Love England

I was awakened by a faint chime of bells, and I opened my eyes to find myself lying on a very old-fashioned bed, and it was much more comfortable than it looked.I slowly got up and looked around, the room was completely dark, the fire in the fireplace was burning joyfully, and there was a crackling sound from time to time, it seemed that this must be the fire that Dixon lit for me while I was asleep .Through the flames in the fireplace, I can vaguely see the surroundings: a simple mahogany dressing table, several old Victorian wardrobes and matching small cabinets, the walls are painted a warm pale yellow, neat and clean No decorations whatsoever - this is not my own home at all, I'm really not dreaming, this is Margaret's bedroom, and I'm waking up in her bed.I recalled everything that happened before and organized my thoughts. It seems that all this is true. I am now in the 19th century in England, in the world created by Mrs. Gaskell.An unprecedented excitement hit my heart again. Apart from the excitement, there was also a trace of fear and awe, because everything that happened in that novel was real. I, who should not have appeared in this world, did not know that What kind of change does it bring to this story.

It was only when the ethereal bell struck my ear that it stopped abruptly for the sixth time, and I realized that the sound that woke me up just now was the bell of Milton Church. It seemed that it was already six o'clock in the evening, and I fell asleep so much It's been a long time, it's time to go downstairs.Under the light of the fireplace flame, I got out of bed and looked at the mirror on the dressing table to arrange my hair and clothes. Although the clothes are not suitable for this era, I am very glad that I did not wear those clothes that are too tight and revealing today. That would be really inappropriate.Finally, I hid the pocket copy of North and South that I always had with me under my pillow, and went downstairs to the living room.

In the living room, only the hostess, Mrs. Hale, was sitting on an easy chair. She was wearing a thick shawl and a white soft hat, and she was mending something. When she saw me, she said enthusiastically, "Ah! How are you, Miss Addams? Come and sit down here, are you resting well? I specially asked Dixon to light a fire for you, Milton's early spring is not as good as it sounds, and at this time Helstone has It's warm." I hastened to thank Mrs. Hale for her greeting and her care, and I took great care of my speech and tone of voice in order to appear educated.I think as an actor, trying to be like the ladies of the 19th century is a test of my acting skills, and I enjoy that test.I told Mrs. Hale that I agree with her evaluation of Milton's weather, and that Margaret often described the beauty of Helstone's scenery to me in her letters. Complimenting, Mrs. Hale nodded happily.

"I heard from Dixon that your luggage hasn't arrived yet, Miss Addams. I think you can wear Margaret's clothes for a while if you don't mind. I think your clothes are a bit too thin here. It’s fine if you wear it in Helstone.” Mrs. Hale pointed to my white cotton dress and said.

"Thank you! I really don't know how to thank you for being so considerate of me, Mrs. Hale. In fact, my hometown Tennessee is also in the southern part of the United States. I wanted to see Margaret so much when I came to England, so I got carried away, and I am really sorry for causing so much trouble to you and Mr. Hale."

"Actually, we just moved here in Milton. We are not familiar with the place. I am very happy to have a friend visit us. Of course, Margaret is also very rash. Fortunately, she has your family to take care of me. .Of course I don’t blame her for going to London suddenly, because I have the same disgust as her when I came to Milton, but God arranged this situation for us, and I can only accept it humbly.” Mrs. Hale sighed after finishing speaking , she is so haggard, I can't help but feel sad along with her when I think of her passing away in the near future, but then I think, maybe if I call the doctor earlier, Mrs. Hale might not die.I secretly made up my mind and planned to ask a doctor to see Mrs. Hale as soon as possible after I got acquainted with Margaret's family. Then I comforted: "Don't worry, Mrs. Hale, everything will change when you come to Milton." Get better, take my word for it."

"I would like to borrow your kind words, Miss Addams."

"Call me Cali, that's what Margaret calls me. In fact, although I have never seen you and Mr. Hale for so many years, I have already regarded you and Mr. Hale as family."

"I'm very pleased with your words, Cali." Mrs. Hale said, taking my hand.

At this moment Mr. Hale came into the drawing-room to tell us that Mr. Thornton had finished his first period with him, and that his pupil was going upstairs to pay a formal visit to Mrs. Hale.Upon hearing the news, Mrs. Hale first lay down in the easy chair with a painful expression on her face. I knew that she didn't hate Mr. Thornton, but that she was disgusted with everything about Milton.Then she sighed again and stood up, trying to keep her face as peaceful as when she was talking to me just now, ready to meet the famous Mr. Thornton.I quickly imitated Mrs. Hale and stood up, feeling unspeakable nervousness in my heart. Although I have sketched the appearance of this Mr. Thornton in my mind based on the words in the novel countless times, now I can see it with my own eyes. , Will he be what he once imagined?The feeling of anticipation and fear of disappointment are entangled, and my heart is like a hundred ants crawling.I heard the footsteps outside the door getting closer, and my heart beat faster and faster.

