[Pride and Prejudice] Mary's Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 45 dance party is too lively

The second dance started soon. This time Mary refused Mr. Lake's invitation, and sat quietly on a chair to rest for a while. She watched the cheerful people on the dance floor in a daze. Not far from her, at this time Aunt Gardiner walked up to her and sat down.

"Why are you frowning? Are you still angry about your mother?"

"No, you know, I can't be angry for long."

"Don't be sad. Although every girl hopes to have an independent social dance, since the matter has come to this point, don't worry too much, otherwise it will be easy to feel resentful. That is not suitable for our lovely Mary."

Mary smiled, "Yes, I don't really mind that much, you know I'm not that interested in dancing, I'd rather have time to read a book or ride a horse."

"That can't be done," objected Aunt Gardiner. "How are girls going to find love if they don't come out to dance lessons?"

"How can love at a ball be reliable? People will be disturbed by the warm atmosphere, lights and music will confuse people's reason, making people think that love has happened, but this feeling is likely to end after dawn."

"You're too pessimistic, Mary. People get to know each other more when they dance, and that kind of love will be strong."

"Can those men and women get to know each other just by circling each other a few times on the dance floor? I really doubt it!"

"Of course not, my dear Mary, but dance is the first step for people to fall in love. It can eliminate the strangeness between people, make people feel at ease, and communicate with each other frankly and sincerely. Isn't it men and women at that time? Is it a good opportunity to get to know each other?"

After Mary thought about it, it was true. Strangers would always be a bit reserved when speaking, but this feeling of strangeness disappeared especially quickly after these people danced together. From this, it seems that she did maintain a prejudice against the ball. So she thought that if someone invited her to the next song, she might as well go to the dance floor to show off unfamiliar dance steps and get to know a certain gentleman.

Mr. Alfred had already stood aside and heard the conversation between Mary and Mrs. Gardiner from the beginning to the end. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but he had been standing here a long time ago. Mary and Aunt Gardiner were in the noisy In order to hear each other clearly in the sound of music, they can't talk too quietly.

However, the conversation between Mary and her aunt managed to attract Mr. Alfred's attention. He didn't like dancing either. Immediately, he felt a sense of confidant, and at the same time, he also heard Mrs. Gardiner's words of persuasion to Mary. These words also persuaded him. Like Mary, he believed that he should not have excessive prejudice against the ball, so he walked to Mary's side Sincerely begging Miss Mary to be his partner for the next dance, Mary was a little surprised. This gentleman does not seem to be a person who likes to dance, but since he is so gentlemanly, he faithfully fulfills the duties of a young gentleman at a ball. Responsibility, of course she would not refuse.But before that, she asked the gentleman frankly if he would mind if she brought a dancing fan?

Mr. Alfred did not expect Mary to be so frank. He smiled and said, "If you are willing to lend me some when I need it."

In an instant, Mary's affection for Mr. Alfred doubled.

As the name suggests, dancing fans are fans worn during dancing. They are no different from other fans, but they are made of paper. After unfolding, the music score and dance steps drawn on them can be seen at a glance. It is very suitable for those fledglings who are not proficient in dancing. For beginners, this is a blatant dance cheat.

Dancing is the first skill that girls must master. It ranks firmly before all skills. If a lady admits that she is not good at dancing, she is blatantly declaring that she is ignorant, so many girls are not good at dancing. I like to use dancing fans, or I dare not use them openly.

But Mary is different, she really needs this, it's better to have a dancing fan than to do the wrong dance.

At this time, the second piece of music was also over, and everyone applauded enthusiastically. There was a gap in the middle, and the young people who had just finished dancing took the opportunity to sit down and have a rest. Jane and Elizabeth sat next to Mary, and Alice Mr. Alfred was also called away by his brother.

The sisters just said a few private words, and Miss White came over. This is the CEO of her family, and Mary immediately responded with 12 points of enthusiasm to chat with her.Several girls spoke very congenially, especially Elizabeth, who felt that she hated seeing this lady very much, and even regretted that she did not visit Miss White with Jane and Mary a few years ago, so she missed a good opportunity to make close friends.

The next song will start again soon, and because Mary has already promised Mr. Alfred, she stands up quickly and walks to her seat.The rest of the ladies did not intend to continue dancing. They all danced twice in a row and decided to take a longer break. Jane even rejected Mr. Lawrence's invitation to dance because she had already danced two pieces with him. .

Mr. Alfred danced very well. In order not to be cold, he also found some topics to chat with Mary in a timely manner, and talked about the first time they met.

"At that time, Miss Mary said that the shelf life of the fruit could be extended. Later, I tasted the canned fruit you invented. The flavor is very unique. According to Andrew, the shelf life is indeed very long."

"Don't say that I invented canned fruit, sir," Mary said with some embarrassment, "In fact, I got this inspiration after reading the article by the French Mr. Abel. , Mr. Appel also successfully produced canned fruit for Napoleon one year after our patent, and I just stood on the shoulders of that giant."

Her modesty made Mr. Alfred quite fond of it, "The shoulders of giants are not so easy to step on, and you don't have to be humble at all. You really benefit our sailors a lot."

"If there's any consolation for me other than making us rich, it's probably this. Mr. Lake said that those who have lived at sea for a long time love our cans, and we are looking for ways to continue to extend its shelf life. , Mr. Lake also plans to build canning factories in other places overseas, so that sailors can have more ways to buy these cans. After all, Britain is not a country rich in fruits, but those countries in the south have There are a lot of cheap fruits, and setting up factories there will not only make us more profitable, but people can also buy cheaper canned food..." Mary suddenly realized that this topic was a bit inappropriate, this is not a lady Topics that should be talked about, they should talk about more elegant arts such as music, literature, and painting.

