[Pride and Prejudice] Mary's Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 5 Restricted Inheritance Law

Although this accident gave Mary enough time to create a gourmet world, when she could return to the normal life of her squire family, Mary, who went with the flow or went with the flow, quickly retracted to her original life.She felt that as a lady from a squire's family, she had no worries about food and drink, and getting married was a long time ago. With Mr. Bennet's character, even if she spent her whole life gnawing at the old age, she would never force her to go on a blind date and get married. Worrying about whether you are happy or not, instead of running around for a full stomach, can't be more beautiful, so let's enjoy life with peace of mind.

However, Mary soon found that she was reassuring too soon.

Charlotte, the eldest daughter of the Lucas family, is going to officially enter the society. Her father, Sir William, is going to hold a social ball for Charlotte in the town's public ballroom, and sincerely invites the Bennet family to attend.

The daughters of the Bennet family are all underage, so they definitely cannot dance, but as Charlotte’s good friend, Elizabeth very much hopes to go to the ball, even if she can just bless Charlotte with her own mouth, or just eat some Something nice to watch people dance too.

Elizabeth begged Mr. Bennet to take her, and Mr. Bennet thought about it and finally decided to take all three older daughters.Jane and Elizabeth will have society in a few years, and it will do them good to see it now.As for Mary, this poor girl hasn't been out of the house for a long time, so it is still necessary to take Mary out to relax.

The last group of five people drove away in a carriage, and only Kitty and Lydia were left at home indignantly. Although they said that they wanted to go to the dance very much, Mr. Bannet firmly disagreed.This is a formal social occasion, and it is understandable to take the older daughters to see it, but the brats who can only be mischievous should stay at home honestly.

The public ballroom was brightly lit, and all the famous people nearby had come. The Bennets and the Lucas couples were greeting the guests warmly, while Elizabeth took Jane and Mary to find Charlotte in the lounge.Charlotte was wearing a light green slub dress, white lace gloves, her hair was pulled up, she wore a small tiara, a silver necklace around her neck, and a cross pendant hanging on her chest , the whole person looks radiant.She was very surprised to see Elizabeth come in.

"My dear Lizzie, I'm so glad you're here," she said.

Elizabeth rushed forward and gave Charlotte a tight hug. Although she was only 12 years old, she was only half a head shorter than Charlotte. She said happily, "Bless you Charlotte."

While thanking several people non-stop, Charlotte told Elizabeth about her nervousness: "I am a little nervous. Although I can dance, I have never danced with others at a ball. I always dance with Li in the public dance hall. I'm going to study with my brother. Oh my god, I'll be able to accept invitations to dances from now on. This is a new beginning for me, and I'm going to live a completely different life."

Elizabeth smiled and said: "Yes, yes, so I want to congratulate you from the bottom of my heart. This is your social ball, Charlotte. It is very enviable. From now on you are a lady who can act independently. Now, you can accept any man's invitation to dance, and you can also accept other people's pursuit."

At this point, Elizabeth laughed playfully. Although Charlotte's lips were still pursed, the laughter had already jumped out of her white teeth and ruddy lips.

Girls in the UK will start socializing around the age of 17, and their parents will carefully prepare a ball for her. At the ball, they will formally introduce this girl who is "a young girl in my family" to the guests. With the right to be courted, she can be engaged to any man she likes, with the consent of her parents.It can be said that this social dance not only means that girls can dance at the ball in the future, but also a standard for adults. It announces to people that this girl has officially entered the marriage market. Boys, come and pursue her!The prom is usually held when the girls are seventeen or eighteen years old, and of course it is not uncommon for the prom to be held at the age of 19 like Charlotte.

Mary and Charlotte sat down on one side of the chair after a brief exchange of pleasantries, with Charlotte's younger sister Maria next to her.She and Charlotte, who were very different in age, were sitting bored by the surprise of Mary's arrival, and wanted to talk about her sister's new dress and tiara.She told Mary that the dress cost five pounds, and the jeweled hair crown cost fifty pounds, and she hoped that when she came of age, Sir William would make her beautiful clothes and jewelry like that.

Maria narrated with great interest, and Mary also tried her best to show interest. After finally getting through to the opening, Maria excitedly dragged Mary into the hall.