"Mr. Thornton, I want to introduce my family to you!" Following Mr. Hale's voice, a tall and straight man about 30 years old appeared at the door of the living room, "This is my wife , Mrs. Hale!"

Mr. Thornton bowed politely, and Mrs. Hale returned the curtsy. The two exchanged greetings, and then Mr. Hale brought this gentleman to me while saying, "I There is also a daughter, Margaret, who unfortunately left for London, but I would like to introduce you to another beautiful lady, who is also Margaret's good friend, Miss Calpernia Addams from America!"

I curtseyed shyly, and peeked at the man who bowed to me. From such a close distance, I could clearly see his piercing eyes, as well as his tall and straight nose bridge and resolute forehead. Lips, they are combined to form a face full of strength and stubbornness, seriousness and earnestness.He is very handsome, but he does not have the frivolous feeling of those beautiful men I have come into contact with before. His face is full of irreconcilable contradictions, which conceals the brilliance that should be in that handsome appearance up.It's hard for me to use one word to describe his appearance, just like the book says, he has a face that is neither mediocre nor beautiful, neither elegant nor vulgar.It can be said that he is not only what I imagined, but also not what I imagined.He was taller, burlier, and more dignified than I imagined, but he was as unsmiling, serious and reserved as I imagined.When I think that Margaret will be with Mr. Thornton in front of me in the future, I am sincerely happy for them. Margaret's intelligence and gentleness are just matched with Thornton's rigor and pragmatism. A pair of lovers.

"It's an honor to be with you, Miss Addams!" He greeted with a Northern British accent that was different from the Hales'.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Thornton, and I've long admired your name!" I responded, obviously catching his attention with my last words, and regretting the word "long admired"— —How did a girl from Tennessee in the south of the United States hear about a factory owner in Milton in the north of England?That's so weird!

"I didn't expect you to have heard of me? Have you ever been to Milton before?" Mr. Thornton asked curiously.

"No, this is my first time in England, and it's also my first time in Milton. I heard your name from Margaret." I explained hastily.

"Oh? I don't know how she described me to you. I'm afraid I didn't make a good impression on Miss Hale." He said solemnly, and I just smiled at him without any answer.

At this moment Dixon came in to inform us that supper was ready, and Mr. Hale motioned us down to the dining-room, with Mrs. Hale led by him, and Mr. Thornton and I following closely behind.After the four of us sat down separately, Dixon graciously served everyone delicious food. Although Hale's family is not rich now, this dinner specially prepared for Mr. Thornton was really sumptuous.Mr. Hale sat next to me, and opposite me was Mr. Thornton. The two gentlemen talked across the table here and there during dinner.Mrs. Hale has been sullen and taciturn, quietly eating from her plate, occasionally forcing an "ah" from her mouth in response to her husband's words to show that she has not ignored them.As an outsider, I also felt the dull atmosphere of the dinner. In order to relieve Mr. Hale, I asked him about Milton's situation.

"It seems that you really asked the wrong person, Miss Addams. How can I know Mr. Thornton about Milton? I don't think Mr. Thornton will refuse Miss Addams' question." Mr. Hale was very happy to see that there was finally Find something to talk about to make the dinner less boring.Mr. Thornton had been holding his face until now. Although he was polite, he looked cold. I took a look at Mr. Thornton's reaction to the question Mr. Hale threw him, and it seemed that the "iceberg" was showing signs of melting.

"I dare not say that I understand this place [-]%, because Milton's factories and workers work every day, making this city develop every day. Factories and factory owners, large and small, and countless workers, are Milton I am very proud and proud to be one of them. I hope my answer can satisfy the miss."

"You really love Milton, Mr Thornton."

"Who doesn't love his hometown, Miss Addams? You must love your hometown too?"

Hearing him ask me this question, I couldn't help hesitating—in my hometown of Tennessee, my father's farm grows large tracts of cotton. Whenever the cotton is harvested, the warm sunshine, hardworking cotton pickers and snow-white Cotton makes for a beautiful picture, and that's the only good memory I have of Tennessee, other than the humiliation and bullying that people did to a boy named Scottie because he I think I should be more of a girl.Why do people bully others, even resort to violence, just because others are different from themselves?Because of that experience as a teenager, I hate all forms of bullying and violence.I don't want to recall my hometown, I don't have the affection to love it like Thornton.To dodge his question, I said lightly "Maybe!" and ducked down to take a bite of the cold mince pie on my plate.

