little miss austin

A few days later, the servant of the Beckford family sent a letter saying that Mr. Beckford and Miss Beckford would come to visit Mr. and Mrs. Austin the next day.

Susan Beckford, who came with her father, performed almost perfectly, speaking softly, smiling sweetly, and elegant.

William Beckford was not as moody as the legend said, basically nothing unusual, just a normal neighbor visit, although this "neighbor" lived a little farther away.

Mrs. Austin asked Alice to take Miss Susan upstairs to play, and ordered the maid to prepare rose water and snacks for them.

Alice took Susan to the living room shared with Cathy.The living room contained some games, backgammon, decks of cards, and Cathy's sewing basket.Alice also had to pick up sewing under her mother's nose, so she had a sewing basket too.

Susan flipped through the two sewing baskets with great interest, "This one must belong to your sister." Obviously, Cathy's needlework is much better.Alice's needlework is only at an average level, because she is lazy, she does it very slowly, she embroiders more than a dozen stitches a day, and then she leaves it alone.

"Don't rummage through other people's things, okay?" Alice gave her a white look.

Susan smiled, "Oh! Don't be too stingy! Actually, I can't do needlework well. My father found a teacher for me to teach me, but I just don't want to learn."

Alice didn't answer her.

Susan quickly put down her sewing basket, "Playing cards? Or backgammon? What else do you play?"

"cricket."

"Wow!" Susan's eyes lit up, "Are you good at cricket? My father won't let me play cricket, saying it's not something a lady should learn."

"I thought Mr. Beckford would be more - more 'open'."

"You mean, he's weird, right? It's okay, you can say it directly, many people say that, but secretly, they dare not say it in front of their father." Susan showed disdain, "You What do you think of Mr. Beckford?"

"Then I don't know, I just saw him from a distance a few days ago."

"How about today?"

"He's different from the legends, he's just an ordinary man, he doesn't look scarier or more evil than other men."

Susan sighed, "Look, I knew you were different from others."

Alice looked at her. "You mean, I don't care that Mr. Beckford is—gay?"

Susan made a nonchalant look, "Yeah. Do you care?"

"Why should I care? He's not my father. By the way, speaking of which, did you know my father is a retired pastor?" The church is pretty homophobic.

"I know, and so does Father. But I don't think Mr. Austin cares much about it." Susan seemed relieved, "Your attitude is already the best attitude I can think of. Most people even Hate my father, but not his money."

Alice said nothing.Think about what happened to Turing more than 100 years later. The only reason why Beckford has not been stuffed into a lunatic asylum until now is that he is rich.

The reason for his profligate spending and extravagance should be that he has no male heir and only one daughter.In his current situation, it was impossible to find another lady to marry, and he also couldn't accept finding a low-status woman to bear him a child.Whether Mrs. Margaret is gay is hard to say, and Beckford may also be bisexual, but his bad reputation is known all over the country, and no decent family will marry their daughter to him.

As a daughter, Susan can live extremely comfortably with an annuity of 1 pounds. Beckford's million-pound inheritance includes sugarcane plantations in Jamaica, which continue to provide huge profits.The profit of sugar is stable and the sales volume is also very good. As long as Beckford is not stupid enough to sell the plantation, Susan will have no problems in her life in the future.

Unlike her father, Susan is still very promising. After all, she is a daughter and very rich. When she reaches the marriageable age, there will definitely be many suitors. Whether she can do needlework is not a necessary condition, no one will care.

"What are you thinking?"

"Your father."

"what!"

Alice glanced at her, "Mr. Beckford has published travelogues besides The History of the Vasak Caliphate, hasn't he?"

"What a disappointment! Don't keep mentioning his works. If you want to see them, I'll ask the servant to send you a copy when we get home. Now, tell me quickly, what do you usually do?"

"Do what any girl would do. Play, sew, write letters."

"I heard that there are many brothers and sisters in your family. How are your brothers treating you? I think Cassandra treats you very well."

It is not a secret that the Austin family has many children, and it is not surprising that Beckford wants to find out.

"My brothers are very good, but they are much older than me." The only child Susan wants to know what it is like to have brothers and sisters?Probably yes.

