[Pride and Prejudice] Mary's Pride and Prejudice

Whether it was Lydia, Mary, or the Gardiners, they were still very pleasantly surprised by the arrival of several guests. Unfortunately, this courtesy visit only lasted a short ten minutes, which really left people wanting more.A few young people made an appointment to go for a walk in Hyde Park the next day. Although the weather is cold now, the scenery there is still very good.

Mary and Kitty gladly accepted the invitation, except Lydia, who had a very bad look on her face.Colonel Edwards asked her with great concern: "Is Miss Lydia feeling unwell? I can introduce you to a doctor I am familiar with, and I promise to have excellent medical skills."

He was very surprised when he learned that Lydia was not unwell but was grounded by her sister. If Mr. Alfred would never break social etiquette and ask about other people's housework, Colonel Edwards asked very frankly What happened to Lydia?

Lydia told this kind friend with a bitter face: "The heir of our family pestered me in every possible way at a dance. I was upset and drank the wrong drink. It was gin-I had never drunk this before. Grow booze and then lose control of myself - I beat that nasty fellow!"

Colonel Edwards was very surprised when he heard such words. He carefully looked at the lady in front of him with a new look, and then let out a burst of hearty laughter: "Hahaha—Miss Lydia, I didn't expect you to be such a Unexpected person, I definitely can't see that your frail body contains such a strong physique."

"Oh, I knew you would laugh at me if I said it."

"No, no, please believe that I am not laughing at you. In fact, I think you have done a great job. Those who don't know what is good and who are self-important always think that the ladies' verbal refusal is a kind of female vanity Those who want to refuse to welcome, but are resolutely unwilling to open their dog eyes to look in the mirror and take a look at themselves. Tell me, these people should be beaten up severely, let them know the pros and cons, and beat them up I'm afraid, I will walk around when I see you in the future."

"Do you really think so? Are you not comforting me with your mouth, but looking down on me in your heart?"

"I swear to God, the above words are completely from the heart." He looked at Miss White and Mr. Alfred who were talking enthusiastically with Mary, and whispered to Lydia, "Actually, Grace also encountered this. Afterwards, I blocked and beat up that annoying guy, and then he never dared to harass Grace again."

He sneaked another glance at Miss White: "Grace doesn't know about this yet, so you have to keep it a secret."

"Colonel Edwards, you are such a good brother!"

"I'm not only a good brother, but also a good friend." He sneaked another glance at the other group of people in the room. "You can rest assured and wait at home. I have a way for you to come out and have a good time."

Lydia's eyes widened, and she wanted to cheer, but quickly covered her mouth: "Is it true? Do you have a solution?"

"Of course, don't worry." He wanted to say something more, but Mr. Alfred came over and interrupted their conversation, so he could only wink at Lydia.

Lydia smiled knowingly, and suddenly became happy. Looking at Colonel Edwards' handsome face, she thought to herself, with Colonel Edwards' kind heart, even if he is wearing a blue uniform, it is no better than wearing a red uniform. Mr. Wickham's Marshal was a little less.

After breakfast the next day, Mr. Edwards came with his younger siblings. The young people came to Hyde Park in a carriage. Mary also took Daphne and Miss Gardiner. This cousin is 11 years old. She was very agreeable, and Mary and Kitty were more than willing to take her out for a walk.

Hyde Park is very big, and Mary has not finished shopping around it twice. Although it snows in winter in the UK, it is not cold here. A serpentine lake in the middle divides the park into two parts. Before that, the artificial lake Most of them are long and straight. It was not until the advent of this curvaceous lake that a new trend of British landscape architecture emerged.

The road by the lake is full of gentlemen and ladies riding horses. People either ride horses freely, or get together and talk while walking.

Although most of the trees have withered, all kinds of fruits hanging on the treetops are exposed, and various birds are often seen jumping and pecking at the branches.There are still many evergreen trees that are still crisp and straight, and the lake in winter has a different beauty.

The young people chatted while walking, but after a while Colonel Edwards suddenly remembered that he had some important matters to deal with, so he left in a hurry.Looking at his back, Mary smiled and said to Mr. Alfred: "Mr. Edwards is really a swift and decisive person, his actions are as never procrastinating as his words."

Alfred frowned, and during the appointment that he had agreed in advance, he remembered that he had something to do, and his brother usually has nothing to do with women, but Mr. Alfred knew how to cover up for his brother: " He is always so reckless and reckless, once he thinks of something, he will do it immediately, and once he has a new idea, most of the things at hand will be abandoned halfway."

The two of them talked and laughed and turned into a meadow. There were many winding paths in the middle, and there were also a few people walking here and there.Mary took Mr. Alfred's arm, and the two talked about his new job.

Mary thought the courtroom was a sacred and solemn place, but according to Mr. Alfred, the situation there was very bad. The courtroom was as chaotic as the vegetable market, the air was very dirty, and the servants ordered orders every hour. Incense, but the smell is still very unpleasant.

Mary was very surprised by all this, she thought that all foreign courts were the same as the "No. [-] Imperial Court" in the Hong Kong drama.

"I have two lawsuits tomorrow morning. If you want to see them, you are welcome to attend?"