After Sir William gave a brief speech, the orchestra had already played cheerful dance music. Many young men and women walked into the dance floor like cheerful fish. A young and handsome gentleman invited Charlotte to dance with him.

"Who is that young man? I've never seen it before." Mary asked Maria.

"He is a gentleman traveling from out of town. It is said that he has just graduated from college. He is Mr. Wells' nephew, named Alexander Lawrence. It is said that his father owns a huge estate, but he is not the eldest son, so it has nothing to do with him, but It is said that old Mr. Lauren will seek a position for him in the city government, and I hope he can earn more than three hundred pounds a year." Maria said.

Mary looked at Maria and said in amazement, "You know so much."

"I heard from my mother," Maria said triumphantly, "Do you think he will propose to Charlotte? My mother is talking about it all day now."

"If Charlotte likes him, I hope he will."

Mary and Maria looked at it for a while and then returned to the lounge. After all, children like them were ignored at the ball. Jane and Elizabeth went to nowhere. Mary took some muffins and baked cakes. Dark cuisine was invented, but these little refreshments are still good.

She and Maria sat side by side on a seat behind a pillar. The back of the seat was very high. The two lolis sat there, and no one could be seen from behind.So they were fortunate enough to hear the following conversation:

"That's such a handsome young man! Isn't it, Mrs. Wells?" The voice was a little familiar. It was Mrs. Cook, who often came to the Bennet's house. This lady has always been committed to telling others about her tongue Be more flexible than others.

A middle-aged woman's voice answered Mrs. Cook: "Yes, Alex looks like his mother. You may not know her. Mrs. Cook. Josephine was a famous beauty back then. It's a pity that she died. too early."

"Oh, of course I've heard of her. Now when people comment on who is beautiful, they will say that she can marry into a wealthy family like Miss Wells back then."

"Oh, yes, Josephine has extraordinary luck in marriage. After all, her husband owns a huge estate. You know, their family's manor has more than 100 rooms, and seventeen servants must be hired to clean it room." Mrs. Wells began to count the property of her deceased sister-in-law's family, and the reserved tone in her voice almost made Mary think that the huge manor belonged to the Wells family.

"Then how much help can this Mr. Lawrence get from his father? Will he be given money directly? Or will he arrange a position." Mrs. Cook asked bluntly.

Mrs. Wells thought for a while and replied: "The old Mr. Lawrence is very generous. He has prepared a deposit of [-] pounds for Alex, and will also arrange for him a position in the government. The position is in London, so that he Will come to visit us often in the future.”

"Oh——" Mrs. Cook said with an exaggerated tone, "As a man, this property is not too small, but if he works harder, he should have a brighter future with the power of the family. ?”

"I think so. He is a graduate of All Souls College, Oxford, and his in-laws are all well-known families."

All Souls College is a college of the Oxford University Alliance. This college is different from other colleges. It has no students of its own. The college invites the best students from Oxford University to take an exam every year. Only the best two can become Wan Soul College. A new member of the Faculty of Spirituality, which in England would be considered the highest honor a student can achieve.

"Oh, then, shouldn't a promising young talent like him propose to Miss Lucas?"

"Marriage proposal? What are you talking about Mrs. Cook? This is really ridiculous. A girl like Miss Lucas is not good enough for Alex!" Mrs. Wells' tone immediately became agitated. "Alex has a bright future and a handsome face. A young man like him will marry someone he likes, if not a noble lady. There is nothing lovable about Miss Lucas. She is beautiful. Ordinary, without any dowry, I will not allow such a vulgar and boring lady to come to Alex. My Jessica still has a dowry of at least [-] pounds, and she has a childhood sweetheart with Alex. deep."

Apparently Mrs. Wells was implying that this Mr. Lawrence was going to be her son-in-law.But her disgusted tone towards Miss Lucas made the other Miss Lucas so angry that Maria almost jumped up and scolded the two gossips.But Mary held her down tightly, and she whispered in Maria's ear, "This is Charlotte's coming-of-age dance, we must not spoil it."

Maria sat down again angrily, staring and said: "Mr. Lawrence will never propose to Jessica Wells. She is so strong, she looks like a bear, and she is not cute at all. There is a mouthful of buck teeth, it is simply ugly!"

