Love England

No, I tried my best, you don't want me anymore.

I'm happy, I'm really happy,

Because I can walk away so completely.

——Drayton (Note 1, 2)

Margaret has been taking care of Cali for five days, and the patient still has no signs of improvement, because Margaret and Frederick both had scarlet fever when they were young, and they became the few people except Dixon who could enter Cali's room .Margaret knew that Cali was infected because she took care of a child with scarlet fever in the orphanage instead of her. She blamed herself for going home so selfishly, not knowing Cali's condition and throwing her own blood. The responsibility was passed on to her, causing her to be infected. Cali is so kind, she will not refuse any request from Margaret, even if the request is insecure - thinking of this, Margaret regrets it even more.

Cali was so haggard on the hospital bed, sometimes conscious and sometimes unconscious, with many red rashes on both sides of her cheeks that had turned bright red due to fever, which was the biggest sign of scarlet fever.Although Dr. Donaldson is skilled in medicine, Margaret knows that the era she lives in is not the 21st century. There is no specific medicine to treat this infectious disease, and most of it can only be survived by the patient's own strong will.Even in the 21st century, the children she cared for who contracted scarlet fever (because many were orphaned from childhood and were not vaccinated against scarlet fever in infancy) experienced high fever, red Rash erosions can only fully heal with careful care.Margaret originally wanted to go back through the time-space gate to find medicine for Cali, but when she returned from that gate with Cali, she still remembered that without Cali's help, she couldn't open that gate by herself, so A door is a one-way street for her.She told Mr. Bell about her thoughts, and the other party thought that she would take too much risk in the idea of ​​returning to the 21st century. Mr. Bell finally suggested that Margaret would be more useful to stay here than to go back, because only she could take care of the sick. The Cali is gone.

On the day Cali fell ill, Dr. Donaldson advised Mrs. Hale, who was recovering from a serious illness, to leave Milton's mansion. Therefore, Aunt Shaw persuaded Mrs. Hale to go to London with her the next day, and Henry was responsible for escorting her in consideration of safety issues. two ladies.Originally, Dr. Donaldson and Mr. Bell also wanted to persuade Mr. Hale to go to London with Mrs. Hale, but Mr. Hale claimed to be the head of the Hale family, and he was responsible for taking care of Cali (although he could not help at all, he never had scarlet fever), insisted on staying.As for Frederick, because Mrs. Hale is safe and sound, Margaret also wants to persuade him to return to Spain this morning, so as not to stay here and be discovered, and the night will be full of dreams, but he is as stubborn as Mr. Hale, He has to stay with Cali anyway, and he can only leave after seeing her recover. He claims that he has suffered from scarlet fever like Margaret, and can help Dixon and her take care of Cali.In fact, since Cali fell ill, Frederick often sat in front of Cali's hospital bed for a whole day, and hid in another room whenever the doctor came to check on the patient's condition.He was sullen and depressed, and often didn't even want to eat, just staying with him in the ward, which made everyone worry about his health.All the burdens of the family fell on Dixon alone. She was busy every day without a moment's rest. Even though there was no Mrs. Hale to take care of, there was Mr. Hale and the young master.As Mr. Bell said, if Margaret is gone, who will be able to take good care of the sick Cali?Margaret follows Mr. Bell's advice and cancels her plan to venture back into the 21st century.Although Margaret is facing various difficulties now, her godfather, Mr. Bell, has stayed in Milton to help her and give her many valuable suggestions. Even Henry came back immediately after going to London, which is somewhat gratifying.

As the saying goes, "Misfortunes never come singly." On the afternoon when Mrs. Hale left Milton, Mary, who took leave of absence to take care of her sister when Margaret and the others went to London, knocked on the door of Hale's house with a worried look on her face. She's here for Cali.Mary said that her sister Bessie was going to die soon, and she hoped that Cali could go home with her to see her sister.Margaret regretfully told Mary about Cali's situation. Mary burst into tears immediately after hearing this, and Dixon also came to comfort the girl who had a nervous breakdown. With compassion, she heard about the situation of the Higgins family from Cali many times, and knew that she attached great importance to their family, so she decided to go home with Mary instead of Cali.When Mary heard that Margaret was going, she gradually regained her senses and took her home.But the two of them were still one step too late after all, and Bessie had already returned to heaven.Mr. Higgins silently hugged his daughter's body with a sad face. He cheered up and thanked Margaret for coming, but when he learned about Cali's situation, he felt completely broken. Margaret felt that he The look in her eyes resembled that of her brother Frederick.

