gentleman's manor

I once hired Miss Daisy to accompany Anna in an effort to cheer up my sister who had been abused as a child, but it didn't work out.I didn't expect to go to the monastery to help, but I achieved this goal.

Seeing her rushing back and forth between her home and the monastery every day, her face became rosy and her smiles increased, I simply don't know if I should continue to object to her going out.

One day when she came home, she came to me mysteriously and asked me: "Today a woman gave birth, and she screamed so miserable, brother, do you know where the baby came from?"

I couldn't laugh or cry at that time, I'm really glad that she didn't follow into the delivery room to observe how women give birth.

"Listen Anna, I have no objection to you going to the monastery to help, but from now on, you can only go with me, and I won't allow you to go alone." Finally, I made a compromise.

One day, when we were going to the monastery together, we met a curate in the country.He was very young, named Jason Laurent, just graduated this year, and hadn't been a pastor for long.

When he saw Anna, his face flushed, and he couldn't say anything when he was nervous.

"Why is Mr. Laurent coming here when you are free?" Anna spoke to him very familiarly.

When asked about the business, he hurriedly said: "There was a young girl who escaped from the brothel and begged to go to the church. I sent her here. That girl is the daughter of a farmer in our locality. She is only 17 years old. Her parents are not married. Willing to take her in."

Sister Maria frowned and said, "He came from a brothel? I don't know if he was infected with syphilis. If so, we don't take them here, so as not to infect others."

Laurent blushed and said, "This...I...I don't know too well..."

Maria sighed and said, "I'll send someone to check on her, and stay if there's nothing wrong."

But afterward, Maria complained to me: "Since your sister came to the monastery to help, Mr. Laurent has sent four poor women one after another. I have never seen him come here so diligently before. You have to stop it. At his rate, we can't feed that many people."

Laurent graduated from the Divinity School of the University of Cambridge. He is the eldest son of a small rural landowner. The land yields about [-] pounds a year, plus his [-] pounds a year from work, so he can be considered a relatively well-off gentleman.

In the summer evening, after we had dinner, the twilight was just emerging, and a few stars shone in the east.Mosquitoes around the small pond were plentiful, so we canceled our daily evening walks.

There were only two candles lit in the living room, and the flickering candlelight shone on Anna's sullen little face.

"Has Mr. Lawrence offended you?" I joked to her.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" She blushed and gave me an awkward look.

"Then why is our lady unhappy?"

Anna ran over suddenly, nestled in my arms, and muttered, "It's the girl he sent today. She told me that she escaped from the brothel because she was afraid of being found out that she was pregnant. People in brothels would stick iron rods into pregnant women's stomachs and stir them until the baby fell out. It was horrific, I've never heard anything so horrific."

The girl in my arms was trembling, and I glared at her angrily and said, "You are so bold! You even went to talk to a prostitute! Are you crazy or what? Do you see any gentleman's wife and daughter stooping to talk to her?" What a mean woman said? If it spreads, you don’t even think about going out, people in the circle laugh at you for being light, and they will directly exclude you from the social list.”

Anna cried and said: "Brother, you can't imagine what I heard today. That girl was sent to a brothel by the man she loved. They fell in love vigorously and then eloped. But after going to London, The man actually arranged for her to be raped by other men in the brothel, why is he so cruel?"

Anna was still a little girl, she had a longing for love, she thought she had encountered a particularly tragic love story, so she was so sad.

I sighed, "I guess that girl still told you that she still loves that man and doesn't hate him at all, right?"

Anna sobbed and nodded: "How do you know?"

It's some old pimping trick, get a handsome guy, seduce a poor, stupid girl, one kiss, some sweet talk, and the stupid girl is hooked.After eloping with a man, he was guaranteed to be sent to a brothel.In order to win over the girl and help him make money, the man will treat her more tenderly, and then cry about his difficulties.A silly girl who has never enjoyed warmth will fall into the nightmare she wove, thinking she has found happiness.

"Anna, you don't understand the meaning of poverty." I stared at the candle on the table for a moment. The flame of the candle was very high, and a few bugs were flying around it.

Only after I have experienced poverty can I really feel what it means to be poor, so when my father asked me to go back to inherit the family property, I desperately wanted to seize wealth, but of course I fell into a trap.Like a moth, knowing it's a fire, but still jumping on it recklessly, just for the invisible light.

"Of course I know what poverty is. These days I take care of those poor women every day, I understand." Anna retorted.

"No, you don't understand, just like you don't understand why that woman still loves that bastard liar."

