I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

The appearance of Richard Mason made it difficult for Rochester to sleep. He stood in front of the bedroom window and stared at the deep night without stars and moon.

The cool breeze of early spring crossed the hills and gardens, and gently brushed his cheeks. It was slightly cool and clear, mixed with a touch of the bitter smell of plants, which was quite different from the West Indies.

The cigar between Rochester's fingers was still unburned, and a hasty knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Who?"

"It's me, Richard, Rochester."

Hearing the familiar soft and weak voice of the old man, Rochester sighed.

He extinguished the cigar in his hand and turned to open the door for Richard Mason.

"What's the matter, Richard?"

Richard Mason stood at the door holding a lamp: "Rochester, I went to see Bertha..."

Rochester frowned, he immediately made a silent gesture, and stepped aside:

"Come in, Richard. I'm assuming you don't want to make something public."

"No, oh, of course." Richard Mason was a little flustered, he walked quickly into the room, "I mean, I won't let others notice Bertha's existence, Rochester, I want to say..."

"Sit down, Richard."

Rochester interrupted the visitor again. He lit the lights in the room, closed the windows and drew the curtains tightly, and then sat down opposite Richard Mason.

"Tell me about your late-night visit, Richard."

"Rochester, I just went to see my sister, Bertha she, she looks very well, well, very healthy, and you have taken very good care of her."

A sneer escaped from Rochester's lips.

"My honor?" He looked at his wife's younger brother sarcastically, with an inexplicably cold tone, "Richard, did you come here specially to reward and affirm my suffering for more than ten years? Should I be grateful, Make persistent efforts later?"

"No, no, Fairfax, my friend," Mason called Rochester's middle name anxiously, "I definitely don't mean that, you know, I've always been weak and dull, without your help, I don't even know what to do."

"Okay, okay, just pretend that I have wronged you." Rochester comforted me perfunctorily.

Mason tried hard to explain: "Rochester, I just, just thank you, thank you for taking some responsibilities that should have been borne by me. I am too cowardly, and I have never dared to face her. Seeing her, seeing She...I think of my mother at that time...it was terrible, my soul was tortured..."

"Okay, Richard, there is no need to continue explaining, the matter is already like this. Come on, tell me now, after you visited that crazy woman, you came here to find me again, just to say a few words of thanks?"

"I do want to discuss something with you, Rochester."

Richard calmed down a little bit, he looked at Rochester, with a hesitant tone:

"Rochester, I went to visit Bertha tonight, and found that her condition has improved a lot, and she is not as terrible as before. She can talk to me with questions and answers, and she didn't attack me or bite me like before. , Suck my blood. Rochester, I think Bertha is not that dangerous now, so I just want to ask you if you can give her a better place to live."

Rochester glanced at Richard Mason in surprise:

"You actually told me that the crazy woman has become better? Richard, did the long journey make you so tired that you lost the most basic judgment? Ha, what are you talking about?"

"Really, Rochester," Richard Mason waved his hands again and again, with a sincere tone, "I didn't lie to you, the guard you hired also said that Bertha has been getting better recently, and she no longer yells or thinks about attacking. People. When I saw her, she was very quiet, and I talked to her, although, although she hated me, she didn't attack me, and even negotiated terms with me."

Rochester pinched the bridge of his nose wearily.

Under normal circumstances, he would consciously avoid things about Bertha Mason, unless she made such a fuss that the caretaker came to him to complain or ask for help.Most of the time, he would pretend that he had forgotten about the crazy woman.

But what Mason said tonight made Rochester suddenly realize that he hadn't heard Mrs. Poole complaining to him for a while.Even... He stayed in Thornfield for such a long time this time, and he didn't suffer from Bertha Mason's fatal revenge again.

— This is indeed unusual.

"She's cunning, Richard." Rochester whispered.