"Tell me in detail, please?"

After leaving Maxwell Gardens, Susan eagerly took out a few folded papers from her handbag in the carriage and looked at them carefully.

William Beckford asked: "When did you work hard enough to read in a carriage?"

"Oh, it's not a book, but Alice showed me her manuscript."

Beckford leaned forward and took the manuscript from her hand. "Why did she show you her manuscript for no reason?" She knocked on the roof of the carriage with her cane and ordered loudly, "Go back! Go back to Maxwell Garden!"

The carriage of the Beckford family went back and forth, and Pastor George went out to greet him in surprise, "Mr. Beckford?"

Beckford entered the living room and took off his top hat, "The little girl is naughty and took something from Miss Alice."

Reverend George then ordered the maid to fetch Alice down.

After a while, Alice went downstairs.

Beckford had already given the manuscript to Pastor George. Pastor George didn't read what was written on it, and handed it to her immediately after she came down.

Alice actually didn't know that her manuscript was missing a few pages, and she was a little surprised, but when she saw it was her own manuscript, she immediately figured it out: Susan, a brat, took advantage of the short time she left the living room to peek at the paper. She kept manuscript paper next to her typewriter and stole some of it.

She glared at Susan.

Susan hid behind her father timidly.

Beckford said, "Susan, I apologize to Miss Alice."

Susan had no choice but to stand up and apologize sincerely, "I'm sorry, Alice, I shouldn't have taken your things secretly."

Alice pursed her lips and said nothing.

Beckford looked at her, then at Susan, "Miss Alice has reason not to forgive her. Susan was spoiled by me, but she is not a bad-hearted girl. I am sorry, Miss Alice. I guarantee that the same thing will not happen again in the future."

He bowed to Pastor George and Alice, "Please allow me to say goodbye again."

Susan also quickly saluted Pastor George and Alice, and left behind her father.

"I don't want to see Susan Beckford again!" Alice said angrily.

Pastor George also felt that Susan's behavior was very bad.Taking without asking is "stealing", which is also a very problematic behavior from his point of view as a pastor. "Okay, as long as you don't want to see her, if she comes to visit again, you don't have to see her."

But will the Beckfords still come to visit?

It's hard to say whether they will visit again, but the next morning, the servants of the Beckford family sent a gift, indicating that it was for Alice.

She gave her a fine silk dress, satin loafers, a delicate pearl headband, a satin headband, a strappy clutch to hang on the wrist, a decorative comb for her hair, a pair of lapis lazuli Ground backgammon, a good cricket set.

Surprisingly, the length of the skirt and the size of the moccasins fit Alice's size perfectly.

Mother was astonished at Mr. Beckford's gift, which seemed too much, too dear, even as an apology.

William Beckford also wrote Alice a note asking her to accept the gift.But that doesn't mean she has to forgive Susan.

Susan wrote a letter to Alice, admitted her mistake pitifully, asked for her forgiveness, and vowed to respect her [-]% in the future, and would not touch her things without her consent—then she returned Let the servants bring her manuscripts with letters and gifts, saying that she can only write a little story secretly, and her father doesn't like her writing.

Alice accepted the gift and read her short story, but did not reply.

Susan persisted in writing letters to her every day and sent the servants to Maxwell Garden. The beginning of the letter asked her to forgive her, and the end of the letter said that she hoped they could become friends.It was also revealed that Mr. Beckford knew that her family was the Austin family who started a typewriter company. After the third batch of "Dr. Typewriters, also in their half-finished Fengshan estate.It was also said that Mr. Beckford had ordered another 10 "Dr. Pepper" typewriters.

It was also proposed that Alice could show her work to Mr. Beckford, and proudly said that her father was a genius.

Although Alice couldn't figure out why Susan wanted her to ask Beckford for advice, it seemed that she had nothing to lose?

So, she revised a few short stories she wrote, bound them, wrapped them in a large piece of brown paper, poured wax on them, stamped "A·A", and sent her servants to Beckford's suburban villa .

Beckford sent her manuscript back that day, but there were some comments and suggestions on the manuscript paper.He thinks that Alice has a rich vocabulary, but maybe she likes to use complex phrases too much. She should use as concise words and sentence patterns as possible to tell a story. A simple and direct story will be more touching.

