[Pride and Prejudice] Rich Lady

Now that he knew the details of the so-called Mrs. Laver, things would be much easier to handle, but with Miss Jane's uncle on the side, Mr. George always wanted to make things more beautiful.

He ordered his servants to go to the streets where the low-class prostitutes haunted to find out if anyone had heard of Mrs. Lavaux, and he personally brought gifts to visit the sheriff who was in charge of the district.

Uncle Gardiner was completely at his disposal, but he took the job of preparing gifts for the visit to Mr. Sheriff: "Mr. Sheriff who is in charge of this district lived in Seville for a few years and likes expensive Cuban cigars. , I happen to have this thing there."

The shrewd and capable Mr. George was silent for a while. He felt that something was unexpected. It seemed that Mr. Gardner had already prepared for this matter—snuff is popular in England now, and the snuff bottle has just replaced the pipe as a new Stylish, this cigar is smoked in a manner Monsieur Georges has only seen in the Pyrenees.Small tobacco factories have just appeared in Germany and France, while England has no tobacco factories at all. When many English gentlemen have not noticed this way of smoking, Mr. Gardner has already prepared authentic Cuban cigars. ? (Note)

'Perhaps Mr. Gardner has other matters to seek the help of Mr. Sheriff. '

Mr. George had just thought this, when Mr. Gardner said: "My little Lizzie found someone staring at their house three weeks ago, and she asked me to find out. I found Veronica Laveau, This person is cunning and treacherous, but fortunately she has nothing to rely on, and the things she does against the law and the will of God are easy to deal with. But before I can deal with it, something happened in Meryton's factory, and I Had to leave for a few days - the two maids who arranged to protect them did a good job, and for some reason, Lavo misunderstood Jane as a golden bird kept in a cage, and her purpose was to want Jane to be abandoned... But I didn't expect her to be able to find out when Jane had visitors."

"It's only a rouge box, fortunately," said Mr. George, after a moment.

The uncle nodded: "Fortunately, it's a rouge box. I've failed my duty!"

Mr. Gardner is still afraid now. He left all the matter to the young man. On the one hand, he wanted to test him. On the other hand, he could not help but imagine that if Laver used a more vicious method, For example, let the rouge box fall out in the church...London is very big and small, especially Jane's appearance is outstanding, and she still has friends in the city. The method is to completely wash off the dirty water splashed on the young lady.

Thinking of Jane's friends, Mr. Gardner's eyes narrowed and his expression sank.

Mr. Magistrate was very happy to receive the gift he wanted: his collection was about to run out, but because the first consul of France had just defeated the Austrian Empire in June, the Anti-French Alliance had lost, and the trade between England and Europe It was difficult, Mr. Magistrate couldn't find a merchant who sold cigars at all, and even asking a friend to buy it for him became a luxury.

Disposing of a procuress who came to a brothel illegally is just a trivial matter for Mr. Sheriff who is happy and wants to repay.

Things in Liuying Street are also going well. This vicious woman has deceived many girls.More than once, she has abducted a country girl who had just stepped off a stagecoach, and forced a helpless widow to sell her flesh and blood to make money for her--the poor young widow unfortunately rented Lavaux's house, completely unaware that it was because she had a crush on her Because of her beauty, this old woman is willing to rent out the house at a low price.

After draining the girls of their bodies and their value, Laveau would drive the sick girls to the East Side, and sometimes she would make a final profit by selling the pretty women to the bustards in the Lower Town.Veronica Laveau had done all the bad things she could, pimping, pawning, stealing, and she'd robbed a Northern merchant with her regular client.

— and this is all the testimony of a prostitute who had been coaxed by her down to the point of receiving customers with "French disease." (Note ②)

Mr. George had planned to pay to hire one if she couldn't find a 'niece' who had worked there.There are too many low-class prostitutes in London. They all have similar experiences, but I didn't expect that the name of "Mrs. Laveau" was much more famous in the lower city than in Grace Hall Street. The servant only brought back a prostitute who could speak clearly. .female.

Veronica Laveau had just downed a half-pint of wine when the Sheriff and Mr. Lawyer knocked on the door of Laveau's apartment, celebrating the arrival of a golden-feathered bird soon to fly into her apartment. palm.The old woman thought happily that most of the upstairs rooms were vacant, and she should really try to fill these sterling-decorated rooms.

