Love England

Mr. Thornton finally rejected Mr. Bell's proposal to speculate in gold mining companies. Although he was grateful that Mr. Bell could think of himself, his down-to-earth business principles and the lessons his father left him made him more interested in capital There is a complete distrust of such ethereal things as financing.Although his mother didn't express her attitude towards this matter too much, she approved of her son's approach from the bottom of her heart, so she didn't regret rejecting the kindness of her old friend Mr. Bell.

During the nearly fortnight which Mr. Bell gave Mr. Thorntons to consider, Mr. Henry Lennox visited the Thorntons almost every other day.After getting acquainted with Mr. Henry Lennox during this period, Mr. Thornton felt that he could not see through this man's thinking.Mr. Henry Lennox, as Mr. Bell's lawyer, can be said to be conscientious. He is the most flexible, quickest thinking and most eloquent lawyer among the lawyers Mr. Thornton has come into contact with.For such a person, Mr. Thornton should have admired him very much, but apart from this, he has always had a vacillating view of the character of this lawyer.

What worried Mr. Thornton was that his sister, Fanny, seemed particularly enamored of the fashionable lawyer from London.He knows his sister: self-willed, conceited, vain, coquettish, reads few books, often has some unrealistic fantasies, can't stand a little bit of grievance and setbacks, not at all like the Thornton family Tough character.Although his mother usually looked down on this kind of person the most, her daughter happened to be this kind of person. Everything was the bitter fruit of his mother's usual pampering and raising.Fanny entered Milton's social circle when she was just 16 years old. Mr. Thornton originally did not agree with her younger sister's social circle, but her mother couldn't hold back her daughter's temper, and finally made a compromise.After entering Milton's social circle, Miss Thornton soon had many unmarried admirers because of her sweet looks and the reputation of the Thornton family in Milton, an industrial city. The best of them, Fanny, liked the attention of the stars, which greatly satisfied her vanity, but she did not marry before the age of 20.One is because Mrs. Thornton thinks that her daughter is too young to marry early; the other is because Miss Thornton thinks highly of herself. Although men who like Milton show love to her, she yearns for fashionable clothes A fine, well-spoken London gentleman, with contempt for the soot-smelling, vulgar and obstinate Milton millowners of his brother's birth.It can be said that the appearance of Mr. Henry Lennox met all the criteria of Miss Thornton. Fortunately, Mr. Henry did not show a special preference for Fanny, which made Mr. Thornton feel a little relieved.

In Mr. Thornton's opinion, his mother originally wanted to introduce Miss Watson to him, but after contact, Miss Watson, like her sister, seemed to be more attracted to Mr. Henry Lennox, although it was somewhat for Mr. Thornton. Mr. Ton made a relief, but this was the result of Mr. Henry's inadvertent intervention.Miss Thornton tried her best to win the attention of Mr. Henry Lennox with Miss Watson, and sometimes even resorted to flirting with Mr. Watson, who had an obvious crush on her, in order to attract the attention of Mr. Henry Lennox. Mr. Henry's jealousy.Mr. Henry is obviously a master of both sides. He can always reach a certain understanding with Miss Thornton without offending Miss Watson. In this way, Fanny will be more enthusiastic about Mr. Henry and put Mr. Watson aside instead. Ignore it.Whenever he saw Mr. Henry Lennox sitting in his mother's living room, talking and laughing happily drinking tea with her sister and even the Watson brothers and sisters, Mr. Thornton would feel a certain resentment and leave. .This close friend of Miss Addams, this Mr. Henry Lennox, when Cali lay dying on the hospital bed, this person did not say a word about her, his expression and demeanor were as peaceful as the world.Mr. Thornton still clearly remembers Mr. Henry's hospitality to Cali when he first came to Thornton Mansion as a guest, and even more clearly remembers that when they met at the London Fair, he was like a victorious provocation in front of Cali. And Cali's haggard, pale face.Shouldn't he be worried about Cali's safety all the time?Shouldn't he be by Cali's side?Mr. Thornton couldn't help wondering whether Mr. Henry Lennox knew Cali's secret like himself, and also abandoned Cali like him, making the lawyer turn to other real women. "She shouldn't be treated like this by a man!" said Mr. Thornton, not knowing whether the words were addressed to Mr. Henry Lennox or to himself.

