[Pride and Prejudice] Rich Lady

Extra: Mary and the Peacock

Uncle Phillips invited several officers of the militia regiment stationed in Hertfordshire to dinner. He took some jobs, and some places may need these people.After becoming a justice of the peace, Uncle Phillips's face became even bigger, and people were willing to show respect to his family's ball invitations.

When Aunt Phillips met Mr. Denny, who was acquainted with her husband, on the street in Meryton, she immediately saw the strong, handsome stranger.

"Who is this?" asked the aunt.

Mr. Denney was about to introduce his friend, and replied hastily, "Mr. George Graham. Graham is about to receive his commission as a lieutenant in our militia."

Aunt Phillips' eyes lit up.When she got home, she earnestly begged Mr. Phillips to invite Mr. Graham to dinner with the other officers.

Mr. Graham was very personable, and he did not accept the invitation until he had thanked Uncle Phillips for his kindness.

Aunt Phillips was overjoyed, and immediately sent her servants to Longbourne to invite her nieces to come to the house tomorrow night. "There are many excellent officers and gentlemen, all of them are still unmarried, and some of them may be of noble birth, with subsidies from their parents..."

Mrs. Bennet was so interested that she immediately asked the daughters to go to their aunt's for an appointment.

"Children, although the salary of a colonel is only six hundred pounds a year, you have to know that noble gentlemen are always willing to buy military posts for their young sons. These officers and gentlemen are likely to have fathers of great nobles, and they have family members. If you don’t pay the subsidy, you will never take the salary of the post seriously—I heard that some colonels can earn five or six thousand pounds a year. Good background, education, decent status, very This is a great opportunity! I will not allow you to refuse, especially you, Mary!" Mrs. Bennet was so anxious that although Jane and Lizzie were not married, they both had fiancés, and only Mary , who is only over a year younger than Lizzie, but there is no young man around.

The girls are now wealthy, especially Elizabeth and Jane, who have saved themselves twenty thousand pounds in the bank, at least that much, and it is conjectured that there may be more than that.This is already a great property, and the interest income on this money alone is nearly a thousand a year, not to mention the property income in their hands that is constantly making money.

Mrs. Bennet may not have valued the salaries of the officers. In fact, this lady's vision is getting higher and higher. Her two prospective sons-in-law are so capable that she understands in her heart that it is impossible for her three young daughters to As lucky as their sister.Mrs. Bennet persuaded herself to lower her requirements. It took her a long time to regain the pleasant feeling of hearing five thousand pounds annuity a few years ago—Mary herself is so good, if she wants a gentleman who is worthy of her, Don't mention her ability, just ask for that cleverness, and she will definitely become the old lady of the Bennet family.

The two big girls who had already settled down were really lacking in interest. Elizabeth rubbed her forehead and said, "Dear mother, I was so anxious to get home that I got caught in the rain while riding my horse. I still have a cold and feel drowsy and uncomfortable. Are you sure?" Ask me to go to my aunt's, I'm afraid I'll faint there."

And Jane hugged her little brother with more reasons: "Our little Alexander has a broken head, and the doctor said that it is best not to run these days. He is so lively, except that Lizzie and I can tell stories and temporarily quiet him, He won't even listen to papa. Lizzie's sick again, and I don't think I can leave them both at home, mother."

Later, at the request of her younger brother, Jane continued to read "The Story of Mother Goose" to him in a soft and pleasant voice.

Apart from their business, the two eldest daughters are busy with charity and don't like to socialize anymore. They haven't attended a ball for a long time, how can this work!Mrs. Bennet was very angry, but there was nothing she could do with the two big ones. They became more and more slippery,

I had to oppress the three younger girls: "Mary, mother, please, put down your big book that can knock people unconscious? Just take a break. You are 18 years old, you are so beautiful, you speak elegantly and learned Great knowledge, but no suitors! Why, God."

Mary put down the out-of-print book that her father treasured as she said, and stood up: "Shall I play the piano for you?"

Mrs. Bennet supported her forehead, resolutely not allowing her to slip away, and ordered: "No matter what, no matter what you say, you must go to your aunt's house for dinner tomorrow. Otherwise, you will disappoint your aunt's kindness too much!"

Although Mary speaks sharply outside, she has always been the most considerate and obedient daughter at home. Seeing what her mother said, she agreed.Anyway, she was confident that she would scare away all the gentlemen who surrounded her and teased her.

