[Comprehensive Classics] Detective Mary

Miss Bingley saw a ghost?

This matter spread throughout the ball in an instant, and the music was suspended. Mr. Bingley hurriedly brought Miss Bingley back, ordered his servants to close the gate of the manor, and was constantly comforting her.

"What's the matter?" asked Mr. Bingley.

The terrified Miss Bingley was pale, with tears in her eyes.Fortunately, all the men and women who came to the ball were staying where they were, and everyone was talking about it, and the uproarious voices made Miss Bingley calm down a little.Wiping her tears with a handkerchief, she stumbled and said, "I just want to go to the side room to rest for a while, and then I saw a black handprint on the window. I looked at the window and saw a, a black figure, disappearing in the garden." Already!"

Miss Bingley's voice fell to the ground, and many ladies present covered their mouths in horror.

Darcy on the side said: "It's not haunted in the morning, it's not haunted in the evening, but it happens to be haunted when there are the most people at the ball."

Mrs. Hurst raised her head slightly dissatisfied upon hearing this: "Do you mean that my sister is lying?"

Mr. Darcy was too lazy to argue with Mrs. Hurst. At the ball, he lacked interest and was taciturn. He looked directly at Mr. Bingley: "I think the possibility of man-made is greater than haunted, we should..."

Before he finished speaking, he saw the second lady of the Bennet family, Elizabeth Bennet, who was snubbed by Darcy himself at the ball, holding a skirt in one hand and a paraffin lamp in the other, and turned towards what Miss Bingley said. Walk in the direction of the hall.

Without even thinking about it, Darcy directly blocked Elizabeth's way: "I think you'd better stay in the hall, Miss Bennet."

Elizabeth raised her eyes, and Darcy noticed that although the second lady of the Bennet family was not as beautiful as Jane Bennet, she had a pair of smart eyes.Those dark eyes were intelligent and bright, as if they had their own life, lighting up her entire face.

"Since it is better to stay in the hall, what are you doing near the side hall, sir?" Elizabeth asked boldly, looking directly at Mr. Darcy.

"Of course I want to check the situation in the side hall."

"And so am I," said Elizabeth unceremoniously. "With all due respect, Mr. Darcy, it seems that you have an intention to stop others."

"..."

Darcy suddenly became angry, he didn't say that Elizabeth was sneaky, but she turned against the general first?

Just as he was brewing his words and preparing to fight back, the door of the side hall opened.

Everyone was shocked, but it was Mary Bennet who had just danced with Mr. Bingley who came out from the side hall.

Mary looked at Elizabeth and Darcy who were facing each other faintly, with a puzzled expression on her face: "What are you arguing about? Have you brought the paraffin lamp, Lizzie? I found some clues. The side hall is too dark to see clearly."

Elizabeth raised the paraffin lamp upon hearing this, but ignored Darcy: "Let's go."

The two ladies took the lead and left Mr. Darcy aside. He couldn't get angry directly, so he had to follow behind with Mr. Bingley.

Darcy didn't speak, but Mr. Bingley showed a surprised expression: "When did you come to the side hall, Miss Mary?"

Mary was dancing with Bingley when it happened.Even if the "haunted" incident is artificially made as Darcy said, it will definitely not be Mary.

"That's when Miss Bingley said the ghost was in the side hall," she answered logically.

"It's absurd," Mr. Darcy rebuked, "to act without your master's permission, and if it's a robber or some other outlaw, who will be responsible for your safety?"

Mary was not angry either, she just smiled indifferently: "Come with me."

As she spoke, she took Elizabeth's paraffin lamp and led everyone to the window.

In fact, when Mary heard the word haunted, what she thought was basically the same as that of Mr. Darcy—there are so many people in the ballroom, it is too inappropriate to be haunted, right?And as a time traveler who has been educated in Marxist materialism since she was a child, Mary really cannot accept the theory of ghosts and gods... well, the world of novels is not necessarily materialistic. Who knows what strange works the author mixed into when constructing the worldview set up.

But Marx also said that practice is the only source of knowledge, and even if there are ghosts, seeing is believing.

These words cannot be said to the gentlemen and ladies of the Victorian era, so Mary simply gave up communication, and when she heard that something was wrong in the side hall, she called Elizabeth to get a paraffin lamp, and she took the lead in acting without authorization.

"There is only such a window in the side hall," Mary pushed open the closed window and explained, "I came directly to check the situation, and then I saw this."

Saying so, Mary lifted the paraffin lamp to the window sill.

It was not yet the age when electric lights were widely used, but the lit paraffin lamps were enough for everyone to see Mary's discovery: not only was there a handprint on the window that frightened Miss Bingley, but there was also a black shoe print on the window sill.

"With all due respect," Mary began, "who lives in the bedroom above the side hall?"

