[Comprehensive Classics] Detective Mary

It turned out that Mr. Holmes had also received a banquet invitation from Sir Blackwood.

Not surprisingly, Sir Blackwood had known the detective longer, and now it was clear that he had a problem.Although Sherlock Holmes never cared about the social life of balls and high society, in order to track down clues, he can even disguise himself as an old flower woman and come to Milton secretly, and it is not trivial to put on a tuxedo.

Moreover, Mr. Holmes was really handsome in his tuxedo.

He is tall and straight, with handsome eyebrows and eyes, and looks elegant in black clothes.Who would have guessed that such a gentleman was the same detective who huddled in thought by the fireplace at 221b Baker Street?

Mary couldn't help laughing when she thought of Holmes who was usually lost in thought and disregarded his image.

"What?" Holmes raised his eyebrows. "Does Miss Mary think that I am not good enough to take on the important task of introducing you to the guests?"

"of course not."

Mary shook her head, then happily took Holmes' arm, and looked up at Sir Blackwood: "Thank you, sir, but today is your banquet, and there must be more important guests here than me. Let Mr. Holmes lead me That's fine, let's not bother you anymore."

Sir Blackwood no longer insisted: "Then please."

Out of Jazz's hearing range, Mary said, "When did you come, sir?"

Holmes: "Just now."

Mary: "Where's Dr. Watson?"

Holmes: "He is—"

"—Isn't this little Sherlock Holmes!"

"..."

The usually calm detective showed an impatient look.

But that was fleeting, Mary followed the prestige and saw a lady in her 40s approaching.She looked at Sherlock Holmes in amazement: "What a rare visitor, I actually saw you in and out of the banquet...Oh my god, you brought a female companion!"

Mary: "..."

Don't be another Lady Catherine type lady!

Although Mary liked the part where the detective wentssip about middle-aged women, neither of them came here to chat and chat. If any lady came to say hello to the detective, it would be too much delay.

Of course, the complaints in her heart belonged to the complaints, and Mary still politely greeted the luxuriously dressed lady: "Good evening, madam."

Her neither humble nor overbearing posture and tone brought the lady a satisfied look.

"Mrs. Hindley," said Holmes perfunctorily, "this is Miss Mary Bennet."

"Bennet?"

The lady hesitated for a moment: "This surname sounds...familiar."

Mary: "My eldest sister is Mr. Bingley's wife. If you know Mr. Bingley, ma'am, she is here today, and is by my brother-in-law's side."

Hearing the name of Charles Bentley, the lady suddenly realized.

"It turned out to be that beautiful lady!"

Sighing, she turned her eyes around Mary's body, and finally stopped at her skirt.

"Sure enough, one shouldn't believe in rumors," the lady said politely. "People say that Mr. Bingley is good everywhere. Unfortunately, he has found a country wife, so he really can't get on the stage. However, you and your sister even compare Many of the rich ladies present are eye-catching."

This is said, as if the girls from the Bennet family are all bacon placed on the stall.The condescending attitude of the noble lady is no different from that of Lady Catherine.

If she wants to leave her usual life, Mary will definitely put on her signature smirk, and taunt her back in a neutral manner.But now... the lady's eyes were fixed on her skirt.

"You're too much of a prize, ma'am," Mary said after a second thought, "clothes make a man."

The noble lady who had been punctured did not become angry. Instead, she showed a satisfied smile because Mary kindly provided a step to start the conversation: "Speaking of clothes, you and your sister's dresses are really eye-catching. Miss Mary, there is no tailor in London yet. The style is unfamiliar to me."

"Our clothes are not designed by tailors."

"Oh?"

"My little sister Lydia likes to do nothing but sew," said Mary, "and tonight our gowns were designed by her in her spare time--this Such a small interest is really not on the table, how can it be compared with the tailors in London."

Hearing this, the lady's eyes lit up.

Everyone knows that the rumored phrase "Mr. Bingley's wife is from the country" is not a lie.It is true that the Bennet family has no great wealth and high status.The youngest daughter of a squire's family is extremely talented in needlework, which is not something that can't be brought up on the table as Mary said.

Of course, a lady like Mrs. Hindley naturally looked down on the Bennet sisters who had to make their own dresses, and Mary didn't care what she thought.

Just let her know that Lydia has fine handwork and more fashionable designs than most tailors in London.

If Lydia can really be a Victorian designer, who cares about her parentage?Just like Ms. Chanel was not born with a golden spoon in her mouth, but the ladies of the upper class in Paris still have to curry favor with her.