Mrs. Bennet felt even more sad. She even used her brain to think over and over again, but she couldn't figure out why such a kind-hearted, beautiful-looking, and knowledgeable girl was not pursued by young men, and those gentlemen who surrounded her always left quickly.But according to her opinion, Mary should be the most popular among the daughters!

Mrs. Bennet decided to pray to God again tomorrow morning, asking God to show Mary the way.

How can a young lady be without the nourishment of love?Mom especially hopes that someone can impress her, even if it's just a poor boy with little money.Mrs. Bennet had a small idea in her heart: Many officers have beautiful faces, and their red coats make them look even more handsome. She liked these red coats very much when she was young. Mr. Te took the initiative, and she might marry an officer—the wife expected Mary to do the same, and she believed that as long as the daughter was interested, the young gentleman, as long as he was not a fool, would not refuse a young, beautiful lady with a rich dowry.

Kitty was secretly winking at Lydia, covering her mouth and snickering: "I hope those red uniforms are capable enough. No, I think they will definitely drop their guns and armor under Miss Mary's words again. I would like to go to the door of my aunt's house again..."

"Kitty, what are you talking about!" Mrs. Bennet pointed her cannon at her and said angrily, "I told you, your father and I will never allow you to think about your stupid dream! Riding a horse to study in Europe? Board a ship and travel the world? Are you a lady, or a lady who can marry at the age of sixteen, can you do something serious to make us happy! Like throw away those models and be a lovely lady. Jane, Elizabeth , don't let you send her those nasty gadgets - look at her house, no lace, no curtains and bows, all ships, wedged locks (kongming locks), nautical charts, tattered books and stones !"

Kitty retorted in a low voice: "That's Francis Drake's treasure book and rock specimens... Drake is the most famous captain of a royal privateer in British history, vice admiral, my lord!... Lizzie just sent gave me a flintlock pistol..."

"Kitty! Don't think I don't know your mouth is moving!" Mrs. Bennet said angrily. ! You're giving me such a headache!"

Kitty lacked interest: Many of the gentlemen in these militia regiments spent money to buy military scumbags, and they were not as proficient in firearms as she was, so she really didn't want to go there to put on a show.

"Lydia!"

Without waiting for Mrs. Bennet to complain, Lydia said: "Mom, I am very willing to go. I hope that among the officers there are gentlemen who are proficient in Latin and Greek. I am always not very good at these two subjects-I I don't want to give up my seat to those bad apples who want to surpass me!"

Contrary to everyone's expectations, Miss Lydia Bennet not only successfully entered the Taolisi College, but also passed it smoothly, and even her seat was very high. When she graduated, she was expected to be able to hang her portrait in the school auditorium—— Elizabeth's portrait hangs inside.She and Georgiana, good friends, entered the college at a very young age, and spent several years in Taurus in peace, without graduating early, and will be one of the few girls in the college who have completed all the school years.

Lydia was also Mrs. Bennet's most assured daughter, and the gentlemen who pursued her were enough to hold a small ball at Netherfield.Mrs. Bennet was convinced that Lydia would marry quickly, perhaps the first of her daughters, as soon as she graduated from Taurice College.Thinking about it this way, I can't help but make my wife like it and get annoyed at the same time.

She said in her mouth: "My little baby Lydia is the most worry-free. It is much better than your sisters. They don't understand mother's heart. Lydia, just don't talk to Jane and Li Just like the two of them, get married as soon as you get engaged..."

Jane and Elizabeth looked at each other when they heard their mother's nagging.Jane raised eyebrows at Lizzie and signaled: Does mother know that Lydia despises all her suitors?

Elizabeth shook her head.

The two sisters couldn't help but sympathize with their mother now.

Lydia is lively by nature, and for some reason, no matter what she talks about, she always attracts the attention of gentlemen, as if she is born to please the opposite sex.But maybe there is something wrong with the family and the teaching of the older sisters. Lydia is actually the proudest of the Bennet family. She looks down on all the suitors, even if there are many handsome noble youths.

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In the Phillips house, the handsome Mr. Graham caught the attention of all the ladies as soon as he appeared in the drawing room, which made him secretly smug.

If Elizabeth were here, it would only take him a moment to look at him to be sure that this was another Mr. Wickham.In fact, Mr. Graham really has something to do with Wickham. They both learned how to communicate with women from the same 'teacher' - from the cultist who died early, to the city's guru out of the same door.