"She's really getting better, Fairfax," said Richard Mason weakly and eagerly. "I can feel that she, she's in the same state as before, as she was when she wasn't mad. Rochester, Bertha, she's still not very bright, but definitely not crazy, really."

Rochester's hand trembled a few times where Mason couldn't see, his heart was beating violently, as if it was about to jump out of his chest.

——Not crazy?Got better?

--what!

——Is God finally willing to have mercy on me?

He took a deep breath, barely suppressing the surging emotion in his heart.

——Calm down, Rochester, calm down, do you think the gods will really take care of you?

—Maybe it's just Bertha Mason's trick, you should know how terrible she is, how much she hates you!Yes, it's a new, vicious trick she's devised to torture you.

——We are all sinners, only death can forgive everything, in the kingdom of life, I never expect to be redeemed...

Recalling the torture of the past ten years, the agitation in Rochester's heart gradually calmed down, and gradually began to cool down.

"Rochester, come with me to see Bertha. After you meet her, you will know that what I said is true."

"To meet her? Give her a chance to kill me?"

"No, Rochester, Bertha has really woken up. It was she who suggested to me that she wanted to live in another place, and she didn't want to be locked up in that closed room without windows. Rochester, if my sister really She's getting better, and she really deserves better care."

Richard Mason's words reached Rochester's ears sentence by sentence, which finally made him unable to hold back some hope.

Rochester closed his eyes, then stood up abruptly.

"Come on, let's go see her now."

Richard Mason hurriedly got up.

Rochester put on his coat and walked to the door with the kerosene lamp, but after holding the doorknob, he stood quietly for about half a minute.

"Rochester?"

"Richard, I thought, anyway, things couldn't get any worse, could they?"

"I don't quite understand, Rochester."

The man holding the doorknob laughed at himself and said nothing more.He opened the bedroom door vigorously and walked out without looking back.

All the way in silence, the two arrived at a certain room on the third floor one after the other.

Rochester did not see Bertha Mason right away, but first checked the situation with the caretaker Grace Poole.

After learning about Bertha's recent behavior, he pondered for a moment, and then motioned Mrs. Poole to open the small door on the wall.

"Rochester!"

Bertha, who was sitting by the bed in a daze, raised her head after hearing the noise, and immediately recognized the person she hated.

Seeing this, Rochester closed his eyes in pain, laughing at himself in his heart for taking some chances.

——How naive and stupid...

"Richard, stand back and watch out for her attacking you."

Because of Bertha's ferocious attitude, Rochester's whole body tensed up. While making a defensive posture, he reminded the people behind him.

Richard Mason, who was blocked by Rochester, also saw the change in his sister's expression, and quickly shouted:

"Bertha, no, Bertha, didn't you say before that you want to talk to Rochester? He's here, don't get excited..."

Rochester didn't think Richard's words would have any effect, he was already ready to fight hard with Bertha.

However, things did go in an unexpected direction.

Bertha Mason's face was still ugly, but she was not insane.

She had been sitting steadily on the bed, she didn't jump over to bite and attack like before, nor did she crazily curse and throw things at people, she just stared at Rochester full of hatred, without saying a word.

Rochester looked surprised.

Richard Mason let out a long sigh of relief:

"Look, Fairfax, as I said, my sister is on the mend, and she really isn't going crazy at will."

"I hope." Rochester murmured.

Still staring warily at Bertha, he paced slowly into the room.

"Bertha, I told Rochester about your request."

Richard Mason tried his best to put on a friendly smile, and followed Rochester into the house, but hid behind Rochester.

Regarding her younger brother's cowardice and fear, Bertha laughed strangely.

Rochester frowned: "Richard said you were looking for me? I suspect he imagined it, Bertha, can you still understand me?"

"I'm not crazy or stupid, why can't I understand what you say? Rochester, I want to leave here, you can't lock me up forever."

Hearing that Bertha spoke in an orderly manner, Rochester immediately showed an extremely shocked expression.

