Love England

It was time for the noon break, and Mr. Thornton had a pork pie and a small bottle of wine sent by his mother for lunch in the office.He always eats lunch in his office so that he can get back to work right away instead of taking an hour lunch break like other workers.Originally, he would always devour the lunch delivered by Mrs. Hale every time, but today he had no appetite at all when faced with his favorite pie. He just stared at the blood-red wine in the glass in a daze. .John Thornton has always thought of himself as a man who is very courageous, will not be emotional, and sticks to his promises, but recently he has been shaken by whether he has these good qualities - saying "recently" is actually the first time yesterday Once resumed and continued to take Mr. Hale's class, the time after meeting Cali.He thought that meeting Cali would make a "final conclusion", but when he said those words, when he saw her pair of crystal eyes and that face with what can be said to be "grievance", Cali's face couldn't get out of his mind, and he had almost forgotten most of what Mr. Hale's class was about.

Mr Thornton made a promise to himself to make a "final closure" with "Miss Cali Addams", but he completely reneged: Cali admitted that she was with the man that night and that she lied to Constable Mason , but she said there was something else hidden, and she didn't want to reveal too much—what does this mean?She was always full of secrets, and people couldn't figure it out. Now those remarks about "frivolous Miss America" ​​have become known to everyone from the servants at home to the workers in the factory.

"These damn rumors are all caused by her improper behavior, and she is completely to blame!" Mr. Thornton thought of this, and drank the wine in his glass.He pushed the pie aside without appetite, and then poured the last bit of wine in the small bottle into the glass. Just as he was about to pour it down, the noise outside the window stopped him.He put down his glass and went to the window, and saw some workers gathering in the yard of the factory. Could it be that they wanted to strike again?

Mr. Thornton immediately thought of Higgins - since he came to his factory, he has kept his own place and hasn't had any trouble.Higgins' ability to work is unquestionable, and he is definitely a good hand. He often stays in the factory after other workers are off work to clean and maintain the textile machines he uses, and often returns very late.He is also good at mediating conflicts among the workers, avoiding two riots: one was when an alcoholic worker stopped drinking and making trouble at work; the other was when two young workers had a quarrel and was caught by him And mediate the two in time to avoid fighting in the factory.Because of these things, Mr. Thornton's assistant, Jack, even looked at him with admiration and changed his view that Higgins was the scourge of the factory.

Higgins was completely different from the other workers Mr. Thornton knew. He had a more ideal mind and could make his own demands—a while ago, he had suggested to himself whether it was possible to set up a workers’ canteen in the factory, and even offered a very feasible plan.This was something Mr Thornton, as a factory owner, would never have thought of, and he said he would consider Higgins' suggestion.Mr. Thornton admires Cali's insight into people, and at the same time cherishes capable workers like Higgins, and pays more attention to such workers' views on the factory. The person in charge of the trade union in Dayton will keep his law and order until when.

"Mr. Thornton! Mr. Thornton!" His assistant rushed into his office.

"What's the matter, Jack?"

"There are workers fighting in the yard, sir! One of them is Higgins!" As soon as Mr. Thornton heard the name "Higgins", he immediately took his assistant downstairs to the yard to find out.

In the yard of the factory, workers were already surrounded by watching the excitement. Everyone was chatting about something, and some people cheered the fighters from time to time.

"Stop it!" Mr. Thornton pushed away the crowd of onlookers and shouted sharply. He quickly stopped the two workers fighting in the middle and separated them.One of the stout men was Higgins, and the other tall, thin man was a worker nicknamed "Parrot". "The factory is not a tavern or a boxing ring. The two of you come to the office with me, right away!" After Mr. Thornton finished speaking, he signaled his assistant Jack to let the surrounding workers disperse, and he brought two fighters Returned to the office.

