Love England

Chapter 33

The day after Christmas Margaret and I returned to Milton, Dixon and Henry with us.The purpose of Margaret and Dixon returning to Milton is to return the house rented by the Hale family in Milton, and to sort out the contents of the house: except for some valuables and necessities that need to be sent back In London, the furniture in the house has to be sold, and the clothes are divided into those given to the poor and those taken away by oneself according to actual needs. The books left by Mr. Hale during his lifetime are basically donated to the local library, and some others cannot be taken away. The odds and ends of the house are sold or auctioned off like furniture.Originally, Margaret planned to return the rent of the house after the New Year, but because of my relationship, she accompanied me back to Milton.

The death of Mr. Bell made me worry about it. Returning to Milton is for Henry and Miss Thornton on the one hand, and on the other hand is to get the original story on track-I know that Mr. Thornton’s factory is facing bankruptcy. It was from the letter I received from Mary the afternoon after Mr. Bell's funeral that I must, for whatever reason, save Mr. Thornton's factory before I leave this world, As in the novel, but unlike the novel, Mr Thornton will not be with me or Margaret.

When I was invited by Aunt Shaw and Mrs. Hale to spend Christmas with them in London, I took the opportunity to tell Margaret everything: why I married Mr. Bell, and how I planned to help Henry. And Miss Thornton, how to use the inheritance left to me by Mr. Bell to help Mr. Thornton out of trouble and so on.After hearing this, Margaret looked at me with sympathetic eyes and held my hand tightly.But when I told her that I was going back to my own world when everything was done, and that I was going to pass the rest of the property over to her and Mrs. Hale before I went, she objected vehemently.

"After doing what you said, do you really have nothing to miss here, Cali?" Margaret asked suspiciously.

"The story in the novel is over at that point, and I deserved to be out of here. I screwed up everything, and then I tried not to stray too far from the story, even though I knew a lot of things were different."

"You didn't answer my question, Cali—I actually saw Mr. Bell's feelings for his father a long time ago. He knows how hard it is to love someone, so he doesn't want you to suffer, so that he proposed to you, even Leaving you half of his estate. You can't just leave it half way, I know you've always loved Mr Thornton, you can't just walk away. Every novel has an ending, but that doesn't mean the story is like that It's over. Mrs. Gaskell has her own story, her own ending, but you have your story, and you have your own ending—yours alone."

"No, Margaret, you're wrong! My story is over, I should go back to where I belong, and that's where I end up. Mr Thornton and I can never be together, he needs a real But I will never be able to become a woman..." Margaret lowered her head silently, she could not refute the facts I said, after a while of silence, she suddenly raised her head and said to me: "Since you want to go back, I will I want to go back with you!"

"Margaret?!"

"In addition, I don't want the property you donated. It was left to you by Mr. Bell. You can't let him down. Besides, my mother and I are already very rich relying on the property left to me by Mr. Bell. Since I've been back here, I've grown to feel that women are too constrained by the world I live in - as evidenced by the gossip you created after you went to deliver Frederick. I don't want to be in this day and age To be a rich old lady, a person who waits for a man and pins all her happiness on a man. I want to live more freely, I want to know more about the world and know the world, so I choose to be with You go back together!" There seemed to be a spark in her eyes, so alive.

"What about Mrs. Hale?" I asked, not without worry.

"Actually, I have already discussed with my mother. We plan to sell the house in London that Mr. Bell left me, and then go to Spain to be with Frederick. I have already discussed my going to America with you. Mom revealed that she said, 'If Mr. Hale is here, he will let me go, so I will not stop you. Even if you are not around, Fred will take care of me, as long as you swear to take care of yourself', she I fully agree with my decision." In this way, Margaret and I returned to Milton together, and temporarily stayed in the best hotel in Milton.

On the first day back in Milton, Margaret, Dixon, Henry and I first had to clean up the house that was about to be rented out.I also sent Nicholas a note early in the morning telling him we were back and hoping he and Mary would come and see us.In the afternoon, Nicholas and Mary came. When the father and daughter walked into the house, Dixon was busy tidying up the kitchen and ordering some temporary servants to move here and there. Margaret and I While tidying up the living room and study, Henry went to contact auction houses and old furniture dealers.I was very happy to see two old friends again, and I hurriedly said "Merry Christmas" for being late, and even Dixon came out of the kitchen, hugged Mary affectionately, and said hello.

