I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

After the meal was over, everyone still needed to stay in the town for a while, so they went to the center of the town in twos and threes to hang out.

Pei Xiang and Elinor came out of a hat shop and were discussing what color hat should go with Margaret's new dress, when they saw an acquaintance whom they hadn't seen for a long time standing alone across the street.

This person also noticed Sister Dashwood, and after a moment of surprise, he strode over.

"Miss Dashwood, Miss Marianne, good day."

Elinor and Pei Xiang replied: "Good day, nice to meet you, Mr. Ferrars."

Edward Ferrars' smile was still shy and gentle, but it was a little less melancholy and confused. He was thinner and looked more energetic.

"I didn't expect to meet Mr. Ferrars here. Did you also stop here temporarily?"

"Yes, Miss Dashwood," said Edward Ferrars, with obvious joy in his voice, "I have set out from Oxford, and am going to visit Mr. Platt, the teacher, at Plymouth, in Devonshire."

Elinor smiled and nodded: "What a coincidence, we are also going to Devonshire as a guest."

"Then we can go together for a while. Ladies, is Mrs. Dashwood here too? I always remember those days when I was a guest at Nolan Manor, and I am very grateful to Mrs. Dashwood for taking care of me."

"Yes, the four of us, mother and daughter, are going to visit Sir John's Barton Manor." Pei Xiang replied politely.

Hearing this, Edward hurriedly asked the two Miss Dashwood to take him to see Mrs. Dashwood.

Pei Xiang and Eleanor naturally nodded in agreement, and the two sisters and Edward Ferrars chatted about each other's recent situation, while returning to the restaurant where they had eaten before.

In the lounge, Edward Ferrars exchanged pleasantries with Mrs. Dashwood, and then he was introduced to Sir John and others, becoming everyone's new friends.

After a while Lester Sissel and Georges Messina returned from the outside.

As soon as he entered the door, Messina, who was holding the gift box, paused slightly. He frowned and looked at the strange man beside Elinor.

"Lester, who is that?" The gentleman was keenly aware of Edward's admiration for Elinor.

Lester followed Messina's line of sight and smiled suddenly:

"That is Mr. Edward Ferrars, the brother of Miss Dashwood's sister-in-law. I used to spend some time with him when I went to Norland Manor. Gentleman."

"Good knowledge? Then I have to get acquainted with this gentleman." Messina murmured in a low voice, and was about to run to where Elinor was.

"Wait, don't get excited, no matter what special thoughts that Mr. Ferrars has, he will not hinder you at all," Lester hurriedly stopped George Messina, and explained in a low voice, "Ferras Mister has been secretly engaged, and Miss Elinor and the others all know about it."

George Messina's brows loosened, and then he asked inexplicably:

"Since it's a secret engagement, how can everyone know about it?"

Lester's mouth twitched.

He had already learned some truths from Aldrich and Paddington before, and knew that the oriental witch did not have any magical ability to predict fate.

——It was Paddington who asked someone to pretend to let Miss Dashwood learn some truth.Lest she be touched by the love of Edward Ferrars, the engaged person, and fall into a helpless and painful love.

"This is a long story. When you are free, you can ask Aldrich or Paddington. It is said that this Mr. Ferrars is indeed engaged, but his fiancée has not been married to the Ferrars family. recognition."

George Messina nodded, not interested in exploring further.

In his opinion, an engaged Ferras is not worthy of his vigilance at all, because Elinor, who has always been rational, would not favor such an engaged person at all.

The two walked over briskly, and Lester was about to say hello when he heard Edward Ferrars say:

"My engagement to Miss Lucy Steele has been broken, and she has come together with my brother, Robert Ferrars, to be married."

Lester: "..."

George Messina glanced sideways at the friends beside him, and brought Edward Ferras's name back to his vigilance list.

"Miss Dashwood, can you introduce me to this gentleman?"

"Ah, Mr. Messina, Mr. Sissel, you two are back. Just in time, allow me to introduce Mr. Edward Ferrars to Mr. Messina..."

