"The Widow" Bertha

The White Horse Hotel is located in a wealthy neighborhood in London. The environment is good, and the most important thing is that the law and order are good and safe enough.When registering at the hotel, with permission, Bertha filled in the name of Miss Jane Eyre—after knowing the real existence of St. Mary Mead Village, she did not dare to call herself "Miss Marple" in public for the time being.

The hotel suites are spacious and bright, unlike the old Thornfield, and even though London is always foggy, the soft beds and huge windows still make Bertha feel like a new life.

After settling down, Bertha took a good night's sleep, and didn't start sorting out the things to do until the next morning.

First, she sent Grace Poole to contact the front desk and sent a telegram to Rochester.Before, he said that he had contacted a doctor for Bertha, and now he could contact and meet him. Before Bertha found a place to live, he would contact the White Horse Hotel if he had anything to do.

Secondly, it is the problem of finding a house and opening a bank account.

You must know that what Bertha is carrying now is a check plus cash for a total of 21 pounds. What kind of concept is this?Converted to the [-]st century, it is probably carrying millions of assets with you.

If the money is not deposited in the bank, trouble will arise sooner or later.

But Bertha couldn't just go to the bank with a box of money, she had to contact the banker first.

The last thing is... wait for that street thief Jack Dawkins to show someone a visit.

However, Bertha waited and waited for two days at the White Horse Hotel but still did not wait for anyone to arrive.Even Miss Jane Eyre couldn't help muttering: "He didn't even get any money, so he wouldn't miss this opportunity for nothing, would he?"

Bertha was puzzled, too, until on the third day she overheard the hotel doorman chatting with the front desk.

"What's going on recently, isn't the police doing anything?" the doorman complained, "All street thieves have come to the hotel! He also said he was looking for some noble person, where did he have the courage?"

Bertha: "..."

Well, it turned out to be the reason.

"Sir," Bertha stepped forward, "is the street thief you're talking about a boy named Jack Dawkins?"

"Uh, he seems to have declared himself like this."

The doorman responded immediately: "You know him, ma'am?"

Bertha smiled: "He came to see me."

In the afternoon, Jack Dawkins, wearing shabby clothes and a pair of dirty shoes, walked triumphantly into the lobby of the White Horse Hotel under the watchful eye of the doorman, as if in Waterloo. It was not the Duke of Wellington who defeated Napoleon, but he, like Jack Dawkins.

"Lady Bertha!"

When Jack saw Bertha, his eyes sparkled: "I lived up to my expectations and found a suitable candidate for you. If he is suitable, invite him to come in and meet you?"

Bertha caught a glimpse of the doorman's face as black as charcoal, and couldn't help laughing: "Tomorrow, you bring the man and meet him at the church in the nearby block."

One is to avoid providing trouble to the hotel staff. Obviously, in their eyes, these people who are at the bottom of society are nothing more than unsightly garbage; second, the church in the rich neighborhood can be regarded as a safe public place-who knows that street thieves Who is the man behind Jack?

Bertha didn't understand the 21th century, but she understood the [-]st century. Such juvenile delinquents usually commit crimes in gangs and are controlled by a commander.If the person above Jack's head is malicious, kidnapping and extortion is not impossible.

"No problem!" Jack agreed immediately.

"this is for you."

According to the agreement, Bertha took out a ten-pence coin from her pocket: "Attention, it's only for you."

Jack immediately understood what Bertha meant, and the fear hidden in her words.

In Jack Dawkins' memory, a good-looking rich lady like Bertha who can afford to live in a big hotel would not care about how children like them live.But I don't know why, Mrs. Bertha obviously didn't reveal anything, but Jack felt that she was very "knowledgeable".

You know there's a whole shilling left after it's done!In order to please the "governor", Jack was honest once in a while.

"Don't worry, Ms. Bertha," the boy said with a wink, "I'll share the small change (the shilling for stealing the handkerchief) from my work, and put it into my pocket, so I don't even think about taking it out."

The implication is that this matter will not let others know.

Bertha nodded in satisfaction: "Go, I will wait for you at the church tomorrow morning."

***

The next morning, the neighborhood church.

Bertha leaned on the bench, and Miss Jane Eyre, who was sitting beside her, asked, "Do I need to avoid it, Bertha?"

"Huh? No need," Bertha shook her head. "This kind of thing is not worth avoiding."

Not long after, Jack Dawkins' voice came from the door of the church: "Ma'am, I brought someone!"

The two ladies turned their heads one after another. To Bertha's surprise, Young Jack brought a well-dressed young man.

Jack Dawkins is a habitual thief, who can he get?When Bertha told him to find someone, it was a tacit consent that he would find a down-and-out street hustler, or at best a dock worker.

However, the young man who walked in seemed to be in his early twenties, with a thin body and a straight back, and his walking posture did not look like a person struggling at the bottom of society.Just looking at half of his face under the hat, you can see that he is quite handsome.

He was well dressed, but his unbuttoned beige coat stood out.You must know that in London in the nineteenth century, gentlemen tended to wear black or dark blue coat colors, which would make them look more calm and temperamental.

With such a bright color and unbuttoned clothes, it is easy to give people a frivolous impression at the moment, but Bertha from the 21st century thinks he is quite fashionable.

Miss Jane Eyre lowered her head when she saw the figure of the young man, obviously she was not used to communicating with men.

The young man walked into the church, first drew a cross on his chest, then took off his hat politely, and looked at Bertha and Jane Eyre.

"Which one of you is Lady Bertha?" asked the young man.

"I'm."

"Ms. Bertha," the young man lowered his head and said, "Is it because you can't catch someone to do things?"

"Can't catch it?"