Mr. Thornton was sitting at his desk. From the expression on his face, it could be seen that he viewed this matter more as a sheriff than as a factory owner. He could not tolerate workers fighting in his factory. things happen.The two men standing in front of him both had minor bruises on their faces: Higgins, smoldering, looking like a deadly gladiator; and Parrot, covering himself with his hands The left cheek has been swollen from the beating, and he dare not look at Mr. Thornton's face.

"Why did you fight? Who started it first?" Mr. Thornton asked coldly, with the majesty of a judge.

"Parrot" pointed to Higgins next to him and complained first: "It was Higgins who came over suddenly and hit me first, sir! I didn't provoke him at all! I just finished lunch and chatted with other workers while resting. Suddenly he came over and punched me, this man is a madman, sir! I was attacked for no reason, sir!"

Mr. Thornton looked at Higgins' reaction and asked: "Is that so, Higgins?"

"I don't deny that I punched him first, sir!"

"why are you doing this?"

"Because he insulted a lady's innocence by telling stories..."

"I'm just telling the truth about what I've heard. Who doesn't know about the Miss America who lives in Hale's house! You are making trouble without reason! Besides, what do you have to do with the Miss America? Are you Higgins? Is she not a lover? No wonder I heard that she keeps running to your house..."

"That's enough!" Mr. Thornton couldn't stand it anymore, he slapped the table hard, and stood up, "I don't want to hear these hearsay things in my factory, this is not a vegetable market or neighbors. Go chew your tongue!" Mr. Thornton's anger made "Parrot" jump, he stopped talking and lowered his head.

Mr. Thornton said in a majestic voice: "Higgins, you first provoked the fight, violated the discipline of the factory, and stopped work for three days to stay for inspection. And you, this gentleman, although you are a victim, you are in my house. Spreading rumors in the factory also violated the factory’s discipline, withholding one day’s salary and giving a warning. If I find you commit another crime, I will also be fired! You can leave!” After hearing the verdict, “Parrot” hummed with grievances He left without hesitation, while Higgins gave Mr. Thornton a disappointed look, and left angrily.

After a while, the assistant came into the office and reported: "Mr. Thornton, the workers have gone to work, and Higgins has gone home."

"Okay, I get it! Jack, inform the workers that from now on I won't allow anyone to talk about hearsay in my factory."

"Okay, sir!" Jack agreed, and then he stood there again hesitating what to say, "Mr. Thornton."

"What else is there?"

"I have also learned about the cause of the fight just now, sir! I want to say that I don't believe the content of those rumors at all. The lady involved in the rumors, you and I know what kind of person she is. There is Sometimes, in order to help others, she doesn't care what other people think, just like she did to protect you last time, this character often leads her to be misunderstood by others. That lady is not at all the same as the English lady I know , I have never had that kind of air of domineering, very reasonable, and dare to act. If it weren't for your position as an assistant, I would very likely give that person a punch like Higgins today-I mean, Sir, is the punishment you gave Higgins too harsh? Of course, this is not to plead for Higgins, but to discuss the facts. Well, I will not disturb you, sir!" The assistant walked away after speaking.

Jack has always been straightforward, which is why Mr. Thornton likes him. After listening to his words, he began to reflect on whether he was too strict with Higgins, and he began to wonder whether he was really wrong.Perhaps "Parrot"'s words that Higgins was Cali's lover had a subconscious influence on him, and maybe he was asked to stay and check out of jealousy for Higgins.Thinking back to the look in Higgins' eyes when he left made Thornton feel ashamed. He should have defended Cali's reputation like Higgins, shouldn't he?But he did see it with his own eyes, and heard her confession about the station, how could he trust her reputation?She claimed that other people were involved in that incident, and she was indeed protecting someone like Jack said, who was she protecting?

This afternoon he was restless because of this matter, and the "final closure" still hadn't been "finalized".Back home, Mrs. Thornton mentioned to him about the workers' fight at noon. She also heard the news from the servants, and then she accused Mr. Hale of choosing a friend for her daughter carelessly as usual, and hoped Let the gossip of society not reach Mr. Bell, lest the Hale family lose a powerful friend in it.Mr. Thornton had long been accustomed to his mother's habitual insinuations. He ignored it and left the living room. He came to his study and saw his sister appearing at the door of the study.

