Love England

Mr. Thornton's plan to unite with other factory owners to buy new machines ultimately failed, but he still bought new equipment for his factory as originally planned, which obviously made his already tight cash flow worse, and Mr. Thornton is about to pay Mr. Bell the rent of the factory building and land for the next year, which makes his cash flow even worse.Mr. Thornton had to write to Mr. Bell, hoping that he could extend the payment period of the rent. If possible, he also hoped that Mr. Bell could invest in his factory, or temporarily lend him a sum of money so that his factory could survive this unprecedented crisis.Mr. Thornton told his mother lightly about the current situation in the factory. Mrs. Thornton is a smart woman. Although Mr. Thornton talked about the situation of the factory with hope in his words, she knew that the crisis the factory was facing had serious consequences. How serious-the factory needs money, and she has to share the pressure for her son.

"Fortunately, the last batch of Irish workers can all be sent away tomorrow, and we don't have to feed them for nothing. I will try my best to save money for the family. I think the expenses for Fanny's wedding should be considered in the long run and carefully calculated. Although this may cause dissatisfaction with your sister, she is also a member of the Thornton family, and she should make some sacrifices." Mrs. Thornton said kindly to her son.In Mr. Thornton's study, Mrs. Thornton sat in a comfortable carved wooden chair, which she always sat in when she and her son talked alone about the factory, looking wise and dignified.

"Thank you, mother! It is my inability to persuade the factory owners to agree with my plan that has caused the current situation."

"It's not your fault, John! It's just that those people are short-sighted and only pursuing short-term interests. When the machines you bought are put into use and bring huge benefits to the factory, they will regret that they didn't agree with your plan—— Fortunately, we can count on Mr. Bell, hasn't he already talked to you today!"

"Yes, he has agreed that the rent of the factory can be suspended for a period of time, and asked Lennox's lawyer to amend the lease contract, but he said that he would think about borrowing money or investing in the factory. Of course, I understand Bell very well. Mr. Thornton’s way of agreeing to suspend the rent is already the greatest help to me.” Mr. Thornton frowned, and he left his mother’s side and walked to the window, not wanting her to see his embarrassment, but this couldn’t be hidden from Thornton. Mrs. Ton's eyes.

"John, tell me the truth, how much money do we need right now?"

Mr. Thornton hesitated. He knew that no matter what, his mother would know how bad the situation was sooner or later. He sighed and said: "We need 100 pounds urgently now. If we don't have this money, the workers' wages at the beginning of next month will not be found. Yes, we haven't paid back some debts, if we survive next month, the cash flow situation may be better..." Mrs. Thornton's eyes widened when she heard this, and she was speechless for a while.

"John, I will visit Mr. Bell tomorrow. I will invite him to watch a play and have dinner. I hope he can remember the friendship between the Thornton family and him under my hospitality and persuasion, and promise to lend us money. If so No, I can only pin my hopes on Mr. Watson. He and Fanny are not married yet. Although borrowing money from him now will affect Fanny and change his view of our Thornton family, but this is also unavoidable. Already!"

"Mother, thank you! Thank you for everything you have done for me!" Mr. Thornton said gratefully, his eyes full of great respect and love. "No matter what you do, I will support you, John!" She walked to her son, gave him a tender kiss, and then left the study.

For the next day, Mr. Thornton kept thinking about his mother's attempt to persuade Mr. Bell. Mrs. Thornton left home in the afternoon. She made a reservation for the best restaurant in Milton, treated Mr. Bell to dinner, and did what he liked in Mill A box was reserved at the theater in Dunton, and Mr. Bell was invited to the play.Although it is nothing to others, Mr. Thornton knows that his mother has always followed a Puritan-like life. She cannot tolerate drama and the like, and always thinks that all drama performances are sins, so she only allows Fanny to listen Going to concerts was the biggest concession she could make to her doting daughter.But this time Mrs. Thornton personally invited Mr. Bell to go to the theater to watch a play, breaking the religious principles she had always abided by. This was the greatest sacrifice his mother made for him.