"It is I," replied Mr. Bingley.

"Then I think," she raised the corner of her mouth, "you should see what's missing in your room, sir."

Mary put away the paraffin lamp and continued: "The garden at night is very humid. The visitor may have accidentally fallen into the mud, leaving handprints and footprints. And judging by the size of the shoe prints, it should be a man. I I just opened the window and saw that there is a decorative pattern on the top of this window, Mr. Bingley, rather than a ghost, I think it’s more like Miss Bingley ran into a thief who wanted to grab the decorative pattern and climb over the wall to your room.”

Mr. Bingley frowned: "In this case..."

"You go and examine your own rooms," said Mr. Darcy, "and I will accompany the two ladies back to the hall to announce the matter."

Mary: "Ah... wait a minute, Mr. Bingley."

How can it be announced just now, the suspect has not been caught yet, if it is an internal crime, wouldn't this be a warning.

"We must look into the garden, Mr. Darcy," suggested Mary, "perhaps we can find some footprints, and see where he has gone."

Darcy frowned: "It's too dangerous, you can't go."

Mary was extremely disappointed: "Is it not possible?"

She was really curious about how a living person could disappear from the garden as Miss Bingley said.

The arrogant Mr. Darcy didn't know what Mary was thinking, but Elizabeth did.Seeing Mary's gaze, she couldn't stop glancing out of the window, and immediately understood her sister's intentions.

Elizabeth pretended to be relieved: "It's okay, Mr. Darcy is afraid to go, we can go by ourselves."

Mary covered her mouth in surprise: "Is Mr. Darcy so timid?"

Darcy: "..."

What do you mean he didn't dare and was timid? !Of course he dared, but how could the ladies come forward for this kind of matter? Even if there was an investigation, it should be left to the men and servants.

He didn't believe that the ladies of the Bennet family didn't understand this truth, especially the elder sister, Elizabeth Bennet clearly did it on purpose.Seeing her lively eyes and Mary Bennet's pretended confusion, Darcy was almost speechless by the two sisters singing together.

"Please go back to the hall," Darcy said coldly, "Mr. Bingley and I will take people to the garden to investigate the situation."

Mr. Bingley, who was watching his friend being picked on by two ladies, couldn't help laughing.He has a very good personality, knowing that Mary and Elizabeth sincerely want to find out the culprit, and he doesn't care about their impolite behavior. Will pay attention."

Well, compared to Darcy, Mary still likes her future eldest brother-in-law, Mr. Bingley-at least he respects her and listens to people.

"It's nothing," Mary said frankly, "I personally think the thief should be an insider, or at least a local who is familiar with Netherfield Manor. Stealing things at the ball is a good choice, everyone is obsessed with socializing , the number of people is large, and it is easier to fish in troubled waters. But first of all, he knows that there will be a dance tonight, and second, he must be familiar with the structure of the manor, otherwise he will not know that the master bedroom is above the side hall. This thief is not smart, whether he runs away or It is hidden in the manor, and you can track it down by borrowing the hounds raised by Mr. Steward."

After listening to the explanation, Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief: "I think Miss Bingley need not be afraid."

Judging from this situation, the possibility of being a ghost is extremely low.

It's not a real monster, and Mary still feels a pity.You must know that Britain is an important place of production of fantasy novels. If you can’t see the vast world of Middle-earth and the intriguing Westeros continent, it’s okay to join in the excitement of Harry Potter, alas.

After all, the thief was unlucky enough.If Miss Bingley hadn't bumped into her and wiped off her footprints when she climbed over the wall, Mr. Bingley would have had a lot of time to transfer the stolen goods when he went back and found that the bedroom had been stolen.The English countryside in this era does not have a complete police system like London.Solving crimes in rural areas can basically only mobilize the masses.

"I have a request, sir." Mary thought for a moment and said.

"If the murderer is caught, can I meet him some other day," she said, "I am curious about his motives. You have just moved to Netherfield Manor, and no foolish and greedy servant will strike right away. , They have a lot of opportunities to take advantage, I think... Maybe there are other reasons for this behavior."

"No problem, I have to thank you for your kind help, Miss Mary," Mr. Bingley said with a smile. "It seems that the rumors that Miss Bennet is very intelligent are true. I have never seen a lady so bold. , thinking so quickly."

Mary had no choice but to reply with a smile: "I just read a few detective novels that my father brought back from London."

"Detective novels," Darcy said suddenly.

Mr. Darcy was not expecting to take over, and Mary expected him to sneer at the popularity.Mr. Darcy looked at Mr. Bingley, who naturally understood what he was thinking: "So, I remember that Mr. Holmes' youngest son became a detective in London."

Mary: "..."

what sir? ?What detective? ?

Holmes? ? ? ? ? ?