Several young gentlemen greeted each other, after which Messina smirked and said:

"When I just walked over, I happened to hear words like 'engagement' and 'wedding'. Excuse me, is Mr. Ferrars getting married? I don't know which noble lady the bride-to-be is. The Sinners still know each other."

Edward Ferrars felt a little embarrassed when he suddenly heard the gentleman he had just met asking about his private affairs, which was still not honorable.

Elinor kindly said: "Mr. Messina, you misunderstood. It's not that Mr. Ferrars is getting married, but his younger brother, Robert Ferrars, is going to marry a lady surnamed Steele soon. gone."

"Ah, so I misunderstood, I'm sorry," Messina smiled heartily, "Congratulations to your brother, who is about to get married. Where is the wedding going to be held? Mr. Ferrars appeared in the small town of Pross, intending to attend brother's wedding?"

Edward Fellers shook his head in denial, and briefly stated the purpose of his visit to Devonshire.

Hearing that Edward was going to Plymouth, George Messina immediately talked enthusiastically about his impressions there, as well as the acquaintances and friends who lived nearby, and from time to time quoted some uncommon geographical and historical knowledge in an attempt to make Edward Ferra Si couldn't answer.

Seeing that George Messina forcefully intervened in the warm and reminiscing atmosphere of Elinor and Edward, and became an incomprehensible little expert who interrupted and changed the subject, Lester silently took half a step back.

With this retreat, Lester noticed several other single men and women who had a good chat, including Pei Xiang and Colonel Brandon.

"Hiss—toothache!" Lester rubbed his cheeks and muttered helplessly.

"It's a toothache, isn't it distressing?" Just when Lester was worried about his best friend Aldrich, his fiancée Isabel asked coldly behind him.

"What hurts?" Lester glared at the fiancee with a provocative expression, and immediately explained, "Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely no special affection for Miss Marianne."

Isabel snorted. She thought of the true and false gossip she had inquired about before the engagement, and looked at Lester with disbelief.

"After my observations over the past few days, Miss Marianne really doesn't care about you. But you... why do you always stare at her? Especially, hum, every time Colonel Brandon approaches Miss Marianne , Your sneaky eyes are immediately glued to it, heh, I can see it clearly."

Lester waved his hands with a dark face:

"Honorable Miss Canaletto, please do me a favor and give your fiancé a high look. He doesn't have so many tricks."

"Oh?" Isabel half-believed.

Lester took a deep breath, and dragged his fiancee to a clean corner:

"Isabel, I know that you went to Lisa to arrange someone, and I also know that you heard some nonsense from Lisa and thought that I had a crush on Miss Marianne. But I have to clarify this matter solemnly, lest When we face friends in the future, our husband and wife will be embarrassed and humiliated. Listen, Isabel, Lisa's idea is completely groundless, and there is no relationship between Miss Marianne and me that exceeds the boundaries of friendship."

"Then why do you keep paying special attention to her?"

"I didn't pay much attention to her, but Colonel Brandon talked to her a lot recently, and I was worried about Aldrich."

"Aldrich?" Isabel was taken aback for a moment, and then her eyes widened in disbelief, "Lester, you mean...Miss Marianne and Mr. Deville are lovers?"

"Hush—keep it down!" Lester whispered, "Don't talk about it, including your cousin who can't hide. The matter between Miss Marianne and Aldridge has not been made public yet, you Don't trouble them."

"Oh, of course, I won't talk nonsense." Isabel nodded repeatedly, her thoughts still in shock.

To be honest, the ladies and ladies in London are wondering which lady will be favored by the next Earl of Deville.They guessed and guessed, from the beloved daughter of the Duke to the niece of the Prime Minister, there were quite a lot of candidates, but no one expected that the winner would be Marianne Dashwood, who had no outstanding family background at all.

After a while, Isabel finally recovered from the shock.

"This, this, oops, I still feel a little unbelievable... Lester, you didn't lie to me, did you?"

Lester rolled his eyes: "If it weren't for the fact that you are my fiancee, I wouldn't have told you about this at all, and besides, what do you have that I should deceive?"

Isabelle immediately glared at her annoying fiancé.

Lester looked like he was not afraid of boiling water.

