[Pride and Prejudice] Rich Lady

When Mr. Darcy calmed down, he realized that Miss Lizzie was not writing about himself. After all, the lady he admired was never a docile girl, and she was good at the art of rejection.It can be windy and rainy or spring breeze is blowing, it all depends on the subjective consciousness of the lady.

There was no reason for Mr. Darcy to visit Longbourn, not even if he now confessed to Miss Lizzie that he was "Mr. William".Because he is not a neighbor, and he has no friendship, visiting for no reason will only appear reckless.Unless Miss Elizabeth was in love with him, he would go to Mr. Bennet to ask permission for his proposal, which was the best and most legitimate reason under the sun.

But it is clear that Mr. Darcy is dreaming.

Tortured by longing, he pretended to forget his previous decision: "Unless Miss Fantastic first confided his friendship with him, he would never take the initiative to express his affection again."And Mr. Lovely also took the initiative to reply to his friend, telling Mr. Bingley that he will stay in Rosings for a few months and will not go to London to participate in the activities of the social season for the time being - Meryton is too close to London, Mr. Darcy Fearing that Miss Bingley would come out to disrupt the situation again, he had no choice but to hide it from his friends so that the Bingley family could live in Leamington Spa with peace of mind.

That persistent lady still hasn't let go of the idea of ​​becoming the mistress of Pemberley. Once she learns of Mr. Darcy's whereabouts, she will definitely rush over, but Mr. Darcy has completely stopped her approaching.For this reason, he did not agree to his friend's request to visit Pemberley.This inevitably made him and Mr. Bingley less close than before, but Mr. Darcy did not regret it at all, especially when he heard that Mr. Bingley met a young lady in Leamington who was also there for vacation.

Mr. Darcy sincerely hopes that his friends will be happy, but he no longer gives him advice as before. Mr. Darcy now believes that everyone should be responsible for his own choices.Under the influence of Miss Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy's temperament has been relaxed a lot, he has become more peaceful and tolerant, and he no longer does the stupid thing of making decisions for others with his own will - the lady taught him the art of rejection He this.

Whenever "Mr. William" shows signs of domineering in his letters, Miss Lizzie can always dig out the seedlings by the roots with sharp, humorous, bold and humorous language.Mr. Darcy was often exasperated and delighted by the brilliant similes, by the clever irony, and then by the strong desire to see Miss Elizabeth, and to hear her speak to her face.

All he had to worry about now was having to reimagine a decent reason to visit.It was no longer possible to rent a manor for a holiday in the country, and all the decent houses in the vicinity had owners.

Mr. Darcy has been paying attention to Meryton silently, not only knowing that Netherfield was bought by the Bennet family, but also how wise and decisive their family’s decision was: after they bought the largest manor in the area, Meryton’s The real estate became more valuable, and the nearby manors and villas that were being leased and sold soon disappeared.It is not difficult to understand that after the repair of the road invested by Mr. Darcy, the relationship between Meryton and Hatfield became closer, and the commercial trade flourished unprecedentedly. With the promotion of getting along, he became the richest man in Hertfordshire. Two big towns.And Meryton was so close to London.

Just when Mr. Darcy was going to live in the manor owned by Hatfield, he found an opportunity to apologize to Miss Elizabeth in person, and then participated in the local society as a toll road investor. While visiting Mr. Bennet, one of the Meryton JPs—an unexpected turn of events came.

A very flattering novice of the parish of Westerham was taking at least a fortnight's leave of absence to visit relatives at Meryton, Hertfordshire.Madam Catherine brought up this matter a little angrily. She had taken a good view of the priest and wanted to train him, but he had disappointed her so much that he had just become a member of the teaching staff and was about to take a leave of absence soon.

"The priest in Hansford Parish is getting old. I was optimistic about the priest named Collins (note), but he was too careless. When I was about to recommend him for the post of pastor, he took half a month's leave." Catherine The wife complained to her nephew: "I especially hate lazy and slippery people. Your father's godson is a slippery and annoying person. Whenever I see someone who shows off his cleverness like him, I feel bad."

Mr. Darcy knew that Aunt Catherine was referring to George Wickham, but he paid no attention to this childhood playmate at all, but was attracted by Mr. Collins' destination.

