[Comprehensive Classics] Detective Mary

Empty rooms filled with empty tables and empty chairs.

One Mary stood by the door, the other Mary sat at the table, and the two ladies looked at each other for a long time without speaking.

For a moment, Mary really didn't know how to speak to break the silence. Seeing Miss Morstan's face covered with tears, she lost any words—Mary had never experienced the loss of a friend, and she couldn't imagine what kind of grief it was.

In the end Mary chose to remain silent.

She tiptoed forward, silently took out her handkerchief, handed it to Miss Morstan, and sat opposite her.

There was finally someone on the table and chair.

Miss Morstan wiped away her tears with Mary's handkerchief, and smiled before Mary could speak: "It's okay, actually, I'm not sad anymore, Mary. But seeing the empty room... is a bit emotional."

Mary didn't believe it.

How could she not feel sad when friends who had been with her day and night left one after another because of the same case?It's just that Miss Morstan is tough and calm by nature, and she won't delay her progress because of grief and mourning.

"Want me to drink with you," Mary asked, "just the two of us."

Miss Morstan was taken aback, and her expression softened a bit: "No wine, drink some water."

As she said that, she stood up, walked to the side cabinet and took out two clean cups, filled them with the clean water prepared this morning, and brought them to Mary.

When she sat down again, Miss Morstan had stopped her tears.

Mary looked at Miss Morstan's expression in silence, and seeing that the red-haired Irish girl had restrained her traces of sadness, she raised her water glass in a serious manner: "Water instead of wine, cheers?"

Miss Morstan couldn't help shaking her head.

Her eye sockets were still red, but the smile on her face was somewhat real.Mary looked serious, and Miss Morstan simply raised her water glass and clinked the wall with Mary: "Okay, replace the wine with water, cheers."

After taking a sip of the clear water, Miss Morstan shifted her gaze from Mary to the water glass, staring at the clear water gradually fascinated.

After a long time, Miss Morstan spoke softly.

"You know I don't have a father, and Ireland's economy has always been very bad," she said. "When I was a child, my mother pulled me and felt that I couldn't live in my hometown, so she pulled me to London. Henry and Dawson they , we Irishmen have always lived together."

"You have known each other since childhood." Mary was a little surprised.

"Yes," Miss Morstan nodded, "Henry is a few years older than us, but Dawson is about the same age as me. My mother died when I was 14, and my friends took care of me during that time until I Got a job in Hamp's factory."

Speaking of which, Miss Morstan raised her head, recalling the past, not only was she not sad, but she seemed very relaxed.

"Although it was hard work," she concluded, "I was very happy. I was alone, and I had no other worries when I was full alone, so I had more time to go out on the streets."

Because of this, Miss Morstan lives at the bottom of society, wearing patched clothes, but has many resources and insights that well-dressed gentlemen and ladies never have.

"I thought my life with my friends would last forever, until I saw them get married and have children and have a family, but I didn't expect..."

Miss Morstan could not go on.

Mary frowned, and she reached out and took Morstan's hand.

"fine."

Miss Morstan forced a smile: "Don't worry about me, Mary. I can get through it. I have experienced far more than you can imagine about life and death like this."

At this time, do you want to comfort yourself instead?

Miss Morstan was laughing, but Mary could not.

"What are you going to do next," she asked, "and Henry and Dawson's family, do you need my help?"

"Miss Irene has given both of their families a lot of money," Morstan said, "enough for their families to live on for a long time, you don't have to worry about it. As for me."

The red-haired girl sighed: "Maybe I will live in another place-don't worry, I won't disappear. I just want to move away from here so that I can start a new life."

When Mary heard the words, she hesitated to speak several times.

Seeing her hesitant appearance of wanting to speak but not daring to speak, Miss Morstan raised her eyebrows: "Speak straight, this is not your style."

"I think Dr. Watson would faint with joy if you accepted his advice to start a new life," said Mary, stammering.

Miss Morstan: "..."

She didn't seem to have the intention to refute. Mary was a little more courageous, and carefully tested: "Watson likes you so much, Morstan, are you not tempted at all?"

"What can I do if I'm tempted," replied Miss Morstan calmly. "I'm so poor, Mary."

"So, you are not denying that you like him."

"..."

If you don't like it, one sentence of dislike is enough to answer Mary's question.And Miss Morstan's first reaction was: her financial conditions are too poor, and she is not worthy of a military doctor who has returned from a wounded army.

Unworthy and dislike have different meanings, and Mary and Miss Morstan know each other well.

"Sometimes it's not like you can solve a problem," said Miss Morstan, closing her eyes, "Mary, if Mr. Bennet were not a country gentleman who owned land in the South, but a farmer with five beautiful Ruhua's daughter. Assuming Jane and Mr. Bingley still meet and still love each other, do you think Mr. Bingley will marry Jane?"

"... Watson is different."