"Maybe we came at the wrong time?" Nicholas held the hat in his hand and looked around the mess.He was wearing very neat clothes today, and there was no mud on his shoes, as if he was going to church.Margaret and I hurried to keep him, and told him that we were going to quit the house.He looked a little lonely after listening to it. I knew he didn't want us to leave Milton like this. Mary even had tears in her eyes, but he still asked if there was anything we could do to help now, because it seemed that there was indeed a lack of manpower here.Margaret and I accepted his help, Mary followed Dixon in the kitchen, and Nicholas helped me unpack the boxes upstairs.When Nicholas was tidying up the upstairs storage room with me, he took the initiative to talk about Mr. Thornton dismissing all the workers the day before Christmas, the workers' canteen was forced to close, and the factory might file for bankruptcy after the new year. He also mentioned that Miss Thornton had broken off her engagement with Mr. Watson.I just listened, both happy and anxious--happy that Miss Thornton's engagement was broken off, clearing the way for Miss Thornton and Henry to be together; anxious about the dire situation Mr Thornton was in , I must immediately take action to rescue the factory without delay.

In the evening, with the help of the servants and the Higgins and his daughter, everything was basically packed.In order to thank the Higgins father and daughter for their help, Margaret gave Nicholas two copies of Kant's books by Mr. Hale, and also gave Mary some of her old clothes as a souvenir.When the Higgins father and daughter bid us farewell, Nicholas promised that he would come to help in the next few days, because Henry came back in the evening and told everyone that he had contacted the people in the auction house and would come to register the items that needed to be auctioned tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow. Auctions can be held. As for the furniture that needs to be sold, the second-hand furniture dealer will come to see the situation tomorrow.

Back at the hotel, the four of us had a quick meal, during which we also met the Lester brothers.The twins were in the hotel club for fun and politely chatted with us when they saw us dining in the hotel restaurant.Both of them saw me and Margaret in black, they had heard the news of Mr Hale's death long ago, and when I told them Mr Bell had also passed away, they politely offered their condolences.

"A lot of things happened when you left Milton, which has become big news in Milton." One of the Mr. Leicester said, "Mr. Thornton's factory heard that it may officially announce after the new year. Broke, I heard from old Hamper that he might leave Milton with his family after bankruptcy, and go to be a manager somewhere else. It's incredible that such a capable person like Mr. Thornton should end up like this , I think he was dragged down when he bought new machines, thanks to our brothers who didn't follow him in agreeing to the plan to update the equipment, otherwise our factory would have become like him - well, let's not talk about that, Do you have any plans for the next few days?" Afterwards, Margaret and I will leave Milton, and Mr. Bell will leave us the property, and he will return the rented house in Milton in a few days, and we will also be in the Things about staying in this hotel revealed something to the twins. "It is Milton's loss that the two ladies are leaving Milton. Although we know that it is not appropriate for you two ladies to be in mourning, if the two ladies and Mr. Lennox can attend the New Year's Day at the Millers' Club The ball would be great, I sincerely hope that you can come to the ball, the ball will be held at 31:9 pm on the [-]st, the day before the New Year—the two ladies will definitely be the most beautiful girls at the ball!" Margaret and I thanked He accepted the invitation of the twins, and then said goodbye to the two of them after a few polite words.

After dinner, Margaret asked Dixon to go to the room to rest first, and I chatted with Henry and Margaret about what I heard from Nicholas.Henry was extremely excited about the news of Miss Thornton's cancellation of the engagement. His face was filled with hope for future happiness. At the same time, he also expressed the utmost sympathy for the experience of the Thornton factory, because he did not want Miss Thornton to suffer from family problems. Involved in bankruptcy.

"What are you going to do, Cali?" Margaret looked at me meaningfully, and even Henry stopped smiling and became serious, waiting for my answer.

"You know, I went back to Milton not simply as the lessor and creditor of the Thornton factory building. I do have a plan to help the Thornton factory—Henry, I want to lend the factory building and the original Mr. Bell to The debt of the factory has become an investment in the Butler factory, and an additional cash investment of 500 pounds. In addition, Henry, I hope you can act as my investment agent, but I hope you will not interfere too much with Mr. Thornton's investment in the factory. Take control."

"You are such an amazing woman, Miss Addams! You always amaze me, like an investor! Your plan can completely bring the Thornton factory back to life and completely out of bankruptcy! In fact, I also inquired about it today The debt situation of the Thornton factory, your investment of 500 pounds can not only pay off all the loans and liabilities owed by Mr. Thornton’s factory, but also have surplus.” Henry praised, with admiration and joy on his face, “Sangton Miss Ton has been saved again! No, you saved both of us, Cali! What an angel you are!"