"Fanny, what's the matter?"

"I have a letter today from Mr. Watson which says something I think you would like to know."

"Come in and talk!" After Mr. Thornton invited his sister into the study and sat down, he asked, "What was mentioned in Mr. Watson's letter?"

"I think you must remember the last gold mine investment?"

"yes, I remember."

"Mr. Watson said in the letter that his investment was very successful. He did not expect to get a return so soon. He was notified that he would get a large dividend in a week. He said he failed Regrets convincing you to invest in gold mines together - that's all. Do you regret it now, John?"

"I have nothing to regret. I have my principles and he has his principles. I am responsible for my factory and workers. It is impossible to ignore the overall situation because of immediate interests. Thank you for telling me about this, Fern Ni. Okay, tell me how your wedding preparations are going? I think the money Mr. Watson earned from this successful investment can fully meet the expenses of this wedding! Of course, I will try my best All I can do is meet your needs for the wedding."

"John, although my mother has been helping me prepare for my wedding in March next year, I can feel that she doesn't let me spend money like before. She is even reducing the cost of servants and cooks. Don't look at me. It’s acting like a baby, but I have always known the hard work of you and mother, and the importance of the factory to our family——John, I don’t want to get married in March, I want to postpone the wedding until the operation of the factory improves.”

"Will Mr. Watson agree?"

"I think I will persuade him. Now that I think about it, I didn't listen to everyone's dissuasion and wanted to marry Mr. Watson as soon as possible. The situation.” Mr. Thornton is very happy that his sister is so sensible. Recently, he and Mrs. Thornton felt that Fanny had become a little depressed and worried about her for a while, but at the same time, he also felt that Fanny was more sensible than before. Played like a baby without reason.Although he couldn't say when the sister's change began, he believed that the sister's change had something to do with her engagement to Mr. Watson.

"Fanny, have you discussed these things with your mother?"

"Not yet. I want to talk to you before I tell my mother what I think. John, do you agree with me putting off the wedding?"

"I just want you to be happy. I don't want to burden you with the current factory affairs. You are my little sister. I don't want you to be wronged."

"That's my hope, John, and I have nothing to wrong about the wedding."

"Well, since you said that, I respect your decision and thank you for your sacrifice."

"No, John, I want to thank you! Your support is very important to me!" Miss Thornton looked at her brother with eyes full of tears. This expression made Mr. Thornton feel a little uneasy, and even suspected that his sister was so strong. There was something else hidden about wanting to postpone the wedding, but then he felt ashamed of his suspicion.

"John, there is one more thing I want to ask you." Mr. Thornton nodded to his sister to continue, "You know the recent rumors, although since I know that Miss Addams has a crush on you, my evaluation of her is the same as that of my mother. The opinion of her is not very high, but I don't believe a word of those rumors about her, you won't change your opinion of her because of those rumors, will you?"

"I have nothing to say about Miss Addams, Fanny."

"I hope you'll keep it up, John—well, I'm going to tell mother what I was talking to you about!"

When the door of the study was closed again, Mr. Thornton fell into deep thought again.Today, three people have already mentioned to him the rumors about Cali that are full of storms. These three people represent different positions. Some are close friends, some are neutral, and even her sister advised him not to believe those rumors. I don’t know what Cali has. Such magical power made her opponents complain about her.Mr. Thornton knows what he sees and what he hears. He doesn't need to be reminded by others. He already has a judgment.But he was not reconciled to Cali hiding it from him, just like he was not reconciled to Cali telling him his secret, which made him unable to accept it until now.This kind of contradiction tortured him, almost drove him crazy, and he was unable to vent.He needed to talk to someone so he could see what Calpernia Addams really was.The next afternoon, he came to the workers' housing area and knocked on the door of Higgins' house.