Margaret helped Mary wipe Bessie's body and put on a good dress for her. Looking at Bessie's cold body, Margaret couldn't help but think of Cali, which made her shudder, and then put that terrible thought After getting everything ready, she invited Mr. Hale, who used to be a pastor, to hold the funeral for Bessie.In order to prevent Mr. Higgins from thinking wildly, Margaret also asked his father to enlighten him, and asked Mary to take good care of his father.Reminiscent of Mr. Higgins, Margaret decides she needs to have a good talk with her brother Frederick, and possibly tell him the truth about Cali.

On this day, after Dr. Donaldson checked Cali and left Hale's house, Frederick immediately came to Cali's room, wanting to know the latest situation from Margaret who was nursing.She told him that although Cali's fever had not completely subsided, at least there were signs of a drop in his body temperature, which Dr. Donaldson said was a good sign.

"She just fell asleep." Margaret explained, watching her brother's expression - Frederick looked at Cali lying on the bed thoughtfully, after a while she hesitated and whispered: "I I want to talk to you, Fred, shall we go out and talk about it? It's a very important thing!" Frederick nodded, but his eyes kept fixed on Cali's sleeping face, and he reluctantly followed his sister out of the room.

At this time, apart from the patient, there were only the siblings in Hale's family. Dixon went to the market to buy vegetables. Mr. Hale and Mr. Bell sent Dr. Donaldson back to the clinic, and Henry continued to be entrusted by Mr. Bell. Thornton House.Margaret took Frederick's arm to the living room and made a cup of black tea for him. It seemed that the two brothers and sisters hadn't been alone together for a long time.

"What do you want to tell me, Margaret?" Frederick asked after taking a sip of black tea.

"What do you think of Cali, Fred?" Margaret asked straight to the point, knowing that her time alone with Fred was limited and she had to sort out certain issues as quickly as possible.Frederick looked at his sister in surprise, but did not avoid the question, and replied frankly: "She is beautiful, intelligent, gentle and considerate, and is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Since you ask me like this, I still I can tell you, Marguerite, that I would like to propose to your friend, as long as she recovers—will you bless us?"

Margaret smiled and said, "You look very confident, Fred!"

"That's what you said wrong, my little sister. Before you came back, although Miss Cali and I had been getting along very happily, although I fell in love with her very quickly, and even fell in love with her, she hinted that Before me, she only had brother and sister feelings for me. At that time, I really retreated. Later, she saved my mother and brought you back. I am really grateful. But now, she is hovering on the edge of death, I suddenly found that she is more important in my heart than I thought, so no matter what, I have to give it a try."

Seeing how determined her brother was now, Margaret sighed, and said, "Fred, there are some things I think you should know about a real Cali, but before I say this, I beg you Be sure to remember all the good comments you had about Cali just now, remember your feelings for Cali, she is indeed a woman worthy of love."

"Nothing can kill my feelings for Miss Cali, Margaret, but what are you going to say to me?"

"You know that when Cali stayed here, I also stayed at Cali's home. Cali's home is more modern and developed than here, and the social atmosphere is more open. It is a more peaceful place than here..."

"I know she's the daughter of an American farmer, and Americans have always distinguished themselves by what you say!" interjected Frederick.

"No, Fred, I think you've misunderstood me, I mean I'm living in Cali's world, and that world is 21st century America in the future - please don't doubt Fred, I'm not crazy , The medicine you brought back to mom from me can prove this! If you think about it carefully, you will find more proofs!" Margaret saw her brother's eyes widen in surprise, and gave him Give him some time to digest and understand what he just said.After 5 minutes, Frederick began to slowly ask some questions: where did you go to the future, how did you come back, what is the world like in Cali, and so on.Margaret tried her best to answer his questions, and told her and Cali succinctly from the realization of the swap world to his brother, like Mr. Bell, who finally believed in these things.

"Now I really admire Miss Cali even more!" Frederick said excitedly.

"Now, my brother, I have another extremely important thing to tell you, which is one of the reasons why I explained those things to you just now!" Margaret said with a serious expression.It was the first time for him to see his sister so serious. Frederick suppressed his smile and swallowed nervously.Of course, there is already a future person in the family, if there is anything else, he will not feel any fuss.

