[Pride and Prejudice] Mary's Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 42 Mary's ball is about to begin

"Why do we hold a dance together?" Mary pointed at the two sisters who were sitting on the sofa well, and glared at Mrs. Bennet angrily.

"Oh, of course it's because they've grown up," Mrs. Bennet faltered, her eyes flickering, and she didn't dare to meet Mary's eyes. "Wouldn't it be nice for you to go out and socialize together? Kitty and Lydia are both very happy? "

Kitty and Lydia immediately shook their heads like a rattle, and said in unison: "We just want to come out and socialize earlier."

Lydia said: "We don't want to hold a dance with you!"

Kitty also said: "It was Mama who said the dance would be bigger!"

Mrs. Bennet said angrily: "Shut up, do you want Mom to bear the responsibility alone!"

Mary lost her temper by her mother: "I said earlier not to let them socialize prematurely. Didn't I agree last time to wait a few years later?"

"It's just a year or two in advance, my dear, their three older sisters have grown up, but they are going to be locked up at home. Mrs. Atkinson can't continue to teach more things, and let them stay in the room all day What's the point of studying those boring and meaningless books in the classroom, who will talk to you except the teacher, anyway, no one has ever discussed those topics with me."

That's because you don't read, who would tell you that without winking, and you wouldn't understand it! ——Mary complained wildly in her heart.

"Never mind Kitty, she's only a year younger than me, and there's nothing wrong with having a social dance with me, but Lydia is only 15!"

"Your Aunt Philip was out socializing when she was 15."

"how about you?"

"It's 16 years old, younger than Kitty's current age." Bennet explained with a guilty conscience. She kept fanning the wind with a handkerchief, and showed a look of help to Jane who was standing aside.

Although Jane wanted to help her mother very much, Mrs. Bennet did a little too much this time. She even wanted Mary to socialize with Kitty and Lydia at the ball. out.

Jane thinks that Mary's anger is justifiable, and even she would be very angry about this matter. Who doesn't want to attract the attention of everyone at her ball, and Mary is indeed not as good-looking as her two younger sisters. I'm afraid the younger sisters will lose the limelight It’s taken away. Jane has already started to worry about Mary. It’s not that she doesn’t love her two younger sisters, but if Kitty and Lydia want to socialize, they can hold separate parties from Mary, but they are determined to join in the fun with Mary. At that time, if people pay attention to the two of them and no one pays attention to Mary, wouldn't it be embarrassing for Mary.

But Elizabeth was concerned about other issues: "Mom, why didn't you discuss it with us in advance, and make such a decision rashly, are they ready? Can they dance? What about the clothes? What about the jewelry?"

Now that the matter is irreversible, it is better not to continue to make unnecessary struggles. If you tell everyone that Kitty and Lydia will not appear at the ball, then the situation of the Bennet family will be ugly. Maybe people It's time to make such and such guesses about his family's back and forth.

"Oh, of course," said Mrs. Bennet, and immediately resumed her cheerful tone: "Mary's things are all ready, and as for Kitty and Lydia, they have several sets of beautiful jewelry that they have never worn. , this time it can be used. The fabric I bought for them in London last time has not been used, so this time I asked the tailor in the town to make them dancing skirts, but this time you brought more beautiful fabrics Well, of course we're going to replace it and have the town tailor plug it in and make ours first, I don't think the other customers will have a problem, they don't have so many daughters throwing social dances together. "

It seems that they have been prepared for a long time. Anyway, the objection is invalid now, and everyone has no choice but to accept this result.

Mr. Bennet was also somewhat responsible for this matter. He solemnly apologized to Mary during dinner: "I'm sorry for making such a big mistake, Mary, as a father, I really failed my duty."

"It's nothing Daddy, please don't say that, I'm really uncomfortable that you are so serious all of a sudden."

"Well then, what I want to tell you is that since things are like this, you might as well go with the flow, I think with your two younger sisters as a foil at the ball, people may be able to discover your many unknown advantages. "

Apparently Mr. Bennet also thinks that her two are too bright and moving to cover up her brilliance.

"You don't have to worry about this, Dad, I have no worries about it at all."

"I'm relieved to hear you say that. There are too many silly girls in England, and gentlemen obviously prefer those silly girls. I'm really afraid that your cleverness will be useless."

"I'm not for the gentlemen's liking."

"What are you talking about? Mary, how can you marry them if you don't like them?" Mrs. Bennet said angrily, "And you, my lord, don't say such nasty things again, man Of course we like bright girls, and our girls are such girls, and there is no doubt that they are all good girls, and they will make good marriages in the future."