He wrote to her again, asking what she had read in Daylesford.He knew she had been educated at the Warren Hastings family, but he didn't know what kind of education.He didn't have much contact with Hastings, and he didn't dislike him as a politician. He even thought that his ability to manage a huge colony in India showed that he was shrewd and capable.

In the next two weeks, Alice did not see Susan Beckford again, nor did she reply to Susan, but wrote to Mr. Beckford every day.Beckford is indeed a genius, with a lot of reading and quick thinking, and he can always point out Alice's writing problems to the point.He gave her a list of books and ordered his servants to deliver some of them to her.

He also asked her to write to Daylesford to ask if there are any other books in the book list. If so, don’t worry about it, and report back the titles of the books that are not there. He will order someone to send them to Daylesford when he returns to Fengshan Manor. .Fengshan Manor is in the Salisbury Plain area where Stonehenge is located. It is about the same distance from Bath as Daylesford House to Bath, but Daylesford is in the northeast of Bath, and Fengshan Manor is in Bath. southeast direction.

When it was time to return, Daylesford sent for Alice in a carriage, accompanied by three robust footmen.

Alice reluctantly said goodbye to her parents and sister.

When she left Daylesford, she only brought one big suitcase, plus two small suitcases for Merry and Jacob; when she returned, Merry and Jacob still had two small suitcases, but she had more Two big suitcases.

She stared wide-eyed at the manservant putting the suitcase on the roof of the carriage, and sighed: "My things are getting more and more."

Cathy smiled and hugged her, "My little money fanatic sister, will you dislike more and more things?"

Alice thought for a while, "I don't dislike it." Except for skirts and shoes, everything else can be regarded as her property.

"I'll see you in summer." Cathy carefully tidied her hair. Wearing a headband with rabbit fur, she looked very cute and cute.

"Okay, you must come, I will arrange the best room for you."

"As long as Mr. Hastings doesn't find me annoying."

"It's all right, Mr. Hastings is very kind, you are so quiet, he may not even think of you at home except at meal time."

Cathy squeezed her small chin, "Be good, don't let anything happen, you know?"

"I know. It'll be all right. I care about my own life."

Alice hugged her parents and sister one by one.

Jacob waited by the carriage door, held her hand, and sent her into the carriage.Meili got into the car after him, and Jacob got into the car and sat in the seat opposite her.

The carriage quickly drove out of Maxwell Gardens.

Mom took out a handkerchief and wiped away her tears, "I'm really worried about her. She's not with me all the time. How can I be reassured? I shouldn't have agreed to let her go to Daylesford. What she learned in London is enough. "

"Well, mother, don't always think about regretting the decision you have made. There is nothing wrong with her at Mr. Hastings' house. If you miss her, go and see her. It's not very simple. Something?" Pastor George reassured her.

Cathy also said, "Yes, mother, it would be great if we went to see her together! She will be very happy!" Alice can make up her own mind about such things, she has said to her parents and sister, and now She is the butler of Daylesford House.

In fact, it stands to reason that Daylesford House should have a master's steward, that is, a treasurer. After all, the master can't handle everything himself, and William Beckford has a treasurer.Hastings has never had a treasurer because he is the only master in the family and has relatively few servants.Now Alice manages basically the finance manager's business.

Her mother was still nagging: "She should stay at home and learn a little sewing. She will always get married in the future. No man wants to marry a girl who can't even sew buttons—" There are many skills that have not been learned. Becoming a lady requires years of learning and progress. If you can't find a suitable husband at the right age, you will be wasted like an old girl like Cathy and become a heart disease for your parents.

"Mom! Don't talk about this." Pastor George hurriedly stopped his wife's infinite divergence.

It was July 1801 when Mrs. Austen and Cathy saw Alice again.

Six months later, Alice grew taller again.

Wearing men's riding clothes, his forehead was sweating, and his little face was flushed, as if he had just returned from riding a horse.

"I saw the carriage turning into this road, so I hurried back." Sure enough, she said so.

The maid came over to take the lambskin gloves and headband she had taken off, and helped her take off her riding boots and put on house slippers.

