[Comprehensive Classics] Detective Mary

"I have to go overseas."

The words of Mr. Sherlock Holmes were like a bucket of cold water poured on Mary, which completely chilled her heart because of the excitement of the detective reading the serial.

Mary is not stupid, she knows exactly what this means.Following Mr. Holmes to track down clues in London is nothing more than the detective's informality, Mr. Bingley's kind nature, and because Mary is Jane's sister, he gave face.

Even so, she encountered many difficulties in the process.

The initial animosity of the workers and the inconvenience of going out at night were small things, but the real problem was that Mary Bennet was a woman and not yet married.No matter how much Sherlock Holmes recognized her, Mary couldn't be like Dr. John Watson, his on-call colleague and assistant.

In other words, unless Mary kidnaps Holmes to marry now, she has no reason to go abroad with the detective to continue investigating the case.

Did the parting come so quickly?

Mary's mood can no longer be described as disappointment. She knows that she will always need to go home before she is truly financially independent. She wants to move out of Longbourn by herself. Moving to London will be a "tough battle". Before the war, it was impossible to meet Mr. Detective anytime, anywhere.

It's just that reason is rational. When he said the parting words, Mary was still a little sad.

But it didn't affect her thinking.

"Is it just the entrustment of Mr. Bingley and Mr. Thornton?" Mary asked, "Your carriage and accommodation expenses will be paid by them?"

"Yes."

"But financial resources are of secondary importance in a foreign country."

Mary said it herself, and seemed to understand something: "The informants needed for the investigation, where do the material resources other than manpower come from... Sir, there are other people to help you."

The detective lowered his head, and there was some sharpness in his light-colored eyes.

The thin gentleman put his hands in his pockets, straightened his spine, and showed an imperceptible smile.

"As perceptive as ever, Miss Mary," he said, "as well as Mr. Bingley and Mr. Thornton, there is one government official who wishes me to go through it myself."

Government officials?

Prior to this, Sherlock Holmes never said that Professor Moriarty manipulated the global market of the cotton spinning industry. "Government officials" learned that Mary's heart moved, could it be...

She probably has an answer.

But on the surface, she just blinked her eyes: "Then I can rest assured, sir, Professor Moriarty has a lot of influence, and someone must guarantee your safety. Can you tell me which country you plan to go to?"

"France and Germany," replied Holmes. "If I have time, I shall also take a look at Egypt."

This did not surprise Mary, although the supplier provided by Mr. Hamp was from the Caribbean Sea, which was a bit far away.

In contrast, Egypt also produces cotton raw materials, and is closer to Germany and France, two major industrial countries. Professor James Moriarty will definitely not let the suppliers here go.

And Sherlock Holmes had been investigating the cotton market long before he took over the theft case, and he must have more knowledge of James Moriarty than Mary.

But Mary's advantage over the detective is that she has read the original novel.

Professor Moriarty in "The Detective Sherlock Holmes" is the detective's lifelong enemy. Even if there is help, Mary still feels that it is dangerous to go to investigate alone.

She thought for a moment: "Be careful, sir. And, although I think you've figured it out, I think...Henry Deckard's state is not quite right."

Holmes: "Indeed."

As he spoke, he quickly glanced at Henry Deck who was waiting for Mr. Thornton to finish writing the letter of recommendation.

"If it had been Captain Carter who set the devil's heel on fire that day," he said, "someone would have noticed him when he was gone, but he wasn't."

"You think there is someone else?"

"After I leave, Miss Mary, you'd better not come to the slum again."

Mary froze, and immediately understood what the detective meant.

When planning to lure Captain Carter to take the bait, the detective repeatedly urged Mary to avoid being exposed to the eyes of any outsiders.She did a good job, and Mary was confident that even if Professor James Moriarty knew that there was a lady around Holmes to help, he would not find out about her.

But if the professor finds another way to follow up and inquire from the workers, Mary will be easily exposed.

Mary is not afraid of danger, and she has become conscious when she chooses to pursue the case, but Mary still has relatives and friends, and she cannot involve her parents and sisters.

So she nodded solemnly: "If there is anything, I will contact Miss Morstan first."

"Be sure to take care."

The meaning of this difference is also obvious!Mary couldn't take it.

Talking left and right, it can be summed up in one sentence, Mary still wants to go to investigate the case with Mr. Holmes.

The reality is cruel, alas.

Taking a step back, she and Jane had lived in London long enough, and it was time to go home.When she came to London, she left Lydia alone at home and was angry. The little sister still owes Mary five hats.

"Then, sir," began Mary, "my sister and Mr. Bingley will be married in the summer, and there are still a few months before that, and you..."

"I can't make it back."

Holmes understood him before Mary had finished speaking.The detective pressed the brim of his hat and responded solemnly: "Please congratulate Mr. Bingley on my behalf."

"Ok."

Mary had no choice but to agree: "There will be no case you are interested in at the wedding... well, it's better not to have any."

Hearing the second half of her sentence, Mr. Holmes couldn't help but shook his head.

"Let me wish a couple of lovers from the bottom of my heart, Miss," he said with the corners of his mouth hooked, "As for the progress of the case you are curious about, if I have time, I will also write to you, just like Same as London."

This somewhat comforted Mary.

At least the detective is still willing to communicate with her, isn't he?It is a great honor for Mary to make Holmes take the initiative to miss writing letters!

Therefore, she also had the idea of ​​pushing an inch.

"and also……"

When the words came to her mouth, Mary became cautious: "If it is convenient, can I send you the next few issues of "Seaside Magazine"? As you said, sir, I have never really solved a case, so your opinion and Ideas matter to me."