Margaret was thinking about how to speak. She had already thought about how to speak in advance, but she didn't expect it to be so difficult now.She was worried about Cali and Frederick. She didn't want Cali to be discriminated against because she was a transgender person, and she didn't want Frederick to completely change his mind after knowing that Cali was a transgender person.When she first knew that Cali was a transgender person, it took her a long time to figure out what the word really meant. Through a deep understanding of Cali and Ginger, she realized that they were no different from herself, and that she knew the burden behind them. What kind of pressure can they dare to be themselves, and I sincerely admire their courage and pursuit of life.From Ginger and Lester, the happy lovers, Margaret saw that they were no different from ordinary lovers, and even more sincere to each other, even she herself envied the love of these two people .If Frederick really put aside his prejudices like Lester did, maybe he and Cali could also get the same happiness as Ginger and Lester.But now, Margaret hesitated, what if Frederick didn't live up to her expectations?Seeing Frederick's serious face, Margaret prayed to God in her heart, hoping that things would develop as she expected.

"Fred, what I want to tell you is that Cali is a very unusual woman." Margaret hoped that she would try her best to start in a tactful and acceptable way.

"She's certainly an extraordinary woman, she's here from the future, and she's brilliant!" Frederick said.

"I don't just mean that, I mean she's also physically unusual, she's different from normal women."

"What do you mean, Margaret? Please explain more clearly."

"What I mean is that Cali was biologically a man from birth until he grew up, but she became a woman through medical means, because the medical means in the future are so developed that it is possible to change the sex of a person through surgery-of course this surgery also Very expensive. As far as I know, Cali has only done half of the operation, so she still has the characteristic organs of men, and needs to complete the final operation to fully become a woman physically." Margaret finally put Cali's The secret came out, but she didn't feel relieved at all, because at this moment Frederick opened his mouth half-open, speechless in astonishment, the real difficulty had just begun.She held her brother's hand worriedly and asked, "Fred? Fred, are you okay?"

"So Miss Adams is actually a man?" Confusion and confusion enveloped Frederick's face. He felt as if the whole world had been turned upside down. He didn't know what to think about it.

"No, Fred, she's a woman! Like you said, she's a remarkable woman, but God has played a trick on her body, and she just needs the other half of the surgery Can fix the joke, she is psychologically a woman from beginning to end. Remember what you said about Cali just now, think about your feelings for Cali, it's not about any biological gender, it's about the emotion of the human heart, Don't be fooled by appearance, Fred! Just like the pious captain you kicked out, no matter how respectful he looked, his heart was dark, so you recognized him and led the sailors to resist him , so that he can no longer be a domineering-Cali is the same, don't just look at her physical shortcomings, but look at her spirit and soul, she is an admirable and admirable woman, remember this!"

"Rebelling against the captain made me an exile, and made me a person who needed to hide even when I got home. This is not a good end, Margaret!"

"Do you regret it, Fred?" Margaret stared at her brother's face, anxiously waiting for his answer.Fred stood up, walked to the window, and looked out through the glass, but he didn't give an answer right away.

"I have no regrets about resisting, Margaret," he said slowly, "but now I wonder if I did the right thing. I want to go back to my room and be quiet!" Margaret looked at Frey Derek left the living room and went upstairs. She needed to give him some time to think about it.Somehow, she just had faith in her brother that he would accept the truest version of Cali, which would be good for both of them.

Margaret knew Cali's feelings for Mr. Thornton, even if Frederick proposed marriage, Cali would not agree easily.The reason why she wanted Frederick to propose to Cali was due to many considerations: first, and most importantly, Margaret always felt that Cali was always unconfident about his physical problems , even Ginger agrees with this. Cali is too kind, she can't bear to drag her lover down because of her physical "impairment", and after experiencing Mr. Thornton's marriage proposal, Cali is more timid and cautious about her love, so that she He even gave up his beloved to himself.Margaret can't bear to see Cali so unhappy, she needs someone to give her unreserved love to prove that she can get love like Ginger and won't hurt anyone; second, let Frederick understand Cali's situation is the best way to test whether he really loves her, and out of responsibilities to her family, Margaret thinks it is very necessary to let his brother know the real situation; thirdly, if his brother really loves her Margaret couldn't be happier if her marriage proposal was successful, although it may be a wishful thinking.Even if Frederick's feelings for Cali end after knowing the truth, it will eliminate the trouble caused by her brother's feelings to Cali, but she will be disappointed and regretful of her brother's actions.

