[Pride and Prejudice] A Gentleman's Love

Jane's wedding is scheduled for the spring of the following year.Now that she was Mr. Bingley's fiancée, Mrs. Bennet was relieved at last, and then she immediately put her full attention on Elizabeth.

Mrs. Bennet thought that since her eldest daughter had married such a decent gentleman, it was completely unreasonable for the other daughters not to marry well, so she had recently been more diligent in walking around the wives in the neighborhood, and At this moment, Mr. Collins, Elizabeth's cousin, announced that he would marry Charlotte, the eldest daughter of Mr. Lucas.

Everyone was a little surprised, and so was Elizabeth.

Although Cousin Collins is not evil and has no bad intentions, he always seems too pedantic, and Charlotte, although she is in her 20s this year, is still the eldest sister, and it can be said that she is an old girl in this era But Elizabeth thought it was a very bright girl, so that the two would get married, which Elizabeth never thought of.

"I have taken Madame de Bourgh's advice. She has long thought I needed a mistress, and I agree with her, after careful analysis. The noble lady never said that she missed a thing. , so she said I should get married as soon as possible, and I took it. The first time I saw Miss Charlotte Lucas at the ball, I thought she was a very decent lady, and she was well-bred , a good listener, and a very considerate person. I did not make up my mind so quickly, but the good news of my dear cousin made it up at once, and, as Miss Charlotte Lucas requested, we will Get married as soon as possible."

Mr. Collins related his marriage to Miss Lucas in a slow tone. It sounded like a business speech, and it was annoyingly long, but no one seemed to believe it, so they listened patiently.

"I didn't expect their family to be so anxious." Mrs. Bennet snorted. Because Jane and Mr. Bingley's happy affairs were approaching, she was not very angry, but when she heard that the other party wanted to get married as soon as possible, she couldn't help guessing. There will always be an infuriating intent in it.

The family must want to be the hostess of the place soon.Mrs. Bennet thought, still a little aggrieved.

Mr. Bennet looked up from his book, looking thoughtful, but after a while, he continued to immerse himself in his own world, with a faint smile on his lips.

The girls did not think of this, but were most concerned that Charlotte should agree to it.

"Oh, God!" Lydia said in surprise, and Mr. Collins looked in her direction suspiciously.

"It's nothing, cousin." Lydia pouted as Jane squeezed her hand.

Mr. Collins went on talking about the matter, which was such nonsense that Elizabeth did not listen.To be honest, she was really surprised and couldn't figure it out.She wondered if she should go to Charlotte's, but she obviously thought so too.

At noon, Elizabeth received a letter from Charlotte inviting her to come.After lunch, Elizabeth passed by.

Charlotte wore a new dress today, and she looked more energetic than before.Despite her plain appearance, she was endearing in her mild manners.

"Eliza, I really don't know how to tell you, but I think I have to tell you." Charlotte held her hand, she looked troubled, but there was a kind of firmness in her eyes, And this kind of firmness and intelligence is what Elizabeth likes about her.

"I've come to hear you, Charlotte, and I'm listening." Elizabeth and Charlotte sat on the sofa.

The tall girl carefully observed her expression, and was relieved when she saw that she was not unhappy.

"I thought you heard from Mr. Collins too, I mean, my marriage to Mr. Collins."

"Yes. And, to be honest, I am very puzzled, and," Elizabeth paused, thinking about using a more neutral word to describe her feelings, "Surprised."

Charlotte showed a small, somewhat concealed smile, "Of course, you will be surprised. I know it doesn't look good enough."

"No, that's not the case. Please don't use such words." Elizabeth stopped the other party, and then looked up at Charlotte.

"As a friend, I sincerely hope you are happy. You have always been a smart girl. I want to say that you see things very clearly, and almost every decision you make is deliberate. If, I completely follow my It would be too arbitrary to judge your decision by your own wishes. So, I hope that because we are friends, I can understand your thoughts. You know, I want you to be happy, and one more reference may make You know better."

"Ah, I know, Elisa. During this period of time, I always think that you are more mature than before. If it was before, I am really afraid that I will lose your friendship because of this decision. But now, I think Say, I am very happy to hear your answer." The girl licked her lips, she seemed to be brewing, but it didn't take long.

"It wasn't an emotional decision, and I totally think it's a decision that suits me perfectly."

"Please tell me, Charlotte," said Elizabeth, shaking the other's hand.

"Yes, I will tell you, Eliza, that no one else can make me say them but you."

Charlotte said: "I have thought it through carefully. Elisa, if I were as young as you now, I don't think I would agree to this marriage, but the fact is that I am not young anymore. And my sister, if I continue to stay at home, it will make it difficult for them to socialize."

Elizabeth listened patiently, without interrupting Charlotte.

"Mr. Collins is not good, I mean, so good that I would blush at him. But he has property and is a decent man, and I have to say sorry to you here, Eliza."

"What?" Elizabeth was puzzled seeing Charlotte's apologetic face.

"I mean Mr. Collins, I know he can inherit your father's estate," murmured Charlotte.

"Honestly, Charlotte, I might be offended if anyone else said that to me, but this is you, and I know you, and admire you for what you are. You are intelligent, kind, and frank, and if that is the way to go, It wasn't your fault, so you don't need to apologize for that."