"They live in misery all their lives, working to death every day, facing violence, hunger and disease. It is impossible for a girl like you who has never touched a rag to understand that kind of life. Poverty does not mean a broken house Ragged clothes, a family squeezed into a hut, does not mean starvation and cold, does not mean beating, scolding and abuse. Poverty is no love, no respect, no hope. Girls grow up in hopelessness, and they can’t tell the difference between love and love. The difference between hurt, what is happiness and what is misfortune? For them, even a kiss is measured by money, and they will even be desperate for a little bit of false warmth."

"It's like a patient suffering from pain. After a long time, people become numb. A malicious person covered her rotten wound with a hot towel, but she showed a grateful smile to the other party."

After I finished speaking, Anna looked at me in shock.In her eyes was the reflection of the orange candlelight. In the light, my figure was in the darkness.

"I...I don't know..." she said sadly.

"You're a lady, and you don't need to know that." I said to her, "You're a gentleman's daughter and sister, and that doesn't change, any more than those poor women can change their origins, Every class of people has their own way of life. We are the same, since we are in this position, we must abide by the rules of society and compromise with the rules that cannot be contested, instead of becoming rebels, otherwise we will only lose our shelter .”

Anna said with a disappointed face: "I'm sorry, you must think I'm ridiculous."

"You don't need to apologize. A person doesn't need to apologize for being kind. But you have to do what you can to do kindness. You can't save the world by yourself. The most important thing is not to hurt yourself by helping others. If you hurt yourself , then I will be heartbroken." I hugged her and said.

We talked for a long time that night, and after that she stopped going to the monastery every day, and only occasionally went to give some food and donations.

The trouble was that Mr. Lawrence began to visit the house frequently.Every week, he worked hard and drove a few miles in a horse-drawn carriage.Of course they came to visit me in name, God knows, we only met once.Moreover, it was not easy for him to flatter me deliberately when he leaned beside me. It seemed that he had never done such a thing.

……

On a sunny afternoon in July, a four-wheeled carriage pulled by four white horses stopped in front of my house.The horse's fur is smooth and smooth, and the paintwork of the carriage is shiny all over, which is simply magnificent.

A footman opened the door, and Edward in a black trench coat stepped out of the carriage and stood in front of me.

There was a kind of high-spiritedness about the man, he stared at me with a smile, only my reflection in his eyes.

But I had to blame him: "I have to ask our Mr. Edward, whether he brought such a big carriage to visit the humble house, is it for showing off, or is it just because of his head."

Edward smiled and hugged me, then whispered in my ear: "Of course it is used to carry my beloved man."

Before I could say anything, he turned to Anna behind me and took off his hat very politely to say hello: "Hello, Miss Constantine, I often hear Adam mentioning about you. It's a great honor to meet you today."

Although I reminded Edward about the scars on his face, Anna was still taken aback when we met for the first time and acted very cautiously.Edward didn't care. After entering the living room, he gave Anna an expensive meeting gift directly.

A set of emerald jewelry brought back from India, including necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Anna was even more panicked after receiving such an expensive gift, and looked at me nervously.

"Take it, Anna." Seeing me nodding, she carefully carried the jewelry and went upstairs.

"You are such a rash guy, you don't understand women's mind at all." I said.

"Why don't you understand, don't women like expensive jewelry?" He said indifferently.

"A while ago, John's father came to visit and gave Anna a doll, which she happily put on the bedside every day. Look at what you gave. The little girl was frightened. Maybe she thought that after receiving a big gift, she would was sold."

"I don't like women, so what's the point of learning to please women? As long as it makes my man happy." Edward came over and sat beside me, putting his arms around my shoulders and said ambiguously.

I was startled by him and stood up hastily.

"What's wrong?" He raised his eyebrows and said.

I adjusted my neckline: "Mr. Edward, please pay attention, this is neither India nor a ship, this is England."

Edward spread his hands helplessly: "I thought the person I was thinking about day and night was like me, and I couldn't wait to get close to him, but I didn't expect it to be my own affection."

I warned him with a serious face: "We must be careful, you understand, people's words are scary."

Edward grabbed my hand and rubbed it against his mouth: "I know, I just miss you so much, so I can't help it."

The moment I touched his lips, my hand felt like it was scalded, and I couldn't help but recall those ridiculous days we were at sea in my mind, and my face was completely red.

I withdrew my hand, turned my back to him and said, "Anyway, you have to be more cautious."

Standing behind me, he leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Your order, my lord."

I turned to face him and said very solemnly: "I just forgot one thing."

"What's the matter?" He looked at me suspiciously.

"I forgot to welcome you." I smiled at him: "Let me say something to you: Welcome back, Edward, I miss you too."

He looked at me, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up: "Thank you, nothing makes me more happy than your welcome."