"Ah, that's Jack Dawkins."

As the young man turned around, Bertha and Jane followed his gesture and looked over. The boy Jack stood happily at the door of the church and waved his hands.

This nickname is interesting, and Bertha curled her lips: "It's me. You raise your head and talk."

The young man raised his head.

The eyes met, and what Bertha saw first were the blue eyes of the young man, as shallow as glass.

A pair of blue eyes were born on the sharp-edged face, making him look cold and alienated.Coupled with the camel coat... Bertha's first impression of him is that he is a smart and individual young man.

It was this way of dressing that made Bertha unable to determine what he was doing for a while.

"Are you a Catholic?" asked Bertha.

The young man was startled: "How do you know?"

Bertha: "Only Catholics cross themselves when they go into church."

Youth: "...you are really perceptive, ma'am."

Bertha: "Introduce yourself, what's your name?"

"Thomas, Thomas Thames."

"Your last name is Thames, so you are a true Londoner."

"I'm not."

Thomas laughed out loud: "It's just that my mother threw me by the Thames and was picked up by the nuns of the abbey. In fact, I am Irish, and the nuns said that my name was Tierna in my swaddle. . She thought the name was not good, so she changed it for me.”

Tillner, a fairly standard Irish name.

No wonder they are Catholics.

It's not that nuns are meddlesome, but that in nineteenth-century Britain, the Irish were synonymous with poverty, rebellion and chaos.Changing to an ordinary name would help Thomas Thames integrate into society.

"I see."

Bertha turned her head and said with great interest: "What a coincidence, my real name is not Bertha, but Antoinette. It's just that my mother changed me to such an English one in order to please my father. name."

Thomas pondered for a moment, his face showing a bit of just right curiosity: "So... Ma'am, you come from a foreign family."

Bertha knew he was testing his name.

The conversation between the two in the church was tantamount to an employee interview. Bertha wanted to know the details of Thomas Thames, and Thomas also wanted to know where this mysterious lady came from.

So far, Bertha is quite satisfied with the candidates sent by "Can't Catch" Jack, so she doesn't mind sending out some friendly signals.

"You have become an Englishman from an Irishman, and I have become an Englishman from a Jamaican," laughed Bertha, "so I am like you, with a surname Thames. You can call me Mrs. Thames."

Thomas' eyes twinkled.

Bertha handed him the olive branch, and the young man climbed up the pole immediately, raising a warm smile: "Then we are a family, Mrs. Thames. The family does not distinguish between you and me. If you have anything to do, you can just say it."

Very well, a smart man.

"Help me run errands first," Bertha said, "I have a cover letter here, how about sending it to the newspaper for me?"

"no problem."

"simple?"

Miss Jane Eyre heard Bertha's voice and handed Thomas the letter in her hand.

The cover letter is naturally Jane Eyre.

Not to mention that Rochester gave her five hundred pounds, even if he ignored it, Bertha would not let a little girl like Jane Eyre wander around London alone.Before leaving, Rochester gave Jane Eyre a very important letter of recommendation. According to Miss Jane Eyre's teaching experience and this letter of recommendation, it is not difficult to find a job as a tutor.

All Bertha had to do was to entrust someone to send the job application content to the newspaper for publication.

As for her own affairs...

"Also," Bertha changed the topic, and slightly retracted her smile, "I hope you will go to the village of St. Mary Mead near London and help me find a lady named Marple."

——Bertha really cares whether there is Miss Marple in St. Mary Mead Village!

To be reasonable, even Sherlock Holmes exists, and so does Miss Marple.In this way, Bertha acts in someone else's name...it's a little impolite.

If it exists, she has to find a way to notify the other party; if it does not exist, she has other plans.

"Secretly inquire, don't be too public," Bertha warned, "Just come back after you get the news. Do you need me to pay your travel expenses in advance?"

"No, St. Mary Mead is very close."

Apparently, Thomas and Jack thought the same thing, to please Bertha first, and then to do business: "When I come back with good news, it's not too late to talk about money."

"it is good."

Bertha nodded, her expression relaxed again: "You said, we are all a family, and I won't be polite to you."

Thomas laughed along.

Seeing that the atmosphere was good, the young man became more courageous, and curiously asked: "Let me ask... Madame, if your husband is not here, is it a new widow who came to London to relax?"

Jane Eyre:"……"

Bertha: "..."

New widow?

She never thought about this possibility, but the status of a widow is indeed much more convenient.

In the Victorian era, there were many restrictions on women, especially unmarried and married women. Usually, unmarried girls were legally under the guardianship of their patriarchal elders, and after marriage, they were subject to the guardianship of their husbands. There was no personal human rights and personal freedom. .

But the widow is an exception.

A widow has neither a father nor a brother, nor a husband.Logically speaking, after the death of a man, it should belong to the management of the son. However, if there is no son, it is completely out of direct patriarchal control and becomes a "free man" in a certain sense.Therefore, at present, the society's attitude towards widows is much more tolerant.

There is no status more suitable for walking in society than a widow.

When Thomas said that, Bertha froze for a moment, and then laughed wantonly.

"You guessed it right, I just died with a cheap husband and got a lot of inheritance. Now that I have money and time, I just come to London to have a good time!"

Miss Jane Eyre next to her almost choked on her own saliva.

The author has something to say: ① The religion of the Irish is Catholicism, while the religion of the British is Protestantism.

②Bertha's real name in "The Boundless Sea of ​​Salt" is Antoine Watt.

#今天麦哥Have you seen the lover you have never met, not yet#

Maggie: Let me comb my hair.

Jiang Hua: Hurry up, bro! ! !Stop dawdling! ! !

Rochester: Everyone has gone to London and cue me? !