"Henry, I will entrust all matters to you these few days. You will negotiate with Mr. Thornton on my behalf. I think in your current capacity and the situation of the Thornton family, Mrs. Thornton will not obstruct too much about you and Miss Thornton."

"Of course, Cali! I'll do my best to get this over with!"

"Cali, have you really thought it through?" Margaret asked again.

"Of course, that's how it should be, isn't it?" I smiled wryly, and Margaret just looked at me thoughtfully, not expressing any objection to the matter.Then several of us talked about the arrangements for the next few days: Henry will represent me to negotiate with Mr. Thornton from tomorrow, and I, Margaret and Dixon will deal with auctioneers and second-hand furniture dealers, and donate to The things of the poor are sent to the church.

The next day, we all went according to plan.Henry went to the court first in the morning. He first needed to find out whether Mr. Thornton had filed an application for bankruptcy protection with the relevant departments as everyone said; Margaret and I came to Hale's old house to wait for the auctioneer and second-hand furniture The arrival of Shang, Nicholas also came to help us according to yesterday's agreement.Margaret and I are not good at things like selling things. Originally, the two of us were going to buy those second-hand furniture. It was a good bargain, and with the help of Nicholas, Dixon was like a fish in water, which finally defeated the second-hand furniture dealer. Afterwards, Dixon and Nicholas praised each other's negotiating ability, which is very important to me and Margery It's a rare sight to say the least.After dismissing the second-hand furniture dealers, the four of us sent the things we had packed for donation to the church, and it was already noon when we returned.It so happened that Henry also came back, and he brought with him a justice, who related to me what he had learned at the court. "Mr. Thornton has indeed submitted an application for bankruptcy protection to the court, but because Christmas and New Year are approaching, the court has not officially accepted his application. It seems that the rumors are indeed true. We still have a chance to save Mr. Thornton's factory, I I will go to him for formal negotiations in the afternoon. Cali, this is the power of attorney and notarization letter I drafted last night, as long as you sign it, I can do the rest for you." I took the document and took the pen directly Sign your name and return it to him.

"Aren't you going to read it, miss?" the just man asked cautiously.

"I have complete confidence in Mr. Lennox."

"I will not disappoint your trust in me, Cali." Henry said sincerely.

"I know." I smiled at him.

After seeing off the justice, I invited Henry and Margaret to the study to discuss a matter that was on my mind, which I had been thinking about all night. "Henry, actually I have another request, I hope you can help me."

"What is it?"

"I hope you don't mention my name in your negotiations with Mr. Thornton, and don't tell him that I invested in him. Just tell him that this is Mr. Bell's last wish." I replied calmly.

"But..." Henry was a little surprised by my decision.

"Cali, why are you doing this?" Margaret asked preemptively.

"I don't want him to feel that he owes me something, and if he mentions my name, I'm afraid he won't be able to accept it..."

"Are you concerned about his self-esteem? How can Mr. Thornton care about his self-esteem at this time?" Margaret asked indignantly.

"That's not the case, you don't know him!"

"Are you really insisting on doing this, Cali?" Henry asked again, disapproving from his expression.

"Yes, I insist - it's not a sudden decision, I was thinking about it yesterday after I told you what I thought."

"Very well! I will do as you wish. I have sent a letter to Mr. Thornton asking him to come to the cafe in New Street at two o'clock in the afternoon to discuss investment matters. I will not disclose your name. "I thanked Henry again, and he just shook his head with regret and incomprehension.That's when Nicholas came to us and said Dixon had lunch ready.Since most of the kitchen utensils were already boxed, our lunch was simple, a pork pie each (the pie was delivered from our hotel), a small cheese (the last one in Milton's kitchen) A piece of cheese to share), and a small glass of wine (Mr. Hale's last half-bottle of wine).A few of us had lunch in a hurry. Henry left again after eating because he still had an appointment, while the rest of us waited for the auctioneer to arrive.

After Henry left, I have been fidgeting, imagining the scene when Henry met with Mr. Thornton. Will Henry keep his promise not to reveal my name?Will Mr. Thornton accept Henry's proposal?Will Mr Thornton be cheered up by this?Margaret saw that I was restless, and I thought she must know the reason for my restlessness, so she suggested to go for a walk, and she would wait for the people from the auction house with Nicholas and Dixon.