"It turns out that the ladies of the Bennet family are all great," Mrs. Hindley said, "Then, Miss Mary, can you show kindness and satisfy my curiosity, among the ladies present, which one is your sister Lily?" Miss Dia?"

"Wearing a lake blue dress, the fifteen or sixteen-year-old is my younger sister."

"It turned out to be that gorgeous girl."

Elizabeth was absent, and besides Jane she was the most beautiful of the Miss Bennets.As an in-law of Mr. Bingley's family, she is good-looking and well-dressed. Even if she speaks innocently, she is still a girl who attracts attention at the banquet.

Mrs. Hindley had noticed Lydia a long time ago, but she did not expect that she was also a Miss Bennet.

"Thank you."

The lady smiled and said, "It is really worthwhile to attend Sir Blackwood's banquet today. And you, Mr. Holmes, how is your family?"

Holmes: "My parents are very good."

Mrs. Hindley: "Where's your brother?"

Holmes: "He is very well, too."

Anyone with a discerning eye could see the detective's perfunctory attitude. Mrs. Hindley pursed her lips in displeasure, but Sherlock Holmes's reputation was well known, and the aristocratic restraint finally made her restrain her displeasure.After the lady said goodbye to Mary, she left directly.

Thank goodness.

If it weren't for the detective's lazy attitude, Mary was really afraid that the lady would talk endlessly.

Mary doesn't even like casual and cheerful country dances, let alone this kind of luxurious banquets that must be held at any time and anywhere.

And she knew that Mr. Holmes didn't like it either.

Sensing Mary's gaze, Holmes turned his head slightly: "I do have an older brother."

Mary: "..."

What she wants to ask is not whether this is good or not.

Sherlock Holmes never mentioned his own family situation, but Mary also knew the detective's family composition without him.Not only did she know that he had an elder brother, but she also knew the elder brother's name, and even his approximate professional status.

"I know," said Mary, "that Lady Catherine greeted your family at Pemberley Park."

Thinking of the scene where Holmes mocked Mrs. Catherine, Mary couldn't help but twitched her lips: "What I want to ask is, detective, why did you invite me to the banquet?"

Holmes: "Follow me."

He led Mary into the crowd, passed many unfamiliar or familiar faces, and went directly to the second floor of the hall.

Standing on a high place, the faces of all the men and women in the banquet can be seen at a glance.

"At two o'clock, a middle-aged man in his 50s." Holmes said.

"The one with the gray hair?"

"The one with the watch."

Mary understood: "It looks like I've seen it before."

Holmes: "A judge of high esteem, and the young man who speaks to him is a member of parliament."

Mary: "A friend of Sir Blackwood?"

Holmes: "Probably a member of the Illuminati."

So this is the real purpose of Mr. Holmes' dinner.

Of course, Mary didn't come here to play, she stood on a high place and searched around: "What else?"

"The priest at eleven o'clock."

"Priests too?"

Mary was shocked: "Could it be that the Illuminati believe in God?"

If you believe in God and abuse the drug devil's heel, wouldn't you be afraid of being sentenced to hell after death? The herb from Africa should be used by pagans and witches in the eyes of Christians.

"The priest's status is special," said Holmes calmly, "and it is easy to gain the trust of the poor. As to whether he believes in God, I think it is not important."

This is true.

Doing cult things in the name of Christianity, such cases are not uncommon in 21.

"So……"

Mary looked at the crowd in the hall: "Where is the lady talking to the priest? It seems that the two of them are very familiar, and they may also be members of the Illuminati."

"His lover."

"……what."

She suddenly realized: "No wonder that lady wears a cross as jewelry. I thought she was a believer. Just now the priest squeezed her wrist."

Holmes hooked the corner of his mouth: "Very keen observation, Miss Mary."

Mary: "So Sir Blackwood did invite quite a few companions."

Holmes: "What?"

Mary looked away.

Standing on a high place, they can see any corner of the hall clearly, and they will not miss everyone's expressions and behaviors.

"Nothing," said Mary calmly, "just a bird's-eye view of the whole banquet, and you and I are the last people to be here, sir. And to this day, I don't understand why Sir Blackwood behaved to me at Pemberley Park." Got a good impression."

The wedding of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy also invited many decent and wealthy single ladies. When Mary and Sir Blackwood met for the first time, there were many people standing in the living room. She strikes up a conversation.

