The heroine of the healing department is very rigid [Pride and Prejudice]

"Miss Bennet, what are you doing here?"

Heathcliff stood in the doorway, one hand on the doorjamb, looking a little surprised and a little unhappy.

The continuous days of running and toil did not make him haggard like Thompson, but it was also obvious that his skin color had darkened a bit, turning into a healthy wheat color.

"Didn't you go back to London in the morning?" Mary asked, and the milkman said that he saw a big carriage going to London early this morning.

But Heathcliff did not answer her question, but persistently asked, "Miss Bennet, why are you here?"

"I want to look for clues." After finishing speaking, Mary also felt that these words were a bit naive and ridiculous. It has been two months since the cargo accident, and she is only now looking for clues. Isn't that funny?

Sure enough, after hearing this, Heathcliff immediately let out a disdainful snort.He took two steps forward, looked Mary up and down, and asked, "So did you find anything?"

"I found some white phosphorus, but their state..."

"But they look like they just came out of a reagent bottle, right?"

Mary nodded blankly.

"Are you wondering why these white phosphorus are still so fresh? If it was really their fault, they should have burned clean by now."

Mary nodded again.

Heathcliff put on a sneer, squatted beside Mary, pointed to the white phosphorous in the corner and said, "Because I put these white phosphorous here last night to lure out the troublemakers. But Miss Bennet Your appearance almost thwarted my plan."

He was so tall that even though they were both squatting, Mary had to lift her head slightly to look at him.In Heathcliff's dark eyes there was irritability and impatience, and something that Mary could not understand.In my impression, he always looked gloomy and indifferent, but today Mary always felt that something was different.

"I'm sorry." Mary said, she didn't mean to disrupt his plan, but she couldn't help but continue to ask, "But I still don't understand. When did you find out that there was white phosphorus in the goods? If you had found out earlier Why are you only now looking for the real culprit?"

But Heathcliff didn't answer her question. He lowered his head, frowned slightly, and stared at Mary, "Actually, Miss Bennet, a woman shouldn't know anything about white phosphorus. It's usually only used as an incendiary bomb in war." materials are used, women should stay out of war."

Mary didn't understand why he suddenly brought up the war, but she was not convinced by the statement that "women should stay away from war".

If Catherine the Great had been submissive in Russia back then, would she still have become the Great?Obviously not.Joan of Arc didn't hide behind men when the war came.

"You look down on women too much by saying that." Mary stood up, trying to look more imposing, but in vain, because Heathcliff immediately stood up too.He is tall and tall, standing in this cramped small room looks a little funny.

"Who says women can't take part in wars? Not only can women be wives, they can also be generals."

Heathcliff frowned even deeper, he was a little annoyed, and wanted to throw the girl in the red dress out, but he held back.

"Miss Bennet, if you've been through war, you won't think like this. At that time, you will only miss the days of being a canary."

"You are the canary."

Mary was very upset, she found that she had misread the wrong person, Heathcliff was so disrespectful to women, how could Elizabeth marry him.

Heathcliff pursed his mouth into a straight line, clenched his fists tightly, took a few deep breaths, suppressed the anger in his heart, and barely squeezed out a few words from between his teeth, "You should go back, Miss Bennet .”

Mary didn't want to buy his account at first, but wanted to continue to argue with "women can be as good as men".

But then she remembered that she didn't come here today to promote how capable women are, but to search for clues.

Now there are clues, and Heathcliff has also figured out a way to catch the real culprit behind the scenes.Although unwilling to admit it, Mary had to face the reality that it seemed useless for her to stay here now.

If the behind-the-scenes murderer came, she would most likely not be able to help in the fight, at most she could only run errands to report.But when she ran back to Bennet Manor, Heathcliff would have thrown the murderer to the magistrate.

"..."

"If you need help, you can come to me." Although she was very unhappy with Heathcliff's thought of belittling women, Mary still decided to lend a helping hand when he needed help, after all, it was a matter of great concern to their family.

Heathcliff did not speak, but stared at the door in silence.Mary left dejectedly.But just as she took a step, Heathcliff grabbed her arm.

He violently pulled her, pushed her into the only wooden cabinet in the house, and then hid himself in it.Mary's eyes widened, and she wanted to ask him what he was going to do, but he covered her mouth again.