After Mr. Thornton gave Mr. Huber a formal refusal to participate in the investment, Mr. Henry accompanied Mr. Bell back to London. After dinner on the second day after Mr. Henry left Milton, Mr. Watson came to Mr. Thornton’s study , announced to him the news of his engagement to his sister, and Mr. Watson wished Mr. Thornton his blessing.The news of Fanny's engagement with Mr. Watson surprised Mr. Thornton, although he didn't like Mr. Watson, who was known for being ruthless in business, and he didn't know why his sister changed her mind and agreed to Mr. Watson's marriage proposal. But when he thought of Fanny finally getting rid of his overly infatuated with Mr. Henry Lennox and Mr. Watson's attentive attitude towards Fanny, he still shook hands with the future brother-in-law very sincerely and sent them both bless.

Mrs. Thornton was really happy about her daughter's engagement to Mr. Watson. Like Mr. Thornton, she was also relieved.Although Mr. Watson is ordinary in appearance and not elegant in conversation, he is rich and powerful as a speculator, and he can be regarded as a respectable gentleman.Mr. Watson, who carried on business in London for the most part, left Milton for London the day after he became engaged to Miss Thornton.But before he left, he had discussed with Mrs. Thornton that he and Miss Thornton could get married in Milton next June.Strange to say, after hearing their plan, Miss Thornton insisted on marrying Mr. Watson as soon as possible, not wanting to wait until June. Mrs. Thornton did not expect her daughter to be so eager to marry Mr. Watson, even Watson Nor did Mr. expect that he would be so eagerly awaited by Miss Thornton.Although the engagement is easy, it will take some time to prepare for the wedding. Mrs. Thornton hopes that her daughter can marry off decently. The result of the final compromise is that the wedding will be held in March next year.

Mr. Watson left the Thornton house with happiness, but Miss Thornton lacked the excitement of being a bride-to-be. On the second day after Mr. Watson left, she fell ill, and her brother Both my mother and I believed that this must be caused by breaking up with my fiancé just after we got engaged, which was caused by sadness.Mrs. Thornton would have written to ask Miss Watson, Mr. Watson's sister, Miss Thornton's future sister-in-law, to come and keep her company; She could not help her dislike for Miss Watson.Mr. Thornton thought it must be Fanny's jealousy with Miss Watson in front of Mr. Henry Lennox, and thinking that now that the lawyer had left Milton, if Miss Watson came to Thornton House, he would His mother would try to match him with Miss Watson again, which he didn't want to see, so he also dissuaded her mother from bothering Miss Watson to come to the Thornton's house for her sister.Finally, Mrs. Thornton gave up the idea of ​​inviting Miss Watson, and then invited Dr. Donaldson she trusted to come to see Fanny at home.Because of Fanny's sudden illness, Mrs. Thornton was worried that her daughter would contract scarlet fever again. After all, she still remembered that Fanny had mentioned to her that she met Miss Addams at the London Fair, perhaps the arrogant Miss America. Maybe she passed the disease on to Fanny.She didn't tell her son this idea, because she knew that her idea would definitely be opposed by her son and make him unhappy.Although Mr. Thornton assured her that he would not propose to Miss Addams again, the mother saw everything in her eyes. Her son never forgot the impolite American girl. Fortunately, Miss Addams was dying now. , no longer poses a threat to her son.

Toward evening Dr. Donaldson came, and when Mrs. Thornton asked Fanny if she had "scarlet fever," he told her to reassure her. "Miss Thornton just suffered from some cold. After taking medicine, she will be fine after two days of rest. In addition, I would like to congratulate you, Mrs. Thornton. Just now Miss Thornton told me that she is engaged to Mr. Watson! "

"Thank you, doctor! You are very kind!" said Mrs. Thornton cheerfully, shaking the doctor's hand, and then she sent Mr. Thornton to see Dr. Donaldson away.Mr. Thornton accompanied the doctor out of the Thornton house. Just now when his mother mentioned the word "scarlet fever", he began to be very disturbed. As soon as he walked out of the front door, he couldn't help asking the doctor about the situation of the Hale family.Dr. Donaldson replied with a sigh: "Thank God! The girl is finally out of danger. I went to see her again this afternoon. I think Miss Addams will recover safely soon. Miss Hale is taking good care of her. .”

"You mean Miss Margaret Hale?"

"Of course! Miss Hale can be regarded as the pillar of the Hale family now, and she is a very capable lady."

Mr. Thornton had a deep impression on Miss Hale, whom he had met less than three times. There was an indescribable quality about her, and that quality reminded him of Cali again.The doctor went on to say, "Both young ladies are beauties, and they are rare and good girls. If I were 20 years younger, I would definitely propose to one of them, but it is really amazing which lady to propose to." What a headache!" The doctor laughed loudly after finishing speaking, patted Mr. Thornton on the shoulder, got into the carriage parked outside the gate of the factory, and left.