"Oh, Eliza!" Charlotte squeezed her hand a little touched.It is true that she did not snoop on the property of the Bennet family, but this is something she cannot change. She also knows that in the eyes of others, she is the kind of person with scheming, even if Mrs. Bennet hates it She doesn't think it's weird either.But her best friend didn't think so, which moved her a lot.

"So, you've made up your mind?"

"Yes," said Charlotte softly.Her face became a little more calm at this moment.

"Perhaps Mr. Collins is not really a good man, but for me, he is very suitable at present, and my age cannot afford to wait again."

"You remind me of a story."

"what story?"

Elizabeth pursed her lips and smiled lowly.

"It's the story of Little Bear and Corn."

"Say what?"

"A little bear was breaking corn in the field. When he broke off one, he saw that there was a better one in front of him, so he dropped the one in his arms and continued to break the next one. Sure enough, each time was better and better. The little bear thought that in the end The noodles must be better, but when it reached the end of the field, it found that there was nothing there, and when it turned around to pick up the corn that was thrown on the ground, the corn had been taken by the bear behind. picked it up."

Elizabeth paused after telling the story, and said to her friend gently: "In my heart, you deserve better. Although Mr. Collins is my cousin, he is not worthy of you, but just like you Considering it, it may be better to wait, but at present, according to your requirements, Cousin Collins is indeed the most suitable for you. To be honest, I don’t know which decision is better, either one is risky, But if after listening to these, you still insist on your decision, no matter which one, I will bless you."

Charlotte looked at the girl in front of her, and she hugged her suddenly, her voice choked up.

"Dear Eliza, if I lose your friendship, I think it will be my regret for the rest of my life."

"No, Charlotte, you will not lose my friendship. Not whatever you decide to do."

Elizabeth returns from Charlotte.As she walked on the tree-lined path, she couldn't help thinking about Charlotte and Mr. Collins' marriage again.

It is true that the clever Charlotte should have a better husband candidate, not in terms of property, but someone who can talk.

Mr. Collins is not a bad man, but too pedantic and bombastic.It would have been all right if Charlotte had been a silly girl, but she was a clever one.Elizabeth thought about it for herself, how sad it would be if she had to face a husband who had no common language for the rest of her life.

But it was her friend who made the decision, after all.Her personal point of view has been told to her, but after all other people's words are not the one who wears the shoes, whether it is suitable or not, it is up to her to decide.Therefore, she could only hope that Charlotte's future life would be as she herself hoped.

"Miss Elizabeth Bennet."

Someone called her.Elizabeth looked up, and it was Mr. Henry Cavill walking not far away.He looked very pleased when he saw Elizabeth.

"Mr. Carville, are you hunting again?"

"Oh no, I'm just walking around."

"Is it for your writing?" Elizabeth laughed.The man blinked, looking a little inscrutable.

"Not quite."

"It looks like you're not going to reveal it."

"Don't worry, Miss Elizabeth, you will know later." Mr. Carville said with a smile, and Elizabeth blinked suspiciously.

"But you, where did you come from?"

"From my friend Miss Lucas."

"Charlotte Lucas?"

"You know?" Elizabeth was a little surprised, and Mr. Carville smiled.

"I've just come from Meryton. I hear Miss Charlotte Lucas is marrying Mr. Collins."

"Oh, it seems that the news spread quickly." Elizabeth said.She didn't want the news to be known so quickly, but she forgot that the Lucas family must be happy to see this marriage come to fruition, and they wanted to publicize it without any concealment.

"It sounds like you're not very satisfied?" Mr. Carville asked with concern.

"No, it's just that I'm a little surprised. You know, this thing spreads a little fast." Elizabeth smiled.Although she didn't hate this Mr. Henry Cavill, she wasn't familiar enough to speak to him.

"Indeed, there are always no secrets in a small town."

"What about other places?" Elizabeth asked with a smile, but Mr. Carville was not asked, and he smiled with his lips curled up.

"Of course there are no other places, but people are used to pretending not to know."

Elizabeth was amused. "I can tell from your talk that you'd be an interesting writer."

"My pleasure."

"Miss Elizabeth Bennett!" Someone called her again, and Elizabeth and Mr. Carville looked up together. However, Elizabeth's eyes were completely focused on Mr. Harnett, so she didn't see the deep eyes of Carville beside her.

"Mr. Harnett," cried Elizabeth, who was still a little uncomfortable at the moment, but tried not to let it show.In any case, Mr. Harnett is a man worthy of respect.And just like the gentleman's feelings he has always shown, the other party also treats her with a gentle and courteous attitude.

"Miss Elizabeth."

After Harnett finished speaking, he looked at Mr. Carville.

"Who is this?"

"Mr. Henry Cavill, a writer." Elizabeth introduced the two, and Mr. Cavill smiled.

"Good day, Mr. Harnett."

"Hello."

"Sorry." Mr. Carville looked at the sky and said apologetically, "But I should go back."

"It's okay, Mr. Carville, goodbye."

After Mr. Carville left, Elizabeth looked away, but saw Mr. Harnett who seemed to hesitate to speak.

"What can you do, Mr. Harnett?" asked Elizabeth.When she said this, she couldn't help thinking of Mr. Harnett's original intentions at the ball, but looking at the other party's expression, it seemed that this was not the case.Mr. Harnett looked a little anxious and worried, which was quite different from his usual indifferent appearance.