As I walked out the door, a gust of cold wind blew across my face, and Milton's winter was so cold against the gray sky.The few people on the street hurried through, perhaps because of the relationship before the New Year, the lack of shouts from the market not far away in the past made this place even more deserted.Walking along the street, my footsteps came to New Street involuntarily. The cafe that Henry said I met with Mr. Thornton was on this street. I blamed myself for not appearing in this place, and hesitated whether to leave—— —I told myself I should leave and wait for Henry to bring me the good news of Mr. Thornton's acceptance of the investment.Yes, I should get out of here, I don't need and shouldn't say goodbye to Mr Thornton, but maybe I can take this opportunity to go to his factory and have a last look.Thinking of this, I called a carriage and asked the driver to stop at the corner of Marlborough Street, where the Thornton factory is.

Walking along the high wall of the factory to the gate of the factory, I thought the gate was closed, but unexpectedly, with a slight push, the small door inlaid on the gate opened.I walked in cautiously, the yard of the factory was quiet, and the factory building I visited not far away had no thundering sound of textile machines, no workers, no assistants, and no smoking chimneys And the cotton wool falling like snowflakes in the workshop.Everything is so silent, like a dead body without a soul, which makes people infinitely regrettable.Walking in the empty workshop, rows of empty looms always remind me how lively this place used to be. Countless men and women workers are shuttling and working beside the looms, and Mr. Thornton is like a watchman, Walking among the workers - I remember that when I first came to this workshop, he was helping the workers repair the machine and lost his temper because my dress did not meet the factory standards.But now the only echo here is my footsteps, like sighs, like mourning for the dead.

"Miss Addams, what are you doing here?" Suddenly an old woman's voice came from behind me, which made me jump.As I calmed down, I turned around slowly, and it turned out to be Mrs. Thornton—in my memory, her voice was not so gloomy, nor was she so old—this mother was physically and mentally exhausted by the changes in the factory.I watched Mrs. Thornton suddenly appear, speechless for a moment, but staring directly at her resentful face. "He's not in the factory now, if you want to see his jokes, these are all paid for by his life's hard work! Now you can laugh at this man who was once rejected by you, anyway, he has now become the whole of Milton. Laughing stock!" said Mrs. Thornton as she approached me, arms folded, always in black, as if mourning the death of the factory.

"You may think that I don't understand him, and I don't know what the factory means to him, then you are wrong! As for your accusation of my refusal, I will not give any explanation. If you think I am here now to show off My own, I don't think I'm secretly saddened by this deserted look... It can be said that you don't know me at all."

At this time, the excessive accusation in Mrs. Thornton's eyes disappeared. Maybe she felt my pity for this factory at this time. She turned her head and lowered her eyes, and I could feel the indescribable feeling in her body. I wanted to stretch out my hand sympathetically, but she suddenly raised her head again, with the stubbornness and determination unique to the Thornton family in her eyes, which made me flinch again. "If you want to see him, I advise you not to do so, besides, I don't know where he is now." Although Mrs. Thornton's attitude was more relaxed than before, her tone was still blunt, "You don't have to worry about us, our family plans to leave Mill Don't go to London or somewhere to start over, after all that's how we've been doing all this time - goodbye, Miss Addams!"

"Okay!" I knew it was time to get out of here, "Goodbye, Mrs. Thornton!"

I walked out of the factory and returned to Hale’s old house in a rented carriage. I kept thinking about the empty and silent factory all the way, and prayed in my heart that God would allow Mr. Thornton to accept the investment advice Henry brought him. If Henry can do this, I will leave this time and space without any regrets, return to my own world, and return to the lonely and endless life before.

When they arrived at the old house, the auctioneer had already arrived. Margaret and Nicholas were accompanying them to check the things to be auctioned, and the auctioneer was recording while watching.Henry hadn't come back yet, and Dixon was preparing afternoon tea in the kitchen.As soon as Margaret saw me coming back, she told me that she had just made an appointment with the auctioneer, Mr. Claire, that a small auction could be held here the next morning, that is, on New Year's Day.The reason why it was arranged until the New Year, according to Mr. Clare, according to his meaning, the auction is like an entertainment activity for everyone to enjoy during the festival, and there must be many people to join in on that day.Although there were not many things to be auctioned, it was already four o'clock in the afternoon after everything was counted and registered.Nicholas was very enthusiastic about the auction, and he said that he would definitely bring Mary and the children of the Boucher family to join him.

