Love England

I got up early the next morning, and the first thing I did was to make sure that the door in the attic storage room that would allow me to get home was open.Was Margaret doing well in my time?Will my friend Ginger help her?Will she be cared for like I am here?Yesterday I messed up what was supposed to be the first official meeting between Margaret and Thornton. I don't know if I can save the awkward opening. Will Margaret blame me?I tried to keep knocking on the door, hoping that Margaret on the opposite side could hear me, but I was afraid that I would wake up Mr. Hale downstairs, but the final result was unsatisfactory. No one answered on the other side of the door. The door was still locked as firmly as yesterday.When I walked down the attic, I didn't feel lost or regretful that I couldn't go home. On the contrary, I was a little glad that maybe it was God's arrangement for me, and maybe I could stay here for a while.I can continue to live in Hale's house, stay in Milton, and get acquainted with the Higgins family, Mr. Bell, Edith, and even Mr. Thornton in the book.Thinking of this, I felt a kind of excitement again, as if going to a concert or taking a photo with a rock star, the corners of my mouth involuntarily turned up.

"Good morning, Miss Addams! I didn't expect you to wake up so early!" Dixon happened to come out of Mrs. Hale's room. It seemed that she had just finished dressing Mrs. Hale.

I nodded to her and said, "Good morning, Dixon!"

"Breakfast may not be ready until a little later, you know, we have just arrived here, and there is a shortage of manpower. It is not an easy task to recruit a reliable servant, so now I am the only one who is busy ’” Dixon looked like she was whining, but her expression seemed to be enjoying it, and I knew she was devoted to the Hales and especially to Mrs. Do your best.Although nominally a master and servant, in my opinion she is more like the head of the Hale family. She has to worry about everything. She enjoys having such power alone, even Margaret A feeling of jealousy and dependence on her developed, and sometimes even the boundaries between master and servant were confused.It seems that gaining Dixon's trust is a very important step in order to gain a foothold in the Hale family.

"Can I help, Dixon?"

"I have nothing to object to, if Miss will," said Dixon, casting his eyes on my dress. "Of course, Miss! If you really want to help, your dress won't do, I I've never seen such a rare cotton material, not at Miss Edith's, and it's sure to stain the white dress if I work on it."

"Then I'll change into Margaret's old clothes. Can you find one for me, Dixon? Since my luggage hasn't arrived yet, Mrs. Hale said I could borrow Miss Hale's for a while. "

"Since Madam said so..." Dixon said while looking me up and down without hesitation, "Although your figure seems to be slightly taller and thinner than Miss Margaret, I think you wear hers." The clothes would fit." Then, without hesitation, she walked into Marguerite's bedroom, and I followed her to find some dresses, petticoats and even two Marguerite dresses for me in the closet. The unworn underwear is here for future wear.Finally, she took out a slightly worn skirt and handed it to me, saying that this dress can be worn while working. I readily accepted and thanked her for her help.When Dixon offered to help me change my clothes, I politely declined because I didn't want her to discover the secrets of my body when I was only wearing underwear.Dixon didn't say anything more, she thought I was shy, so she didn't go downstairs to make breakfast.

Although the clothing of the 19th century has been simplified a lot compared with the previous centuries, it still looks cumbersome to wear. Underwear, petticoats, and outer skirts with soft steel wire hoops to make the skirt look more swollen one after another. Fortunately, my experience as a song and dance actor allowed me to wear such a skirt during a performance, otherwise I might really be in a hurry. Four or 10 minutes later, the clothes were changed.Although I was slender and taller than Margaret, her dress did fit, as Dixon said, under the bulky petticoat, and the hem just covered her feet and It won't be dragged to the ground.Finally, for the convenience of working, I tied my loose long hair into a bun and put it behind my head.