"What's the matter?" Mr. Alfred found out that Mary had suddenly cut off the topic in the middle of speaking, so he couldn't help asking.

Mary smiled awkwardly, "I suddenly realized that this is not something that a lady like me should talk about with a gentleman. Please forgive me, you are probably going to laugh at me for being too vulgar?"

Alfred let out a warm and low laugh when he heard the words, "If talking about the economy is vulgar, it will involve too many people. Gentlemen nowadays, who hasn't read "The Wealth of Nations"? Who doesn't admire Adam? What about Smith?"

Mary smiled gratefully at him: "Thank you for giving me such a noble reason. Next time I accidentally change the topic here, I can take advantage of the opportunity to talk about "The Wealth of Nations" with people, which can divert people's attention to me. Vulgar cognition can certainly bluff people."

"Yes, no knowledge is vulgar, only man."

"I hope I haven't made that impression on you."

"Of course not. I'm ashamed of your candor. In fact, I'm afraid I'd be sorry if you were to talk to me about those high arts like music or painting, and I'd be sure to leave you with a taciturn, inarticulate Because I am really not good at those things. I have been a dull person since I was a child. If it weren’t for my grandfather’s strict teaching, I would definitely be disgusted by the friends around me because of my withdrawn temperament and ignorance. I admit that those Those high arts that people love can indeed improve people's quality and make people happy at the same time, but I am really not good at it."

"You are so kind, I am much relieved now."

"It's not that I'm trying to comfort you. To be honest, when I was a child, my mother often took us to live in Europe. What impressed me the most was in Italy, where there are many artists. She once asked me to memorize the names of some famous artists. So that I can blurt it out when I chat with people, but I often put on a hat and make a lot of jokes." Speaking of this, Mr. Alfred laughed happily, "Later I decided that if anyone talked about those things in front of me, I would Keeping my mouth shut, I'd rather have people think I'm taciturn and inarticulate than give people a chance to laugh at me."

"I'm also not good at art, so I often keep silent when people talk about it." Mary felt the same way.

"In fact, I later discovered that people like us don't have to be like this. Those who talk about art don't necessarily understand art. As long as you memorize the names of ten people in art history and the titles of their works, you can join these people and get theirs. Praise."

Mary couldn't help laughing at Mr. Alfred. She thought Mr. Alfred was a serious and silent person, but now she found that he was also very funny and amiable.

"So you don't think what I'm talking about is boring and vulgar?"

"Don't say that. My brother is a captain of the navy. He has been floating in the sea for more than ten years since he was a reserve officer. You can let him eat delicious fruits. I am very grateful to you."

"You brothers must have a good relationship, right?"

"Yes, he is an impeccably good brother to us."

"You must forgive my rudeness when I say this. The rumors about Miss White back then made my impression of Brother Ling not good. Although his demeanor was excellent yesterday, I still have a bad impression of him .”

"It's definitely not your fault. Andrew's current temperament is not very pleasing to us."

"But after getting along with you, combined with Miss White's personality, I think now that Mr. Andrew must have some strengths that we don't know about, so you let you protect him like this and never leave him. I still don't like him very much."

When Mr. Alfred heard this, his heart was very complicated. He could see that this lady was definitely not flattering him and his brother against her will.Yes, Andrew is indeed dissolute. He has a well-known bad reputation and bad behavior, but he also has unknown advantages.

Andrew has been a kind person since he was a child. He bravely assumed the responsibility of protecting his mother and brothers and sisters when he was very young. Even if his father beat him with whips and riding boots, he would never let his father get close to Sese The trembling children took half a step.

When Andrew grows up, he has been doing his best to shelter his younger siblings from the wind and rain. Without Andrew, they would not be able to grow up as they wish.For this reason, all the children of the Edwards family love and admire him sincerely.

No matter how Andrew has become, he has always been their good brother.

At the end of the dance, Mr. Alfred found himself a little bit reluctant to leave. The conversation with Miss Mary was very pleasant. Many of their views were surprisingly similar, and they also had many common interests.He rarely had such experiences.If it weren't for Miss Mary's tired face, he might not be able to resist inviting her to dance the following dance.

It was almost four o'clock when the ball ended, and Mr. Alfred and his brothers and sisters left very late, and they expressed their thanks to the host.Everyone had a great time, especially Miss White, who learned a lot from her first country dance and got to know her employer better.Mr. Alfred has made a rare bosom friend, Miss Mary, and Mr. Andrew, he no longer finds the Bennet family annoying at all. He danced at least four times with the youngest Miss Lydia of Bennet. Song, she is very simple and frank, much more attractive than those phony women in the city of London.In short, the three brothers and sisters felt that they were the ones who gained the most from this dance.

The author has something to say:

I’ve written the plot of the original book, it’s hard for me, I can’t wait to copy the plot of the original book without changing it, Austin’s language is really exquisite, I try to condense the plot, or re-depict it from another side, But it was just horrible.I wrote and deleted, and I still inevitably quoted a lot of sentences from the original work. Please forgive me, let's review Austin's original work together.

In other words, I took a look at the original book this morning, and couldn't stop, so I decided to read it again. The original book is really hard to read, and any sentence can be used as a signature.Many of the principles in it are still applicable to modern life even after 200 years.

I love Austin so much!