He was the youngest son of a factory owner. He was ignorant, but with his pretty face and eloquent mouth, he was like a fish in water with young girls, and he was very similar to Wickham.But Mr. Graham is more scheming. He is determined to marry a rich lady, so he always carefully inquires about the unmarried ladies at the ball in advance.

Looking around, Graham saw an exceptionally beautiful lady with a bookish look sitting in the corner, his eyes lit up immediately, and he could see that the lady's dress and jewelry were all very valuable, which meant that This is a rich young lady, at least from a wealthy family, so the dowry must be indispensable.

But Graham is very cautious. He can indulge in flirting with waitresses, actors and courtesans, but he has always put on a polite look to ladies of good background. good reputation.So he walked towards the hostess of the banquet in a personable manner.

"Hello, madam." The lieutenant, who was wearing an officer's red uniform, looked even more handsome and tall, and he kissed Mrs. Phillips's hand very gracefully.It made my wife almost show her teeth in a smile.

Mrs. Phillips was even more satisfied. When she heard that Mr. Graham had just received his commission as a lieutenant, she knew that this gentleman must have some wealth: the rank of British Land is clearly marked, and he liked red coats when he was young. Of course, Mrs. Phillips knew that a lieutenant's commission needed more than 500 pounds, and the young man who could easily afford this money was at least financially well-off, not to mention that he was also handsome and elegant.

Aunt Phillips wanted to make a match between Mary and Mr. Graham. Mr. Graham was about 27 or [-] years old, already the age for gentlemen to get married, and he was very suitable for Mary.

My aunt and Mrs. Bennet thought the same thing. In their view, Mary was the one who was the least likely to fail to marry. Besides, she was still young, so there was no need to worry too much, but this child had no nerves at all. When Jane and Lizzie were her age, they had both George and Mr. Darcy.

Mr. Graham had carefully inquired about decent families nearby, and he knew that Mr. Phillips had a wealthy gentleman brother-in-law. This gentleman's family not only owned a large pastoral farm, and the investment business brought him a lot of income. Fortunately, he was awarded the title by His Majesty the King.It is said that he left tens of thousands of pounds to his daughters.Just hearing this was enough to move Mr. Graham's heart, so he didn't ask how many girls there were in the Bennet family, but only knew of one daughter.

After being introduced by Mrs. Phillips, Graham secretly looked at the three young ladies of the Bennet family and thought: Even though there are many daughters, the three of them can still count as a generous dowry if they share tens of thousands of pounds.This is really a turnaround given by God.

Among the three ladies, Graham naturally prefers Miss Mary who is the most beautiful, even though the youngest one is so graceful that he is also very moved.But with a little attention, it can be seen that Miss Lydia is very good at dealing with social situations. Under the flattery and hospitality of several officers, she still talks and smiles calmly, and always keeps a certain distance-such a lady is not easy to fool.

On the contrary, it was the demure and elegant Miss Mary who was sitting in the corner. She seemed indifferent to the world, and Graham had the best way to deal with such a girl: it was always difficult for them to refuse the kindness of others.Besides, it's better to be gentle in temperament.

Graham tried his best to restrain himself. He knew that at this time, it was best to be open-minded and not overly eager and attentive. As long as he was careful, young girls would fall in love with him at first sight.

Graham sat down beside Mary and began to chat with her in a personable manner.The first topic was of course the weather. Graham's tone was so flattering that the ladies nearby looked at him frequently.

On the other hand, Mary is not very friendly, she can only be said to be very polite.

As the topic deepened, when everyone else was going to the poker table, Graham finally felt that the lady was loose, and she started to bring up the topic on her own initiative.

Our lieutenant was overjoyed, and asked her politely: "Miss Mary, do you want to play whist?"

Mary shook her head, and the handsome red uniform smiled happily: "That's great, I also feel that playing cards is not as interesting as chatting with us."

He showed off: "I spent three years at Cambridge University and made many knowledgeable friends. I feel that I have some knowledge. If Miss Mary is interested, I will be happy to share some interesting stories with you."

Mary looked at him seriously, then smiled and said, "I happen to have a question that I would like to ask a gentleman as knowledgeable as you."

Graham couldn't help showing a beautiful smile.

'The appearance is indeed handsome, but the grinning mouth is a bit big, which seems to have lost a bit of charm. ' thought Mary.

