[Pride and Prejudice] Mary's Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 14 A Messy Breakfast

Mrs. Bennet finally let go of some concerns about the dowry of her daughters. Given that Jane is about to enter society, the topics of socializing and marriage of her daughters are gradually increasing at the dinner table these days.Mrs. Bennet occasionally talked about Mr. Hall in London who could write poetry. She said with great regret: "That is a very lovely young man. He is crazy about Jane and has written many love poems for Jane. Your aunt And I believe that he will propose to Jane soon, although Jane has not come out to socialize, but what does it matter, a rich and honest young man will soon be my son-in-law, every time I think about it , I can laugh out loud in my dream! But he left London so soon, it is really annoying, but Jane is indeed too young, maybe next year when he meets Jane again, he will propose to her. "

Jane was a little embarrassed, and she begged her mother, "Don't mention this, Mom."

Mr. Bennet sighed, and praised in an admiring voice: "Dear Mrs. Bennet, I am not surprised that someone admires Jane. Which young lady has not been pursued, but there will be better young people." Yes, don't be so sorry."

"Crazy admiration for her, my lord, he's just mad about Jane," corrected Mrs. Bennet.

"Well, let's just think of him as an unreasonable lunatic." Mr. Bennet nodded, "Actually, I'm surprised that, according to your temperament, you can hide such a thing worth boasting so tightly. I can't believe you haven't shown it off to anyone since you came back! Since you knew it earlier, why didn't you spread the word about it and let yourself be proud of others' envy and jealousy? Now it seems that there is no It would be a huge loss for you to do that!" After a while, Mr. Bennet added: "So don't be so low-key next time, and you can make it known to everyone, so that even if there is an accident in the future, the marriage will be safe. Harmony, you've already had a good time."

"Come on, my lord, my heart is about to break. I have a headache and a nervous breakdown, but you still laugh at me like this. Think of your poor daughter, a 15-year-old The young girl, who has just begun to fall in love, has suffered such a blow, Jane is so pitiful!" Mrs. Bennet rubbed her forehead, almost distraught.

Jane felt extremely embarrassed when she heard these words, so she had to say that she was full, and left with Kitty and Lydia, who had long been impatient. There was no tutor in the Bennet family. Young sister learns to read and write.

Elizabeth knocked on the glass and said to Mrs. Bennet: "Mom, if you're talking about Mr. Henry Hall, I have to say that the poems he wrote have completely driven away the love between him and Jane." Jane didn't have much affection for that Mr. Henry Hall beyond that of a stranger. Maybe that gentleman fell in love with Jane at first sight, and Jane also gave back to him because this gentleman first had a good impression of her. That's how Jane is. However, Jane later found out that she and this gentleman were not congenial at all. If this gentleman really proposed to Jane, I would be afraid that Jane would not hurt the other party's obsessive love for her and would soften her heart and agree. It was simply too rash, and Jane will surely regret it in the future. Fortunately, this Mr. Hall found his lost sanity in time without causing any unnecessary harm to himself and others. For this, I wish him sooner Find the next one who loves his sonnets."

"Well, up to now, I have nothing to say. I originally wanted to wait for Jane to get engaged before telling Mrs. Lucas. I saw that Sir William and his wife were so worried about Miss Lucas's dowry that their hair turned gray. I really don't want to be too cheerful when they are so sad, and now I can't feel any joy talking about this outdated love for Jane." Mrs. Bennet seemed a little less interested.

Mary has some dark lines. Mrs. Bennet is going to show off in front of Mrs. Lucas after she wants things done, but things go wrong, and no matter how proud she is, she must die down. Mrs. Bennet must feel aggrieved. After returning home, I finally couldn't vomit.

Mary felt that they didn't have to go on judging that stupid Mr. Sonnet, who had long since left their lives.So Mary decided to change the subject: "Why is the Lucas family so embarrassed about Charlotte's dowry? Isn't their family a knight?"

"On that point, you have nothing to do with her, Mary," said Mr. Bennet. "You're in the same situation."

"My lord, are you kidding?" exclaimed Mrs. Bennet. "How can our daughter be like Miss Lucas? Charlotte Lucas has hardly any dowry, I bet, Sir William The dowry that can be given to her is definitely no more than one hundred pounds, because of this, Charlotte of the Lucas family only started socializing when she was almost 20 years old, because their family can't save the dowry!"

Elizabeth was very puzzled when she heard their conversation. She asked curiously: "Why is Charlotte's dowry so small? Isn't his father a knight? I heard that he was mayor before, and I thought they The family is rich. At least I thought the Lucas family was like ours?"

"Come on," said Mrs. Bennet loudly. "I dare say they have at most one more carriage than Mrs. Long's. Mrs. Lucas sent her daughters to help cook in the kitchen, for God's sake." They can't even afford to hire an extra servant! I dare say that they don't see imported spices on their usual tables, because Mrs. Lucas always complains that imported spices are too expensive."

"It doesn't cost much. Mom, you often complain that Mrs. Dustin's grocery store is expensive, saying that things in London are only that price." Mary said disapprovingly.

Mrs. Bennet strongly refuted. She gave an example: "They still can't afford new clothes. Several of Maria's clothes are remade from Charlotte's old clothes. It's just a lace and a ribbon. I think Come on. I never let you wear Jane and Lizzie's old clothes, Mary."

"Yes, I want to wear them, but you always give them away."

"Be merciful," Elizabeth said to Mary, "those poor people need old clothes more than you. And can't it be said that Lucas's family is poor, and his family is landed?"

