[Sense and Sensibility] Fascinated by you

It was exactly seven o'clock when Hathaway, Colonel Brandon, and Andrew arrived at Mr. Joseph's mansion. They hurried back to the hotel from Francis Avenue and quickly changed their clothes. Hathaway also hastily put on some light makeup for herself.

This is an official visit. As soon as they arrived in Manchester yesterday, Andrew sent someone to deliver a letter to Mr. Joseph, telling him that they would visit at seven o'clock tomorrow night.This time was still booked by Hathaway. At the beginning, Colonel Andrew and Brandon wanted to meet Mr. Joseph first, hoping to get some advice from him. After all, he served the Butler family and was in Philip's missing Matters should be on the side of the Butler family.

But Hathaway has always had some doubts about this Mr. Joseph. She has roughly outlined the character of this man from his letter with Philip. She thinks he is a shrewd and capable agent. He does not lack foresight and determination. , very adventurous, very resourceful, if not for his low background and lack of capital, he would have become an outstanding businessman long ago.It was not without reason that Philip admired him, but it was unusual in itself for such a gentleman to call Philip over and over again on factory business during the strike in Manchester.So rather than coming to see this gentleman, she would rather listen to other people's opinions first. Maybe the sheriff and the sheriff will shirk responsibility in this matter, but it is hard for them to say that they have any more complicated thoughts.

This Mr. Joseph lives near Albert Square on Oakland Street. This is a well-known rich area in Manchester. Most of the rich people in the city live here. Joseph has been managing factories in Manchester for four years. It's only natural to live near here.

The house doesn't look small, it's three stories high, with a white exterior wall, no flowers in the garden, only some tall trees, and there seem to be a few warehouses behind it.After they entered, a chunky servant led them into the living room, hung up their coats for them, and then set up refreshments, "Sir is receiving Mr. Hurst, please wait a moment, he will be here soon. "After she finished speaking, she backed out.

Hathaway looked at the room after she left. The walls are pale gold with some gorgeous embossed patterns on them, a few velvet couches, two high tables, and a dark red Persian carpet on the floor. Apart from some frescoes hanging on the walls, no other decorations can be seen in the room.If Hathaway's expectations are correct, Mr. Joseph has not made any changes to the living room since Mr. Joseph rented or bought the house, because everything in this room looks half-new and not old, and there is nothing wrong with it. One exception.

This gave Hathaway a new label for Mr. Joseph. He may be very simple and unwilling to spend an extra copper on extra things, or he is so busy that he has no time to spend more in this living room for four years. It took time to make no changes at all, and of course Hathaway felt he might have both.

Colonel Brandon asked Andrew who that Mr. Hurst was. Although the knights brought by Andrew were not of much use, they had some talent in finding the way and asking gossip. At least they were called in the city. They already know the name of the person.

This Mr. Luke Hurst is the newly appointed District Attorney. He is very influential in the local area and is also a shrewd person. Unfortunately, he has no business talents, so although the Hurst family has been operating textiles locally factory, but it has always been a second-rate factory, and can only accept small orders from big factories.

After about ten minutes, the two gentlemen walked in from the door. The one in front should be Mr. Randall Joseph. He has short dark brown hair and looks very energetic, but his temples are already a little He is pale, with deep facial features, sharp eyes, a hooked nose, some stubble on his chin, and deep wrinkles around the corners of his eyes and on both sides of his lips.He wore a well-fitting black tuxedo with a tie around his neck and walked like a gentleman.

Hathaway felt that Mr. Joseph was different from what she had imagined. She subconsciously looked back at Colonel Brandon. Yes, Mr. Joseph and Philip used to be classmates, so he should be about the same age as the Colonel, but he looks like He is much older, and feels at least five years older than the Colonel.Although neither he nor the colonel is the handsome gentleman that is popular nowadays, they both have taste. The colonel's emotional experience when he was young made him look serious with melancholy, handsome and elegant.Mr. Joseph's weather-beaten face is also extremely serious, but when he smiles, he is very charming. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes make him look much gentler, and the two deep nasolabial folds make his smile bright and cheerful. Contagious.

Randall Joseph is really an impressive gentleman. Hathaway believes that he must have fascinated many ladies when he was young, and now time has added a mature charm to him.Hathaway modified the label she just gave him. He should be a busy person, but he is not simple. He can spend a lot of gold coins, but he must get something in return. He is a pragmatic person who only does Meaningful thing.