Say goodbye to Nicholas and go back to the hotel. I waited until six o'clock in the evening, but Henry still didn't come back. I really wish I had a mobile phone now, so that I could call him and let me know how his negotiations with Mr. Thornton are going. .Although the food in the hotel was plentiful, I had no appetite. After eating in a hurry, I went back to my room, and asked the hotel manager to send me a notification if he saw Mr. Lennox coming back.Margaret also came to my room soon, chatting with me about the New Year's auction, and then the topic turned to the dance that the Leicester brothers mentioned. At this time, she took out an invitation card and said that it was just From the hotel attendant, with the Leicester brothers' business cards attached.

"Brother Leicester sent an invitation to the New Year's Ball on the evening of the 31st, at the Milton Cultural Hall - the place where my father used to teach workers on weekends, which is very close to the old house Woolen cloth!"

"You don't really want to go, Margaret? It's not your style, and you're still in mourning!" I looked at her in surprise.

"I didn't say I was going, Cali! I think you should go, and we have time tomorrow, so we can buy some clothes for you to go to the prom!"

"Margaret, I don't have the slightest thought of going to any ball now, and besides, I'm mourning Mr. Bell, as a fiancée, just like you."

"Mr. Bell is a maverick. He doesn't want you to have a bad face all the time, and he doesn't want to use any marriage shackles to imprison you. If God allows his soul to return from heaven, he will definitely agree with me. -Cali, you have been worried that Mr. Thornton will not accept your investment, and worried that Henry will return in disappointment, but in my opinion, Henry's failure to come back just proves that Mr. Thornton has accepted everything, so I left Henry to discuss it in detail. After all, investment is not a small matter, and it cannot be solved in a few sentences.”

"Hope it's what you say, Margaret!"

"Now my question is, if Mr. Thornton accepts the investment and the factory is on track, where do you go from here?"

"I will go back to my old life and never come back, just as a sad dream." Margaret looked at me and shook her head slightly, and said, "I don't want you to Going away in such disgrace—you know I used to read a story called Cinderella to the children in the orphanage..."

"I know the story of Cinderella marrying a prince with the help of a fairy godmother. It's a very classic fairy tale, but it's just a fairy tale. In reality, no prince is looking for Cinderella."

"Yes, reality is nothing like a fairy tale, but what I want to say is that even if Cinderella will not be favored by the prince, Cinderella can still enjoy the happiness that the ball will bring her. Although much of the fairy godmother's magic is illusion, Cinderella's The glass slipper is real, and the happy experience of Cinderella at the ball is also real. Those experiences are all good memories of Cinderella, aren't they? Cali, instead of leaving here with melancholy, why not go to Cinderella in fairy tales? Leave like a girl with good memories? Go to the New Year's Eve party and enjoy the happiness in Milton to the fullest. When the bell of the new year comes, you can leave quietly like Cinderella, and I will open the time and space for you door, go back with you, what do you think?"

I was persuaded by Margaret, "Okay! My fairy godmother, you can use your magic to dress me up for the ball!"

Margaret smiled and said: "Although I don't know magic, I really want to dress you up. Tomorrow we will go to the best fashion store in Xinjie and pick out the most beautiful dress for you. Mr Bell must have liked my dramatic idea!"

The bell had already struck ten times, and there was a knock on the door as the bell rang. Margaret and I looked at each other for a second, and then I realized that Henry must be back, so I ran quickly to open the door.Henry stood outside the door with a flushed face, and when he entered the room, he happily announced to me: "Cali, everything is going well. Mr. Thornton even invited me to his house for dinner, and Mrs. Thornton even allowed me to have dinner with him." Miss Thornton was alone, that's why I came back so late - but it was all worth it, Mr Thornton was happy to accept the investment, his factory really saved!"

Thank goodness!I breathed a sigh of relief in my heart, and then quickly asked him if he had disclosed to Mr. Thornton that the investment was related to me.

"Of course I didn't disclose anything about you to him, just as I promised you." Henry explained to me patiently, "I told him that all the investments were Mr. Bell's last wishes, and he readily accepted .Tomorrow I will go to the court with him to revoke the bankruptcy protection application. Mr. Thornton and I have reached an agreement on many issues this afternoon, and a series of contracts on investment will be signed in the next two days. I think the New Year Afterwards, Mr. Thornton’s factory will almost resume production, and Mr. Higgins can continue to go back to work!” After hearing the good news, I hugged Henry excitedly, thanked me repeatedly, and Margaret also thanked me repeatedly. Congratulations, Henry said very modestly: "Cali, I have to thank you for all of this! Thanks to your investment decision and trust in me, I was able to enter the Thornton family logically, and Mrs. Thornton has a fundamental relationship with me. Sexual changes, so that Miss Thornton and I can have a future. Although Mrs. Thornton will definitely agree if I propose to Miss Thornton now, I don’t want to take advantage of others. I will get back on track at Mr. Thornton’s factory Afterwards, I will show my feelings for Miss Thornton to Mrs. Thornton, and admit to Mrs. Thornton the mistakes I made with Miss Thornton—of course, Miss Thornton also agrees with my decision."