"You say that," Miss Morstan curled her lips, "it proves that you know Mr. Bingley can't."

What else can Mary say?

Mr. Bingley, like Mr. Thornton, had made his fortune by industry or investment.Even if he plans to move to Netherfield Manor in the future, he still has properties in Milton and London.

So Mr. Bingley is richer than the father of the Bennet sisters, but the class is not much different.The same reasoning applies to Mr. Darcy - he is a big landowner but has no title, while Mr. Bennet is a small landowner, the two families are not well-matched, and the love between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth is not shocking. .

But it is another matter for a female worker to marry a gentleman.

"And in my opinion, nothing is different," Miss Morstan's tone was calm, but when she talked about her own love, she was so calm that she seemed a little indifferent, "It's different now, but when I grow old? I No property, Mary, no status, even if I like John Watson, then I can't drag him down because of my love."

"but--"

"Besides, have you forgotten who my father is? It's not that he is missing. My mother never hid it from me. My father is an officer stationed in India. He is still alive and may even have his own family."

Mary shivered.

As early as when they just met, Miss Morstan confessed her life experience.Irish people are discriminated against in British society, and illegitimate children can't get the status on the table.

Moreover, the same experience had already happened once to Miss Morstan's mother.

Witnessed her mother falling in love with a soldier and being abandoned—Mary didn't know what Miss Morstan's parents looked like or what their character was.But to be able to give birth to a beautiful, brave and sincere girl like Miss Morstan, both of them must have excellent genes.

But time has passed, and the grown-up Miss Morstan met John H. Watson, who was equally handsome and also had a military status. Facing his enthusiasm and sincerity, even though Morstan was not so calm, even if she was completely attracted by love Dazed to the head, what happened to her mother is in front of her, so she is bound to stop and think about it.

Unless a huge legal sum of several thousand pounds can be dropped on Miss Morstan's head, Mary really can't think of any way to relieve Miss Morstan's knot.

This is really irreplaceable!

"You don't have to worry about that," Mary said with a troubled face, and Miss Morstan took the initiative to end the topic, "It's you. I know what you're doing, but I didn't expect you to be writing detective novels. Blackwood is looking for someone Will it be disadvantageous to you if you disclose your real identity?"

It's not just "disadvantageous".

Mary has been very busy these days, and she has no time to communicate with the editor-in-chief of Hall, or to buy some newspapers and magazines to read.Now that the case is about to be settled, it is time to deal with the previous issues.

But Mary is not afraid of public opinion and gossip.

"I remember Blackwood's hanging next week," said Mary.

"Would you like to see it for yourself?"

"Look at his execution," Mary sneered a few times, "he doesn't deserve it."

Logically speaking, in this kind of big case, the suspect has a title, so the trial process should be delayed for a long time.But now witnesses, physical evidence, and more financial and banking proofs are all available.In addition, the case of the Illuminati is so extensive that even if the evidence of cults, illegal experiments, and illegal drug distribution is discarded, Blackwood's crimes of bribing government personnel and embezzling funds are enough to sentence him to death ten times.

Therefore, the court did not give Blackwood the opportunity to use his relationship or multiple trials at all, and directly confirmed the time of the death penalty.

"I have discussed the countermeasures with the editor-in-chief of "Beach Magazine," Mary explained. "After Blackwood's execution, when the public opinion is the hottest, we will invite a reporter to report on it."

Originally, Mary thought that an ordinary reporter would be fine, and it would be fine to publish it in "Seashore Magazine".Firstly, when talking about Blackwood, it is inevitable to talk about the cause and effect of the case, so it is bound to be a summary of Sherlock's adventures, which is still in line with the style of "Seashore Magazine"; secondly, Mary—or Philip Luther As the author of "Seaside Magazine", isn't it a matter of course for "Seaside Magazine" to respond.

But Mary still underestimated Hall's editor-in-chief.

The next day, the scheduled visitor arrived as scheduled, and Mary opened the door. Standing in front of her was a dusty middle-aged man who looked nothing like the reporter Mary knew: disheveled hair, disheveled clothes To make things work, the coat and white shirt looked like they had been washed and put on in a hurry, and they were crumpled and never ironed, not to mention the stubble on his face that he didn't bother to trim.Only those bright eyes are impressive.

He was startled when he saw Mary, and then asked tentatively, "Is that Miss Mary Bennet?"

Mary: "I am, are you...?"

The middle-aged man took off his hat: "I'm Franz Harvey, a reporter for The Times, just back from Milton, where I've been ordered by Editor-in-Chief Hall to write a report on Philip Luther. .”

— Franz Harvey!

Mary's eyes widened suddenly.

This is the Mr. reporter who agreed with Philip Luther's creation from the very beginning!

The author has something to say: Mary: class, property, and psychological shadow, how should this matchmaker be! [Holding a small cross at a loss.jpg]