Regardless of the danger, he took two steps forward abruptly, approaching Bertha and scrutinizing her appearance carefully.

"Mrs. Poole, please turn on all the lights in this room. I want to see her every move clearly, and I want to make her tricks invisible."

"You are such a coward, Rochester, a coward, a fool...Listen, I'm leaving here, I don't want you to take care of me, I want to separate from you, I don't want to be your wife anymore."

A short and sad sneer escaped from Rochester's throat.

"Separate? Not to be my wife? Damn, I've been praying in my dreams for this to happen. I didn't expect, Bertha, that after all these years, there was something we could agree on. Unfortunately, God doesn't allow it, the law doesn't allow it, and everyone thinks that you and I must be bound together, and that's the tragic reality."

Bertha frowned, trying to mobilize the few things in her head. She remembered the words Rochester yelled at her, and said slowly:

"Divorce, you said you wanted to divorce me, Rochester, I agree."

Rochester's eyebrows twitched, and he almost blurted out his promise.

But Richard Mason behind him said first:

"No, you can't get a divorce. Rochester, the Mason family and the Rochester family can't be ashamed like this. Moreover, God forbid, you will always be husband and wife, you can't divorce."

"If Bertha is really normal," Rochester said hoarsely, "I can apply for divorce, even if the church court does not allow it, but I can spend more money to go through the private law of the parliament. Richard, even though such things are rare Happened, but in England there are still couples who are able to successfully divorce."

"You can't follow the private law of Parliament, Rochester," Richard Mason's tone was rare, "except for the crime of adultery, the parliamentary court will hardly allow you to divorce under any other name. Fairfax, I Brother, my sister doesn't understand the world, don't you? It's very troublesome and embarrassing. Even King George II failed to get a divorce, let alone an ordinary British gentleman? It's too difficult, and the reputation is not good. It sounds good, but it also costs a lot of money."

"I'm not afraid of trouble, I hope very much that I can live the rest of my life without shackles."

"My sister will be kicked out of high society."

"Oh, she has never been accepted by high society. Do you still expect Bertha Mason to be a well-rounded lady?"

Richard Mason realized that Rochester really had a desperate plan to divorce, and was anxious in his heart, and blurted out some words:

"Rochester, please don't divorce, Bertha is just not so crazy, she still needs your care, and, and may relapse one day. Help me, Rochester, you swore before God, you You have to take care of my sister for the rest of her life, you can't abandon her."

Bertha understood at this time that divorce is difficult, Richard, a cowardly fellow, still wanted to throw himself to Rochester, so she said viciously:

"Richard, I don't want to be with Rochester anymore. I don't need a big liar to take care of me. I remember my father gave him a lot of money and asked him to return it to me. I want to leave here."

"sister……"

"I don't listen, I hate you!"

Richard Mason groaned in pain, and covered his face with one hand, not daring to look at Bertha and Rochester:

"I know I'm selfish, but... Rochester, my brother, you know there's nothing I can do. We, our blood, are cursed. I don't even know that one day I will go crazy and can't stand all of this. everything. Fairfax, you are stronger than me, you are my most trusted elder brother, I can only turn to you for help, I really cannot take on the responsibility of taking care of Bertha."

After he finished speaking, he coughed violently, as if he was about to cough up his heart and lungs in the next moment. The frail man shrank into a ball in pain, his face was sallow.

Rochester hurriedly stepped forward to help him, pushed him into a chair beside him and sat down, took out his regular medicine from Richard Mason's pocket, and poured out a piece for him to take.

"Thank you, please give me a pill."

"You've already taken one, Richard."

"Now, now it has been doubled," Richard Mason said intermittently, panting heavily, "the dose has been increased, but the effect is getting worse, Rochester, if I can be healthier, then How nice it would be."

"Your sister's body is very good. When she goes crazy, ordinary grown men can't beat her."

"I know, I know this very well, so, Rochester, please, don't give up on her."