Mary immediately agreed. Jessica's appearance was indeed unflattering. She firmly stated that Jessica was not one-tenth of Charlotte's beauty!Her comfort finally worked, and Maria gradually calmed down, and the two continued to eavesdrop on the conversation of the two women openly.

"In the past two days, he has been very attentive to Miss Lucas. I heard that he has visited the Lucas mansion the most these days?" Mrs. Cook seemed to want to break the casserole and ask the bottom line.

Mrs. Wells said loudly: "That's because he lives at my house, Mrs. Cook! He spends the most time with my Jessica these days. And he went to the Lucas's just to visit Sir William, Alex heard that Sir William was mayor, so he often discussed some political issues with him, but Alex was very disappointed. He said that the only thing he could learn from Sir William was not to be like him. She is not even as good as the Miss Bennet family. Although they are also very poor, at least the daughters of the Bennet family are all good-looking—except for her The one on the third row at home."

Originally, Mary wanted to leave when she heard them commenting on Mr. Lucas. It is very rude to slander the master at other people's dances, but the embarrassing thing is that she and the master's daughter overheard this.

But when Mary was about to persuade Maria to leave here, Mrs. Wells changed the topic to their family again.Well, Mary shrugged, she really wanted to hear what this family had to say about the Bennets.poverty?Mary always thought that their family was quite rich. At least they hired a housekeeper, cook, servant, gardener, groom, and dozens of servants. Mary always felt that their family's situation was much better than that of other families.And the Wells family can't see how rich and powerful they are?Why does Mrs. Wells think the Bennet family is poor?Could it be that she didn't know about the financial crisis at home?But Mary feels that the family has been very peaceful recently, and Mr. Bennet doesn't seem anxious in his daily life. His family should not have reached the point of bankruptcy, right?At this time she heard Mrs. Cook talking again.

"Oh, yes, speaking of it, Mr. Bennet is too pitiful, just because his wife gave birth to all daughters, and the business that he has run all his life will be handed over to unrelated outsiders, his wife and daughter He'll just be kicked out by the heir after he dies, God I can't bear the thought of that, Mrs Bennet is so poor but she didn't have a son. Don't know who the heir is What kind of person, whether his wife is easy to get along with, if he is a snobbish, sinister and vulgar person, then I don't want to invite them to my house for dinner."

Mary frowned tightly. She couldn't understand what the two women said. Why would Mr. Bennet's property be inherited by unrelated outsiders? Although Mrs. Bennet gave birth to daughters, according to British law According to the law, if there is no son in the family, the eldest daughter will inherit everything. Mary has always believed that the Bennet family property should be passed on to Jane. Although Mr. Bennet prefers the lively and playful Elizabeth among the five daughters, it is obvious that Jane, who is respectful, polite, and elegant, is the lady praised by the mainstream of the society. Mary always thought that she was the result of Mr. Bennet's special training.At this moment Mrs. Wells spoke again.

"Come, Mrs. Cook, I grew up in this place, and I know everything that happens within thirty miles of Meryton. If Mr. Bennet were dead, he would have a distant cousin, but that man had a bad temper. , rude, and his wife is better than he is--a coward, and you must speak softly to her, or she will be frightened. Oh, I wish Mr. Bennet a long life. ’ said Mrs. Wells, mockingly.

Mary hated the tone of her voice so much, but now she had to listen, she always had a bad feeling, she had to figure out why the family fortune was passed down from father to his cousin and not to daughter.But then she was so disappointed that the two women started talking about Alexander Lawrence again, Mrs. Wells complaining that the rumor that Lawrence would propose to Charlotte was completely unfounded, and Cu Mrs. Ke kept asking about Mr. Lawrence.She kept teasing Mrs. Wells, saying she suspected it was Mrs. Lucas who started such a gossip, and she was such a sinister blah blah blah blah blah.

Maria had already left here angrily, leaving Mary alone in a chair to eavesdrop, but until the two women left to talk to others, she still found nothing.

Mary spent the entire ball thinking about the ownership of the Bennet family's property. She was still absent-minded until the Bennet couple took their sisters to say goodbye. When she stepped into the carriage, a thought suddenly popped into Mary's mind, Mary only felt dizzy for a while, didn't she, is it true that the Bennet family is suitable for limited inheritance?sky!If so, what a disaster for the Bennet daughters!