Rimbaud's girl

Leila knocked on the door and came in, "Miss, are you ready?"

tension!

Vitaly stood up, "Come on, go down."

Calm down!

While going downstairs, Leila was talking about the dinner arrangements, "I will stand behind you later, and you can tell me to do anything. Gisela is outside the restaurant."

"Okay." Vitaly nodded very calmly.

This is someone else's territory, so they must use their own servants, no matter how capable Gisela is.

Downstairs, Leila led her into the living room first.

Mr. Oran is a handsome middle-aged man, not too tall, about 175cm, he extended his hand to her very kindly, "Hello, Vitaly."

She curtseyed, "Good morning, Mr. Oran."

Immediately afterwards, a middle-aged woman beside him smiled and said, "Hello, my child." She hugged her shoulders lightly and kissed her on both cheeks naturally and just right.

"Good day, Mrs. Orlan."

Mrs. Oran has a round face, Gabriel has the face of the mother, and the features of the father.Mrs. Orland could not be said to be beautiful, but she looked very comfortable, with a kind and gentle face.According to the situation of the Oran family that Gabriel said before, the previous generations of the Oran family did not have many descendants, so that there were few collateral lines. In Mrs. Oran's generation, there were no male heirs in the collateral lines.This also shows from the side that the Oran family is sparsely populated and their relatives are relatively simple. Mrs. Oran is an only daughter, who is either arrogant or indulgent, or pampered and naive and unworldly. Now it seems that the latter is the majority.

Mrs. Orland had already taken her arm and said kindly: "Come on, the restaurant is here. Are you hungry?"

She said truthfully, "I'm a little hungry."

"You should have something to eat on the train. Have you eaten? Mrs. Smith should let you have some tea." Mrs. Smith was the housekeeper.

"Eat, black tea, cookies and chocolate." She relaxed a little: Mrs. Oran seemed to have a good impression of her.If you don't like her, you definitely won't care whether she eats afternoon tea or not.

Oh well, it might be too early to say "like", but at least it won't be hated.

The host and hostess took the host and hostess of the table.A restaurant maid opened the seat next to Mrs. Oran, "Miss."

Vitaly sat down.

Dinner is the most important meal in a British family. Placemats and plates are placed on the dining table according to the number of diners. There are knives, forks and spoons in order next to the plates. There are several spoons, which are replaced according to different foods.

Table manners were not a problem for her, and Flaubert didn't pay much attention to them, but Caroline had practiced them for her in advance, and she didn't have any problems with this step.

Mrs. Orland, too, seemed satisfied with her table manners, and talked to her, asking where Gabriel had been with her while they were in Marseilles.There was nothing wrong with that, so she answered honestly.Gabriel probably wouldn't share too many details with his parents, so it's not surprising that a mother wants to know.

The food was good and plentiful, honey roasted pigeon, pork ribs in sauce, salmon pan fried with lemon, clam chowder with mushrooms and walnut pie for dessert.

The Oran and his wife didn't eat very fast. It took almost 40 minutes for a meal, and Mr. Oran left the table first.

Vitaly didn't eat much, but she was afraid that the main course would be too much and she would be too full, which would not be a lady.

Mrs. Oran also said: "Don't eat too much, there will be dessert later." She switched back to French.

"Thank you, Mrs. Orlan."

"Silly boy, don't be so polite. In the future, after you marry Gabriel, you will call me 'mother' just like him."

Vitaly lowered her head, "Okay."

"Oh, here comes the pecan pie. Try it, they make a very delicious pecan pie, it's just a little too sweet, and I've said it many times, and they do it the way they're used to." But she didn't look Like really complaining.

The walnut pie is very fragrant, with the aroma of honey and nuts, but chewing the nuts will inevitably make noise. Caroline said that you must eat it. The secret is to be careful not to bite too much at once. You can try to avoid making indecent noises.

Vitaly thinks it’s annoying not to make chewing noises when eating. It’s very annoying to eat. It seems that she hasn’t received a good upbringing since she was a child, but sometimes it’s inevitable. Moreover, men don’t have such scruples, Gabriel I like to eat nuts very much, and I always make loud noises on purpose to annoy her, and then she will tell him to keep his voice down, so as not to act like he has never eaten nuts——

Mrs. Oran looked at the girl in front of her with a smile, "Did you think of Gabriel?"

She blushed quickly, "Yeah."

"He said he would come back in a few weeks. After a weekend, he definitely didn't come back for my mother."