"Mr. Thornton?" Higgins was obviously surprised by Mr. Thornton's visit.

Mr. Thornton asked very politely: "Hello, Mr. Higgins. I know I am taking the liberty of visiting you. May I come in?" The host didn't say anything, but just let him in with a gesture of invitation. Room.

Mr. Thornton glanced around the house. Compared with the last time he came here, Higgins' house has not changed much, but there are a few more small books for children on the table. Higgins saw him staring at those books. The book explained: "I just finished teaching the children to read and let them go out to play. It just so happens that I have a few days off and can help Mrs. Boucher take care of the children."

"I'm here today to apologize to you, Mr. Higgins! My punishment to you yesterday was somewhat unfair - please accept my apology, sir!" Mr. Thornton said straight to the point, and then offered to shake his hand and.Higgins looked at him, showing that he didn't expect that Mr. Thornton, who had always been very proud, would bow his head and admit his mistake.

"Every time you come to my place, you always make it impossible for me to refuse you! Always give me a new appreciation for you - well! I accept your apology, Mr. Thornton!" Thornton's hand.Mr. Thornton said: "Of course, there is one more thing I want to tell you-you still have to stop working for these three days..."

"Oh?" Higgins let go of the hand he was holding in an instant.

"Please listen to me, Higgins! During the three days of shutdown, I want to ask you to help me with another matter!"

"what's up?"

"This morning, the old warehouse behind the factory has been cleaned up and vacated. You can formally decorate the cafeteria in the next few days. I will also give you some subsidies to buy tables, chairs and kitchen utensils. As for hiring a chef, please follow the instructions." As you and I discussed, you will be responsible."

"This is really great news! Mr. Thornton! Thank you!" Higgins happily shook Mr. Thornton's hand again, while excitedly talking about the thoughts in his head, "About the chef or something I have already thought about it for the past few days. My daughter Mary has been raped by Ms. Dixon from Mr. Hale’s family during this time. She is a good cook. I think Mary will take on the responsibility of this cafeteria. I think Ms. Dixon will come to help from time to time, if possible!"

"It seems that you are really prepared! I sincerely hope that the workers' canteen will be a success!"

"I will, Mr. Thornton! Thank you so much for your support! Now I understand why Miss Addams trusts you so much..." As soon as Higgins said the last sentence, he realized that he hadn't covered his mouth He opened his mouth, and found that Mr. Thornton's expression was more rigid than before, and the atmosphere suddenly cooled down.

"Look at me, I've lost my host's courtesy just now, please sit down, Mr. Thornton!" Higgins quickly wanted to change the subject to ease the embarrassing situation.Seeing Mr. Thornton sitting down on the wooden chair behind him, he asked, "Nicholas—can I call you Nicholas?"

"of course can!"

"Thank you! Nicholas! You've always been Miss Addams' friend, haven't you?"

"My eldest daughter was always on good terms with Ms. Addams during her lifetime. The two of them were good friends who talked about everything—my Bessie was always in poor health, and Ms. Addams always came to take care of her and keep her company..." Hope Kings was silent at this point.

"I'm sorry about your daughter, Nicholas!" said Mr. Thornton sincerely.

"At that time, I was really depressed. My daughter passed away, and I couldn't find a job. I even thought of giving up on myself, but Cali never gave up on me and Mary. Mr. Hale even invited me to his home to enlighten me. I am really grateful You know what? The seat you're sitting in is where she comes to sit here, Cali and Bessie always sit around this table talking, even Mary joins in with them, and I read in my library corner Sometimes I was really angry when I heard the three girls chirping and laughing like little birds, making me unable to read a book—but thinking about it now, the noise is very happy." Higgins fell into the memory, Miss Addams' title gradually changed to Cali, and Mr. Thornton was listening carefully to everything about Cali. Higgins sighed slowly and continued, "Mr. Thornton, the recent rumors about Miss Addams in the society really made me I feel bad for her, we all know her, we all know what she is, and Mr. Hale, as her protector, will not let the rumors happen. I believe in Mr. Hale and Miss Addams! If there is , that was just a misunderstanding—believe me, she will definitely take the matter on herself to protect her friend!"