Mary is still puzzled. In her opinion, the Lucas family is a family of country gentlemen similar to theirs, and Mr. Lucas was a mayor and a knight. Although the women of the Lucas family sometimes Plain dress, but that's common in the country, and if there's a ball or something, they can always go to it in nice new clothes.She thought maybe Dad could answer her on this point, so she turned to Mr. Bennet for an answer.

"Sir William Lucas turned out to be a real businessman," said Mr. Bennet, "but you'd better forget that if you want to continue your friendship with the Lucass. He got the title by writing to the king, and then he ended his business and moved his family here. He now owns land and is a real gentleman. As for how much property he owns, I can’t make a judgment. Let a gentleman It would be a disgraceful thing to do another gentleman's fortune, but they have at least a thousand pounds a year."

"The Lucas's are nothing compared to ours anyway," cried Mrs. Bennet.

Mary still has doubts: "Mr. Lucas gave up a lucrative business in order to become a respectable gentleman. I don't know if he is smart or stupid."

"Of course this is clever. Not only him, but many businessmen who have made a lot of money also like to buy a piece of land and become a country gentleman. After all, land is the real step forward." Mr. Bennet said

"But I don't think he's a really smart man if he's stuck with a good background."

Elizabeth said at this time: "Of course he is not smart enough. When he becomes a knight, he should insist on increasing his wealth. When he has enough property, he will come to Meridon to buy property. I believe he will have no chance." Let mom talk about his dining table."

"You're not right Lizzie," said Mr. Bennet. "Many gentlemen would rather go into debt than go into business, and it would be considered unseemly for a Sir to go into business, and decency is What matters most to Sir William."

"People would just laugh at him behind his back at most, and I don't think it's a big deal at all, at least he can live well." Mary shrugged: "Like now, he's still being laughed at behind his mother's back."

"Mary—" Mrs. Bennet gave her a stern look: "You can't say that about your mother, God, do you want to make me mad?"

"May you live a long life, Mom." Mary hurried forward to appease Mrs. Bennet, "I just don't think Sir William is very smart. Many rich businessmen will buy land and property, but most of them can maintain a comfortable and luxurious life. life, not like the Lucas family living in poverty."

Mr. Bennet nodded and said: "Sir William is indeed not very smart. Because of this, he should have come to Meryton earlier, so that he can earn income without spending too much effort by renting out real estate. At the same time, he became a respected and true gentleman, which was what really mattered to Sir William."

"So, status is more worth pursuing than money?" Mary concluded.

"Half the world's idiots think so, and the other half don't." Mr. Bennet corrected the conclusion.

"You are all wrong, gentlemen and ladies, it should be rich and have status at the same time, that is what people should pursue!" Mrs. Bennet corrected, obviously her husband and daughters thought that Ben Mrs. Nat is so clever, and her conclusion is convincing. Mrs. Bennet is very proud of it. She continued to express her opinion, saying: "Anyway, Lucas's family property is meager, and Charlotte's A dowry is nothing like yours, is it, my lord?" she asked Mr. Bennet.

"Of course, my wife." Mr. Bennet replied, "although it is a bit inappropriate to discuss their dowry with the ladies face to face, but at present they only have a thousand pounds each in the bank. If you want them to have a little more dowry, Then it’s best to hope that they will be uninterested and get married later.”

"How is that possible, my sir!" Mrs. Bennet reproached loudly, "Look at the ladies around here, if you can find a girl who is half as beautiful as Jane, I will admit Charlotte Lu Cass is beautiful."

"Mother, you're being harsh when you say that about Charlotte," said Elizabeth, dissatisfied, but approving of another point, "but Jane is as beautiful as ever, and I dare say there are girls prettier than her, even in London." Not many."

Mrs. Bennet said proudly: "Yes, yes, Jane is so beautiful. Her beauty alone can be worth a dowry of ten thousand pounds."

Mr. Bennet echoed: "Aha, you are right, my dear lady, that beauty is the best dowry a lady can afford besides sterling. And our daughters, except Mary, have inherited it from Because of your wealth, I believe that one day in the future, there will be a gentleman like me who is fascinated by our daughters, and impulsively proposes to them regardless of how much dowry they have."

Mrs. Bennet agreed: "And our daughter will have at least a thousand pounds. And, although Lydia is seven years old, we still hope to have an heir. Then his sisters will There is a brother who inherits the family property, and he will help them from time to time."

"Depending on a brother is not something to look forward to, mother," laughed Elizabeth. "You might expect Jane to marry into a rich family, so that I can be governess to her children instead of staying at home." I have accepted my brother's help."

"How can you be a governess, Lizzie." Mrs. Bennet said angrily. "It's too disrespectful for our family, and besides, you are the second most beautiful girl in the family after Jane. Of course you Will marry a rich gentleman, your beauty will never go to waste."

Elizabeth said helplessly: "Mom, if a man proposes to me just because of his beauty, then I will never agree. Moreover, if a man does not make me fall in love, I will never marry him."

Mr. Bennet felt sorry for Elizabeth: "Then you are in a poor situation, Li Qi. You have always been hard-hearted. I have reason to believe that you will stay at home instead of getting married early."

"Come on, sir, are you going to piss me off?" Mrs. Bennet was furious, and she said, "You're a curse." And scattered.Mrs. Bennet went back to the second floor to look for her smelling salts, while Mr. Bennet still went to the study.