Vitaly felt that there was no way to answer this question, so she just had to be shy.

The pecan pie was really good, unfortunately I couldn't eat too much, maybe half of it.Mrs. Orlande had finished her pecan pie.She paid attention to Mrs. Orland's table manners, and indeed she barely made a sound, and she ate quite quickly, showing that she had a sweet tooth.

After dessert, Mrs. Orland took her into the drawing room, made her sit in the armchair in front of the fireplace, and sat herself in the other armchair.

"Gabriel didn't say very clearly before, what do your father and mother do?"

This is checking the household registration, and it is inevitable. In this era, once engaged, it is rare to cancel the marriage contract, unless one party has a major defect. Of course, you must ask the other party's family clearly before getting engaged.

"My father is a captain officer of the Imperial Army, retired, and now lives in Dijon. His ancestors are Provencal and born in Burgundy; my mother and grandparents are Ardennes, and my grandfather is a small landowner with some land. .”

"We don't know much about Captain Rimbaud. Tell us carefully. Don't worry, I know you have difficulties. It's unfortunate to have such a father." Mrs. Oran said softly, "We just want to know, do you need it?" Shall we come forward to help you deal with it?"

Her parents don't live in the same city, so you know what's going on when you think about it.

Vitaly said simply: "Thank you, I've taken care of my father, he'll be fine. My current father is Gustave Flaubert and he will sign the legal papers for me The most important thing is of course the marriage document. Although French civil law stipulates that a woman can marry at the age of 15 with the consent of her parents, the upper limit is 21 years old. Decide for yourself who to marry without parental consent.Adoptive parents have the same legal authority as biological parents.

Mrs. Oran glanced at Mr. Oran who was standing behind Vitaly's seat, and she was very satisfied, "That's good."

Then she asked her siblings: the eldest brother, Frederick, is serving in the army and has one more year to serve. After retiring from the army, he will return home to inherit the family’s small shop; the second brother, Arthur, is at Oxford University. He should either stay in London or return to London in the future. Paris; the younger sister Isabelle is 15 years old and is studying at a private teacher's house; there is also a cousin from an uncle's family who will inherit the estate of the husband's family in the future.

Her family has a simple population, not many relatives, not many troubles, and almost everyone has a future; Isabel, as long as a girl has received a certain education and has two famous brothers and sisters, her future is actually not a problem In the future, finding a man of the right family to marry will not be a problem at all.

Mrs. Orland was generally satisfied.

First of all, Vitaly is very beautiful.My son is a treasure in the palm of my heart, so of course I have to find a beautiful girl to match my son; the family doesn't really care about it, as long as the in-laws don't play tricks on this or that all day long, there is nothing wrong with being a peaceful farmer. It's much easier than having your in-laws mess with you all day long; as for the future daughter-in-law to have her own business, this matter has not been included in the Oran couple's list of matters that must be considered.

The first day passed very peacefully and satisfactorily.

The Oran couple privately expressed to each other about their son's choice: not bad.

"She's a good girl." Mrs. Orland evaluated objectively. "Of course she's not perfect, but I don't think she has any major problems."

"It's better to have a look in a few days. Should you introduce her to some relatives?"

"Of course. I have to take her to meet those cousins ​​of your family and show off that I am about to have a beautiful little wife. Do you think I don't know what they are talking about behind their backs?" Mrs. Oran said angrily: "They all Said that Gabriel lived with men in Oxford! Listen! Isn’t this nonsense?!”

"They're too busy."

"Oh, I have to ask him to bring back the boy from Rimbaud's family, and let them go with Gabriel to meet your father. He didn't like you before, and he blamed you for not raising Gabriel well .My Gabriel is fine, much better than his hapless grandchildren!"

Mr. Oran was helpless, "It's not that my father doesn't like me, it's just...he's old, so don't be as knowledgeable as a smelly old man."

Mrs. Orland snorted in protest.

Layla and Gisela waited on Vitaly to wash, and instead of going to bed she let Layla light the kerosene lamp and write to Gabriel on the dressing table.

"Dear Gabriel:

I've been to London and met your parents at dinner.

I was always worried that they didn't like me, but now it seems that they should be satisfied with me.It's just that I'm still a little nervous, so I don't eat much for dinner.I hope to get along well with your parents, I love you, so I will love them like you with gratitude.

