burn out

"Sir, your breakfast." Mrs. Malcolm put the plate on the table in the room.

The count came back from the long daydream, his eyes were reddish, and his cloudy blue eyes were shrouded in a layer of mist.

"OK, thanks."

Mrs. Malcolm didn't leave the room in a hurry. She moved her apron back and forth with her hands, looking a little embarrassed.Mr. Housekeeper glanced at her and immediately understood that she had something to say.

"Dear sir, we will not disturb your meal." After finishing speaking, the old butler and Mrs. Malcolm withdrew.

"what happened?"

"My God, sir, I, I really can't speak, but please forgive me, we are also forced to help." Mrs. Malcolm said these words very fast, but intermittently, the housekeeper even heard crying, she continued Said, "There have been no foreign carriages in the manor for a long time. We are all worried whether the manor has lost business. If so, our wages this year... Several people are worried, saying that they will leave. I am willing to believe that the Earl and You, but please also make me feel at ease."

"Thank you for your trust, Mrs. Malcolm." Mr. Gray looked at her with gentle brown eyes. "Please also believe that there is absolutely no difficulty that the manor cannot overcome. Everything will be fine."

However, the old housekeeper was thinking the exact opposite. The manor is going from bad to worse now, and there will be no benevolent people who are willing to help a lonely nobleman whose family title will not be preserved. Mr. Earl's health is also getting worse day by day. It is developing towards the point of overthrow, but Mr. Gray cannot say that it is the duty of a competent steward to maintain the dignity of even an old nobleman.

"May God bless the Earl and bless our estate," said Mrs. Malcolm, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Okay, you also go to have breakfast and rest for a while, a new day has begun."

Due to the frequent rainy days, the land was washed away by the rain and lost nutrients. As a result, the tenant farmers around the manor lost their harvest and could not pay taxes. Many people have already moved away.Mr. Earl seldom participated in social activities such as balls since he inherited the title, and he didn't care about the management of the manor at all. He often just sat in the room silently by himself for a whole day.The Ge □ □ family carefully checked the accounts of the manor again. The Earl's savings have been reduced by more than half, but the maintenance of the noble life still requires a lot of expenditure.He rubbed his sore forehead and took off his gold-rimmed glasses, as if the past prosperity of the manor was still vivid in his mind.

That was when the previous earl was still alive.

Maybe it was a summer, because the sun still made people's faces a little hot.Everyone in Wallace Manor was very busy. At that time, Mrs. Malcolm was still a young and beautiful girl. Her round face was always red, but she was always stern and serious.

"Oh, my God! My girl! How did you manage to break four plates in three days!" She blushed, and kept commanding and reprimanding the maids around: "I think you need to bring your brain Come to work! Or go back to your country and be a sweet silly girl to marry a rough farmer! I mean! You should disappear from my sight with your clumsy hands! Oh God! Go now, now!" Several The young girl was trembling with fright, but she didn't dare to neglect the work in hand.The carved staircase reveals a luxurious and dazzling gold under the billowing fabric.The servants who came and went cleaned and even waxed the whole house.

This kind of busyness continued until the night fell, until a chaotic sound of horseshoes was heard in the distance, and a few carriages with exaggerated and gorgeous decorations were seen coming.The prelude to the night has just begun.