Neither Mr. Gardner nor Mr. George approached, they sat in the carriage and waited quietly.

"Mr. Sheriff!" Mrs. Laver's attitude was extremely humble, and she hurriedly brought out the best things to entertain them. (Note ③)

The lawyer hired by Mr. George easily saw the bullying nature of the old woman—she was a jackal to a docile and weak girl, and a sheep to a high-ranking gentleman.

It's a pity that her flattery is destined to be useless.

Soon, Veronica Laveau was caught by the sheriff for running a brothel, abducting young girls, theft, robbery, and possibly murder.An indictment, chains, central court, Newgate, and hanging awaited her.

When Mrs. Laver was taken away, she saw Mr. Gardner in the carriage, and her slack eyelids widened before she realized why she had suddenly come to this end.

Mrs. Laver was very upset. She did not expect that this gentleman would be so fond of his lover.

******

"...So, this is a completely innocent disaster?" Elizabeth was silent for a while before saying, "Jane is so unlucky?"

Uncle Gardner looked at the niece whom he valued and admired the most, but did not speak.

On the contrary, Mr. George replied: "There are only two young ladies living in a house, and it is indeed easy to arouse some people's evil thoughts. But when bad people do evil, they always want to find an excuse for themselves, and they have to give the victim Just put on an immoral hat." For example, Mrs. Laveau, she coveted Miss Jane's beauty and this house, but she would misunderstand that Miss Jane was a lover who was raised by others, and she was an immoral woman.

As if this gave her a reason to frame someone.Mr. George could not comprehend the minds of Mrs. Laveau--the vicious executioner was a devout believer, and she had a thousand excuses for making her crimes the fault of the girls she was victimizing, while she herself It's a pure lamb.For example, the young widow who was persecuted by her, her reason was that the widow was an adulterer who lured a man to elope, and her husband died young, and the widow had to pay her body to be trampled to atone for her sin.The reason for the theft and robbery is that the guests of 'niece' damaged her sheep casings (Note ④), and must be compensated and punished...

Of course, these filthy things cannot be explained to the ladies in detail, and Mr. George only mentioned them briefly.

There are people like this who would harm people for no reason, and even pretend to be a kind and loving person.

Jane was shocked a lot, but there were more cruel things waiting for her.

Mr. George quickly bid farewell, and this beautiful meeting was completely interrupted by an accident.After all, the ladies were frightened. Mr. George thoughtfully left first, and agreed to visit Mr. Gardner's mansion in a few days.

When making this request, Mr. George's bright eyes deliberately looked at the young lady he admired.

Uncle Gardner was so pleased with Mr. George that, after the young gentleman's reluctant farewell, he said to his niece: "If he proposes to you, Jane, I can speak kindly to your father for him. I understand Mr. Bennet, he likes a responsible and intelligent young man as his son-in-law."

Jane blushed.

Her tense emotions for a long time finally relaxed, and her cheeks were flushed.

Not only Elizabeth, but even Lydia had some questions and wanted to ask Uncle Gardner: "Why is that Lavaux so sure that Jane is a bad-natured lover? Jane's temperament, manners, and her dress and socializing, how can you get it?" Such a misunderstanding? Hasn't she asked anyone about it?"

Uncle Gardner was a little reluctant to speak out, he didn't think the gentle and kind Jane could withstand this blow.When the niece is about to find love and happiness, the uncle does not want to spoil her mood.

"Uncle Gardner, I don't think it's a complete accident." Elizabeth said, "Jane is beautiful, and that's not a reason for others to frame her. Jane just moved here, and that Mrs. How did she find her, and she was so sure that Jane was unreliable and weak-tempered—so much so that she thought that as long as the husband misunderstood that the "lover" was a prostitute, Jane would be "abandoned", and she could control Jane .”

Is the ladylike temperament in Jane fake? Didn't the old lady suspect it after observing it for so long?Even if the neighbors don't know Jane's background, why do they think that Jane is someone else's mistress?Moreover, such a bullying and cautious villain, she has never been in contact with Jane, so she is sure that Jane is not the kind of strong and pungent woman, and she is sure that she can control Jane?

Jane showed a sense of insight which is not possessed by country girls who have just set foot in London.For example, Jane often goes to dessert shops. Does an insignificant mistress have the confidence to step into such an expensive place?