Mary Bennet was neither the prettiest nor the prettiest.Apart from his scheming, Mary could not think of any reason to attract the attention of a rich and famous bachelor.

"However, if there is a conspiracy," Mary was very confused again, "I don't see what he is planning."

"You helped me stop James Moriarty's conspiracy," Holmes said, "The members of the Illuminati organization are all in a superior position, and the government followed the vines and found out many factory owners under Moriarty's protection. Among them, there must be People who are members of the Illuminati."

That's much more reasonable.

Sir Blackwood said that it was Mr. Darcy who informed him of the situation—Mary knew that Darcy's brother-in-law was not a gossip.

Although in order to ensure Mary's personal safety, the detective hid Mary behind the entire case.But the "women who assisted Sherlock Holmes" weren't hard to find.

A little inquiring shows that Mary Bennet and Holmes are very friendly.

In this case, it seems that it is not a problem to deliberately approach Mary and take the initiative to talk to her.

"So," Mary turned her head to look at Holmes, "what's next, sir? You have deduced a list of possible members of the Illuminati, what are you going to do next?"

"Walk with me."

"what?"

Sherlock Holmes let go of the handrail.

Putting on a tuxedo, the skinny detective transformed himself as if he had changed his armor.Although he still had that indifferent expression, the randomness and willfulness in his life completely disappeared.

Mary looked at his sculptural side profile, coupled with his straight spine, as if Sherlock Holmes had never been a detective lying on the sofa smoking and thinking desperately, but a handsome gentleman.

However, such a detective is handsome, but in essence he is just one of his disguises.

If she hadn't seen him dressed as a flower girl and a worker, Mary felt that she would have been deceived like the other ladies present.It is one of Mr. Holmes's specialties that, if he wants to blend in with his surroundings, he does so impeccably.

This is true whether it is on the street or in the social occasions of the aristocrats.

The detective in a tuxedo and cross-dressing dutifully fulfilled his "promise"—not discreetly leading Mary around the set, introducing her to every distinguished guest he knew.Mary also met Mr. Brownlow and Miss Louzi in "Oliver Twist" with satisfaction, which was a small wish fulfilled.

His fanfare and uncharacteristic enthusiasm naturally fell into the eyes of all the guests.

Mary felt that by the second day of the banquet, everyone would know that Holmes had a female friend.

But it's not over yet.

While introducing, Mary felt that Holmes was leading her to the edge of the hall without any trace.After chatting with Miss Luzi, they almost stopped by the side door.

Others couldn't see Holmes' intentions, couldn't Mary?

She was very speechless: "A couple of men and women slipped from the side door of the hall to the side hall before the banquet ended, and they were about to seal their tryst if they were seen. Sir, I think you know this very well, right?"

Holmes snorted, "So what? Everyone in the hall saw that I 'snatched' you from Sir Blackwood."

Mary: "..."

That's not OK!

She didn't mind being alone with Holmes. Anyway, according to the detective's logic, she could do anything except drag herself to a secluded place, but it was impossible to confide in her heart.

And with 21st-century morals, Mary has no problem being alone.

But she can ignore her own reputation, but she can't ignore her two younger sisters.Once Mary became a flirt with bachelors, she was not alone in suffering.

"If you want to check your surroundings," Mary said, "I certainly won't shirk it. But sir, please leave first, and I'll meet you later."

"Alright."

Holmes did not insist.

He looked down at Mary: "It's a last resort, Miss Mary. Let more people know you and your relatives. The more you expose, the more protection you will have."

Mary understands.

As Holmes said, most of the party now knew that the detective had "snatched" from Sir Blackwood.A plain unmarried lady wins the favor of two handsome men, enough for gossip.Since then, the Bennet sisters who have received attention are on the bright side.

In this way, even if Guangguang wanted to harm Mary, it would not be convenient for him to do so secretly.

The two stayed in the banquet hall for the time being.Mary watched Holmes quietly leave the hall, then returned to the crowd and found Catherine.

She whispered something in her sister's ear, and before long, Catherine declared that she was a little dizzy and asked Mary to take her to the side hall to rest.

As soon as the two girls came out of the hall, they took advantage of people's unpreparedness and immediately turned around to the back door of the side hall.

There were people coming and going at the banquet, and Sir Blackwood had invited a lot of people. It was hard to find that there were two missing girls who were not all attention.

"Where, where?!"

Catherine, who has read so many detective adventure novels, participated in "solving the case" for the first time in her life.After confirming that she was safe, she immediately yelled out, "Where did you meet Mr. Holmes?"