Mr. Thornton watched absently the last few Irish workers entering the compartment. This train was a freight train. He looked at the platform of the passenger train opposite, feeling a little lonely.Because of his financial constraints, he can only arrange for these workers to go home by freight train. The cold night and starless night sky make this sense of loneliness infinitely extend.Suddenly, the face of a tall woman on the opposite platform against the moonlight came into his sight - it was Cali!How did she show up at the train station at midnight?What surprised Mr. Thornton even more was that she was with a man whose face could not be seen clearly. The man was dressed as a gentleman and was talking to her. The two looked so close—she and the man were What's the matter?

"Sir, thank you for your continuous care!" At this moment, an Irish worker stepped forward to talk to him. Mr. Thornton resumed his previous stern expression, and shook hands with the worker politely. The worker got on the truck, and several other workers who had already got on the truck also took off their hats to salute him and waved their hats to say goodbye to him.The train left, and when Mr. Thornton tried to look for Cali and the man on the opposite platform, they had already disappeared.Mr. Thornton had no choice but to leave the train station. His mind was very confused. Why did he get confused when he saw Cali with other men just now?She has nothing to do with him anymore, but the question of "what's the relationship between that man and Cali" is always hovering in his mind like a fly, and he can't get rid of it.

Mr. Thornton found a tavern near the station. Although it was midnight, the tavern was very lively. The railway workers who came off the night shift from the station and some passengers waiting for the train were crowded here.Mr. Thornton came to the bar and sat down, ordered a glass of whiskey, trying to let alcohol numb his mind, but the effect of this drink was just the opposite.

"In the middle of the night, a woman sent a man to the train. They are either relatives or lovers. The behavior of the two people is so intimate. What kind of relationship can there be?" Mr. Thornton drank the wine while thinking, and then asked the bartender I ordered a whiskey, "Does she have a new lover so soon? Does that man know her true face? Of course, he must accept her if he is so close! Will he propose to her like me? I don't know Lucky or unlucky that fellow, she must love him very much! It's so funny that the man didn't run away like I did - so funny! Bartender, have another whiskey!" Mr. Thornton poured the third whiskey He drank it all down, and it seemed that the wine had no effect on him. He put the empty wine glass heavily on the bar counter, paid the money, and asked the tavern boy to call a taxi for him, and returned home.

As soon as he walked into the living room, Mr. Thornton saw his sister sitting on the sofa and crying. When she saw her brother coming back, she just said "I'll have a headache waiting for you to come back" and went back to her room.The spirit of the whiskey also began to take effect at this time, his head began to ache faintly, and even his heart ached. He didn't care about his sister's hysteria just now, and just slumped down on the sofa.Alcohol didn't paralyze him, but made him feel everything is more sensitive, he has nothing to do with that person, why does he always pay attention to her involuntarily?At this time, he vaguely heard the sound of a carriage outside the house, and it must be that his mother had also returned.

After a while, Mrs. Thornton came to the living room and reported her victory to her son - Mr. Bell promised to lend them 100 pounds. It seems that today is not all bad news.Mr Thornton gave his mother a hug and thanked her for everything she had done for him.The next morning, Mr. Bell discussed the specific loan matters with Mr. Thornton. Because the matter was urgent, Mr. Bell promised Mr. Thornton to return to London in the afternoon to go to the bank to handle the matter.Two days later, Mr. Thornton's bank account received the loan, and the factory was temporarily out of trouble, but Mr. Thornton was not relieved.

On the day when the loan was received, there were two unexpected things for Mr. Thornton: one was that his sister asked his mother to let her visit Miss Addams at Hale's house. Although Mrs. Thornton was reluctant at first, she In the end he agreed; the other was a visit from his friend at the police station, Inspector Mason.

Officer Mason was not tall, and he always had a calm expression on his face. He didn't have the majesty of a police officer at all, but he was very shrewd and meticulous in handling cases.Thornton was two years older than Mason, and he had great respect for Thornton.When Mr. Thornton's father passed away in bankruptcy, he once worked as an apprentice in a factory with the police officer Mason, and the two formed a deep friendship. Later, Mr. Thornton, who was the local sheriff, and the police officer Mason The cooperation at work is also seamless, and he has great trust in Thornton.When Officer Mason walked into his office, the usually kind officer had a troubled look on his face.