"Mr. Collins is going to Meryton, Hertfordshire. What is he doing?" asked Mr. Darcy.

Mrs. Catherine showed Collins' letter of leave to her nephew, which consisted of two pages, and Mr. Darcy, who had read the first few lines, frowned, and it was all flattering and frightening nonsense.It was not until the second page that Mr. Collins wrote the matter. He was going to visit a distant relative. Originally, the relative’s property was to be inherited by him, which was a large farm. He often felt grateful and guilty for this, but Now that something happened, he was very worried that his relatives and family would be deceived, so he decided to visit them.

Distant relatives, inherited property, farms, accidents, Mr. Darcy's fingers move slightly, he thinks he knows who this gentleman is: a well-known local Meryton, never-before-appeared luck in the future to inherit the Longbourn farm Son.

The gentleman snorted lightly, and he probably didn't take the gratitude, guilt, and worries written on Collins's paper. This is a selfish and selfish person.Mr. Darcy stared at the signature "William Collins" on the paper, feeling somewhat offended.

"Darcy, Darcy?" Lady Catherine called out, she no longer paid attention to the little clerk, but began to care about the lifelong affairs of her nephew: "Georgiana was brought up very well, she used to have the same body as Anne Not very well, but I see she's much healthier this time, and it's all your fault, Darcy. But I must say, it's kind of rough to take Georgiana back to Pemberley long before you're married. ), you should leave her at your London lodgings. But if Pemberley has a mistress, Georgiana is only right to move back."

The aunt paused, carefully observed his nephew's expression, and tentatively said, "I think that's what you intend too?"

"Which lady do you fancy to be the mistress of Pemberley? But Darcy, for your happiness and Georgiana's happiness, I think the lady had better get along with Georgiana happily, and she must be intelligent and versatile. "

Mr. Darcy's eyes were full of smiles, and Lady Catherine had never seen such a soft and sweet expression on him, so that the lady was taken aback, and gave her nephew a chance to tell her friendship: "I have never seen a smarter and cuter face than her." Miss, Georgiana is very fond of her, and they are very good friends. I think they will be very good relatives after the lady agrees to my marriage proposal."

The corner of the aunt's mouth twitched, and she couldn't help but interrupted: "This lady sounds like Georgiana's playmate? That status is a bit inappropriate. Does she understand those elegant tastes, or should I ask if she is educated?" ?”

Mr. Darcy was a little unhappy, but he still answered his aunt's question seriously, "She is a real lady! Etiquette, dance, music, painting, architecture, classical art, writing, French, Latin, Greek... I I have to give a pertinent compliment, this lady's broad knowledge is no less than that of gentlemen, and her abilities are also enough to surpass most people."

Lady Catherine was very disbelieving when she heard these compliments, and said, "So she must be able to play the harp? (Note ③)"

Mr. Darcy stopped talking. He didn't know if the lady could play the harp. He had never even heard her play the piano. He just discussed music and opera on the letter paper. It was a very pleasant chat at the time, but now thinking about it, he is not satisfied. So we can only communicate on paper.

Like a victorious general, my aunt thought she had punctured her nephew's hyperbole.But once a young man falls in love, he can't forcefully break him off. Madam Catherine thought, if she knew who the lady was, she could go to meet this not-so-decent lady in person and tell her to retreat.

"If Anne is in good health and studies a little, she will be better than others in all aspects. Her tutor always says that Anne is the most intelligent and gifted student she has ever seen." Speaking of her daughter, Miss Anne de Bauer, Madam Catherine's eyes were full of kindness, but when she saw her nephew was indifferent, she couldn't help feeling a little angry, so she inquired and said, "I heard that you praised this lady so much just now, so you must marry her? Which lady is she from? I have to help you, mother, to see how she is doing."

Mr. Darcy defended and said: "Miss doesn't know my friendship yet. When she agrees to my marriage proposal, she must come to visit Rosings."

Lady Catherine was very dissatisfied, but her nephew no longer wanted to continue the subject.Mr. Darcy knew Aunt Catherine's plan: her cousin, Miss Anne, was very weak, and she was the sole heir to Rosings's large property, which made people worry about her marriage. It was difficult, so Lady Catherine wanted to find a son-in-law from her trusted relatives.

