassing."

"That doesn't include you, dear Jane, you are sure to be surrounded. Gentlemen are eager to be courted by you, to dance with you," said her sister, "but you are right. If you change I will definitely not give second chances to those gentlemen who refuse to know me! Those gentlemen who deliberately embarrass ladies, or think too much of themselves, or want to play hard to get, or various reasons... I don’t want to be considerate of them, because not only Mr. You care about your face, and ladies also have self-esteem. I respect and love myself, so I have to stay away from those who despise me."

The elder sister nodded: "Pleasantness and patience will not make people who are proud of you bend down, but will only make them look down on you even more."

Elizabeth closed the fan with a snap, and gently applauded her sister with the bones of the fan.Jane is really different. Compared with the silly, white and sweet beauty, she prefers this elder sister who gradually 'knows the darkness' but always 'hearts towards the light'.

……

Mr. Darcy pricked up his ears ungentlemanly to listen to the two girls, and at the same time was startled by the unexpected behavior of the lady around him.On the other hand, he still thinks that this kind of unladylike movement is very good-looking.

"How do you do, sir, may I ask the lady next to you to dance?"

Perhaps because they were sitting a little closer, a guest mistakenly thought that sister Elizabeth and Darcy were together. He was fascinated by the flowers of death blooming in the corner of the night, so he plucked up the courage to walk across the dance floor to this small world to invite .

Mr. Darcy's grave look startled the gentleman.He was feeling uneasy, this corner seemed to be separated from the noisy dance floor by something invisible, and the male companion of Miss Manzhushahua in the picture was also very scary.

Elizabeth was stunned for a moment, knowing that the gentleman who invited him had misunderstood, but she had no intention of explaining anything, and instead opened the folding fan with her left hand neatly, shaking the fan—meaning, "Don't be courteous to me."

Thank you ladies for these customary fan language.The admirer left in frustration, his shoulders drooping, and it seemed that the blow was not small.The gentlemen who noticed this place looked away one after another, and for a short period of time after that, no one came back to make trouble.

It was a pity for Jane. She saw that the gentleman who invited Lizzie was tall and straight, with elegant gait, and could understand fan language. He was obviously a gentleman, "Lizzie, don't worry about me, I will definitely not run around, just sit here .”

She encouraged her sister: "Go to dance, don't miss the opportunity. You must know that this is a unique opportunity before you officially enter the social world, and you can have fun for a while."

Mr. Darcy remembered the girl's name, and secretly guessed whether it was Elizabeth's nickname, or just Lizzie.

Elizabeth didn't know what the gentleman next door was thinking, and she didn't yearn for the dance floor.But Jane was very persistent, and she didn't want to delay her sister's chance to dance to her heart's content because of herself.Jane kept persuading her not to miss such a romantic and free time.

"I don't want to..."

Jane interrupted her, "There is no girl who doesn't like dancing, especially the young lady who hasn't officially entered the society, she will only be more curious. Before I was 16 years old, I was looking forward to spinning on the dance floor once a day."

"I……"

"Dear Lizzie, I promise, I will refuse others, as you said, if someone pesters me, I will beat him with a folding fan!" Jane stroked her hair with the other hand, she had already been beaten by several Merytons. The young man recognized it, and before inviting Lizzie's husband to appear, several waves of people had come to invite her, but out of caution, Jane did not agree.

Especially there were two gentlemen inside. Jane didn't recognize who they were, but they obviously recognized her. This made both Jane and Elizabeth heighten their vigilance: young girls often use fashionable and beautiful clothes to raise their status, but Today the Bennet sisters are unpretentiously dressed.Most of the male guests on the dance floor favored those beautiful and luxurious female guests, but that was not the case for the two strange gentlemen. One had to suspect that they had ulterior motives, or that they were simply Atwood. son of home.

"You can see that they are all decent and rich ladies. Even if there is such a person, they will find another target." Jane said vaguely, "Look at the previous gentlemen, they are not entangled."

"Good Lizzie, you've been so guilty of sitting with me all night."

"I'm my sister, I'm supposed to protect you... trust me, Lizzie?"

When Elizabeth couldn't hold on anymore, the sly gentleman beside her stood up at the right time and invited gracefully: "Miss, may I have the honor to invite you to a dance?"

Jane covered her surprised little mouth with a folding fan, poked her sister excitedly, winked at her, and ordered her to agree.

In fact, Elizabeth was more inclined that the gentleman was annoyed by the buzzing voice of their sisters, so he got up to invite.But because of her sister, she had no choice but to show her manners and gracefully nodded in agreement.

The timing was just right, and the band played the rhythm of the waltz.