Miss you, Vitaly. "

After writing the letter, use a semicircular ink-blotting roller with a handle to absorb excess ink, fold the letter paper, put it in an envelope, write the address, put it on the table, and tell Leila, "Post the letter tomorrow morning. "

"Is it a letter to the young master?"

"Correct."

"He will be delighted to receive your letter. -->>

I'll pick up the letter early tomorrow morning.Miss, do you want to sleep now? "

"Well, sleep now." She yawned.

"Would you like to keep the lamp?"

"No, leave a candlestick here," she pointed to the bedside table, "put the matches next to it. Turn off that lamp." She pointed to the kerosene lamp on the dressing table.

"Okay. What furniture do you want to add, tell the butler tomorrow, and the butler will arrange it for you."

"understood."

Vitaly took off her slippers and went to bed, Gisela adjusted the quilt for her, and Layla put out the kerosene lamp.

The room suddenly became very dark.

Vitaly thought she would toss and turn for a while, but it didn't take long for her to fall asleep.

The next morning, Leila came and took the letter and went downstairs to the footman to take it to the post office; Gisela washed her and combed her hair, and Leila came up to choose her morning dress.

"A lady needs to change several sets a day: a skirt for walking in the morning and having breakfast, a skirt for lunch, and a different skirt for going out in the afternoon, shopping and visiting friends. If she is a girlfriend, she must be beautiful, the more beautiful the better ; You don't necessarily need to dress too beautifully when you go shopping, you just need to be comfortable.

There are also skirts for evening, dance skirts for dancing, grand banquets, different occasions, and different clothes.You have a lot of dresses, but none suitable for a party.I think you'll have to make several dresses. "

Layla picked out a lavender velvet dress and shoes in the right color. "My wife will come and look at your wardrobe and she will decide how many dresses and coats to make for you. These are not very suitable for London." , London is much colder than Paris."

It is true that in Paris or Rouen she would not need heavy coats, but in London she would certainly need several heavy coats of good material.

"Miss taking a walk in the morning?"

Leila smiled, "No, my wife likes to sleep late. Also, my wife eats breakfast in her own room. I don't know what the French custom is. In England, married wives can have breakfast in bed, but you can't."

"Does your master take a walk in the morning?"

"Master is used to riding a horse before breakfast, but now that it's cold, he will take a walk before breakfast for about half an hour, and then come back to have breakfast. For breakfast, you can choose the food you like, and there is no servant to serve. Eat After breakfast, the maid in the dining room will clear the table. After the wife wakes up, someone will go to see her, and you will be with the wife."

Vitaly nodded, "What time does Madam usually get up?"

"It's more than six o'clock."

It was rather late.

"Will the master take a nap at noon? Where's the wife?"

"Master will take a nap for more than an hour before lunch. After lunch, he will read a book in the study or go out. My wife will take a nap for an hour after lunch, and sometimes go out. The specific daily arrangement depends on my wife." What's the plan?"

"understood."

She probably didn't need to walk with Mr. Oran, and Mrs. Oran got up late and didn't need her company, she could have a little time to herself after breakfast.

For breakfast, there were only Mr. Oran and Vitaly in the dining room.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

"Slept well."

"If you need anything, just tell Mrs. Smith, and she will arrange it according to your wishes."

"I will."

"Have you written to Gabriel?"

"I wrote it, I wrote it last night."

"The servant delivers letters to the post office every morning, and you have letters that you can give to the servant to send away."

"Okay, sir."

"Hope you are as comfortable as possible at home, my child."

"Thank you, sir."

Mr. Oran smiled kindly, "I hope to hear you call me 'Father' sooner."

Vitaly smiled shyly.

After getting up, Mrs. Orland went to Vitaly's room first.

"Mrs. Orlan." Vitaly was asking the servant to put the new desk under the window.

"If you want to write something, you can go to the study. Mr. Oran doesn't use the study very much." Mrs. Oran opened the closet, "Now, let me see what clothes you have. I will invite some ladies to drink in a few days." Afternoon tea, they are all aunts from Gabriel's grandfather's side."

"But didn't I come to learn court etiquette?"

"Oh, where do you need to learn so much 'court etiquette'? I think you should have learned a lot of etiquette at the Flaubert family, which is enough for you."

well!A woman's mouth, a deceiving ghost, Vitaly hadn't been happy for a few minutes, and suddenly found that she had to start practicing how to sit, how to walk, and how to stand.