Mr. Thornton thought about this reason many times, but he couldn't figure out what kind of friend Cali was protecting. This was his most troublesome point. "You seem to have a lot of confidence in Miss Addams, Nicholas!"

"Yes, all I can do for her now is trust her, don't you, Mr Thornton?"

"Haven't you ever wondered what kind of friend she was protecting?"

"Everyone has secrets that can't be told, or secrets that can't be told temporarily. Such secrets may not only concern themselves, but may also concern other people. I trust Miss Addams, and that's enough!" Higgins just After speaking, a group of children ran in yelling, and one of them was holding a weird bug in his hand and wanted to show Higgins, but when they found a well-dressed stranger in the room with a dignified face, they stopped doing it immediately. sounded.Mr. Thornton wanted to talk to Higgins at first, but when he saw this situation, he took his leave and left.Although the conversation was not long, it somewhat eased Mr. Thornton's inner emotions and allowed him to temporarily let go of the influence of those rumors on him.

A few days later, Higgins came to report to Mr. Thornton about the latest progress of the cafeteria. The work of the chef had been done, and Dixon promised to help out when he had time. It will officially open in a few days.And he also brought another message to Mr. Thornton. Mr. Hale and Miss Addams were invited by Mr. Bell to go to Oxford for vacation, and this news was received in the text message from Mr. Hale when Mr. Thornton came home in the evening also confirmed.

"It seems that Mr. Hale took Miss Addams away from the rumors of Milton and went out to hide from the limelight!" When Mr. Thornton told his mother the content of the letter, Mrs. Thornton commented mercilessly, "Mr. Bell is really not afraid of getting into these troubles. He asked Mr. Hale and the others to go to Oxford—but then again, why didn't Miss Addams go back to the United States, and stayed at Mr. Hale's house, if I..."

"That's enough, mother!" Mr. Thornton couldn't help scolding, and even Miss Thornton next to him jumped.Mr. Thornton never thought that Cali would leave Milton. No matter what, her existence has made Mr. Thornton accustomed to it. What his mother said just now made the word "leave" uneasy, even a kind of senseless. The emptiness of freedom annoyed him.But when Mrs. Thornton saw her son's violent reaction, her previous worries returned. She had to borrow her son's emotional life again to facilitate a good marriage for him as soon as possible, no matter how disgusted her son was.

Since the Hale family left Milton, both Mrs. Thornton and Miss Thornton found that Mr. Thornton spent more and more time in the factory, and he would return to the house to rest after ten o'clock in the evening almost every day.In the first few days, Mrs. Thornton persuaded her son not to work too hard, but when Mr. Thornton said "Mother, you know the factory is in a bad situation, I can't relax", Mrs. Thornton seemed speechless said.Because she knows that the current operation of the factory is still not optimistic. Although the credit crisis has been temporarily passed, the factory is also burdened with Mr. Bell's loans, not to mention bank loans and other debts.Later, Mrs. Thornton obeyed her son's hard work for the factory, and sent someone to deliver lunch and dinner to the factory for Mr. Thornton every day.Mrs. Thornton secretly blamed that American girl named Addams, and blamed all the crimes on her head. If she could have accepted her son's marriage proposal at that time, things would not have become what they are now.