"I have no regrets now!" Margaret looked at me and said excitedly.I just nodded to her, trying to squeeze out a smile, in order not to let her worry about me anymore.

"Okay, ladies! It's time for me to take my leave and go back to my room. Today I'm going to stay up all night to draft the investment contract and write a letter to the bank in London. Good night, ladies!" Henry said to Margo and me Ritter nodded slightly good night and left the room.

With a sigh of relief, I turned to Margaret and said, "Now I'm depending on you, my fairy godmother. As you just said to me, Margaret, I'm going to be a princeless, Just enjoy Cinderella at the ball. Then when the clock strikes in the New Year, I'll slip out of there and walk through the magic door you opened for me back into my real world."

"I'd love to, Cali!" Margaret said happily.

I wrote a note and sent it to the Lester brothers, thanking them and accepting their invitation.For the next two days, Margaret and I scrambled to get ready for the ball, with Dixon as our backup.We spent almost a day shopping in the New Street shops: gowns, shoes, gloves, hats, jewelry and petticoats to match.Because it was a temporary decision to participate in the dance, the requirements for the dress can no longer be too much, so I can only buy ready-made ones.Where it didn't fit, Margaret and Dixon worked together to modify it according to my figure. It was not until noon on the day of the ball that the dress was finally changed.Margaret chose a light blue dress for me. She said that in the fairy tale book she read to the children, Cinderella wore this color dress to the castle ball.This light blue dress is very simple and elegant, without extra lace or embellishment, and it is matched with white dancing shoes and a string of pearl necklaces. I also specially wore the engagement ring given to me by Mr. Bell on my middle finger.I looked at myself in the mirror like some dreamy character straight out of a Disney movie.

"You guys have made this dress so beautiful for me, it looks like it was conjured by magic!" I couldn't help admiring in front of the mirror.

"It's so beautiful, you look like a princess!" said Margaret, clapping her hands.

"Miss Addams is a real beauty! It seems that this dress fits me very well!" Dixon was also full of praise.

"Brother Leicester sent me a note saying he would come to the dance with me at 06:30 in the evening and Henry promised me he would pick me up at the hotel at 06 midnight and it's almost 30:[-] now!"

"Mr. Lennox has been at the Thornton mansion for the past two days, and he came back very late. I don't know if he will pick you up on time. I am really worried! After all, it is the New Year and everyone is having a party, Lenno Will Mr. Kex forget the time?" Dixon asked worriedly.

"Maybe I can find someone to send a note to Mr. Lennox at Thornton's house in advance to remind him!" Margaret suggested.

"That's just right!" Dixon affirmed.

At this time, the maid in the hotel announced that two Mr. Lesleys downstairs were asking to see me. I tidied up and ordered a thick cloak to protect against the cold of Milton in winter. I took my white silk drawstring bag (in the drawstring bag) cosmetics and the pocket copy of North and South that I have had with me since Oxford, in this drawstring bag), bid farewell to Margaret and Dixon, and went downstairs to the hall With the Leslie Fraternity and.

Brother Leslie was waiting for me in the hall, well-dressed, and they came to me when they saw me. They also brought me a bouquet of white roses. match.At this time, I was like a girl who was attending a high school prom, full of longing, watching the admiration of my two male companions for me, so that the little vanity and small wishes hidden in my heart were satisfied (high school prom has always been One of my regrets is that it is impossible for me to go to the prom like a girl, and it is even more impossible to integrate into the prom like a boy, so I have no partner and I don’t go to the prom, I just stay at home), I secretly hope that Margaret can Saying thanks to her for convincing me to go to the ball.

"Thank you for the white roses, Mr. Lester, I like them very much."

"You must be the prettiest lady at the ball!"

"Thank you!"

After exchanging greetings, the three of us took a carriage to the ball. After I left the cloak and drawstring bag to the waiter, I walked into the ballroom holding the arms of the Lester brothers. Joyful men and women dancing to beautiful music appeared in front of me. A grand ball has begun.