Compared with the eldest nephew who will inherit the earldom, and the younger nephew who has no inheritance rights and has to marry a rich girl, the nephew Darcy is more suitable-Anne's body does not allow her to become a countess, she can't stand those trivial matters, and Lady Catherine doesn't want to put A daughter marries a young nephew who is supported by her dowry.

Lady Catherine had long planned, and she herself was very fond of the character and talents of her nephew.Since Miss Anne was born last year and her health improved a little, Mrs. Catherine put the marriage on the agenda, but she didn't expect her nephew to tell her that she already had someone he admired and proposed to her!

Mr. Darcy thought that he had no sexual feelings for his cousin, and he felt that the same was true for her cousin.But after what happened to Miss Bingley, Mr. Darcy no longer dared to be careless. He wanted to speak clearly for a long time, and today he finally got his wish.

Having achieved his purpose, the gentleman did not want to talk about Miss Lizzy with anyone who didn't like her, lest he get bad words from his aunt.If the topic is really allowed to continue, Mr. Darcy will definitely defend his Miss Wonderful, and it is inevitable to make Mrs. Catherine angry.

So the nephew said: "I've heard of Meryton in Hertfordshire. It's a nice place! The fields, paths, rivers, hedges, the village is beautiful. I used to go to the bookshop there to buy I read the book, but I didn’t have time to appreciate it.”

Mr. Darcy's heart was full of sweet and sour feelings when he thought of the encounter, the conversation, and the accident before parting with Miss Elizabeth long ago.

Lady Catherine had already made up her mind to withdraw her favor from the clerk of Collins, but her nephew's words made the domineering lady think otherwise.

She picked up the false letter again, and then she was willing to condescend to read it carefully—after Madam knew it was a false letter, she thought that Mr. Collins had failed her kindness, so she was angry and didn't read a word.

After reading the whole letter, Lady Catherine was not too angry, and even renewed her affection for Mr. Collins.Originally, Mr. Collins only needed to ask his senior pastor for permission to ask for leave, but this gentleman was grateful for Mrs. Catherine's great kindness in helping him, so he wanted to ask for her opinion in awe.This letter fully shows Mr. Collins' gratitude to his wife, and his respect for her is only a little less than that for God.

"Mr. Collins is quite diligent and capable." Mrs. Catherine said: "I can't bear to see hard-working young people going astray, and I want to care about promoting them. Besides, his reasons are just and benevolent, and I don't want to refuse. A plea of ​​conscience."

"He's not too young, and getting married early will help him focus on teaching affairs. But if a gentleman wants to be successful, he must choose his marriage partner carefully!" Aunt commented on Collins Regarding the husband's matter, he also took the opportunity to advise his nephew.

Mrs. Catherine looked carefully at the letter, which mentioned distant relatives. Mr. Collins mentioned that he would inherit a large farm from relatives. the most suitable candidate."

Mr. Darcy frowned, for he did not think that this "William Collins" was a match for any of the Bennet ladies.

Lady Catherine always followed her own way. She didn't care whether other people were busy or not, and immediately asked the servants to invite Bishop Collins to Rosings Manor.

Mr. Collins was invited to step into this luxurious manor for the second time, and he kept his posture extremely low.Had it not been for the thick floor of Rosings, Mr. Darcy had reason to suspect that this Mr. Collins would have praised Rosings's soil more fragrant than elsewhere.

Lady Catherine was happy to speak, and Mr. Collins was a perfect compliment.

Mr. Darcy said nothing.

"...In that case, that young lady is very suitable." Madam Catherine finally got to the serious business, and she pointed the young man seriously.

Since learning of Mrs. Bennet's pregnancy, Mr. Collins has paid more attention to the affairs of Longbourn. He even wrote to the local pastor to inquire about it. He knew that Miss Bennet is a beautiful woman with many suitors. Fill a crusade.So he tactfully told the noble lady that Miss Bennet might already have a marriage contract.

"Then the second daughter of your relative's family is not bad, but it must not be a younger girl. You know, the younger girls are always spoiled by their parents, and they usually can't be a good wife." Mrs. Catherine said: "Generally speaking, a family has multiple daughters, so except for the first two, the others are not worth looking forward to."