She turned her head and looked at the two little daughters again: "You must perform well on the day of the prom. I am already so old that I don't like to hang out at the prom anymore. Those tiring activities will seriously affect my health, but I still have to work my old bones for you, and I will continue to endure this kind of torture until you all marry good people, thinking about it makes me want to die, which is why I want to hold a dance for you, "

She turned to look at Mary and confessed herself: "Who knows if my physical condition can continue to hold the ball for the two of them. Doing this now can avoid any regrets in the future. When I think of my daughters can socialize freely , can be pursued by young gentlemen, I can wake up with a smile in my dreams, if any of you can get married smoothly, my worries will be relieved, and I can smile now that I am lying in the grave..."

Mrs. Bennet has spoken of her health so often lately, as if she were going to her grave the next day, when in fact she is as strong as a bull.In fact, she said this to let everyone stop blaming her.

When Kitty heard her say this, she just lowered her head and ate quietly by herself, but Lydia had already started to roll her eyes.

The two of them have been very well-behaved and obedient recently, because Mrs. Bennet urged her mother to let them socialize early. This incident made Mary very angry. They both avoided Mary recently. I'm afraid of being sprayed by the strictest sister.

In fact, neither of them would like to have a ball with Mary. Who wouldn't want to have their own ball?Who wouldn't want everyone to pay attention to her, bless her, and adore her at the ball?

But now, this wish, this admiration has been reduced by two-thirds, what a shame!

Is it true that the matter of the prom has nothing to do with them?But I couldn't explain it clearly, everyone thought it was the two of them who did it!

So the two children have been very listless recently, and this abnormal situation is considered a kind of guilty conscience.

Tired or not!

In fact, Mary was not so angry anymore. She was not as people imagined, because she was afraid of being overshadowed by her sisters, she was unwilling to hold a dance with her sisters.

The main problem is that the two sisters are young. Kitty is 17 years old, which is okay, but Lydia is only 15 years old, so young, she is still a child.No matter how old a girl is, as long as her parents allow her to socialize, it means that she has the right to be loved by others. She can accept anyone's marriage proposal and start a new life.A 15-year-old girl, who was still in junior high school in her previous life, can she really determine her life path in the future?

Of course, she may not accept other people's marriage proposals at such a young age, but Mary has always had a distorted psychology due to her rebirth. She subconsciously thinks that she is a generation older than her sisters, and always worries about them as juniors. Coupled with a pair of unreliable parents, she always has an inappropriate sense of responsibility, whether the sisters need it or not.

It's just that it's too late to say anything now, so Mary has no choice but to accept it. But thinking about it, she has never been very interested in proms. She was a diligent person in her previous life, but that doesn't mean she likes sports. What I like to do is lie quietly for a while, read a book, and listen to people's chats.

Dance?Let's wait until she gets cramps in her hands and feet at some point.

So there are two beautiful sisters to distract people at the ball, especially those gentlemen who are responsible for inviting the ladies to dance. Who wouldn't want to dance with beautiful girls on the dance floor?

So Mary quickly let go of her worries and devoted herself to the preparations for the prom. She brought a lot of beautiful clothes, shoes and hats to London this time. Who made her family have more women? After buying so much, she will share one of them when she comes back. There are not many people left.The important thing is that she also brought a magazine this time, to be precise, some tabloids. The newspaper industry in London is very developed now. In addition to various newspapers registered with the government, there are also various illegal tabloids. This newspaper is like this, It's a relatively recent publication that publishes mostly high-society fashion trends.

His Royal Highness the current Prince Regent is known to be a very fashionable man, despite his bloated and unsightly figure.But there is no doubt that he led the fashion in England. Now the aristocrats don't wear wigs like before. He also has pants. In order to cover up his figure, George IV wore dark clothes and loose clothes. The trousers replaced the tight trousers of the past.No matter when and where, the dress of the royal family is a fashion that people love to chase.What's more, our Prince Regent has a pursuit of fashion that is diametrically opposed to his appearance.

The editor-in-chief of this newspaper is very business-minded. He publishes this kind of tabloid dedicated to His Royal Highness, introducing his clothes, his mistress's clothes, his friends' clothes, and various new trends in high society. , celebrity anecdotes, romantic gossip, home decoration.This is simply the earliest gossip tabloid, and also the earliest fashion newspaper.

Mary brought back the newspaper introducing the new dress, and Mrs. Bennet decided to remake the ball gown according to the above picture. Mary gave this opportunity to her two sisters, and she was very satisfied with her original dress.

Kitty and Lydia also breathed a sigh of relief, which meant that they had officially broken the ice with Mary.

Soon the date of the ball drew near, and Uncle Gardiner's family came to Longbourne from London, with a company of young men.

At the same time that Miss White came at the appointment, she brought her elder brother, Mr. Andrew, and his younger brother, Mr. Alfred. The two gentlemen accompanied Miss White, and there was an unexpected person—— -Mr Lawrence.