"Excuse me, Mr. Thornton, there is one thing that needs to be decided by you as the magistrate." Mr. Thornton followed him to the morgue of the police station, and took him to a body covered with a white shroud. He said in front of the dead body: "Two days ago, at 14:12 midnight on the [-]th, this man was found outside the train station. He died in the hospital this morning. He was not from Milton. We are trying to confirm his identity. Speaking of which, Officer Mason lifted the shroud, revealing a pale face of a dead man. Mr. Thornton saw that this man couldn't close his eyes even after death, as if resenting everything that caused his death.The appearance of this man made Mr. Thornton feel familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere.

"I think I know this guy, Mason."

"You know him, sir?" Officer Mason was surprised and pleasantly surprised. He didn't expect to get clues about this person so soon.

"I remember his name is Leonards, he is the fiancé of my sister's maid, he has been to our house a few times - I remember him, I will call the maid to identify the body. By the way, what is the cause of death of this person ?”

"The cause of death has not been ascertained, sir. According to the doctor at the hospital, the man smelled of alcohol when he was brought into the hospital, and had obvious falls. But the doctor is not sure that the fall was the cause of death, because the man himself Suffering from a serious illness, it may be that a fall or alcoholism triggered a chain reaction in the body that led to his death. The doctor suggested that we conduct an autopsy on this man, so that we can determine his real cause of death. I originally wanted to arrange an autopsy tomorrow, since You have provided clues to the identity of this person just now, and I would like to conduct an autopsy after your maid confirms the corpse—of course, the autopsy requires your authorization and signature, Mr. Thornton."

"I will call the maid to identify the body as soon as possible, Officer Mason."

"That's great, Mr. Thornton! Thank you for your help! I will continue to investigate the case and report the progress of the case to you in time." Officer Mason shook hands with Mr. Thornton while thanking him.

That night, Mr. Thornton called the maid named Jane to his study, told her the news of her fiancé's death, and asked her to go to the police station to confirm the body as soon as possible.As soon as the maid heard the news of her fiancé's death, she couldn't control her emotions. She cried and kept repeating the sentence "I always tell him to drink less!" The degree of hysteria, until Mr. Thornton comforted and barely finished everything, she ran back to her room and cried a lot.After a while, Miss Thornton also came to his study, and asked her maid Jane what happened.Mr. Thornton told her the news of the death of Jane's fiancé, and he noticed that his sister's face was as white as paper, and she was a little panicked.

"Fanny, are you okay?" Mr. Thornton asked with concern.

"I'm just a little worried for Jane. Seeing how sad she was crying just now, I feel really sorry for her. You know Jane is my favorite maid." Miss Thornton replied with a forced smile on her face. a feeling of.

"I will give Jane a few days off so that she can identify the body early and give her time to ease the grief in her heart."

"That's very kind, John. I would like to thank you on Jane's behalf." Miss Thornton's modesty at this time was unexpected to Thornton, who was an older brother.Reminiscent of his younger sister's request to visit Hale's house again today, this can't help but make him feel curious and surprised. Could it be that Fanny's changes are related to that person?

"How was your visit to Hale's today? How is Mr. Hale?"

"It's not bad——John, I have a headache, and I need to go to rest! Good night!" Fanny didn't seem to want to talk much, so she found a reason to leave, maybe her modesty just now was just a whim.

Two days later, Officer Mason reappeared in his office, and it seemed that the case had made new progress.

"Mr. Thornton, the deceased's fiancée confirmed the deceased yesterday. His name is indeed Leonards, and we have found witnesses from the night of the incident..." Officer Mason said and stopped here.

"Anything else?" Mr. Thornton asked. He could see that Officer Mason wanted him to continue asking. Officer Mason cleared his throat and asked, "Mr. Thornton, do you know a Mr. Hale?" Officer Mason asked The sudden question caught Mr. Thornton by surprise.

"Yes, I do," replied Mr. Thornton.

"Then you must also know Miss Addams who is now boarding at Mr. Hale's house?" Mr. Thornton seemed to be caught by a hand when he heard this name. How could this case be involved with Cali?