Another thing that gave her a headache was that her daughter proposed to postpone the wedding with Mr. Watson on the grounds that it would save money for the family.Although it is a good thing to save money at this time, Mrs. Thornton was pleasantly surprised and happy that her daughter suddenly became sensible, but she was also afraid that Mr. Watson would regret the marriage because his daughter's decision to postpone the wedding made him feel insulted. I still hope that after Mr. Watson becomes his son-in-law, he can justifiably persuade Mr. Watson to invest in the factory to solve the survival crisis of the factory-this is really very contradictory.At first she did not agree with Fanny's decision to postpone the wedding, but later Mr. Thornton also sided with Miss Thornton, and she had to give in.Fortunately, Mrs. Thornton always has a way to turn unfavorable conditions into favorable conditions. On the one hand, she agrees with Fanny's decision, and writes to Mr. Watson, saying that she wants more from Miss Thornton because she feels weaker recently. She stayed by her side all the time, hoping that Mr. Watson would understand her wish as a mother and postpone the wedding for six months; The close relationship between the Sen family will not make Mr. Watson feel wronged and neglected, and he can take this opportunity to match Miss Watson and his son again.Although Miss Watson and Mr. Thornton were blocked by that nasty lawyer last time, the situation is different this time. Now Milton has neither the Lennox lawyer to disturb Miss Watson nor the Miss Addams to hinder her son.Mrs. Thornton is full of confidence in her son's marriage to Miss Watson. She believes that if Mr. Thornton can marry Miss Watson, the £[-] dowry she brings can completely solve the factory's difficulties, and she will not even bow down He went to ask Mr. Watson to invest in the factory.Soon after, Mrs. Thornton got a letter from Mr. Watson, agreeing to postpone the wedding; two days later, Miss Watson came to Thornton Mansion in a luxurious four-wheeled carriage.Mrs. Thornton was satisfied to see that all was going according to her plan.

After Miss Watson moved into Thornton's house, Mr. Thornton appeared in the house less frequently. The longest time the two spent together was at breakfast, and Mr. Thornton only asked Miss Watson politely. Mrs. Thornton did not want to see this situation.In order to reverse this situation, Mrs. Thornton very tactfully asked Miss Watson to deliver lunch to the factory for Mr. Thornton from time to time.But after Miss Watson delivered lunch three times, Mr. Thornton told his mother that he didn't need to send someone to deliver lunch and dinner to him in the future, because he would go to the cafeteria with the workers-so that Mrs. Thornton's wish The abacus failed again.

The workers' canteen prepared by Higgins was quickly built, and was immediately recognized by all the workers in the factory.Every month, the workers pay a certain food fee to the cafeteria, and use this food fee to hire a special person to purchase vegetables and meat in large quantities, which greatly reduces the procurement cost, and the chef Mary, according to the fresh vegetables and meat purchased every day Formulate a recipe that is sufficient to meet the needs of the workers.Not only are the meals delicious, but the cost is also low, and the cafeteria is well run.When Higgins invited Mr. Thornton to the cafeteria to eat the delicious stew made by Mary, Mr. Thornton was conquered by the harmonious atmosphere and delicious food here.The stew made him taste the stew he had eaten at Hale's house, and a long-lost fond memory came back to his mind—the wise conversation with Mr. Hale, Mrs. Hale's indifferent smile and sitting. "That person" next to him looks at his beauty, everything is so beautiful.

"This stew is Ms. Dixon's recipe. Mary has been well-done by this respectable lady, sir!" Sensing Mr. Thornton's expression after eating the stew, Higgins said with his father's pride.

"Very good! Really, very good!" Mr. Thornton couldn't help but praised.

Since then, Mr. Thornton has paid for food in the cafeteria just like the workers, and eats lunch and dinner in the cafeteria.Although at first the workers were very cautious about Mr. Thornton appearing in the cafeteria.But three days later, they found that Mr. Thornton was not a terrible devil or a lifeless statue, but had the same human feelings as them, and was as interested in the delicious food in the cafeteria as they were, and the restraint disappeared.After a week in the cafeteria, he and Higgins had not only become good friends, but he had gotten along well with the workers and even made a few cold jokes with them occasionally, which Mr. Thornton himself did not think of.