The more she thought about it, the more confused Elizabeth became.She felt that there must be something missing, which was illogical at all.Before Uncle Gardner and Mr. George came back, she imagined many possibilities, even such absurd assumptions as "Mrs. Laver and Uncle Gardner have a grudge" and "Mrs. The only thing that never occurred to her was "Lavo wants to coerce and lure Jane into becoming a prostitute under his command".It's not that the young lady's thoughts are too pure, but that Jane herself has not been tricked into becoming a prostitute. The first condition is that she is not sleepy, and she is not stupid.

Jane's demeanor is no different from other ladies, no one will abduct a lady for no reason.Even if you take a hundred steps back, let's think that Jane is a mistress who relies on men, but there are many mistresses who have been abandoned. As long as the appearance is still there, most women can still find a second person to support her.A mistress is not a wife, and chastity is not a requirement. Even if the previous husband misunderstood her as a slut, it doesn't matter, this will not delay the mistress's career.In fact, the high-class mistresses on the "Harris Garden Ladies List" are almost the same as courtesans, and some of them are mistresses of nobles.

The reason that Mr. George said that the two ladies live alone in a house is also difficult to establish. There are many ladies in England who will live in a certain house accompanied by a housekeeper and servants, especially in a hot spring town like Bath. And central cities like London.All Jane had less than the others was an elderly housekeeper, but that proved nothing.

Uncle Gardner was extremely embarrassed. After a while, he looked at the most beautiful niece and asked softly, "Jane, do you remember Miss Duda?"

Jane was stunned for a long time, when Uncle Gardner mentioned Miss Duda at this time, no matter how kind the lady was, she could sense something was wrong, not to mention that although Jane was soft-hearted, she was very smart.

Uncle Gardiner sighed: "Miss Duda has gone to Scotland with her husband to make a living, and she will not come back."

Jane moved her lips, she wanted to say: Isn't Miss Duda's fiancé bankrupt, and Miss Duda is about to break up with him.

"Of course, she doesn't want to marry a fiancé who owes a lot of debt. But old Duda's cotton cloth business is doing very badly. Indian fine cotton has almost completely squeezed out his factory. Old Duda can only ask me for help. I hope the Meryton Garment Factory will accept the stock he has in stock." Mr. Gardner revealed the cruelty of adults to the children: "In view of his daughter's disrespectful offense to my niece, I make a request."

"I hope he can agree to the marriage proposal made by the young man, and then send them to the young man's hometown in Scotland...I heard that the young man is an avid gambler." Uncle Gardner paused and continued. : "Miss Duda is bound to have a bad life like this, but I think it's fair, when she keeps encouraging bad guys to frame my child."

Uncle Gardner left London a few days ago to deal with the affairs of Meryton's garment factory, because he accepted the batch of cloth from old Duda, which made him have to keep an eye on the order and turn the cloth into commodities as soon as possible to facilitate turnover stand up.

"But, why would Miss Duda..." Jane covered her face, and she just said it out of tune.

"Who is Miss Duda?" asked Elizabeth.

Lydia was stunned for a while before answering her in a low voice: "Lizzie, have you forgotten? Three years ago, Jane and her mother stayed at Uncle Gardner's house for a while. There was a Mr. Duda who fell in love with Jane. He Enthusiastically pursuing Jane, she also wrote several poems for Jane. My mother once boasted for a long time—that Aunt Gardner said that Mr. Duda would propose to Jane, but he did not propose it in the end. Miss Duda was his cousin. Sister, but Mr. Du Da has been raised by his uncle’s family since he was a child, and he is the heir of their family.” (Note ⑤)

After a while, Lydia said again: "This time in the city, Jane and Miss Duda met again. Miss Duda is doing very badly. Jane sometimes visits her. They are friends."

Elizabeth didn't know it at all, but, such a friend?The second lady of the Bennet family was deeply worried about her sister again: "Uncle Gardner, do you mean that Miss Duda wants to hurt Jane? How did she do it?"

Having said that, Mr. Gardner doesn't need to hide anymore. He told the children: "When I was investigating Veronica Laveau, I didn't understand why she would follow Jane, but I found out that she and Miss Duda They actually know each other, they are all 'devout Christians'. This is the only connection between Laver and Jane, so Mrs. Gardner bought Miss Duda's personal maid with money."

