[Comprehensive Book] A Rose for Catherine

After changing clothes for dinner, the two ladies were invited downstairs for dinner not long after.Catherine whispered to Elizabeth as she walked: "I guess Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst are going to bash us from head to toe today."

"It doesn't matter much." Elizabeth shrugged.

Catherine thought about it for a while, and it was true. They had no chance of interacting with people like Netherfield, and it was because of Jane's relationship.He pursed his lower lip and didn't say much.

Mr. Bingley was very worried about Jane's condition. He sincerely thanked Catherine and Elizabeth for staying with Jane. Knightley also asked about Jane's condition, except that no one really cared about Jane's condition.

After dinner, several people started to play cards. Colonel Hurst was very keen on this game. They gambled a large amount of money and warmly invited Elizabeth and Catherine to participate.

Catherine shook her head and refused: "I want to take a walk outside." Elizabeth took the opportunity to say that she would go with her.

The two sisters walked around Netherfield, and when they came back the game was not over, and they talked of the standard of a "lady". ①

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She must be proficient in music, singing, drawing, dancing, and modern languages.

Her appearance, conversation, and behavior must not allow people to pick out a single fault.

Darcy added: "In addition to all this, she should have enough intelligence."

Catherine just heard this sentence when she sat down. She secretly felt that the world's standards for women were too strict, but both Caroline and Mrs. Hurst agreed with this point of view and strongly supported Darcy's point of view.Elizabeth joked playfully: "Then I suspect that you don't know any lady like this!"

Caroline retorted: "Miss Elizabeth, how can you doubt that women don't have such qualifications? You underestimate us by saying that! What do you think, Miss Kitty?"

Catherine, who was suddenly named, raised her eyes: "I have no doubt that such a perfect lady who meets Mr. Darcy's standards exists in the world, but such standards may not apply to other people."

Bentley feels the same way.

"Yes, Miss Kitty is right. Such a lady does sound perfect, but in my opinion, Miss Bennet is already an excellent lady."

When he said this, a thin layer of red appeared on the base of his ears, as if some kind of inhumane thoughts suddenly revealed his shyness.

Caroline didn't expect that she would be dismantled by her brother, and the words stuck in her throat for a while before she said: "Jane is indeed very good, but she is not perfect. Speaking of it, I really regret that your father didn't do it for you. Get a good governess."

Her last sentence was addressed to Elizabeth and Catherine.

Knightley frowned slightly, and took the words: "If you really want to study, having an excellent tutor is second. Mr. Bennet is well-informed, and for the ladies, he is more than an ordinary family." A teacher is far better than a good teacher."

"But Mr. Bennet can't teach some girls to dance!" Caroline wanted to prove her point, raising her voice.

"Mrs. Bennet would be an excellent teacher in that regard." Knightley smiled.

Catherine guessed that he did not understand the situation of the Bennet family at all. People like him who have not suffered from marriage may not be able to understand Mr. Bennet's thoughts of not caring about his daughter. Of course, this is not just a matter of marriage. .

In the final analysis, it is because he and Mr. Bennet are not the same.

She smiled secretly, and instead of dismantling Mr. Knightley's stage, she re-discussed the topic itself: "If this is the standard for ladies, then the world must have another set of similar requirements for gentlemen Hey! To match such a lady, a gentleman should not only have profound knowledge, be proficient in history, literature, mathematics, art, be sincere and warm in character, be generous and kind, kind and humble, but also have noble taste and proper conversation. Manners are elegant, and in the end, he should respect every lady. Am I right?"

Her smiling eyes flicked across everyone present.

Elizabeth wanted to see Darcy's reaction, so she asked: "Mr. Darcy, what do you think?"

"Such a requirement is too harsh." Darcy blurted out almost subconsciously when he heard the words.

"I thought that according to your lady's standards, my request is a perfect match." Catherine immediately replied with a polite smile.

Now everyone could see her intention-she was refuting Darcy himself in the same way.

Caroline supports Darcy unconditionally: "How can the standards for women and men be the same?"

"Why can't it be the same?" Elizabeth asked bluntly.

There was a smile in her bright dark eyes, and Darcy couldn't help but look at her a little longer, and said: "Ladies and gentlemen are indeed to be treated the same, Miss Elizabeth, you are right."

"Does Mr. Knightley also agree?" Caroline forced a smile, and asked the only unmarried gentleman present who hadn't spoken yet with the last hope.

Knightley shook his head under Caroline's expectant gaze: "I think Miss Kitty is wrong about something."

Caroline's eyes lit up.

Catherine's complexion remained unchanged, and she pretended to be listening attentively.