"Here."

Mary held Catherine in one hand and her skirt in the other, and walked around in the dark to the corner of the garden behind the building.The two girls turned a corner and almost ran into two dark figures head on.

"Oh my—"

"Shh!"

Mary reacted in time, covering Catherine's mouth and suppressing her screams back into her throat.

After confirming that she would not shout out, Mary let her go: "Slow down."

Catherine lowered her voice: "My God."

She widened her eyes and saw clearly the two dark figures busy outside the banquet: "Mr. Holmes—and Dr. Watson!"

After the two ladies got used to the darkness outside, they were able to see clearly what Holmes and Watson were busy with.

The handsome noble son Sherlock Holmes at the banquet completely disappeared in the night.The detective took off his shoes, rolled up his trouser legs, and stepped into the mud.In order to prevent the mud from staining the tuxedo, he even rolled up his sleeves and bent down in the dark night to look for something.

Mary laughed out loud immediately: This is the real Sherlock Holmes, okay?

And his right-hand man, Dr. Watson, who came to Sir Blackwood Manor over the wall at some time, looked at the detective's shoes with a relaxed expression, and did not forget to press his hat on the two ladies, Mary and Catherine. He said very politely: "Good evening, ladies."

Catherine: "Have you been waiting outside for the detective, doctor?"

Watson: "It didn't take long."

Holmes: "I asked him to come an hour after the party began."

Watson: "Yes, it's just an extra hour of waiting."

Watson who said this did not forget to take out his pocket watch, and looked at the time seriously: "Oh, I'm sorry, I blamed Holmes by mistake, it's only 58 minutes and 31 seconds."

After Mary, Catherine is also amused by Watson's sarcasm.

She looked curiously at Holmes who kept groping in the dark: "What are you looking for, doctor?"

Watson: "The underground waterway."

Mary shivered.

So, this is the real purpose of Sherlock Holmes coming to the banquet.

"Catherine and I will go to the garden to watch," Mary suggested. "The two sisters will not attract attention outside. If someone comes over, Catherine will laugh three times, and I say don't make fun of me."

"I'm sorry to trouble you, Miss Mary," said Watson politely.

"No trouble!"

Catherine was thrilled.Lydia became the most eye-catching pretty lady at the banquet, while Catherine was not as good-looking as the younger sister, and she had nothing special, and she felt bored staying with Jane.

The current situation not only freed her from the boring situation, but also participated in the pursuit of clues. She appeared to be more enthusiastic than Mary.

The two Bennet sisters walked to the middle of the garden, and stood under the tree facing the window, talking in a low voice.

In this way, looking from the banquet, all you can see is that the two sisters are looking for a private place to whisper secretly.

"Mr. Holmes is so bold," Catherine said in amazement. "He dared to take the invitation letter to inquire about Sir Blackwood's house. Is there any secret in his house?"

Mary: "Maybe."

Catherine: "Dr. Watson is also very powerful. You won't be found if you climb over the wall."

Mary: "..."

Thinking of Watson complaining just now, Mary couldn't help but raise the corners of her lips.

The doctor complained, but the person came over obediently.His warm-hearted and adventurous character, Mary had a deep experience in Milton.

"Why are you looking for the underground waterway?" Catherine was full of curiosity. "Did you find any clues from the underground waterway, Mary?"

"I am not sure as well."

This is the truth, and Mary didn't go to the sewer: "But since the detective is so sure, he must have his own deduction."

"Too."

Knowing the principle of obediently cooperating if you don't understand, Catherine accepted Mary's argument without any hindrance.She thought for a moment: "I still want to know—"

"found it!"

Watson's deliberately low voice came from the corner of the garden.

The two girls didn't wait too long, pretending to go back to the side hall, they took a step around the corner of the garden first.

Mary walked forward, and what she saw was Sherlock Holmes who was in the mud and stopped at the edge of the garden fence. He bent down slightly and wiped away the wet soil on the ground with his bare hands.

"Here." He said.

By the moonlight, Mary clearly saw a triangular frame without eyes drawn on the iron manhole cover.

The author has something to say: Mary is a little maid when Lao Fu is dressed normally, Mary is a beauty in men’s clothing when Lao Fu is disguised as a worker, and Mary is a dress when Lao Fu is wearing a tuxedo.

Marie Nuannuan: Thank you Lydia for your cooperation.

Lydia:? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?you wait a minute!