"Can I go here casually? No need to apply in advance or anything?"

"No, you can go anytime."

So Mary decided to go to the court the next day to open her eyes. Unfortunately, when she asked her family to go with her, no one was willing. Aunt Gardiner wanted to take the children to the theater, so Kitty chose to go with Aunt Gardiner. Mary thought that Lydia would not let go of this opportunity, but the little sister didn't care. She said that the dirty and messy environment of the court was not suitable for a young and beautiful lady like her, and she still decorated her beautiful roof at home. Hats off.

So the next day, only Mary came to the Central Criminal Court early. This should be the oldest court in England. It is usually called "Old Bailey" because it is similar to the "Bailey Wall" of the old city wall of London. It was built on the same line, so it got this nickname.This court has a long history and a long lifespan, and it is still in use even after 200 years.

The tone of the Old Bailey is dark, giving people a heavy and solemn feeling.Its gate is tall but not wide, as is the case with many buildings in London. The British do not seem to be too much interested in decoration for the gate. They pay more attention to practicality. When you walk in, you will find that its hall is very large. There are some exquisite murals and carvings, and the circular dome is very tall and wide, which makes people feel very small.

Mary came early, probably before the trial time.She stood in the hall and kept looking around. There were already some people in the hall. They were chatting together in small groups or alone in the corner thinking quietly. These people were men and women, old and young. There are rich and poor, with different expressions.

"Miss Mary—" Mary turned her head quickly, and Mr. Alfred walked over quickly from the end of the corridor, "Have you been here for a long time?"

"No, I just arrived." Mary said with a smile.

"Alfred, dear friend, won't you introduce this beautiful lady to me?" At this time a man suddenly appeared beside Alfred and said with a smile.

Mr. Alfred hastily introduced the two friends. It turned out that this was Mr. Fox, his solicitor. Mr. Fox was a middle-aged man with a fat body, but he was polite and gentlemanly. With piercing eyes and capable language, it can be seen that he is a sophisticated person.

Solicitors are not allowed to appear in court, so Mary sat in the public gallery with Mr. Fox. The court at this time was very different from what Mary saw in Hong Kong dramas. The court was square. On the witness stand, on the right is the jury. The jury has 12 people and sits in two rows.On the opposite side of the defendant's column is the judge's trial seat. The seats are very long. In addition to the judge's seat in the middle, there are six or seven auditorium seats on both sides, but that is exclusive to the nobles. More people who come to hear the trial should sit elsewhere. .

The lawyers of the two sides sit close together, and they share a wide and long table. They sit under the judge's trial table, because the judge's table and chairs are higher than these. If the lawyers want to talk to the judge, they have to stand. Get up to expose your head to the table.But the auditorium where Mary was sitting was higher than these, sitting on all sides, overlooking everything that happened in the court.

Today's first case is defended by Mr. Alfred. He has long been dressed in a suit, short ponytail hair set, white scarf and black robe, looking very professional and full of style.

At this time, the clerk shouted: "Everyone stand up."

So all the people present stood up, and the judge of this court came in. He was wearing a red robe and a long golden wig, followed by a scribe and three richly dressed ladies.The judge swaggered to his seat and sat down, and the three ladies sat on both sides of him, obviously coming to hear the trial.

By this time the clerk had begun to read aloud the defendant's charge: "Defendant Jennifer Crowley, unmarried, was charged with stealing a box of handmade lace from Stevens Clothing Store on October 10 while at work. Valued at £23. The goods belonged to John Stevens and were previously stored in Stevens Clothing Store."

The clerk asked the accused: "What is your plea?"

The defendant was a pale and thin girl, who could be seen to be born in poverty, dressed in shabby clothes, and looked panic-stricken. She said hoarsely, "I'm not guilty!"

The prosecution lawyer first summoned the accuser, Mr. Stevens, the owner of the clothing store. He was a tall and fat middle-aged man in his 40s. He told the jury about Jennifer's story with his cloudy eyes Bad character, this pale and thin woman was described by him as a lazy and spendthrift person. In his words, Jennifer was "dirty, indecent and immoral".

Standing in the dock, Jennifer Crowley burst into tears before hearing his accusation, shouting at the man: "You lied—you lied—"

The judge gave her the gavel to keep quiet or be in contempt of court.Mr. Alfred walked quickly to Jennifer's side to comfort her. I don't know what he said in a low voice. Jennifer covered her mouth and began to cry silently.

When Mary saw this, her heart turned to this woman for no reason.

Subsequent trial arguments proved her feelings were not wrong.Jennifer said that this Mr. Stevens was obviously trying to misbehave her by relying on his status as an employer, but because Jennifer stood up and resisted, Stevens became angry and slandered Jennifer for stealing his things.

The sheriff found the box of lace from Jennifer's residence, which is a lot of money, and it's really hard to tell.

At this time, the United Kingdom implemented severe punishment laws, and there were more than 200 crimes that could be sentenced to death. This box of lace was imported from France and was worth 50 pounds. If the girl was found guilty, she would be sentenced to death.

The author has something to say:

Hyde Park should not be called Hyde Park at that time, it seems to be called Westminster Park, but I didn't find the exact information, so let's call it that.