Mr Knightley continued: "Whether a woman is called a lady by the world or not, she deserves respect."

A slight surprise flashed in Catherine's eyes, and then she laughed: "Mr. Knightley, you are a real gentleman."

"If Miss Kitty asks for a gentleman, I'm far from it." Knight said in a relaxed tone.

Colonel Hurst muttered impatiently at this moment: "Let's concentrate on playing cards, why should we say something else to distract us?"

The two sisters of the Bennet family did not stay any longer after hearing this, and proposed to go back to the room to take care of Jane.As for what the people who stayed in the room said, it is not the topic of their relationship.Mr. Bingley was still very worried, but in his worry there was a hint of secret pleasure—Jane's condition allowed her to stay longer at Netherfield.It sweetened and worried him at the same time, and he could not help being more courteous and considerate to Jane's two sisters.

The next morning, Jane's condition finally improved, and the Bennet family's horses were finally free, and Mrs. Bennet and Lydia came in a cart.

Mrs. Bennet first scolded Catherine and Elizabeth for their ignorance, and then asked about Jane's condition, feeling very proud of her clever idea.

Catherine didn't want to stay in such an atmosphere for a long time, so she found an excuse to take Lydia away, and asked her mother's reaction after they left.

Lydia wanted to show off her achievements, so she vividly described how Mrs. Bennet got angry for 5 minutes.

"...So when Mom heard that Dr. Bright advised her to have an operation, she didn't have the mood to bother us."

Catherine concluded.

In this era when there is no anesthesia, the success of the operation depends almost entirely on the will of God, and the mortality rate of the operation is extremely high. Even though Mrs. Bennet knows nothing about medical knowledge, she at least knows that the operation is almost equal to half a foot. Enter the gates of heaven.

Catherine asked a few more questions to confirm that Mrs. Bennet was terrified by Dr. Bright's suggestion. She didn't even care about Dr. Bright's annuity and whether he was single or not, and she wanted to avoid him for three miles.

Mrs. Bennet regretted her own life, and she didn't want to go to God before all her daughters found rich husbands--without her, what would the poor girls in the family do?Thinking about it this way, she felt that the headache was not a big deal.

Lydia puffed her cheeks and stared at her dissatisfied: "It's because I said a lot of good things to you that Mom is not angry. It has nothing to do with that annoying doctor!"

"Okay, okay." Catherine reached out her hand to touch the top of her soft hair, acting like a sister, "Thank you, dear Lydia, for saving me."

But she still would not approve of Mrs. Bennet's approach in this matter.Daughters of families like theirs do have many embarrassing places in marriage, which cannot be erased no matter what, but there is no need to flatter them.Mrs. Bennet's tricks are harmless between a pair of lovers, but once it involves two families, she has to think about it more, not to mention that this time it also caused Jane to get sick.

However, Catherine understands her mother, Mrs. Bennet is fragile and sensitive, can't she feel that Mr. Bennet is bored with her?No, she actually knew it very well.So she put all her energy on the marriage of her five children.This seems to be her only spiritual sustenance. She hopes that the girls will marry a good family, and she also faintly reveals from the subconscious that her attitude towards marriage and love is negative and disappointing. They live better.

Some things are not Mrs. Bennet's fault alone.

Lydia's voice dispelled any sudden sadness in her.

"Kitty, don't tiptoe to my head!"

As the youngest of the five girls, the tall and beautiful Lydia opened Catherine's hand with a flushed apple face.She turned her head away and murmured twice.

"Don't think I don't remember, the last time you touched the head of Papa's horse was the same action."

"It's not my fault." Catherine spread her hands with an innocent face, "Honey, you grow too fast, I can't reach you. People outside can hardly tell who is the youngest one."

Lydia looked at her, thought for a while and comforted her solemnly: "It's okay, you've always been so short, and you're also my sister."

The smile on the corner of Catherine's mouth stagnated, then returned to normal, and decided not to mention anything related to height.Lydia was in high spirits, and had a lot of conversations with her, most of which were related to that Dr. Bright.Lydia tried her best to say bad things about him, but only one "bastard" could say it after repeated rounds.

Only then did Catherine know that he was going to stay in a hotel in Meryton town for a while. One was that he still wanted to persuade Mrs. Bennet to undergo the operation even though he had already prescribed some medicines for her to relieve the headache, and the other was that he had been picky Lydia's skirt, the two have not yet reached a conclusion,

Lydia has always attached great importance to her skirts, and she tossed her hair proudly, "I'm going to suggest to Mr. Bingley later that he hold a dance in Netherfield, so that the bastard We have seen and seen, and our country is no worse than his London."