There was another silence at the table.

"Miss Addams, I have never been to the United States. If I don't think I'm taking the liberty, can you tell me something about your hometown?" Mr. Hale broke the silence again.

I could appreciate Mr. Hale's intentions to enliven the dinner, since it was the first time he had invited Mr. Thornton to his house.Seeing Mr. Hale's kind face, thinking that I would still help Margaret, my heart softened, and I said, "Of course, Mr. Hale, if you are interested."

"I think Mrs. Hale and Mr. Thornton would be interested." I noticed that Mrs. Hale actually looked up, while Mr. Thornton remained the same.

"As Mr. Thornton said, Tennessee is a big state. It's changing every day. I can't say I understand it [-]%. I just live in a small circle, and I can only talk about myself. My father owns a farm, There is a lot of cotton growing there, it seems to be warm every day, there are endless fields, not like Milton has countless mills. Tennessee may be similar to Hullstone in general, I think you and Hale My wife will love it there."

"It looks like your hometown is a beautiful place too, Miss Addams, and I think Margaret would agree with me if she was here. Of course we're moving to Milton now, and I think it's a thriving place, and I'm very happy Looking forward to living here in the future. By the way, speaking of cotton, I have something to do with Mr. Thornton!" Mr. Hale said with a smile, and then he chatted with Mr. Thornton about Milton, and they talked about Mills and mill owners, talking about the workers and the unions in Milton, about the performance of those workers in the Thornton mills and the education of the workers.I couldn't help thinking of Margaret telling me that when she and Thornton first met, the factory owner was beating an unarmed worker, and she couldn't help interjecting: "Mr. Thornton, you just talked about your Regarding how the workers in your factory are managed, I would like to ask, do you often physically punish your workers?"

"Punish workers?" Mr. Thornton was surprised to hear my sudden question, which also attracted the attention of Mr. Hale and even Mrs. Hale.The factory owner put down his knife and fork and said: "I have never done such a thing, Miss Addams, I don't know where you heard it. My workers are not slaves who have been trafficked into your country. I The relationship with my workers is just that of hiring and being hired, and I never use corporal punishment, the worst method, to manage workers.”

I just heard the word "nigger," is he secretly accusing me?I realized that slavery was still practiced in the American South at this time in the 19th century, and that Tennessee was the supporter of it. He must have arbitrarily assumed that my father's farm had hordes of abused black slaves picking cotton, God!Our family is not the bully slave owners in Uncle Tom's Cabin, and while my life in Tennessee was certainly difficult, it was of a different nature than this kind of thing - Mr. Thornton is still an abolitionist, it seems Or, for his secret accusation, I am really angry and funny.

"I believe you are a man of integrity, a man of mercy, but I also believe what I've heard, because that man saw you beat up a worker. With all due respect, I'm just trying to get this straight Well, I know there must be a misunderstanding. I just want to clarify this misunderstanding before I ask you this question. Also, regarding the black slaves you mentioned, I don’t deny that this situation is common in the United States now, but as far as I am concerned, There were no slaves on my father's farm, and we employed laborers like you, and sometimes even used machinery to pick cotton."

"Miss Addams, I don't want to deny what you just said about beating a worker. In fact, this happened a few days ago, but I don't think I did anything wrong. That person should be punished!"

"But violence can't solve all problems!" I was a little angry, but I didn't expect Thornton to be so stubborn in reality.

"Well, well! I thought the dinner was too lively, but it wasn't boring, did you, Mrs. Hale?" Mr. Hale came out to smooth things over, and appealed to his wife for help.

"I think it's almost time for dinner. We should all sit in the living room, have a cup of tea, and feel some peace. What do you think, Mr. Thornton?" Mrs. Hale said calmly, and Mr. Hale also echoed and agreed. what his wife said.It was the longest sentence Mrs. Hale uttered during the whole dinner, and it had such weight that I did not expect it to be so important.

So the dinner was over, and the four of us went back to the living room, and the strange awkwardness that had just happened made me not want to stay with Mr. Thornton like this.I made an excuse to help Dixon make tea, but Dixon relished having a helper to help her and did not refuse my request.When I followed Dixon with the tea tray into the living room with my refreshment box, Mrs. Hale was back in her easy chair, sewing, and Mr. Thornton was listening intently to Mr. Hale.At this moment, his two straight eyebrows stretched over a pair of sincere eyes, which did not show the unpleasant sharpness as before, and the thin lips carved on his marble face were just Showing a faint smile, giving people a feeling of seeing the sun behind the clouds.I like the way he smiles, and I think that's why Margaret fell in love with him, even if it was only for a moment.