Holmes replied, "If you wish."

Mary: "Of course!"

It seemed that he didn't take Mary's serialization to heart at all, and he looked like I might not even read it if you sent it.But Mary felt that the detective would definitely read it. He read the beginning and complained that the editor-in-chief of Hall was too "commercial" out of context, which proved that he was curious about the later text.

Although she felt that Mr. Detective must criticize herself unceremoniously when the confrontational reasoning between Detective Philip Luther and the murderer Edmund unfolded later.

But with feedback, there is progress. Mary is not afraid of criticism. On the contrary, she thinks it is a ladder to improve herself.

So Mary reiterated: "I will send you the magazine as much as possible, and you must remember to give me feedback, sir!"

Holmes: "Have you anything else to say?"

Mary: "..."

Does she look so long-winded? !

Obviously, Sherlock Holmes saw Mary's reluctance at a glance, but in front of the male god, it was the persistent spirit of the fan girl that defeated Mary's shyness.

"And," she said relentlessly, "there is one last thing, sir."

"You have already told a great deal, miss," replied Holmes, "and it would be all right to add one more."

Upon hearing this, Mary raised her head very seriously, and looked straight into the detective's falcon-like eyes.

"You leave London and go abroad, but there may still be clues in the country," she said. "Although my identity is not convenient to move around, there is always something I can help. If there is, please let me know."

"Not yet, miss."

"There must be," insisted Mary, "and I'll do what I can—even if it's to find something for me to do!"

Holmes made no reply.

His momentary silence made Mary couldn't help but smile.

Not denying it again proves that the detective does have something to do with her.

"If you get the chance," he said bluntly, "you can go to Milton. I don't think Hamp is telling the whole truth. He may have recommended other partners to Professor Moriarty besides Mr. Bingley. .”

Sure enough, Mr. Holmes did not like Mr. Hamp very much.

In the original book, the detective's likes and dislikes towards the client are obvious. A businessman like Hamp who shirks responsibility and only cares about self-protection is naturally not within the scope of the detective's approval.

"I'll find a way."

Mary thought about it. Since Mr. Bingley and Mr. Thornton are partners, it is not too difficult to go to Milton.

"I wish you all the best, sir," she said very reluctantly, "Please also pay attention to your own safety first in the process of tracing clues."

"I will."

After speaking, Mr. Holmes stretched out his right hand.

The tall and thin gentleman stretched out his palm in front of Mary, and when his bony fingers stood in front of Mary, she froze.

Mary Bennet hadn't seen this pose in 19 years.

Sherlock Holmes, to shake her hand.

It wasn't a hypocritical gentleman's salute, nor was it a distant nod, he was willing to shake hands with her—traveling to the Victorian era for so long, Mary almost forgot that there was a handshake in the world.

Of course there are handshakes in the world, but no one would shake hands with an unmarried lady, which was unimaginable for young women in the nineteenth century.

Mary never felt that the "courtesy" of the gentlemen in the Victorian era to the rich ladies really regarded them as equals, that's not true, everything is just a naked need relationship covered under the bourgeois social moral etiquette— — Ladies need protection and care, because they are not independent people, not thinking individuals, but objects around a decent gentleman, a canary in a birdcage, a beautiful doll in a doll's house!

And in this era, decades before women's suffrage, Sherlock Holmes extended his right hand to her.

Mary's astonishment was so obvious that the detective raised his eyebrows: "Why?"

The implication: Isn't this what you want?

This is of course what Mary wants!

At that moment, an indescribable emotion welled up in her heart, and Mary only felt a kind of joy and bitterness entangled in her chest, which turned into a feeling that was far beyond being moved, neither admiration nor longing, and gradually formed .

——He treats her as an equal, healthy person.

Mary felt her soul truly come alive.In the past days, she would also consider whether it was right for her to be so "ignorant" and not to be a model lady.She has been confused and confused, but now someone finally tells her with actions that her persistence is not wrong.

This man is Sherlock Holmes.

Her eyes suddenly lit up.

Mary stared at him deeply, she let out a long breath, and curled up the corners of her lips as if letting go of some heavy burden.Mary also extended her right hand, and it was in the palm of the detective's hand.

Palms touching, skin touching, his dry and wide palm gently held Mary's hand.

The contact was only for a short moment, but it was indeed precious to Mary.

Because Mary communicated with others from the soul for the first time in this era.

And this person is still Sherlock Holmes.

The author has something to say: Mary: What to do?It seems that there is no other way except to kidnap the male god and get married right away... um... Kidnapping the male god and marrying?

Elizabeth: ? ? ?What do you want to do? ?

Mary [about to move.gif]: 0v0

Regarding the plot of the handshake ceremony, I actually hesitated for a while.

How to put it, in fact, Lao Fu in the original book did not clearly state that he holds an equal attitude towards women, and even clearly stated that he thinks women are troublesome and should stay away.But I personally think... this is not Lao Fu's problem, it is Sir Conan Doyle who is restricted by the times.No one is to blame for this. Women in that era didn't even have the right to vote. There is no way around age restrictions.

But regardless of the background of the author himself, I think according to Lao Fu’s own intelligence and vision, even if he doesn’t care about social politics at all, he will not treat people with gender prejudice.And in fact, although Lao Fu said that women are troublesome, I personally think that in the original book, he respects several distinctive female characters.

So after thinking about it, I still wrote this plot. Lao Fu can definitely see that Mary is not willing to be the daughter of a country gentleman, so I think this is the best way for him to express his support.