"It's a great honor to help a beautiful and intelligent lady like you." The military officer put on more of an air, trying to be personable.

"Okay." Mary smiled.

"Mr. Graham, what do you think of Othello strangling Desdemona? Do you think it was Iago's fault; or should the gullible Othello be solely responsible; or because of Desdemona's existence? It is because of the fact that her husband is unwilling to believe her; or is Desdemona blind and unable to see the change of the suspicious Othello in time? Is this tragedy accidental or will it happen? Because of the emotional foundation of the two Is it an egoistic concept of love centered on personal happiness?" (Note)

George Graham watched helplessly as the shy young lady fluently uttered this list.Before he could recover, Mary continued:

"Mr. Graham, what do you think of Mr. John Locke's empiricism? Do you agree with what he said in "Human Understanding": the human mind is like a 'blank board' at the beginning? London Some scholars in China have criticized Mr. Locke's liberal theory for inspiring American Independence and the French Revolution as the source of these chaos, what do you think?" (Note ②)

The officer's eyes were straightened, and he tried to interrupt the lady.But ladies must be stubborn and willful sometimes, and gentlemen should be considerate.

then.

"Last question, Mr. Graham. What do you think of Judith beheading Holofernes? Do you think Holofernes was too stupid, or Judith was particularly resolute? Or, do you agree with this? The root is that men always despise women, they define all women as kind and docile, so they deserve to die in the hands of enemy women—oh, of course, this is my little opinion, you don’t need to pay attention to it, you Please feel free to express your own opinion." (Note ③)

George Graham was stunned.What Othello, Hobbes and Judith, he couldn't understand what Mary was saying.This is ridiculous!Mr. Graham with sweat on his brow, strangled?French Revolution?Behead?

Mr. Officer's neck suddenly felt cold, he stood up in panic, and managed to cope with it: "Sorry, Miss Mary, I'm a bit too drunk, excuse me!"

Leaving this sentence behind, Graham left the banquet in a very rude manner.

"What's the matter with Mr. Graham?" Aunt Phillips asked quickly.

Mary frowned slightly, "Probably because he's tired, I think he's not feeling well."

Aunt Graham was very dissatisfied, and she cried: "This is too unfortunate. Mr. Graham looks tall and strong, but I didn't expect to be so weak!" Such a useless gentleman could never be her niece and son-in-law.

Kitty and Lydia, who had been secretly paying attention to their sisters, almost couldn't hold back their laughter.

When Aunt Phillips returned to the card table, both Lydia and Kitty came over, as if to comfort sisters who had been rudely treated.

"What did you say to him?" Kitty whispered.

Mary took a sip of her tea and said boredly: "Shakespeare's Othello, Mr. John Locke, the most influential philosopher in England, and the heroine Judith in the Bible—he doesn't even know the stories in the Bible." , It is said that he also studied at Cambridge University."

Judith is very popular with artists, and even left more than one hundred oil paintings and sculptures with her as the protagonist.Both Renaissance and Baroque art cannot do without her figure.All gentlemen and ladies with some knowledge have heard the story of this heroine.

Not to mention Shakespeare's plays, even Mrs. Bennet is familiar with the content, and the daughters in the family always love to read these beautiful words to everyone.However, Mrs. Bennet prefers "Romeo and Juliet" to "Othello".

"Oh." Lydia shook her head.

"Boisterous talk, ignorance and incompetence!" Mary summed up this handsome idiot.

Lydia laughed: "It's far inferior to a certain captain, isn't it? I heard that you are learning Ming Dynasty calligraphy with Lizzie recently-I think I should tell my mother and aunt, please don't worry about you, Miss Mary They've already got their hearts set! They can divert their targets, and they're more of a waste of time for Kitty, I'm really afraid that one day she will really find a 'pirate' son-in-law for Dad,"

Kitty rolled her eyes behind her back, she wanted to kill the pirate leader and become the captain herself more than marrying the pirate leader.

Mary's face was slightly flushed, but she couldn't deny it. The young lady's eyes were empty, and she missed the flower peacock still floating in the sea: Even though the men at the ball looked like peacocks showing off their tail feathers, in Mary's heart, everyone here No feathers can compare to some gentleman with a bun under his top hat.

On the Atlantic Ocean, that Mr. Anthony stood on the deck, looking up at the starry sky, and was also missing his lover.He has deep eyes, leaning against the cabin with one long leg, exuding charm all the time—"Boss, can you not block the door? Let's stay away and give each other some breathing space." Mr. Anthony's dear assistant covered said with a nose.