When I passed the second floor and saw Mrs. Hale already seated in her easy chair in the living room, I greeted her and thanked her again for lending me Margaret's clothes.She complimented me on Margaret's suit and said she hoped to make me happy during my time with them, and told me that Mr. Hale had gone early in the morning to another place introduced by his friend Mr. Bell. The family has gone to teach, and breakfast and lunch will not be eaten with us.I again proposed to Mrs. Hale that I would do Dixon's favor, and do what I could about the house, as Margaret had done in this house.Mrs. Hale was very happy after hearing this, but she also asked me not to force it, and expressed her apology for the poor hospitality of the guests.Then I went into the kitchen and helped Dixon prepare breakfast.

Dixon saw me making omelettes for breakfast and said, "I didn't expect the daughter of an American manor to make these. Even Miss Margaret hasn't cooked. She can only help me make coffee in the kitchen." " Then she said proudly, "Of course, Miss Margaret is also very capable. She is good at washing, ironing, shopping, cleaning the room, and female reds. Although her temper is sometimes a bit stubborn, But he is as knowledgeable as Mr. Hale, and has inherited Mrs. Hale's kindness and beauty. It is a great blessing for anyone to marry her, but it is a pity that the property is less."

"I agree with you about Margaret, my dear Dixon. I have heard that Margaret's cousin, Lady Edith Lennox's husband's cousin, Mr. Henry Lennox was not Have you ever proposed to her?"

"Who did you hear this from? Even Mrs. and Mister don't know about it." Dixon showed surprise, then lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "When I was in Helstone, I ran into Henry Mr. Lennox proposed to Miss Margaret, and Miss Margaret refused-of course I only saw them together from a distance and didn't really hear anything, but in my experience it is almost the same. Although It's a pity, but I think this lawyer, Mr. Henry, is indeed not worthy of our lady. Where did you get the news from?"

"Margaret and I are friends who talk about everything, Dixon. You can trust me, and I know about Brother Margaret, and I fully sympathize with what has happened to you, Mr. Frederick Hale. Injustice!"

"It seems that Miss Margaret really trusts you, although at first I..." She gave me a shy look, and I knew that since the day I came, she had looked at me suspiciously. uninvited guest.I smiled at her and didn't want to talk about it any more.I changed the subject and continued, "I think Margaret is much better than me. My father doesn't approve of me cooking, but my mother doesn't care. If only he was as tolerant as Mr. Hale. "I shudder at the thought of my father's disapproval of me cooking like a girl instead of playing in the yard like a boy.

"I think it's understandable for a big manor owner to train his daughter so that she doesn't get smoked. If I came from a wealthy class, I wouldn't necessarily let my daughter go to the kitchen to learn these things—Miss Addams, Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you can help me. If there is help in the family, I will never allow a young, beautiful, and well-born lady like you to enter the kitchen." I laughed when I heard Dixon's words, She didn't know the real meaning of what I said just now, and she misinterpreted it. If I told her that I also worked as a nurse, she might think that I had also stayed in the convent.

"I'm sure Dixon, you'll have a young, strong, smart maid named Mary soon, take my word for it!"

"Miss Addams, do you know how to tell fortunes? If there really is a maid named Mary coming here, then you are a prophet like the Messiah, and I will praise God!" Dixon also laughed after finishing speaking.

Breakfast was ready, and Mrs. Hale and I ate it in the dining room, while Dixon ate it in the kitchen after serving us.After breakfast, I helped Dixon clean the room again, washed some handkerchiefs, and had a brief afternoon tea at two o'clock in the afternoon, and soon after four o'clock in the afternoon.Mrs. Hale saw that I had been busy in the house all day, and suggested that I take this time to go for a walk to relax myself. She also wrote down the address of Hale’s house and some money for me, so that I could come back by carriage in case I got lost.Even Dixon gave me some advice when I changed my clothes and went out: "Miss Margaret told me that there is a hill near here. Although it is a cemetery, the air is relatively fresh. It can overlook Milton and even see it. Milton's Cathedral. I think you'll love it, Miss Addams!" I thanked Dixon for his suggestion, and walked out the Hale door with a sense of adventure.This is the first time for me, who came from the warm, 21st century, American southern countryside with beautiful wilderness and modern life, to experience a real, 19th century, full of steam and machinery, British northern industry City - Milton.