"It's very kind of you, Miss Addams, to help Dixon prepare tea. As the host, I feel embarrassed." Mrs. Hale said quickly when Dixon and I walked in. I just said you're welcome and continued to help Dixon poured tea for everyone in the house, and Dixon served tea to Mrs. Hale and Mr. Hale and went out, while I had to finish the last work and serve the rest of the tea for Mr. Thornton to Mr. Thornton. he.I didn't dare to look at his face, I was afraid that he would change back to his cold look just now, and he would be disgusted with me.

"Thank you, Miss Addams!" Mr. Thornton said to me in a soft, almost affectionate voice, and as he took the saucer from my hand I felt his fingertips touch mine—he was not Cold, he is a man with a scorching temperature.The light touch was like a flash of lightning passing through my heart from my fingertips. I wanted to withdraw my hand immediately, but I was afraid that the beautiful teacup in my hand would fall, so I could only hand the tea to that person safely with all my patience. hands.I didn't say anything to him, but I just turned my head and took my cup of tea, and sat quietly beside Mrs. Hale, pretending to talk to Mrs. Hale.

Cali! Cali!Your mission is to match Margaret and Mr. Thornton!The two of them are meant to be together. You cannot betray Margaret. You are not even a real woman. It is impossible for a person like you to be admired by Mr. Thornton.Besides, Mr. Thornton acted like a cruel tyrant just now, don't be fascinated by him just because of his momentary smile and momentary touch!

I kept admonishing myself in my heart like a believer praying to God. Even Mrs. Hale was half-hearted in chatting with me. I was relieved until Mr. Thornton said it was time to leave.He came to Mrs. Hale and me, said goodbye to us, and then he turned to me and said: "Miss Addams, you know that I am the director of the factory, fire is the biggest threat to my factory, and I have to strictly control it. Last May, there were 300 charred bodies on the hillside, many of them were even children, the accident was caused by sparks in the factory, the whole factory was reduced to ashes in 20 minutes, and the one I beat This is my explanation for you because he smoked in the factory regardless of everyone's life. Finally, I apologize to you for what happened to the black slave just now. Let us settle our differences. If we understand each other's traditions better , I think we'll be more patient with each other."

"Margaret will forgive you if she knows your reasons, Mr. Thornton," I said to him as neutrally as I could, not looking at him but glancing to Mrs. Hale's side for fear of giving away The secret of the heart.Five seconds later, I heard Mr. Thornton say to Mr. Hale again: "I really should go, Mr. Hale, thank you for the dinner! How about we start studying Plato next Tuesday? What you just said That got me interested in him, and I want to invite you to dinner next week."

"Of course, of course! Thank you for your invitation, Mr. Thornton!"

"After you settle down, I will ask my mother to visit you and your wife."

"Sure, we'll be here all the time, won't we, Mrs. Hale? I think Miss Addams will be with us too, and Margaret will probably be back from London by then." Mr. Hale said, watching A glance at his wife and me.

Mr. Thornton finally said "no need to send it off" and left Hale's house with resolute steps. Afterwards, I said good night to Mr. and Mrs. Hale and went upstairs to rest.When I walked up the stairs on the third floor, I was stopped by Mr. Hale, "Miss Addams, as an elder, I would like to say something to you, do you mind?"

"Of course I don't mind, you are the person I respect the most, Mr. Hale!"

"In Milton, shaking hands is a common etiquette in all social situations. I think you really offended Mr. Thornton by refusing to shake his hand when he expressed his apology to you just now." I was a little surprised, because in the novel, this was also Margaret's mistake, which caused a misunderstanding between Mr. Thornton and her. I didn't expect it to happen to me.

"Sorry, Mr. Hale, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to shake his hand! I was just a little distracted and didn't notice."

Mr. Hale said understandingly: "Maybe you have just arrived in Milton, and it is understandable that some aspects are a little different from the United States."

"I'm sorry to offend your friend, Mr. Hale! Maybe I'm really tired today."

"Yes! You must be very tired today, I will not bother you anymore! Good night, Miss Addams!"

"Good night, Mr. Hale!" I curtseyed and went back to the bedroom, lamenting what a long day it had been, margaret not being with me, lamenting that it was a blessing or a curse for me Encounter, sigh all the sighs I can think of...