The two were deadlocked for a moment, and this time it was the curious Isabel who was the first to give in and said:

"Did Mr. de Vere propose to Miss Marianne? Does the earl know about it?"

"Aldridge really wanted to propose, but Miss Marianne is a girl with ideas, she hopes to wait and see. As for other people's attitudes, I think Aldrich will handle it well, he has always been Protect your weaknesses, it is impossible for people to bully your sweetheart."

These words were approved by Isabel, and she sighed enviously:

"Mr. de Vere is indeed a very reliable gentleman. Miss Marianne has a very good eye, and she is about to get a very good marriage."

Lester looked thoughtfully at the envious expression on Isabel's face, suddenly felt very uncomfortable in his heart, and blurted out some words:

"Isabel, I know what you are worried about. Don't worry, since I agreed to the marriage of the two families, it means that I have taken some things seriously and will not do as I did before. After we get married... I will be happy with you Live peacefully, with no one else, I promise."

This sudden assurance surprised Isabel. She looked carefully at the serious Lester and found that he was sincere.

Years of tit-for-tat confrontation made this Miss Canaletto subconsciously feel that at such a time, she probably should give a similar and equivalent response so as not to lose face.

So, she hesitated and said:

"Well, um, you know, the reason why I agreed to the marriage so happily is because Victor gave up insisting and married someone else, so I... um, well, since you are willing to make a promise, then I also promise you, try to take the future seriously.”

"Huh? Listen to what you said...you still don't like me?" Lester's eyebrows were about to stand up.

"Are you dreaming?" Isabel's face was full of disbelief.

Lester felt a tightness in his chest: "Since you don't like me, why did you put someone in Lisa's place? Why do you care about me and Miss Marianne?"

Isabel said as a matter of course: "Of course it is to protect my interests. Lester, if I really like you, it will not only be a servant for that Lisa, I will make her unable to get along in London, Put that Mrs. Dora who dared to introduce you to the prison, oh, Lester, do you misunderstand me?"

Lester looked down at the familiar arrogance and domineering look on his fiancée's face, and recalled when Isabel was a little chubby girl, the darkness where he was hammered to the ground passed by, and slowly shook his head:

"No, I didn't misunderstand you, but I was a little more affectionate before."

Isabel snorted softly, turned her head and ignored her dreamy fiancé.

But this time, Lester didn't feel as impatient as he did when he was young. He suddenly found that the flamboyant Isabel was quite attractive.

Not far away, Pei Xiang listened attentively to Colonel Brandon's experience of joining the army in India, and didn't know a topic caused by her, which made a couple who were tired of seeing each other slightly ease their attitudes.

Some small but important changes happened unconsciously.

——Everything is running in a more perfect direction.

When the convoy started again, Isabel stopped clamoring to change the carriage. Edward Ferrars also accepted Sir John's invitation and decided to go to Barton Manor for a few days before diverting to the original planned destination.

With laughter and laughter all the way, the group finally arrived at Barton Manor.

Sir John and Lady Middleton are very hospitable and warm hosts. The couple hope that every visitor can receive the most sincere hospitality at Barton Manor.

Therefore, from the first night when they arrived at Barton Manor, their entertainment activities were one after another, which was extremely rich.

On this day, Pei Xiang and Mrs. Dashwood went out to enjoy the natural scenery. The mother and daughter came across a dilapidated and desolate cottage, and they couldn't help but stop and look around curiously.

The maid who followed told the mother and daughter that this humble house that needed repairing was also the property of Sir John, and it had always been called Barton Cottage by the locals.

"So this is Barton Cottage." Mrs. Dashwood's voice was full of complexity and emotion.

"Without Mr. Paddington's support and gifts, we would most likely have moved here. Marianne, I really can't imagine your sisters living here. If I'm the only one, it's hard to live anywhere. Same, you can eat anything, but with you three sisters, I hope you can get better."

"Mom, don't be scared by things that haven't happened. Our life is good now, and the three of us are very happy. I think Dad should be happy and satisfied when he looks at us in the sky."

"Yes, when Mr. Dashwood left, he was very worried about the future of your sisters. Now, he should be at ease. Not only will we live in prosperity and comfort, but you and Elinor will soon have a happy marriage."