Mr. Thornton didn't think much of the doctor's parting joke, for he was now full of joy that Cali was finally out of danger, thank God!He really wanted to visit Mr. Hale right now, to see Cali right away—but how would he face her?Joy turned to bitterness at the thought, and it haunted him for the rest of the day.When night falls and returns to darkness, Mr. Thornton can no longer stay in his study. He will use the night as a cover again to come to where she is. He only needs to look out of her window. will satisfy him.If God gave him luck, he might see her recovered figure at the window.Mr. Thornton was always breaking his own vows, and when he first came to the Hale house late at night, he swore it would be the last, but kept it from his mother and risked being viewed as suspicious by the police (although He is Milton's sheriff, but always mysteriously wanders outside Hale's house at night, which seems suspicious to anyone), this "last time" has become countless times.Every time he comes to Hale’s house, Mr. Thornton can always find the figure of the man dressed as a worker. Unlike Mr. Henry Lennox, he has a kind of sympathy for this man who does not know his name or even see his face clearly. feel.That person is in the light, but he is in the dark, and the two of them don't interfere with each other.Tonight, this strange man is still wandering around as usual. Did this man also know the news that Cali's condition has improved?

Mr. Thornton still hid himself in the dark as usual, trying not to let anyone find him. He looked up at the familiar window upstairs in Hale's house. There was no light, only the reflection of the bright moonlight on the window. the lonesome shadow.Is she in a peaceful sleep at this time?Will she sleep peacefully all night without the entanglement of illness?Will she wake up in the middle of the night?Does she dream?Will he appear in her dreams?If so, would it be a picture of herself escaping from her sight?

At this moment, the window was lit, and the light of the candle swept into Mr. Thornton's line of sight through the window. The candlelight cast on the window and faintly revealed a graceful figure. Although the shadow was so vague, Mr. Thornton He was [-]% sure who this shadow belonged to, and his heart suddenly surged.He stared closely at the bright window and the figure, hoping to keep everything in his mind until the candle was extinguished, just like a dream.

"This is really the last time. Everything ends here, just like the extinguished candle." Mr. Thornton told himself, nodded, walked out of the shadows, and left Hale's house.

The next day was a new beginning for Mr. Thornton. Whether it was emotional or other aspects, he needed to give himself an explanation with fulfilling work.With regard to the speculative business highly recommended to him by Mr. Bell and his would-be brother-in-law, Mr. Watson, the end was over for him.Almost all Irish workers have been repatriated, and there are still a dozen people left, and they will be completely repatriated in three to two weeks.Regarding the purchase of new machines, the manufacturer has sent someone to negotiate with him. After careful consideration, he decided to purchase ten new textile machines first.Although the new machines are expensive, Mr. Thornton intends to take advantage of the opportunity that the manufacturer sent people to Milton for negotiation and inspection, to unite with other textile mill owners to form bulk purchases and reduce purchase costs with scale effects.If this plan is successful, through the long-term cooperation between equipment buyers and sellers in the future, each textile factory director in Milton will replace new textile machines, greatly improving productivity, and future equipment manufacturers will also form machine tools due to the increase in demand for machines. Mass production not only reduces the price of the machine but also expands the market demand, forming a multi-faceted win-win situation. This can be said to be a "speculation" that has all benefits but no harm.

Mr. Thornton spent a day negotiating with the representative of the machinery and equipment manufacturer, and the other party agreed to his proposal, but the prerequisite was that if he could order another 25 machines with other factory owners in addition to the ten machines he ordered, Thornton The machine price discount and future long-term cooperation proposed by the husband will be possible, and he will be given five days to reply.Mr. Thornton's next task was to persuade other factory owners to co-subscribe for the remaining forty machines.Originally he thought that this proposal could easily be approved by the factory owners, but he was wrong.When he called a meeting of factory owners at the club the following day to support his plan, there was little response.Some people think that even if the price of the equipment is discounted, the price is still too high to afford. Some people just care about the immediate interests and think that the equipment does not need to be updated. Some people have doubts about the new machine, and some people are because of Out of personal feelings for Mr. Thornton and not wanting to support him, only a few factory owners wanted to buy new machines in the end, but there was only a total demand of [-] units, which was far from the standard.Mr. Thornton did not give up, and he would use the remaining three days to win as much support as possible from the factory owners.