Fresh water at sea is precious, even the owner of the ship will become smelly after sailing for a month.

Who told their owner's sweetheart to be an English girl? In order to meet his lover as soon as possible, the most stinky Anthony Xue did not stop in other countries along the way as usual, but went straight to the port of London with a full load of goods.

Everyone on this boat is like a stinky mandarin fish that has been salted.

The stinky mandarin fishes also dislike each other.

Anthony suddenly sneered and laughed to himself: Whether it's a nerd and a stinky mandarin fish, or a Ming Dynasty maritime merchant and an English lady, they all match so well...

The assistant closed his eyes and came again!He pretended not to see his master's narcissism again, held his breath, and ran away quickly.

'I wish Miss Mary could see him now! The assistant thought hard in his heart while keeping away from Anthony.

A few days later, as soon as the stinky lucky boat docked, the four ladies of the Bennet family who 'coincidentally' had something to do at the pier, and Mr. Hua Peacock, who had never been so embarrassed, was being watched by Mary. , The angry tail hair has all fallen out.His close assistant's eyes went dark, and he was almost scared to death. Others can escape this gloomy atmosphere, only Mr. Assistant can't.How he wanted to go back to a week ago and punch that terrible thought away:

The bald peacock is the most difficult to deal with, and the bald peacock in front of the lover is simply the difficulty of eighteen hells.

The author has something to say: put a chapter on a small episode two years later, and only write this extra episode before the end of the main text.The events in the main text are more difficult to write, so I have to look up more information.

Comment on this chapter to send a hundred small red envelopes~

Note: "Othello" is one of the four tragedies created by Shakespeare. The work tells that Othello is a brave general of the Principality of Venice.He fell in love with the elder's daughter Desdemona.Because of the age difference between the two, the marriage was not approved.The two had to marry in private.Othello has an insidious banner officer, Iago, who wants to get rid of Othello.He first informed the elders, but unexpectedly led to their marriage.He also provoked the relationship between Othello and Desdemona, saying that another lieutenant, Cassio, had an unusual relationship with Desdemona, and forged the so-called tokens of love.Othello believed it, and strangled his wife to death in anger.When he learned the truth, he drew his sword and killed himself in remorse, and fell beside Desdemona. - Wikipedia

When Mary asks this question, she is actually discussing "individualism" and the concept of love: love and the individual (the love concept of the two protagonists in Othello tends to be egoistic).

Note ②: John Locke (1632-1704), a British philosopher and doctor, is widely regarded as the most influential Enlightenment thinker and the father of "liberalism", and is considered to be the earliest British empiricism one of them.

Locke believed that in the state of nature all people are equal and independent, and that no one has the right to infringe on the "life, liberty, or property" of another.

Locke also advocated that government power should be monitored and balanced, and believed that when the government betrayed the people, revolution was not only a right but also an obligation. — Wikipedia, John Locke

Mary's question is discussing the individual himself, as well as the individual and the state, the government and the revolution.

Note ③: This is a story in the Bible: the story was written around the 2nd century BC, and it is a biography of the "Bible" or a volume in the "Apocrypha".The general content narrates an ancient Jewish historical story: King Nebuchadnezzar of Assyria appointed Holofernes as his general and led his army from Nineveh to Jerusalem to conquer the western countries.Wherever he went, he paid tribute to his ministers.When they arrived in Judea, they encountered stubborn resistance.Holofernes ordered the siege of the Jewish fortress of Beturias, which could not be defeated for a long time. The water source in the city was cut off, and the residents in the city were on the verge of surrender.A beautiful widow in the city urges the residents to trust in God, while she herself dresses up and sneaks into the enemy camp, confusing the enemy with her beauty and eloquence.Finally, when Holofernes was drunk and drowsy, he cut off his head and brought the head back to Baituria with his maid.The Assyrian army lost its leader, the Jewish army and civilians won a complete victory, and the Israelites sang the heroine Judith in unison. ——Bible Stories Collection

This question refers to the wisdom and strength of women, and Mary intends to intimidate the officers.

In fact, the three issues, generally speaking, are the concept of love, politics and religion.Yu's pen is not strong enough to express the full meaning.

Mary is a special girl, she is "reading thousands of books", Anthony is "traveling thousands of miles", the two are complementary types of love.