To sit, the upper body should be straight, the legs should be kept together, the knees should not be separated, nor crooked, let alone separated; to walk, the shoulders should not be swayed, and the arms should not be swung too much. Of course, ladies don’t need to learn how to For "running", "running" is not enough for "lady"; standing, it is required to hold your chest up, not with your chest in your chest, and your eyes must be level with each other (this is a bit difficult for Vitaly), and you can't switch your feet upside down.

There is no evil nanny who likes needles, Mrs. Oran personally guides her; she is also very patient, just repeating a certain action over and over again, and correcting her irregular actions bit by bit.

"Sitting" is okay, as long as you understand that all movements must be "correct"; "standing" and "walking" are a bit painful. Mrs. Oran asked her to stand against the wall with a book on her head; Her steps are not too small, and her steps are just because she is not too tall and her legs are not long enough, so her steps are not too long, but compared with Mrs. Orland's steps, they are too big.

The "special training" started on the first day, and Vitaly began to doubt life.

"...above." Gabriel pretended to cough, "After today, I almost doubt that I even forgot how to walk. Walking is a thing with countless rules, why can't the toes be kicked out? Nowadays, many skirts are at the ankle length, the arms cannot swing too much and need to be controlled within a certain range-well, I admit that it does look beautiful and elegant, but I want to wear it in just a few days It's really hard to get rid of habits that Mrs. Oran considers 'bad'!"

He selectively read a part of Vitaly's letter.

Arthur asked, "Does she have to learn that?"

"It doesn't have to, and I don't think there's anything wrong with her walking. But you know, mothers always feel that you have something to correct, and you can't make her do something." Vitaly didn't complain. She didn't like it or even hated it, and if she started complaining, I would go back immediately."

Arthur thought for a while, "Okay." Then he asked, "Are you sure your mother won't make things difficult for her?"

"Oh, she won't." Gabriel was confident, "What did she say in the letter to you?"

Arthur gave him a white look, "I didn't say anything."

"I just wanted to know that if she didn't think she could tell me anything bad about my mother, she might tell you."

"You can rest assured that if she complains about your mother, you will never get engaged."

Vitaly in London doesn't know that her brother has issued an ultimatum to her fiancé.

The process of learning etiquette is very boring, but since the instructor is not impatient, she is not impatient.Ladies' education started from an early age, because after forming a habit, you don't need to think about "Is it right for me to go this way" every time.Her problem is that when she was a child, she was used to being wild and careless in Luoshi Village. Mrs. Rimbaud was not a "lady", and of course she didn't have the consciousness to raise her daughter to be a "lady".If she was with Fulan, she wouldn't need to learn any "etiquette" because of her different family backgrounds and classes.

She wrote at least two letters in a dreary day, one of which must have been addressed to Gabriel at Oxford; , and Flaubert of Rouen wrote to them about his life in London.

Mr. Oran is very kind, and Mrs. Oran is quite serious, but not harsh. At least in the past few days, they are both very good. Gabriel is their child, and he is a very good person, so he Her parents should be good too; the weather in London was already very cold, and Mrs. Oran took her to buy some thick coats, all of them long coats, and ordered a skirt for the engagement party;

She asked Mrs. Rimbaud to send her the measurements, and she would buy her a dress and coat in London for her engagement party; a room had been booked for them at the hotel, Frederick was still in the army, and Caroline would take The children went to Paris to spend Christmas with Henri, so it was Flaubert and Paco, Madame Rimbaud and Isabelle who would be at the engagement party;

Gabriel's grandfather is the Earl of Boldwood. There are a lot of relatives in the family. In the past few days, Mr. Oran has introduced her to the Boldwood family within three generations. There must be many more relatives and relatives than close relatives within three generations; the complex genealogical relationship and in-law relationship of each family must also be very complicated, and it is a headache to think about it.Of course, Mr. Oran also said that she doesn’t really need to remember everything, she just needs to remember a few close and frequent contacts. She made a character relationship list and hung it in the study for easy reference at any time;

Generally speaking, she had a good life in Oran's house, and the class differences were almost negligible; as for the money issue, it was not a problem because Mrs. Oran spent money so beautifully.

Of course, there are still some feelings that I don’t want to write in the letter.

The attitude of the servants is very good, but there are still some people who are arrogant and do not look down on her, probably because she is a small Ardennes girl?Also, they don't seem to know that she speaks good English.She also knows that the servants will definitely gossip about the masters in private. In the Cruzwa Manor, because there are few servants, she doesn't care much about this issue (and she can't). There are at least three times as many servants in the Bai family, and there are too many people, let alone management.