gentleman's manor

The next day, Anna and I went to visit John and his wife.

As soon as we arrived at his door, we heard a dispute.

"We don't have any money now, can't you wait? Why be so stingy, we will pay back the money." Mrs. Daisy's hasty voice was very harsh.

"Oh, God, is it wrong to ask you for debt collection? Now that you know what you owe, you should find a way to pay it back. You have maintained your dignity, and I don't have to pretend to be a villain." A strange man's voice said.

I glanced at the servant, who lowered his head in embarrassment.

After a while, a middle-aged man with a round figure came out and saw Anna and I standing at the door. He bowed slightly to us: "Good morning, sir, I wish you a happy day."

"Hi, oh, wait a minute." I stopped him and asked in a low voice, "May I ask, does Mr. Martin owe you any money? How much?"

"To be precise, I owe money to the bank." The man looked me up and down, and then said with a smile, "Mr. Martin owes a total of fifty pounds."

"I see, he will pay back the money as soon as possible." I nodded and said.

The man bowed to me, then turned and left.

At this moment, John had already come out. Seeing us standing at the door, he was embarrassed, and forced a smile on his face and said, "Adam, Anna, come in quickly, it's too cold outside."

Anna and I took off our cloaks and followed him into the inner room.Mrs. Daisy stood in the foyer, she greeted us gracefully and with a smile on her face.She hugged Anna and kissed her on the face, showing great enthusiasm: "Honey, I reckon you will come to London soon, and our little girl will also enter society."

Anna smiled shyly and said, "It's nice to see you, I've always missed you."

"Hehe, you will live in London for a while this time. We can spend time together every day like in the past. Do you still practice the piano every day? I can find time to guide you." Daisy looked at me with a smile : "Come to the living room and take a seat, I have ordered the servants to serve tea."

I looked at Daisy in surprise. They had reached the point of borrowing money to survive, but they still hired two servants, a man and a woman. I really couldn't understand what they were thinking.

The living room was a bit cold, the firewood in the fireplace seemed to have just been lit, and the refreshments on the table were of poor quality.The four of us sat opposite each other across a coffee table. John didn't have any smiles on his face. He knew that I had seen the scene just now, so he looked very embarrassed.Daisy smiled, as if she didn't care about what happened just now.

"I heard from Pete that you lost your job?" After the servant retreated, I asked John straight to the point.

"Oh, yes." Daisy immediately changed her face and said indignantly: "You don't know what we have encountered this year, poor John, he met a very despicable boss who deliberately framed him , causing John to lose his job."

John's face changed, and he said to me with a dry smile: "Have you met Pete? When? It's actually not a big deal. I will find a new job soon."

"We old friends got together yesterday, and you didn't come, that's why Pete mentioned you to us." I said.

"Did you have a party with your friends yesterday?" Daisy looked at John in surprise, "Why didn't you go? Didn't they notify you?"

"I... I received the invitation card, but I... forgot." John said awkwardly.

"How can you forget such an important thing!" Daisy blamed, and then she smiled and looked at me: "I don't know when the next party will be, and we will definitely not be absent by then. John has many capable friends, Maybe give John a hand, as you can see, we're at the end of the rope now."

John sighed for a long time, and said to Daisy: "You can go upstairs with Miss Anna, I have something to say to Adam."

Daisy's situation immediately became very embarrassing. Anna got up hurriedly and said, "Last time you showed me some of Mr. John's paintings. I don't know if there are any new works. I have been looking forward to them for a long time."

"Of course there are, there are many, you come with me." Daisy stood up and said.

There was a sudden silence in the living room after the ladies left.

John grinned and said, "I made you laugh."

"Don't hide it from me, John," I said. "I know you're in trouble, but it's fifty pounds! How come you owe so much money? Did you go to gamble?"

"No, no." John said hastily, "It's just...the expenses are relatively high."

"I see that you still employ servants. In difficult times, you shouldn't live in such luxury." I said.

"I know, I also mentioned that I want to fire the servants, but Daisy disagrees. She thinks that I am a gentleman and I cannot live without servants, otherwise I will lose all decency." He lowered his head and said.

"John, you are the head of the family, don't let a woman tell you around." I sighed and said, "When I get home, I will send you a check for fifty pounds. You pay the debt and then dismiss Servant, return this house too. If you want, you can live in my house first."

"No, I can't take your money. Anna has entered the social scene this year, and I know you are not easy." John said hastily.

"For the time being, it's urgent. Anna doesn't need any money yet. When she has a suitor, I will naturally help her raise enough dowry." I hesitated and said, "Have you ever thought about... bowing your head to your father... "

John smiled and said, "No, I won't bow to him and admit my mistake. I didn't do anything wrong, and he was the one who made the mistake."

"Well, I won't force you, but you have to think about it." I sighed.

……

This winter, our first dance was at the Ballroom de la Plaza de Saint-Sévir.