Since that day, although Frederick came to Cali's room less frequently, he still seemed depressed, and Margaret was not in a hurry to let him express his thoughts, and after two days, Cali finally declined slightly. The body temperature rose again, which made Margaret anxious and careless.Dr. Donaldson suggested filling a water mattress with ice water and letting Cali lie on it to cool her down. The doctor also revealed that Mrs. Thornton had a water mattress to borrow.Margaret offered to visit the Thornton mansion and asked Mrs. Thornton to lend her the water mattress. If possible, she also wanted to know about Mr. Thornton.

In the afternoon, in order not to make the visit appear presumptuous, Mr. Hale accompanied Margaret to the Thornton mansion. They sent a folded business card to the servant and waited for Mrs. Thornton's reception.Not long after, the servant invited Hale and his daughter to the living room. Mrs. Thornton and Miss Thornton were waiting for them. Mr. Hale first introduced Margaret to Mrs. Thornton and Miss Thornton.

"Is this my mother-in-law in the future fate?" Margaret laughed secretly in her heart.From Margaret's point of view, although it was the first time she saw Mrs. Thornton, the descriptions of her through Cali and Henry were the same—serious, haughty, and even somewhat condescending and rigid. There was indeed something of Mr. Thornton in his stubborn expression.Margaret is in need of Mrs. Thornton, and she tries not to get along with her with any bad opinion of her in the past.Although Miss Thornton on the side had met Margaret a long time ago, the other party just greeted her briefly and lacked the liveliness she had imagined. This was somewhat due to the fact that Miss Thornton did not dare to publicize her mother's presence. .After exchanging greetings and everyone was seated, Mrs. Thornton asked her servants to serve black tea and refreshments to entertain the guests. Although she was polite and thoughtful in her behavior, she lacked enthusiasm in her attitude. Fortunately, Margaret was relieved that Thornton Mrs. Ton showed respect for his father, perhaps in Mr. Thornton's honor.

Mr. Hale first chatted about Mr. Thornton, Mrs. Thornton's favorite topic. Margaret listened. She admired her father's conversational skills and hoped it was a good start for Mrs. Thornton. .Mr. Hale first regretted that Mr. Thornton could not come to class with him recently, and praised him as a very smart and studious student.Mr. Hale said it with such sincerity that Margaret could sense that it was more than a compliment.Mrs. Thornton was very happy to hear his son being praised quickly, not to mention his son's teachers and friends. She said that Mr. Thornton might be in the factory at this time, and she felt sorry for not being able to meet Hale and his daughter. She even mentioned that Mr. Bell's lawyer often came here these days to discuss speculation with his son.When talking about this matter, Miss Thornton asked Margaret why Lawyer Henry didn't come with them. Margaret simply replied that Henry seemed to be out with Mr. Bell on business, but for such a Miss Thornton was visibly dissatisfied with the answer.

"Mr. Henry hasn't come here to see my brother for two days. Has he given up convincing him?" Miss Thornton asked Margaret again, sounding concerned about her brother's speculation, but Margaret Think that's just superficial.Margaret explained: "I just heard that he has received an invitation from Mr. Watson in the past few days. This person hopes to make friends with Mr. Bell through him. Today, the two of them went to visit Mr. Watson. Others I don't know."

"Oh! You mean Mr. Watson?" Miss Thornton was even more annoyed than surprised, "That old Watson ran here every day, but he never mentioned to me that he asked Mr. Henry, next time No matter what gift he brings me this time, I won't talk to him!"

"Fanny!" reproached Mrs. Thornton, looking displeased at hearing her daughter's words, "you cannot treat a noble gentleman like this, and there is nothing wrong with Mr. Watson! Mr. Watson treats you so well, you cannot It's impolite, besides, didn't you say that you liked him? At that time, I remembered that you said such a thing when Mr. Henry was here, and Mr. Henry is sitting where you are sitting now, and we all heard it."