"Miss Du Da's fiancé went bankrupt, and Du Da's family was almost bankrupt. Their family couldn't afford to support so many servants, so they knew the whole story easily. Miss Du Da, who is more cunning than Lavo, already knew about it. The details of this old woman, she deliberately described Jane as a mistress who was kept by others, and also said that Jane has a weak temperament, and she is worried about being abandoned all day long." Uncle Bennet coughed, and continued with difficulty: "Say A businessman is very generous to his lover, but he likes a dignified and clean woman, if... he will definitely abandon her."

"If abandoned, this poor girl might not be able to survive. How sad she is, I am really worried about her. But with her status, she only learned to pretend to be elegant and spend money in order to please her master. What else can someone else’s mistress do? Fortunately, she still has a house and some savings, and maybe she can find a kind person to take her in before squandering it all.” Uncle Gardner thought of the maid imitating Miss Duda’s words, so he could bear it. Can't help being annoyed.

There is a kind of person in this world who despises those who are worse than her and envies those who are better than her.Jane used to be the 'poor' here. At that time, Miss Duda looked down on Jane very much, because Jane had nothing but a pretty face.But Miss Duda would not hurt Jane by looking down on her.

But there is another kind of person, she may be able to tolerate a person who is better than her in every way, but it is absolutely impossible to accept a person who was originally inferior to her in everything, but suddenly becomes someone she has to look up to and flatter, and even never catch up with. Honorable people.

Unfortunately, Jane's friend, Miss Duda, is of both kinds.In the past, Jane's dowry was meager, her relatives' status was low, and her family life was unhappy. Although she looked down on Jane, she didn't think Jane was worth her trouble. Miss Duda just prevented her cousin from proposing to Jane.

But I haven't seen you for a few years, and the scene is completely different!Jane's uncle's business grew bigger and bigger, and her father bought a luxurious manor. Jane herself had a rent-collecting property and a house. Even the most ridiculed aunt's family never Legal assistants who do not appear on the stage have become justices of the peace.

There is also a handsome gentleman who is courting her. ——These were revealed by Jane undefended in the chat.

But Miss Duda herself has been living in torment since her fiancé went bankrupt.She used to be as beautiful as Jane, and even because of her fine clothes and jewelry, people thought she was more beautiful than Jane, but now, Miss Duda hated to see the mirror and was angry.

But at this time, the person she hated smiled and pitied her, saying that they were friends.

The more tenderly Jane treats each other, regardless of past suspicions, the more Miss Duda hates her.

When Miss Duda's evil thoughts could not be restrained, she happened to hear Mrs. Laveau's words to God in the confessional, and then she knew that the lady who often worshiped in the chapel was a prostitute.Miss Duda had a plan, a brilliant strategy that would not involve herself at all.

Mrs. Laveau was a poisonous snake, and her prey would turn foul, if not successful.

Miss Duda was very successful, especially after she deliberately showed that she knew Jane in front of Mrs. Laveau, and Mrs. Laveau was even more convinced of what she said about Jane.

While telling Mrs. Laveau what happened to "poor" Jane, Miss Duda confessed to God that she should not associate with immoral mistresses.Mrs. Laver had seen Miss Duda confessing in the confessional, and she was absolutely sure that Jane was a good target.

What better 'prey' than a weak and tame pretty girl, especially if she has a nice house.

Mrs. Laveau is like a puppet in the hands of Miss Duda, swayed by invisible threads.

Uncle Gardner found out the truth, and the wise man's first reaction was that Miss Duda had to be dealt with first, while Mrs. Laver was not that important.

Miss Duda is completely safe, because she has never directly hurt Jane, and no one has evidence to accuse her.Mr. Gardner is very aware of this, he directly proposed a deal to the old Duda who repeatedly pleaded...

Jane couldn't accept it, her face was pale, her eyes were lifeless, and her beauty was much inferior.

The surname "Duda" has a special meaning to Jane. It was the first time she was courted by a gentleman. He also wrote poems to her and expressed his love every day. Jane was only 15 years old at that time. Her Her temper was not as gentle as later, she shyly and straightforwardly showed her friendship with Mr. Du Da.

But Mr. Duda did not propose to her, when Aunt Gardner swore that he would propose to her.

After this incident passed, my uncle and aunt only felt a little sorry, but it was nothing.But Jane felt extremely ashamed and embarrassed, for the friendship she showed herself... Especially when Mrs. Bennet talked about it as a show off, Jane wanted to cry in embarrassment, but she couldn't ask her mother to stop.