"Miss Addams? I do know her too. What does this lady have to do with this case?"

"Mr. Thornton, some eyewitnesses said that on the night of the incident, a lady was with a man on the platform, and that man had a fight with Leonards. This may be the cause of Leonards' death. According to witnesses Said that it was too dark that night and did not see the faces of the lady and the man clearly, but he heard the lady had an American accent. According to our investigation, the only lady in Milton who came from the United States was Miss Addmas. She also has an obvious American accent, so she must have been at the scene that night." After hearing Officer Mason's explanation, Mr. Thornton's expression became serious.

"Are you sure?" Mr. Thornton wanted to ask, "Are you sure it's Miss Addams?", but suddenly realized that he had to look natural when he asked the question, and then changed his words: "Are you sure that man is related to this case?"

"I have good proof, sir."

"Have you checked with Miss Addams?"

"Of course, Mr. Thornton, of course! I have gone to Miss Addams myself to confirm what the eyewitnesses have said, but Miss Addams denies that she was there."

"I remember that the time of the incident was around 14:12 midnight on the [-]th, right?"

"Yes, sir."

Mr. Thornton recalled that the day he dropped off the Irish workers at the train station was 14 o'clock and midnight, and he did see Cali on the passenger platform. He was 12% sure that Officer Mason's speculation was correct.

"Sir?" Officer Mason noticed that the sheriff was a little absent-minded.

"Miss Addams did deny that she was there, did she?"

Officer Mason nodded in affirmation. He saw Mr. Thornton lost in thought, "So... so sir, this is the problem. Although Miss Addams strongly denied it, the witness is still very sure that he heard correctly. We will arrange the following It would be very embarrassing to continue arguing about the issue just now, no one wants to question what a decent lady said..."

"Did she really deny being at the station?" asked Mr Thornton, interrupting Inspector Mason.

"Twice, very firmly. I told her I was going to make another inquiry. I thought, since you are friends with the Hales and Miss Addams, I'll come to you first..."

"You're doing the right thing, Mason! Don't take any action yet, and the autopsy is temporarily postponed, let me handle it." Mr. Thornton finally instructed Officer Mason, who nodded to express his obedience to the sheriff's order , and then shook hands with him farewell.

When Officer Mason left, Mr. Thornton had more questions in his mind. He thought he knew that Cali was not a liar. She even told him her secret when she proposed to her. So honest, but why would she lie about being at the train station that day?A woman lies to protect a man, what is the reason for this woman?

Mr. Thornton kept flashing through his mind what he had seen at the station that night, what a fool!Didn't he have thought about the question just now a hundred times?Why did he keep forgetting that fact over and over again? Cali is willing to protect that man because he loves that man-this is the fact that John Thornton is unwilling to admit, Cali no longer loves him, although he has already run away because of her love.A sense of loss permeated Thornton's body. He left his office and came home to find his mother sitting at the desk in the living room reading a letter. His sister was sitting opposite her on the sofa reading a magazine.

"Are you unwell, John?" the mother asked, looking up at her son.

"It's nothing, it's just that the case of Jane's fiancé is not going well." Mr. Thornton said perfunctorily.

"I've given Jane a week's leave, as you've suggested."

"You have such a kind heart, mother! Although Jane's fiancé is not a good person as far as I know, Jane's feelings for him are sympathetic."

"Thank you too, mother!" said Miss Thornton now.

Mrs. Thornton looked at the two children, a trace of tenderness flashed across her serious face, and then she seemed to think of something, and said: "You know, through the matter of Jane's fiance, I realized that a bad man can seduce a good woman, Let them be bad, like the serpent tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of God. I also heard about Jane's fiancé, maybe Jane was a blessing in disguise. Oh, by the way, John, I heard the servants talking about Miss Addams at noon, Said she was with a man one night."

"I don't know and don't care what other people say, mother, you should too!" Mr. Thornton didn't want to listen to his mother's nagging anymore. This was the first time he was bored by his mother's nagging. He needed to go back to his study Take a moment of silence so that you can understand the whole context of the case.He has always wanted to make a break with Cali, and maybe this case is the one between him and her. After understanding this case, he and she really owe each other.