"Elinor will be the first to marry. As for me, I want to wait a few years. Why, it's windy, mother, let's go back."

"Okay, the weather is getting colder, where's your shawl?"

"I seem to have forgotten it in the carriage..."

Pei Xiang took Mrs. Dashwood's arm, looked back at the dilapidated Barton cottage, smiled slightly, turned and left.

Back at Barton Manor, Mrs. Dashwood had just stepped out of the carriage, and the slight feeling of melancholy in her heart dissipated all of a sudden.Because she learned from the butler that her eldest daughter had agreed to Mr. George Messina's marriage proposal.

Now the excited young man was waiting for Mrs. Dashwood's return, and solemnly begged the loving and gentle mother to marry him her beloved eldest daughter.

How could Mrs. Dashwood stand in the way of a good marriage, especially when she had always known that Elinor was fond of George Messina.Therefore, she is more willing to facilitate this happy event.

Pei Xiang stood on the edge of the lively and laughing crowd, looking at Elinor with a happy face and Messina with a big grin with a smile on his face.

It must have been the presence of Edward Ferrars, she thought, that stimulated this unhurried Mr. Messina.Otherwise, it is estimated that until the end of the hunt this autumn, George Messina will still be cutting and revising his seventh edition of the proposal.

While Pei Xiang was watching other people's happy events, her black-haired gentleman had already arrived at the gate of Barton Manor.

Aldrich Dwyer dismounted from his horse, tightly clutching the carefully selected engagement ring, and strode towards the most beautiful girl in the crowd.

"Marian, I'm back."

A heart-stirring voice sounded behind him, and Pei Xiang turned around in surprise, and sure enough, he saw his longing lover.

"Aldridge!" The bright and beautiful girl greeted her cheerfully, "I miss you so much, especially at times like this. I want you to be by my side, and then you really appear, my magic Mister Knight."

An extremely gentle smile flashed across Aldrich's brows.

"Marian, from now on, I will never have to leave you for such a long time."

Pei Xiang tilted his head and looked at the black-haired colonel, and suddenly there was a sudden expression in his eyes:

"You've been promoted, and you're planning to re-plan your career development direction. Is it because of my uncertainty and mysteries that can't be solved?"

Aldrich has always been unwilling to lie perfunctorily in front of Pei Xiang, he nodded slightly, and explained in a gentle voice:

"Part of the reason is that in order not to violate certain principles and disciplines, I will take the initiative to stay away from some sensitive areas. The other part, and the main reason, is that I don't like the current state of life where there is less gathering and more separation. Marianne, I hope I can spend more time with you, and tell you about the places I have been to, the battles I have experienced, and the exotic customs I have seen.”

Pei Xiang frowned: "It seems that Leicester has been giving you a lot of small reports."

Aldridge's tone was light, but Pei Xiang could hear a trace of grievance:

"He said that you especially like listening to Colonel Brandon's introduction to the customs of India."

"I don't like it very much, Lester can only talk nonsense," Pei Xiang said bluntly, and then said sweetly to his sweetheart: "Colonel Brandon is getting married too, we can go to his wedding together .”

Aldrich immediately nodded and said yes, with a cheerful tone.

Pei Xiang walked with Aldrich on his arm, the warm autumn sun shone on him, everything was beautiful.

Aldridge squeezed the proposal ring quietly, and moved his arm slightly, but was held down by Pei Xiang all of a sudden.

"Marian..."

—I want to propose.

"Aldrich, before you succeed in proposing, let's agree on one thing."

"what?"

"Don't get married right away, okay?"

"One year?"

"No, at least three years."

"why?"

"Aldrich, Mr. Brown Paddington still needs to work hard to earn money for Miss Marianne's dowry."

The rich black-haired gentleman and the poor little fairy stared at each other silently...

Aldrich Deville thought that when he first heard the name Brown Paddington, he probably never expected that some day in the future, he would be so eager to hope that this man would become rich overnight.

The Sixth World: The Story of the Rivers and Lakes in the Last Years of the Yuan Dynasty