"Mother!" Miss Thornton sighed, half despair, half regret, and fell silent.Margaret doesn't want to hear or say any more compliments or things about the Thornton family. She needs to borrow a water mattress from Mrs. Thornton as soon as possible. Cali needs this urgently. The longer it takes, the more dangerous Cali will be. Margaret cut to the point Said: "Mrs. Thornton, I heard from Dr. Donaldson that you have a water mattress?"

"Indeed, Miss Hale. What do you ask?"

"I think you must have heard that Miss Addams is seriously ill. She has been running a high fever. Dr. Donaldson suggested cooling her whole body with a water mattress filled with cold water, so I would like to ask if you would lend me your water mattress We can sell it to us - after all, it is not easy to return the things used by patients. You know that water mattresses are not available in Milton, and you need to go to London to buy them, but Miss Addams' illness can't wait to buy them from London time. My father and I ask for your help, and we will be grateful to you!"

"So the rumors are true? Miss Addams is going to die? It's terrible!" Mrs. Thornton sighed hypocritically, and did not immediately respond to Margaret's request. She and her daughter looked at each other, and then took He took a sip of black tea, as if he had forgotten what Margaret had just said.

"Mrs. Thornton, I know that it is not easy to buy water mattresses from London. Just tell me your price, and my father and I will pay for it. You don't have to worry about your loss. I can even invite Mr. Bell Go to London to order another water bed for you, Miss Addams really needs it now. The Hale family and Miss Addams will thank you for your sacrifice.” Margaret used almost begging He said in a tone, his heart was burning with urgency.

"Miss Margaret, the water mattress is mine, but I haven't had it for a while, and I remember taking it for Fanny. Fanny, dear, where did you put the water mattress? "

"Mom, how long has it been! I really can't remember!"

Hearing the hypocrisy of the mother and daughter, Margaret suppressed her anger. She found that her father was holding her hand at this moment, and she felt his hand trembling with excitement. She glanced at Mr. Hale, and her father The normally smiling face was now expressionless.

"Do you really need a water mattress, Miss Hale?" A thick male voice came, and Margaret looked up, and found Mr. Thornton standing at the door of the living room, obviously he heard what he said just now.

"Yes, Mr Thornton!"

"Fanny, I saw your maid take out the water mattress and clean it a few days ago, didn't I?" Mr. Thornton asked sternly. Miss Thornton obviously flinched. Show up was clearly caught off guard.

"How do I know about the maids? Maybe, maybe not." Miss Thornton replied coyly, she looked at her mother as if asking for help, and now the mother has to stand up and speak for her daughter for the sake of face: "John, You don't look like a gentleman at all, there is no need to shout like this!"

Mr. Thornton ignored him. He called Miss Thornton's maid outside the room: "Jane! Jane, where are you? Jane!"

The maid named Jane trotted to Mr. Thornton and promised, "Sir! What's the matter?"

Mr. Thornton ordered: "Go and find Miss Fanny's water mattress. I saw the one you took out to tidy up two days ago!" Margaret caught Mrs. Thornton nodding slightly.

"Yes, sir!" About 5 minutes after the maid left, she reappeared with an unfilled water mattress. During the waiting period, no one in the living room spoke, and everyone just drank tea quietly. , except that Mr. Thornton has been standing there.

"Sir, this water mattress hasn't been filled with water yet!"

"That's just right, you'll wrap it up later, and send the boy to Mr. Hale's!"

"Yes, sir!" The maid left again.

Seeing this scene, Margaret wiped away her bad impression of Mr. Thornton. She didn't expect him to be such a righteous person, and she deeply understood why her father valued him so much.She noticed that Mr. Hale's smile had returned from sitting beside him, and he hastened to thank Mrs. Thornton and Mr. Thornton, and even Miss Thornton.Mrs. Thornton reluctantly accepted the thanks, and Mr. Thornton just nodded blankly.Margaret proposed to buy the mattress again, because she did not want to owe Mrs. Thornton, but Mrs. Thornton firmly told Margaret not to mention the matter of "buying the mattress" again, and said nothing about it. Indicates that the water mattress is a gift for a friend.

It seemed that there was no need to stay at the Thornton's house any longer. Margaret and Mr. Hale also left soon after. When leaving, Mr. Thornton offered to hire a carriage to take the two of them home. Margaret robbed his father She accepted Mr. Thornton's kindness one step at a time, because now she wants to spend more time with Mr. Thornton, and she wants to use her own eyes to observe whether "her husband" predicted in the novel is really her Mr. Right.