On this day, Mr. Thornton came to the cafeteria later than usual for dinner. He first discovered that today's chef was not Mary, but Boucher's wife, and Higgins was not here today. "Nicholas and Mary are in a hurry today, so please let me take over. I hope today's dishes are still to your liking, sir—this is my best vegetable soup!" Mrs. Boucher replied.

"Did they say it was urgent, ma'am?" demanded Mr. Thornton.

"I don't know that, sir! Mary followed a note just now, and then went away with Nicholas, just asking me to help, and didn't tell me anything."

Mr. Thornton was not satisfied with her answer, and it seemed that he could not get more answers from Mrs. Boucher. He could only wait for Higgins to come to work tomorrow to ask what happened.But the next day, after the worker went to work, he asked his assistant about Higgins' condition, and the assistant reported that Higgins came in the morning and asked him for two days' personal leave and then went back, which aroused Mr. Thornton's curiosity even more. and care.Since Mr. Thornton had to deal with the triangular debt issue of the factory in a hurry these two days, he put down all other things for the time being. He didn't even have time to go to the cafeteria to eat. Mrs. Thornton sent someone to deliver lunch to Mr. Thornton.

Today, Miss Watson was sent by Mrs. Thornton to deliver lunch to his office again, and this time Miss Watson was followed by a familiar figure - it was Cali!

Mr. Thornton hurriedly got up from behind the desk to greet the two ladies, feeling an indescribable surging feeling in his heart.He noticed that Cali's face was a little more haggard than he remembered, but it didn't diminish her beauty at all. She was dressed in black, as if she was mourning for someone - did something happen?

"Mr Thornton, I've brought you an old friend today, Miss Addams! We happened to meet at the door, and here's your lunch, Mr Thornton - it's all your favourites! "Miss Watson spoke first, and then put the basket containing the lunch on the desk. While talking, she neatly tidied up Mr. Thornton's somewhat messy desk at this time, vacated a space, and took the lunch box from the basket. The lunch was neatly arranged.

"Thank you for your concern, Miss Watson!" Mr. Thornton said politely, and then turned to Cali to greet him: "Long time no see, Miss Addams! I didn't expect you to come back from Oxford!" Mr. Thornton bowed politely to Cali Bow instead of Milton's usual handshake.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Thornton! I'm sorry to disturb you while you're having lunch!" Cali glanced at Miss Watson and said to him, "I'm here today to tell you an unfortunate thing—black Mr. Er suffered a heart attack in Oxford and unfortunately passed away. You are his best friend in Milton and his favorite student. I think I should personally inform you of the news of his death."

"I'm really shocked to hear this, Miss Addams! Mr. Hale was a great teacher and friend of mine, and I really didn't expect this to happen. Is there anything I can do, miss?"

"Mr. Hale's funeral will be held in Oxford, and Mr. Bell will take care of these matters. We have already written to inform Mrs. Hale and Margaret. I have received a letter from Mr. Bell this morning, saying that Mrs. Hale has replied. Said to go directly to Oxford, and Margaret and I will return to Oxford after the meeting in Milton, and we sincerely hope you will come to Mr Hale's funeral, Mr Thornton!"

"Okay, I will definitely go then, Miss Addams, thank you for coming to tell me about this in person!" Mr. Thornton looked at her, not wanting her to leave immediately, and he said again: "I want to At the liberty of asking, Miss Addams, will Mrs Hale still live in Milton?"

"According to Mr. Bell's reply, Mrs. Hale intends to live with her sister. You know that Mrs. Shaw and her family live in London. As for Mrs. Hale's disposition of Milton's residence, I think she will live with her sister after Mr. Hale's funeral. I will have specific thoughts after the end. I heard from Margaret that you helped find Mr. Hale’s residence in Milton, and I think it’s time for you to consider finding a new owner for it.” Mr. Thornton listened Letting out an imperceptible sigh here, leaving the Hale family means a complete parting with Cali, and never