Mr. Thornton walked out of the house early in the morning. He had an appointment with the Lester brothers today.He knew that the reason why the twin brothers did not support him was simply because his sister was engaged to someone else, and the one who admired Fanny in turn held a grudge against him. diaphragm.When passing through the gate of the factory, a red-faced man with the appearance of a worker stopped him.

"Sir, I want to talk to you!"

"I'm not free now!" Mr. Thornton didn't look at the man, he just wanted to hurry to the appointment.Along the way, he thought about how to persuade the Leicester brothers. He knew that although the twin brothers cared about their factory very much, they were too emotional and often made some so-called "reforms" on their own factory, but often Both ended in failure. They belonged to factory owners who had dreams but no ability. The size of the factory of the two brothers was much smaller than his own. There are only seven or eight units, or even less.In the end, Mr. Thornton's prediction was correct. It took him a whole afternoon to settle the misunderstanding with the Lester brothers and eliminate their dissatisfaction. In the end, the two machines they agreed to order were only three machines. Mr. Thornton is optimistic that this is a good start.At dusk, when the workers were about to leave work, Mr. Thornton returned to his factory, thankful that he did not return in vain, and there were only [-] machines left from the goal of [-] machines.

"Sir! Mr. Thornton!" Thornton had just walked to the gate of the factory when a slightly familiar deep male voice stopped him.He looked up and looked at the man, as if he was the one in the morning.

"Why are you still here?" asked Mr. Thornton, slightly surprised.

"Yes, sir, I would like to speak to you," said the man humbly.

"Then come in." Mr. Thornton really wanted to hear what this man wanted to say to himself.The man followed him and came to his office. He took off his hat and stood there, although he looked humble, but there was a kind of dignity in his expression. For Mr. Thornton who saw the faces of many workers, this was very important. It was the first time he had seen such a look on such a ragged worker, and those resolute eyes seemed familiar.Mr. Thornton asked the man to wait for him to finish reading the few notes on the desk, and then his eyes fell on the man again.

"What would you like to talk to me about?" asked Mr. Thornton, as politely as he could.

"My name is Higgins..." The man had just reported his name, and Mr. Thornton suddenly realized that although he had never seen the man in front of him, he was too familiar with the name "Higgins": Milton One of the leaders of the union, the one who started the latest strike, because of that strike, Cali was injured protecting him, and then something happened that changed his life - all the sad things that happened to him emotionally It was all caused by the man in front of him.

"I know who you are!" Mr. Thornton interrupted him sullenly. "What do you want?"

Higgins' voice is clear but not loud: "I want a job."

"Work? You have the guts!" Thornton replied with sarcasm.

"Hamper can attest that I'm a good worker."

"I'm not sure what old Hamper says will please you. I fired over 100 good workers the other day for following you and your guild. Do you think I'll hire you? Hire you and you'll Can I set fire to the waste cotton pile in my factory?" said Mr. Thornton sharply.

"I promise not to fight against you. If I find something is wrong, I will give you a fair reminder before acting. I am a stable and reliable person, and I work hard!" Higgins explained himself, wanting to save some situations .

"How do I know if you have any tricks to pull off, or save your after-work money for another strike?"

"My daughter died and another person I cared about almost died. I was devastated and wanted to take my own life. But one person persuaded me to keep working and I promised to take care of a worker A child of mine, made him my adoptive son. All that happened made me change my mind, made me find that I really love my job, made me know my value as a worker, made me know how to be a father again I would also add that if it had not been for those Irish scabs that your mill owners had brought in to steal the jobs of the Milton workers, they . . . "

"It was your guild that forced me to hire those Irish workers, and luckily most of them have gone home. But then again, if I were to believe you had such good intentions, I can't say I would. I suggest you leave Milton and find another job!" Mr. Thornton didn't want to listen to this man anymore, and he picked up the note he hadn't finished reading just now.

"If it had been warmer, or if I had money, I would have gone to the South of England or sailed to America to work and never come back! But it's winter, and I've got no money, and you know where else? Now for my adopted son, I will accept any salary!"

Hearing the word "adopted son", Mr. Thornton raised his head again and asked him: "Are you willing to pay less than other workers?" Hearing the question, Mr. Thornton noticed that Higgins pursed his lower lip, and he continued Said: "Irish workers have no unions, there is no doubt about it, your union regards them as scabs who want to support their families, and now you are also reduced to a scab for your adopted son-I will not give you work , you're wasting your time!"