"Go up and change your clothes," my mother said with a look of displeasure, "Cathy and I will go to see Mr. Hastings first."

"Okay, Mom." Alice went upstairs quickly.Mom must not like her wearing men's clothes, she has to be good.

Mr. Hastings didn't mind having two more guests in the house, but he thought it would be nice to have a few more.He and Mrs. Austen mentioned that little George, who died that year, was very sad. He had had two lovely children, but they both died young.Mrs. Austin is very strange. He was not very old when he lost his wife, and it is completely fine to remarry, but he doesn't know why he never remarried. After the death of Ke, he did not marry Freda Fia.

Alice went out for a walk with Cathy, took the servants and maids, set up tables and chairs on the lawn outside, set up flat awnings, laid out tablecloths, and served fruits, snacks, and drinks.

Cathy asked her about her daily life in Daylesford, how happy she is, what she has learned, what books she has read, and whether she is still drawing. It’s more real after listening to her in person—the main reason is that Alice has too many courses to learn, a lot of books to read, and she has already started formal writing.

Just like Jane, who started writing drama scripts in which family members participated in performances since she was 12 or 3 years old, it is not too early for Alice to start writing. She always has to learn how to tell a good story from a small story.A Shakespeare-style play is usually divided into 3 to 5 acts, and if the "three unities" is to be followed, it is limited to one day and night, one scene, and one theme, and it pays more attention to character conflicts and dramatic conflicts.

William Beckford asked her to practice using the "Three Unities" to finish a passage first.

Alice felt that it was difficult to refine it into a segment. It had to constantly eliminate unnecessary descriptions and characters, limit the scene, and intensify the conflicts between the characters.Regarding the choice of materials, every writer is different. Even if everyone uses the same materials, the stories they write will not be the same.

Alice has to write 2 or 3 pages every day, of course, all with a typewriter.After writing a story, put it there first, wait until a week or two later to revise, retype it after the revision, and send Jacob to Fengshan Manor.Jacob goes to Fengshan Manor once a month.

He is very happy to run this way, it takes about 6 days to go back and forth, and Alice will also send local specialties here in Daylesford; Mr. Beckford is very generous, and he will give him at least a pound every time. 1 pounds.Miss Susan always asked him what Alice did at home, what she played, what she ate, who she hung out with, and whether she knew any lovely boys.

When Jacob returns to Daylesford, he will report to Alice in detail, what Susan asked him, and how he answered.Alice taught him to make up nonsense, and Susan had no way of knowing whether he was telling the truth anyway.He also taught him the skill of telling lies. If 8 truths were mixed with 2 lies, no one would find out that he was lying.It doesn't matter what she eats or plays, she can tell Susan, but she can't tell her anything else.

Cathy asked very interestingly: "Then what secrets can you not tell her?"

"It's not a secret, it's just the boys I hang out with."

"Those boys?" Cathy was very rare. "Aren't there many boys?"

"Yes, Oliver of Newton Park, Ivo Gordon of Candice House, and his cousin George Byron." She thought for a moment, and added: "They played cricket with me, but Byron has bad legs and he doesn't like to play cricket."

"Then—is it because he has low self-esteem?"

"On the contrary, he felt that cricket was unskilled because of his arrogance."

Cathy's eyes widened in surprise, "He's really arrogant. Does he have any favorite sports?"

"Chess, Whist is very good at playing cards, he likes sports that are not physical confrontation, that is, sports that require the use of the brain."

"very smart?"

"Very smart, you can say very smart, probably a little smarter than Tom, but maybe not as good as Mr. Beckford."

"Is Mr. Beckford smart too?"

"Oh, he's so smart! He's probably one of the 100 smartest people in the country. But that doesn't mean he can't do stupid things."

"What did he do?"

"Profligate. The way he spends his money, he'll be bankrupt in less than 20 years."

Cathy exclaimed, "Do you know how much Beckford inherited?"

"Yeah, millions of pounds. Jamaica's sugar plantations and sugar mills have been making money, but he's spending money too."

The author has something to say:

*Meet rich bosses and future bosses.

* Byron speaks highly of Beckford.

*Byron is suspected to be bisexual.