The leaden sky hung like a hood over Milton, for the evening sun had lost its heat and splendor, making the leaden clouds even darker.In my hometown of Tennessee or the Kentucky where I live now, there are trees and sunshine everywhere, filled with the fragrance of grass and earth, which smells reassuring, but there is a faint smell of smoke in the air in Milton, maybe it's just because The lack of vegetation and flowers around will show this taste.Walking along the straight street, both sides of the street are full of red brick houses that have long been soaked in smoke and dust, and often the place very close to these red brick houses is a wall surrounded by thick black smoke from the chimney. factory.On the broad avenues of this industrial city, wagons and horse-drawn wagons loaded with goods are often seen, making the supposedly wide streets narrow and difficult to navigate.What is even more striking is that these trucks are loaded with white cotton or cloth woven from cotton.When I came to a street marked "New Street", I remembered the street written in the novel.Xinjie is one of the main streets in the city, which was once expanded from an alley to the current main street.In the deepest part of this street is Mr. Thornton's textile factory, and part of the real estate of Mr. Bell, Mr. Hale's best friend, is also on New Street, and even the factory leased by Mr. Thornton belongs to him.Driven by a strong curiosity, I went down this street to see Mr. Thornton's factory.

Although the city of Milton has a cold gray and black tone, the people living here are very kind.Whenever I ask for directions, there will always be a kind person who patiently guides me. Sometimes the guides are well-dressed gentlemen, and sometimes unpretentious workers. No matter what kind of person they are, they will give me such a I was very touched by the help of a foreigner with an American accent.According to the aunt who looked like a maid just now, turn left from the end of New Street and walk for a while, turn left at the first fork, and you will see the gate of Mr. Thornton's factory.Maybe I misremembered what she said, and I ended up in front of a ramp that looked like a passageway. It was so quiet here, and I didn't see any factory gates at all—maybe I got lost.

Just as I was about to go back the same way, there was a sound like the whistle of a train from not far away, followed by the sound of the crowd like the tide rushing towards the coast from the end of the uphill.I stood below and looked up, and the crowd was gradually coming down. A group of men and women dressed as workers were shouting, talking and laughing—it seemed that the workers had left work from the factory.I hurriedly dodged to the side to make way for the fear of being swept away by the crowd who were about to go home, but this put me in a dilemma where I could neither move forward nor retreat, and the crowd seemed very obtrusive.The workers returning home from get off work looked at me with curious and strange eyes, which made me feel uncomfortable. I tried to follow the flow of people along the narrow corridor and return the same way.When I was just about to turn around, it seemed that someone pushed me on the back. I felt that my center of gravity was unstable, and my body leaned forward uncontrollably. I was about to fall, and I might roll down the corridor. What's more, there is a possibility that I will be trampled by this crowd.

Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed my arm and pulled me up, preventing an accident just in time. "Miss, follow me!" The voice came from the man who saved my hand--he was a big, rugged-faced man with a red face, wearing a battered hat, and wearing a dirty suit. In work clothes, with stubble on his face, and a serious expression, he looks about forty to fifty years old.He pulled me behind him, and with his blocking and protection, I finally returned to Xinjie.

"Thank you, sir! If it weren't for you, I would have fallen and even been injured." I quickly curtseyed to him.

"No thanks, it's just a little effort." He tipped his hat to me. "Are you American by the accent?"

"Yes, I've only been in Milton for two days. I've come to see a friend. By the way, I haven't asked your name yet. Would you mind telling me, sir?"

"Of course I don't mind. My name is Nicholas Higgins."

"You are Mr. Higgins! Are you Higgins of that trade union?" I exclaimed carried away, not expecting to meet Margaret's friend so soon.He was surprised to see that I knew his identity.

"Do you know me?" Higgins obviously entered a state of alert.

I found that my attitude was a bit inappropriate, so I quickly restrained myself, and said apologetically, "Sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet, my name is Calpernia Addams, and I'm temporarily staying at Mr. Hale's house. Mr. Hale, who moved Stonestone to Milton, and he's going to give lectures to the workmen at the club at weekends."