The waltz, or waltz as the French called it, was a new popular dance music loathed by conservative Britons, with the invective of "French dirty dance".Someone submitted an article to the Times, criticizing: "It is really unbearable to see this erotic dance with entangled limbs and close bodies, and to see the unique solemnity and reserved fine traditions of British women being so seriously distorted. ... Our sisters and wives were grabbed by strangers, hugged at will, and jogged around a small room ..." But this did not extinguish people's enthusiasm, compared with the rigid minuet and other court dances. It is necessary to master a large number of complicated tricks, and this kind of waltz, which is stretched, brisk, elegant and easy to learn, has quickly become popular.Even the royal court ball has its presence.

The handsome gentleman gently put his arms around the lady's slender waist, and slid onto the dance floor with dreamy steps.

Mr. Darcy, who is well-read, memorized the dance after seeing it a few times, and it was the first time he practiced it.Mr. Gentleman personally thinks that compared with minuet and gavotte, although the waltz is not solemn, it is better to master.

The roots of his ears were red.

Elizabeth was very good at this enduring dance music, and she noticed the stiffness of Mr. Dancer.

'This is a shy gentleman. ’ she thought, ‘So tall and yet so shy. '

In view of the gentleman's demeanor, Elizabeth was considerate and wanted to help him relieve his tension, so he started talking first.

Mr. Darcy was delighted, and said: "... Excuse me for hearing the conversation between the two ladies without their consent. It is Miss Lizzie, isn't it?"

Elizabeth felt that the nickname was a bit too familiar, but she didn't bother to explain: after this ball, there will be no communication between strangers, so why bother?

She nodded, and Mr. Darcy, after a moment's reflection, asked Miss Lizzie to address him "Mr. William."

He originally wanted to ask her to call her "Fitzwilliam", but Fitzwilliam belonged to the surname of a famous grand duke in England. Darcy's mother came from Earl Henry's residence, and the previous generation of mistress of Earl Henry's residence was the Duke of Fitzwilliam. The eldest daughter, Darcy's grandmother, was of noble birth.So Darcy's uncle and mother adopted the prominent mother's surname as the son's name: Fitzwilliam Henry and Fitzwilliam Darcy. (Note)

Fitzwilliam has another meaning, which is the son of William. Coincidentally, the old Mr. Darcy was named William, so Mr. Darcy was often called "mother's little William" by his mother when he was a child.Mr. Darcy hides a soft heart deeply under his cold appearance, so he asks his Miss Wonderful to call himself "William".

In fact, throughout Great Britain, William knew that he was extremely ordinary, but Elizabeth didn't take it to heart.She only dutifully talked to this gentleman in order to finish the dance smoothly.

'Mr William is a gentleman! ' thought Elizabeth.She clearly saw some male guests on the dance floor taking advantage of this passionate waltz and making some irregular movements, while her partner was always reserved, and she could feel that he was careful not to stick close to her, and she was extremely considerate and demeanor.

Perhaps the gentlemen of Meryton, who presided over the ball, also saw the little chaos happening in the dark on the dance floor, and the whole masquerade only played the melody of the waltz this time.

Many gentlemen and ladies still have more to say, but the band has been ordered and refuses to be rash anymore.

Mr. Darcy could not have been more satisfied, and when he returned to the corner he felt dizzy from the constant lingering fragrance in his nostrils.

There was another person who felt dizzy.For the second time in this dance, Mr. Bingley stepped on his girlfriend's feet.His dance partner was about to abandon him in anger, and this dull gentleman was still wandering, without knowing it.

Mr. Bingley only suspected that he was wrong, but it was clearly his best friend.

But can the stuffy and proud Darcy dance the warm and intimate waltz?

He couldn't believe it.

"God, I feel a little dizzy."

"Coincidentally, I think so too." His partner replied coldly, "Why don't we rest first."

After finishing speaking, he left him and walked out of the dance floor.

Poor Mr. Bingley stood transfixed in the middle of the dance floor.

The author has something to say: The second watch is coming!For Jia Geng's sake, the little angels accepted the column of Yu.

Note: Fitzwilliam and Fitzwilliam are actually Fitzwilliam's translations, but the words are different, but Yu chose two translations because he was afraid that he might get mixed up.

"It is sickening to see this erotic dance of entangled limbs and close bodies, and to see the fine traditions of British women's distinctive dignity and restraint so horribly perverted... Our sisters and wives were Strangers are caught, hugged at random, and jogged around a small room..."——Quoted from Baidu Encyclopedia Waltz, which was indeed a criticism of the newspaper industry at that time.