"You still have your own time!" Higgins heard Mr. Thornton's resolute refusal. He didn't look as humble as before, but became proud instead. He couldn't be despised by him all the time. So contemptuously, the factory owner, "a lady sent me to you because she thought you were generous and reasonable—she was wrong! How completely wrong she was!"

"Tell her not to be a nosy next time, don't waste your time and mine!" Mr. Thornton had an attitude of "seeing off guests" at this time, and Higgins no longer wanted to explain anything, and he put on his hat again gone.Mr Thornton heard his footsteps leaving the office and thought about the "lady" Higgins referred to, and his thoughts extended to Cali, who he remembered had mentioned Higgins as her friend , Reminiscent of what Higgins said just now about "the daughter died" and "another friend almost died too", he vaguely remembered that on the night when Cali was seriously ill, he wandered downstairs like him at Hale's house What the man who never saw his face had said to him.Mr. Thornton, now regretting telling Higgins in anger to tell the lady to "mind her own business", got up and went to the window, watching as Higgins was already walking across the factory compound towards the gate. The walking figure, that gait and that hat made him sure that the "difficult brother" who had the same illness as him at night was Higgins.

"Sir, I saw Higgins coming out of your office. Did anything happen?" Assistant Jack knocked on the door and asked worriedly.

"How long has he been waiting for me here?" Mr. Thornton asked his assistant, looking after Higgins.

"He was already outside the factory gate when I came to work early in the morning. He has been waiting there. It is almost five o'clock in the afternoon, sir."

"Okay, I see! Thank you, Jack! It's okay, it's time to get off work, and you should get ready." The assistant left, and Mr. Thornton thought that Higgins had been willingly waiting for him for nearly ten hours , His perseverance made me admire.Mr. Thornton introspected, maybe his own view of Higgins just now was really biased.He thought he had always been a just man, and he couldn't make the mistake of blaming a good man like that.The next morning, he inquired all the way to Higgins' home. He needed seeing to believe, and Higgins invited him into the house with an unexpected look.

The house is very dilapidated. When the three playing children saw a tall stranger appearing, they suddenly fell silent, and Mary was teaching a five or six-year-old boy to read. It seems that the Dixon of the Hale family let her go for a day today. holiday.Mary did not speak to Mr. Thornton, but nodded politely to him, and returned to teaching the little boy to spell.The room was very dark, not brightened by the light from the windows, and one corner was full of books, one of which was the "Utopia" that Mr. Hale had lent to Mr. Thornton to read. , he did not expect a worker to read this kind of book.

"These are your children? You mentioned them yesterday?" asked Mr Thornton.

"It wasn't before, it is now. You still don't believe me?"

Mr. Thornton had already inquired about Higgins on the way here: Boucher had eight children and couldn't find a job like Higgins after the strike. Just as Higgins had promised to take care of Boucher, he was in Soon after his daughter's death, he offered to take care of his four children to ease the burden of Boucher's life.Mr. Thornton sincerely admired Higgins' approach, and he believed that such a person would be a good worker. "I had no right to speak to you like that yesterday. I didn't believe you then, and I wouldn't have looked after Boucher's baby if it had been me. I've asked, and you're telling the truth. I beg your forgiveness. I came here to ask, will you come and work in my factory?"

"You said I was insolent, full of lies, and conspiring. For the sake of the children, do you think we can get along?"

"I didn't say we'd get along well," said Mr. Thornton frankly.

"Okay! Work is work! I'll be there, thank you anyway, it's a good thing for me."

"It's the same for me." Mr. Thornton reached out to Higgins, wanting to shake hands with him to show his commitment and friendship, and Higgins shook his hand in response to his friendliness and his own Promise of. "Remember to go to work on time tomorrow. We have strict time rules. Once I find that you are using your brain, you have to leave. Do you understand the agreement we made?"

"Then I'll just have to keep my brains at home!" Higgins replied mockingly, agreeing to Thornton's terms.

Mr. Thornton has completed his purpose for this time. He wanted to bid farewell to leave. Before leaving, he asked Higgins: "Did Miss Addams ask you to come to me? You should have told me."