Jane's friendship with Mr. Duda is getting weaker and weaker, but the pain and embarrassment are left behind for a long time.

She became more and more quiet and gentle, and never showed affection to any suitors, so she was often misunderstood that she didn't like suitors—except for Mr. George, whose eyes, which were always happy and warm, were so keen that he could see A little change in Miss Chu's mood.

Miss Duda's blow to Jane was much more severe than that of the strange Mrs. Laveau.

Everyone was a little worried, but fortunately, Mr. George was a mature and considerate man, and his visits could always arouse Jane's anger.

As the Christmas holidays approached, Jane finally stopped being distracted.

One day, Jane hugged her dearest sister and burst into tears: "Lizzie, I recognized her, I recognized Miss Duda. I knew she didn't like me before—but as long as someone says a nice word , I always want to be considerate of others, and I think I forgive others noblely. Did I really not feel Miss Duda's hypocrisy? This matter is entirely my fault!"

The author has something to say: the second update was sent, and some content was added.Comment on this chapter to send [-] small red envelopes~

Note: The cigar trend in Europe spread from Spain to various places.The Spanish city of Seville has been making cigars from Cuban tobacco since 1717.By 1790, small cigarette factories had been established in France and Germany.

But since the Peninsula War (Peninsur War, 1806-1812) against Napoleon, cigar smoking has become popular in Britain and France.At that time, snuff bottles had replaced pipes as the mainstream way of smoking, and after the retired British and French soldiers brought the smoking habits they learned in Spain to the country, smoking cigars became a new fashion. In 1820, cigars began to be produced in the UK. In the following year, the British Parliament established a bill to control cigar production. The new import tax law made foreign cigars a luxury in the UK. ——"The History of Cigar Popularity in the World"

Note ②: Syphilis.There are many names for syphilis. The Italians call it French disease; the French call it Naples disease; the British call it French disease, Bordeaux disease or Spanish disease; the Poles call it Germanic disease; .People in the Middle East call it European impetigo; Indians call it Frank's disease; Chinese call it Canton ulcer; Japanese call it Tang sore or Portuguese disease. ——"Syphilis, the Flower of Evil in Human History"

Note ③: In 1752, it was declared illegal to open a brothel in London.Some magistrates even visit brothels on a regular basis, "letting the procuress of the brothel promise not to cause trouble." Are the magistrates really going to educate the procuress, or go to sex or accept bribes, or both. ——"London in the Eighteenth Century: A Guide to Prostitution and Prostitution"

Note ④: Sheep casings, condoms in the [-]th century, are made of sheep intestines and can be used repeatedly. When not in use, they should be soaked in water and wrung out before use, otherwise sheep intestines will easily lose their extension due to drying sex.

Note ⑤: In Chapter 15 of the first volume of the original book, Mrs. Bennet once showed off to Mr. Bingley: "When she was [-] years old, at the house of my brother Gardner in my city, a gentleman fell in love with her. My brother-in-law insisted that he would propose to Jane before we left. He didn't, however. Perhaps he thought her too young. But he wrote some very touching poems for Jane."

Miss Duda is a fictional fish.Yu named the "Mr. Poetry Writer" who was not named in the original work Mr. Duda.

When writing this paragraph, the fish was also tangled.Before Yu Kaiwen, when refining the characters, he imagined what the transition point of Jane's "docile" character would be. Just like the theory of childhood trauma, the initial knot had to be untied.So Yu set up this plot. Jane became introverted after experiencing Mr. Duda's affairs, and then ran into Miss Duda who once looked down on her in London. Maybe there was a strange emotion to prove herself (Yu felt that the girl's little vanity Unavoidable), Jane also took the initiative to approach Miss Duda, but the stupid girl with insufficient judgment almost killed herself...

Uncle Gardner and Mr. George helped clear the mess.

Yu originally wanted to make a comparison secretly: Jane's crying and helplessness, Lizzie rolled up her sleeves and just fucked, the two sisters are very different.Think about it later, forget it.Poor Mr. Darcy has no chance to show off now. If Lizzie is more powerful, the dear male god has nothing to attract the lady except his handsome face, broad shoulders, thin waist and long legs (big mistake!)

In fact, Mr. Darcy is also getting better. His property scope is larger, he is richer, his temperament is more mature, he knows how to love his sister... and he still doesn't know how to pursue girls.