According to the different venues, the dances during the London social season are divided into two types: public dances held in large ballrooms specially built for dancing and private dances held by individuals.But even private balls can be attended by hundreds at the height of London's social season.There are so many dances that we would be exhausted just catching up to the big public dances, not to mention the private ones introduced by acquaintances.

That night, Anna was wearing a light yellow satin dress. The neckline on the chest and the cuffs of the long sleeves were lightly inlaid with a layer of pure white lace, and the stitches were very delicate.The back skirt is made into a draped and pleated style, so that the skirt can raise waves when it is rotated, and the shape of the high waist makes the slender figure of the young girl vividly displayed.

The maid combed her a simple hairstyle, but inserted a crimson hairpin between her brown hair, like a red rose inserted in the lush forest leaves.This set off her delicate face, making people have a strong impression of her at a glance.The young girl is full of youthful breath, her steps are light like dancing elves, people can't move their eyes, she is really beautiful tonight.So when she walked into the ballroom with my arm around her, it really attracted a lot of people's attention.

A young gentleman was coming towards us through the crowd. He was slender, handsome, and imposing, with long brown hair and green eyes, and he was full of French romance.

"Hey! Adam." Mike smiled and hugged me, then looked at Anna beside me.

He seemed to be stunned for a moment, paused for a while, and then continued his smooth meeting etiquette. With one hand behind his back and the other on his chest, he bowed slightly to Anna.

"This is my sister, Anna." I introduced, "This is my college friend, Mr. Mike Pence."

"Hello." Anna curtsied to the other party cautiously.

"Nice to meet you," Mike said, staring at her.

At least hundreds of people came to tonight's public dance, maybe because the social season has just entered, people are tired of the boring winter, and now they can finally come out to have fun, so they are all out.The ballroom was very spacious and luxurious. The chandelier on the roof was filled with white candles, and a string of crystal ornaments were placed underneath, which looked extraordinarily elegant and luxurious. Even the wall lamps were fully lit. The whole hall was brightly lit and crowded with people.

Musicians in neat gowns are sitting around the four corners of the ballroom, playing cheerful dance music.Following the rhythm of the dance music, young men and women stood in a row and danced a large group dance. The gentlemen and ladies all walked gracefully and gracefully, and the whole scene was magnificent, gorgeous, relaxed and cheerful.

Even though we're new here, it's important to be part of the dance, especially for me.Because the number of young men always seems to be less than the number of women, in order not to make the ladies bored, the gentlemen must take the initiative to invite the women who are free to dance. If you don't have a gentleman's demeanor, you will be said to be arrogant and out of place.

So I have always had a headache going to the prom. If it weren't for the social season, I might not have come to such a troublesome prom at all.Of course, I was Anna's first dance partner, and in order to relax the nervous girl, I smiled and led her onto the dance floor.

When we first started dancing, Anna was flustered and made a few wrong steps, but she gradually got used to it, with a big smile on her face.After the first dance, people exchanged partners, and I was about to go on to the second dance with Anna when Mike suddenly appeared beside us.He touched his chest with one hand, bowed slightly to us, and then looked at Anna, which was a gesture of inviting my female companion.

The handsome gentleman jumped in line and asked for a chance to dance with him. Anna blushed. The little girl usually doesn't even meet strange men, let alone dance with a gentleman she met for the first time.

But exchanging dance partners is a must. The social dance gathering a large number of young men and women is actually a blind date dance in disguise, which usually lasts until about three o'clock in the morning.During such a long period of time, unmarried men and women must constantly exchange dance partners, and judge whether the other party can become their marriage partner by chatting during the dance.Therefore, there are some strict regulations, such as the rule that a lady cannot dance more than four consecutive dances with a gentleman.

I generously gave up my position, and then took advantage of the situation to retreat.But it seemed very inappropriate for me to stand aside when there were so few young men that night that even older men had to invite young ladies to dance.When the young lady was introduced to me again, I had to continue dancing.

I was almost dizzy, and I had to keep an eye on Anna's situation.To my amazement, Mike led Ana through four dances after I left.He is a veteran of entertainment, because of his handsome appearance and romantic personality, he has been having affairs constantly since he was a teenager.Anna stood in front of the tall man, nervous and at a loss, Mike's naturally romantic eyes stared at her for a moment, and the little girl didn't dare to lift her head when she was looked at, her gaze was always fixed on the man's chest.

When the show came to an end, Anna walked up to me with flushed cheeks, with a look on her face that was about to cry: "Brother, I stepped on that Mr. Pence's feet a lot tonight..."

"Hehe, it's okay, it's my honor to let you step on me." A deep male voice came from behind Anna, which startled Anna who didn't realize it.She stood beside me in embarrassment, looking at each other.

I smiled and patted Anna on the shoulder and said: "Don't be nervous, Mike won't laugh at you, just use him to practice your hands casually, and you will become proficient when you step on his shoes and dance with other gentlemen .”