Mr. Collins immediately thanked her with tears of gratitude. He was too convinced of Mrs. Catherine's point, and immediately said that his second cousin was good in everything and qualified to be the wife of a clergyman.

Mr. Darcy's eyebrows are wrinkled. Of course, his Miss Lizzie is good in everything, but this Mr. Collins in front of him is not even worthy to lead Miss Lizzie's horse!

Mrs. Catherine nodded in satisfaction, and then said: "My nephew, Mr. Darcy, is a little interested in the scenery of Hertfordshire, and he also wants to take a walk there, but I don't want him to go alone. There must be a suitable one." You need to be accompanied. Mr. Collins, I wonder if you would like to set off with Darcy, I believe that with you, he will not find the journey boring."

—this was Lady Catherine's idea of ​​separating her nephew from the lady he adored.Since she was Georgiana's playmate, and Georgiana had lived in Pemberley for half a year before, that lady must also be from nearby Pemberley.After Mrs. Catherine heard that Darcy said that he liked the scenery of Hertfordshire very much, she would send her nephew there to enjoy the scenery, regardless of the arrival of spring.

Lady Catherine's plan was excellent, and she thought that she could use this time to get the details of the young lady from Georgiana's mouth, and then decide how to deal with it.

Mr. Collins was so grateful to Mrs. Catherine and Mr. Darcy's corporal, that he immediately accepted the honor and even welcomed Mr. Darcy's visit on behalf of Longbourne Manor and the Bennet family.

Mr. Darcy was indescribably overwhelmed by this, and was obliged to remain silent.

Mr. Collins immediately wrote a letter to Mr. Bennet, in which he stated that he had tentatively scheduled a visit on Monday afternoon, January [-]th, would be in Longbourne for two weeks, and would bring a distinguished guest to the door, etc., please. Mr. Nut must prepare carefully to welcome this distinguished guest.

Mr. Darcy did not know what Mr. Collins wrote in his letter, and if he had known he would have prevented it.After achieving his goal, Mr. Darcy left early. He didn't expect Mr. Collins to "kindly" pave the way for him.

When Mr. Bennet received this angry letter, it was already January 25, which was the No. 15 day when Mrs. Bennet gave birth.

Little Alexander is two weeks old.

The author has something to say: The second watch is here!As usual, ask for a column and ask for advance receipt~

[-] small red envelopes for comments in this chapter (A total of [-] small red envelopes will be sent out in two chapters yesterday, little angels remember to leave a comment ~ the number of small red envelopes is not enough for the comments, it seems that there are too many fish and no face~~)

Note: In the three-level clergy system, the priest is the bishop at the next level, and the priest at the next level.

Note ②: According to the customs at the time, Mr. Darcy was not married and had no other siblings except Georgiana. In the case of the death of their parents, Georgiana could not continue to live in Pemberley Manor. Her brother can only move back when he gets married——[Chapter No. 16 of the first volume of the original book, Wickham said of Georgiana, "After her father died, she has been living in London, and a woman lived with her. Together, we are responsible for cultivating her"; in the last chapter, after Darcy gets married, it is written that "Pemberley is now Georgiana's home". 】

But if Mr. Darcy was not in Pemberley, his sister could live there, and, as her brother was not yet married, Georgiana was now the mistress of Pemberley Park. ——[Chapter 3 of the third volume of the original book, when Darcy was away, when Lizzie visited Pemberley with her uncle and aunt while traveling, it was written that someone reminded Miss Darcy to "remind her not to forget to be a host". 】

Note ③: The harp enjoys a lofty status in the UK, and only those of noble birth can play it. In the original book of "Pride and Prejudice", it is only mentioned that Georgiana can play the harp-only this time "harp" appears in this book. [In Chapter 10 of the first volume, Miss Bingley said to Darcy: "Please tell your sister, I am very happy to hear that her harp has improved."]

Even Lady Catherine, who is very self-respecting, praised her own daughter Anne de Bourgh in every possible way, but never mentioned the talent of "harp", which may be the reason for Miss Anne's poor health.