Rochester pursed his lips without saying a word, and there was a faint sadness and death in his eyes.

But Bertha couldn't feel the helplessness and pain. Her keen intuition told her that her younger brother Richard was unreliable, and her idea of ​​leaving Rochester completely was not recognized. She seemed to be bound forever with an annoying man.

——Why!

—Only Miss Witch can help me.

—I'm leaving Rochester.

At this time, Richard Mason coughed violently again, and Rochester turned around to pour water for him.

Bertha quickly glanced at the two incompetent men not far away, and ran out quickly...

On the other side, the omnipotent "Miss Witch" in the patient's eyes was sending Theodore back to the bedroom.

"Theodore, you can't sneak out like this in the future, remember? You can't easily get out of the nanny's sight, it's not safe."

"Well, I listen to sister Adele."

Pei Xiang held a lamp in one hand and Theodore in the other. The two walked side by side in the dim corridor, occasionally talking softly.

"I can visit your house occasionally, but I can't leave Mr. Rochester. Theodore, Mr. Rochester is my guardian. He treats me very well and will definitely not hurt me because of that Miss Ingram. Don't worry .”

Theodore already knew that Pei Xiang could no longer be his own sister, and he was always in a low mood, but at this moment when he heard Pei Xiang talk about being a guest, he suddenly became excited again.

"Sister Adele, come to my house as a guest, just like that Norton, who lives in my house for a long time every year. You can stay longer, and I will ask Mrs. Wendy to clean up the room next to me, okay?"

Pei Xiang thought for a while, shook his head and said:

"I won't live in the Viscount Rio's mansion for a long time. I still like the environment of Thornfield. Besides, I should go to school soon, and I don't have so much time to go out as a guest."

"That's it, then..."

Before Theodore finished speaking, he was startled by a black shadow that suddenly appeared.

Pei Xiang's eyes and ears are sharp, and he has already recognized that the black figure running over is Bertha Mason.Moreover, she deduced from the other party's bright and eager eyes that Bertha was most likely looking for her.

--what happened?That Richard Mason pissed off Bertha?

She blocked Theodore behind without a trace, and was about to ask, when she heard a rush of footsteps chasing him from a distance.

—It is... Mr. Rochester.

"Miss Witch, help me, I hate them."

Bertha rushed to Pei Xiang.

The footsteps behind her grew louder, and Bertha looked anxious.

At this time, Rochester had already chased after him.He saw Pei Xiang and Theodore near Bertha at a glance, his complexion suddenly darkened, and worry and panic surged into his heart.

"Bertha, come here, what request do you have, let's have a good talk."

Rochester tried his best to communicate with Bertha in a calm and steady tone, and at the same time gave Pei Xiang a wink, indicating that she would take Theodore away from the dangerous person slowly.

Bertha had already found Pei Xiang at this time, and she felt that she had the confidence to confront the villain Rochester, so she said triumphantly:

"I won't talk to you. I want to ask Miss Witch to talk to you. Both you and Richard are liars. Only Miss Witch treats me well."

"Miss Witch?" Rochester felt puzzled.

He was very worried about the safety of the two children, Pei Xiang and Theodore, so he nodded following Bertha's words:

"Okay, where is your Miss Witch? Let her come out, and I will tell her about you."

Bertha squinted at Rochester with a look of looking at a fool, pointed at Pei Xiang and said:

"Miss Witch is right here, are you blind?"

Rochester, who was not blind, froze for a moment, and slowly lowered his gaze, looking at Pei Xiang who should not have appeared here in surprise.

Pei Xiang immediately showed a cute and soft smile.

Bertha strode up behind Pei Xiang, separating herself from Rochester, with a familiar attitude and full of trust.

As a result, the guardian's voice quickly cooled down: "Miss Witch? Adele?"

Pei Xiang held the lantern and led the child, and blinked innocently:

"Hey, good evening, wise and wise Mr. Rochester, I think everyone has a chance to explain..."