"Then your attitude will be better?" Higgins asked with a smile on his lips, his eyes fixed on his face.Mr. Thornton made no answer, and walked away from his house - indeed he could not understand himself.Back along the same road, he thought that Cali might have shuttled through this filthy place countless times, full of dilapidated and painful scenes.As a factory owner, Mr. Thornton rarely has the opportunity to come to the place where the workers live, and now he is here, looking at the sallow and emaciated children, the sad-faced women, and the bored sitting at the door because they can't find a job man, he somewhat understood that Cali had mentioned the wishes of the workers to him more than once.These are people who just want a better life, to be well fed, to be warmly clothed, their children not to starve, and their lives to be fulfilled.In the past, he just thought that he had fulfilled his duty as a factory owner, and his relationship with the workers was an "employment" relationship without any complicated adulteration, but now he found that his factory brought more than just jobs to the workers, Perhaps spiritually, the factory and workers have created more fetters than he could have imagined.

When he walked out of this working area, his heart became extremely heavy. He walked to the hillside where he could see the bell tower of Milton Church. I thought it would be so close to the workers' living quarters. "Maybe Cali will take a walk here every time he comes out of there!" Mr. Thornton thought, standing under a big tree, looking at the bell tower of the church, the scattered houses of Milton and the chimney of the factory in the distance, He took a deep breath, trying to forget all his troubles.At this time, he found a graceful woman walking towards him on the path not far from him. He recognized the lady. She was Mr. Hale's daughter, Margaret.

Margaret walked towards Mr. Thornton gracefully, and greeted Mr. Thornton first: "I didn't expect to meet you here, Mr. Thornton! Good morning!"

"Hello, Miss Hale! I didn't expect to see you either." Mr. Thornton saluted her, taking off his hat.

"Cali advised me to go out for a walk and get some fresh air. She said that I stayed at home too long and recommended me to come here. This is her favorite place, and you can see the church bell tower here." At this time Margaret had come to Mr. Thornton, and the cold of early winter made her cheeks pink, showing a healthy beauty.

"This place is really nice, Miss Hale." Mr. Thornton agreed, and then asked hesitantly, "How is Miss Addams doing now?"

"She is much better, her fever is gone, and she has an appetite. Dr. Donaldson asked her to rest more, but she will continue to be isolated for a few days. Dr. Donaldson said that if the body temperature remains normal during the two days of isolation, the isolation status can be released."

"I'm glad to hear she's all right." When he said that, Margaret had been surreptitiously watching him, like a doctor examining a patient.

"During Cali's illness, I felt more and more how important she is to our family. I think many people have discovered this, don't you think so, Mr. Thornton?" Mr. Thornton did not answer Margaret's question, he Said: "When Miss Addams recovers, I think Mr. Hale will continue to teach me? I really can't wait!"

"I think my father is the same, Mr. Thornton, you are his favorite student!" Margaret said with a smile.

At this time, the two walked side by side along the slope leading down the hill from the cemetery, and Mr. Thornton asked Margaret to hold his arm in case he fell due to the ice on the road.After the conversation just now, the two remained silent for a while, and then Mr. Thornton talked with Margaret about the weather, but this topic didn't last long, and they fell silent again like a reincarnation.Later, Margaret mentioned Miss Thornton's engagement, and Mr. Thornton gave a brief answer, and then he asked about Mrs. Thornton's situation. Margaret told him that she had recently received a reconciliation from Edith. A letter from Aunt Shaw, they are taking Mrs. Hale to sunny Italy to recuperate.

"Are you going to Italy with Miss Addams when she recovers?" asked Mr. Thornton.

"Edith's letter did invite us to stay together for a few months, but Cali and I don't plan to go with them—by the way, Mr. Thornton, I just wanted to ask, do you often come here for a walk?"

"I've only been here a few times, and today I just came back from the workers' area and passed by here occasionally."

"I didn't expect you to go to the workers' quarters!"

"I went there for the first time today, too, to correct a mistake I made. Like someone told me before, I should have come here sooner."

"Is that man Cali?" Margaret couldn't help asking, but she still got the same silent answer as before. She glanced at him and stopped counting on his answer, "Mr. Thornton, you know What was your impression of you when we first met? To be honest, I thought you were a bossy, cold-faced, self-serving factory owner - I apologize if I offended you!" San Mr. Ton just smiled at her, and Margaret continued: "But as I got to know you, I completely overturned my previous opinion, and I think you are a good person!"

"Thank you for your compliment, Miss Hale!" At this moment Mr. Thornton laughed, which was the first time Margaret had seen him laugh like this.By this time the two of them had descended the hill, and it was time for Margaret to say good-bye to Mr. Thornton.

"It's time for me to go back, Mr. Thornton, thank you for accompanying me all the way here."

"At your service, Miss Hale."

"I think you should smile more from now on."

"Someone once said to me