Joseph first introduced himself to Andrew, and then introduced Mr. Hearst behind him to them. He was a middle-aged man in his fifties with a sly smile. Several people exchanged pleasantries, and Hearst The gentleman seemed very interested in Andrew, but Mr. Joseph politely sent him out.

As soon as Mr. Hurst left, Joseph invited several people to the restaurant, and treated them to a sumptuous dinner. Hathaway said that this was the most delicious meal she had after leaving London, especially the tender She ate several pieces of French lamb chops in one go, causing Colonel Brandon to keep looking at her out of the corner of his eyes.

After the meal, Mr. Joseph invited them to the study, which seemed to be the host's main activity place on weekdays. The tables and chairs looked very new, flowers were placed in the vases, and the fireplace in the room was warmer.Mr. Joseph asked them to sit down on the sofa, and he sat opposite, as if he wanted to have a long talk with them.

"I'm really sorry. If I hadn't asked Mr. Butler to come over, I don't think such a thing would have happened to him." As he spoke, Mr. Joseph pressed his hand between his eyebrows wearily.

"Mr. Joseph, I think this is something none of us want to happen. You don't have to blame yourself for it. But did you need Mr. Butler to come over in person?" Colonel Brandon comforted Joseph. Hathaway's question was raised.

"Oh, yes, there is such a thing. There have been a few strikes in Manchester a long time ago. There has been no shortage of guys working for the welfare of the workers. I heard that there used to be a couple of pastors who worked hard to improve The working environment of the workers, they once organized a strike, and finally the factory owners agreed to their demands, and the wages were raised for the workers, which made the workers enthusiastic about the strike movement, but since their death, they have not succeeded , but the workers still enjoy it, they are really a bunch of greedy guys. Mr. Butler has not been satisfied with this situation, the strike has had too much impact on the factory, he hopes to sell the factory here and rebuild it elsewhere factory, but I have struggled here for four years, and I have feelings for this place, and other conditions here are more mature, so I hope he can come here to see it in person." Mr. Joseph grabbed the handle of the chair, and he Although he didn't say it explicitly, his feelings for Manchester were revealed in his tone.

"Philip has always been a **** guy, and the decisions he made don't allow people to refute them." Andrew pouted.

Mr. Joseph smiled and didn't answer, but that smile was a good answer in itself.

"Mr. Joseph, did Philip live with you when he was in Manchester?" After receiving an affirmative answer, Andrew continued to ask: "So did he offend anyone while he was here?"

Mr. Joseph frowned and thought for a while, "No, I don't remember, there are no nobles here, and Mr. Butler doesn't have much contact with them." His meaning was obvious, Philip didn't pay attention to those businessmen at all How could you offend them?

"Then what about the poor? Or the workers." Andrew asked.

This time Mr. Joseph shook his head without thinking, "No, no, it's impossible, Mr. Butler won't even look at them more, that's impossible." He rubbed his chin again and pondered for a while , "But if they know Mr. Butler's worth... It's hard to say such a thing. The strike has made them all impoverished. Maybe someone will take the risk."

The three men talked about finding Mr. Butler again. Joseph said that Sergeant Lauren was personally searching the slums. He was not only looking for people from the trade unions, but also searching for Mr. Butler. He also sent Some people were sent to find out the news, but there was no progress.

Speaking of this, the conversation reached a stalemate. It can be said that they did not get any useful news that night. Mr. Joseph spoke impeccably, including his expression. Hathaway couldn't find any problems with him. Act like an agent who genuinely cares about his employer's safety.

When they stood up to leave, the gentleman expressed his guilt for Philip's disappearance again. He said that he had already called the police station and would notify them immediately of any new discoveries.

Just when everyone stood up, Hathaway turned around and asked Joseph unintentionally, "Mr. Joseph, is Miss White okay?"

Hathaway fulfilled her wish and saw that the gentleman's expression was sluggish for a moment. He seemed to have stopped breathing, but he immediately returned to normal. He asked suspiciously, "Miss White?"

Hathaway said with some embarrassment: "My brother, Philip told me about you a long time ago, saying that you are his old friend, and Miss Ida White has been engaged to you for many years, I remember that?"

Joseph's eyes widened slightly, he pursed his lips, and lowered his head with an unnatural expression, "No, I have never had an engagement with her, Miss White, she was married a few years ago. I'll take you out."

"Ah, I'm very sorry, that may be my memory." Hathaway smiled apologetically, and walked out behind Colonel Brandon and Andrew.

Until they walked out of Joseph's mansion, Hathaway felt that the expression on Mr. Joseph's face was a little stiff.