"Mr. Hale? By the way, now that I think about it, I heard that a man surnamed Hale will come to give lectures to the workers on weekends, so you know me from him?"

"You can also say that, Mr. Hale sympathizes with the trade union, and I also admire what you have done for the trade union." Hearing what I said, he smiled embarrassedly, and the expression on his face stretched out, and then he asked, "How did a pretty lady like you come to the factory district?"

"I'm sorry to say it, but I was actually lost. I wanted to take a walk on the hill in the cemetery. I heard that I could see the top of the bell tower of Milton Church from there."

"I happened to be passing there on my way home, and I can take you there, if you don't mind walking, Miss Addams."

"Thank you very much!"

In this way, Higgins became my temporary guide, and I followed behind him, and the two of us walked and talked all the way.Different from Higgins' rough appearance, he is a very thoughtful, assertive and ideal person.He told me about his two daughters, Bessie and Mary, that he was now working in a textile mill that belonged to a mill owner named Hamper, and that he introduced several of Milton's Three workers: Hamper, a miser with a cowardly appearance and a treacherous heart; Slickson, a factory owner who, like an eel, was famous for defrauding his workers; Compare it to a stubborn pit bull.

I couldn't help laughing when I heard Higgins' comparison to Thornton, thinking that there was indeed an indescribable similarity to Mr. Thornton's serious look yesterday. "Although I agree with your analogy with regard to Mr. Thornton's seriousness, I have heard that he is a very honest man."

"I admit that he is a more worthy factory owner, but that's all for factory owners. They are all the same." I know that the conflict between Higgins and Thornton can't be resolved now, so there is no I continued to discuss this issue with him, and then he asked me what kind of place America is, and whether there are as many factories as Milton where I live.I told him that I live in the southern part of the United States, which is mainly based on agriculture, with many plantations and farms.He said he knew a small band of speculators and risk-takers who had gone to America in the hope of becoming rich in the New World, and that a few did.

"Why don't you take Bessie and Mary to the United States? With your ability, you will definitely do something."

"Because Milton has more important things waiting for me to do, I can't just walk away, I'm not a speculator." I knew he was referring to his union, and looking at his determined eyes, it was hard not to feel sorry for him. I admire his spirit, and it is hard for me to see that expression in the 21st century.By the time the two of us came to the knoll, we had become friends who could call each other by name.On the top of the hill, a cemetery lined with stone monuments appeared in front of my eyes, and a girl about 20 years old was running towards Higgins while calling "Daddy".

"That's my eldest daughter, Bessie!" He briefly introduced me, and strode towards his daughter.

"Father, why are you so slow today? I've been waiting for you here for a long time." Bessie scolded coquettishly.

"Girl, I'm leading the way for Miss Addams. It's her first time in Milton." Higgins pointed at me.

"Hi, Bessie, nice to meet you. Your father not only saved me, but also acted as a guide for me. He is a very enthusiastic person." I shook hands with Bessie in Milton's way, Her face is very pale and her body looks very thin, but when she smiles, there is a sense of tranquility, which makes people feel very kind.

"Hi, Miss Addams." Bessie greeted generously, "I hope you like Milton."

I also replied with a smile: "Beyond my imagination!"

It seemed that it was time to part with the Higgins father and daughter, and finally I proposed that I would like to visit Higgins' home in the future.The father and daughter laughed at my request, saying they had never been visited so seriously, but Higgins gave me his home address anyway.Bessie finally waved to me to say "goodbye", then put her arm on her father's arm very intimately, and the father and daughter walked towards home, talking and laughing.

Now, standing on the hill, my field of vision has suddenly become clear. I can indeed see the bell tower of Milton Church here, and besides that, I can see the sun that is about to set.It emits the last trace of long-disappeared heat at the place where the sky meets the earth, and paints the factories and streets of Milton in orange. This color is more brilliant against the gray and black background of the city, which is very impressive. Amazing views.Thinking of the adventure with the Higgins father and daughter just now, and thinking of what will happen in the future, I have a longing for Milton's future life from the bottom of my heart.