His hands were big, with several hard calluses on them, mixed with a faint smell of tobacco.Mary was almost suffocated by him.

"Shut up, someone is coming." Heathcliff probably also realized that the strength in his hands was a bit strong, he relaxed a little, and stared at the door through the gap in the cabinet.

Mary followed his gaze, and saw a man dressed as a groom walking in. He was wearing a felt hat, his eyes were small, his skin on both sides of the bridge of his nose was very white, and he looked like a mouse.

He sneaked in and rummaged around the house. After a while, he finally noticed the missing white phosphorous in the corner.

He carefully put away the white phosphorous on the ground, muttered a few curses, and then sneaked away again.

Heathcliff didn't let go of his hand until it was confirmed that he would not come back, and Mary ran out of the cabinet immediately.There was a musty smell in the cabinet, coupled with the smell of cigarettes in Heathcliff's hands, it was extremely unpleasant, and she was really afraid that she might not be able to hold herself back from vomiting on him.

"Why didn't you catch him?" After taking a few breaths of fresh air, Mary was sure she wouldn't spit it out, and then began to speak.

"What's the use of catching him?" Heathcliff looked at Mary almost contemptuously. "He'll just insist that he didn't do anything. What I need is to find out the master behind him."

"Then have you seen him? Do you know who his master is?"

A sneer appeared on the corner of Heathcliff's mouth again.

"Of course, Duke John."

Mary was stupid, and her self-proclaimed good brain began to seem inadequate.She tried hard to think for a long time with a dull expression, until she finally came to her senses before being kicked out for the second time.

"You mean, Duke John deliberately let people destroy the goods, just for the sake of thieves, to frame the business?"

Maybe because of her good brain, Heathcliff did not drive her out this time, but explained seriously.

"No one puts white phosphorus in the cargo, and I've never found white phosphorus in this room."

"Duke John deliberately released the news that the goods were damaged, but in fact there is nothing wrong with our goods."

"So you deliberately released the news, telling them that you found white phosphorus on the goods, to attract them?" Mary speculated, but she still didn't understand.

"However, they haven't done this. How can you be sure that they will come as soon as they hear the wind?"

"Because they have a guilty conscience." Heathcliff replied briefly.

Mary felt that this reason was far-fetched, but she did not question it.She continued to inquire about the court and compensation, and after making sure that her father would not be sent to prison because he couldn't pay, she left with peace of mind.

In the manor, Mr. Bennet was still anxious about the compensation.It is true that he has already made plans to go to prison, but he is still worried about his family.

Mary looked at her father's gray sideburns, hesitated for a long time, and then restrained herself from telling what happened just now.Because Heathcliff said that if they want to catch the mastermind behind the scenes, that is, Duke John, they must keep it secret for the time being, otherwise, once a little bit of wind gets out, their previous efforts may be wasted.

Mary can't tell the truth and can't comfort her father, so she can only try to make the food as delicious as possible, and then try to enliven the atmosphere at the table to make the family as happy as possible.

She tried to prevent her mother from selling things, but Mrs. Bennet did not accept this suggestion. She couldn't imagine her husband going to jail, so she tried her best to collect reparations.She even put down her dignity to ask her neighbors to borrow money, but after borrowing and borrowing, the money was still not enough.

When Mary left the cabin, she had said that if Heathcliff needed help, she would do what she could.This sentence is naturally sincere, but in fact, she also thinks that he will not ask her for help at all.

However, there are always many accidents in life. One morning in October, Mary actually saw Heathcliff again in the living room of her home.But he did not come to her for help, but to Mr. Bennet.

Mr. Bennet was sitting on the other side of the sofa, holding a cup of black tea in his hand, looking much better.It seems that my father already knows more or less that Duke John is calling for a thief.That could not have been better.

Heathcliff's help is not difficult, all that is needed is for Mr. Bennet to imitate Duke John's notes and sign a purchase order for white phosphorus.

Mr. Bennet was not a particularly talented man, but he was good at imitating notes of all kinds, so it was not difficult.There are naturally many risks in doing so, but there is no other way right now.

The real list has been destroyed long ago, and they can't get it.If you want to prove that Duke John's thief called for a thief, you can only fake it.

Fortunately, Heathcliff has found a way in the court, as long as he can submit a duke's signature, whether it is true or false, they can be declared innocent.

Mary listened, always feeling that something was wrong.