Chapter 24. Chapter 24 is probably set in Richard's...

Shortly after Richard returned home, before Easter, Mary received a letter from Miss Anne Maxwell in London.

“Dear Mary, I still remember the Easter we played with colored eggs and pinball together four years ago. It’s a pity that I can’t spend Easter with you this year. I probably won’t see you for a long time.”

The general's wife doesn't plan to return to Portsmouth. She intends to spend Easter with a friend from the city to Bath. I don't know if you've heard of her, but she is General Crawford's wife, and her niece will also be traveling with us.

It just so happens that this young lady is also named Mary, but she's six or seven years older than us. I'm afraid this Mary will only make me miss the other Mary even more during my journey… Love, Anne.”

Mary Crawford, what a familiar name. Who would have thought that this woman, who would later appear in Mansfield and become entangled with Edmund Bertram, would intrude into her life in this way?

Unfortunately, barring any unforeseen circumstances, she would probably never have the chance to meet Fanny's rival from the original story, Mary thought absently.

"What's wrong, Mary?" Susan walked into the room carrying a stack of neatly arranged clothes, keenly sensing that her sister's mood was somewhat unusual.

“Nothing, Anne told me that her godmother and she aren’t planning to come back for Easter this year.” Just then, Richard and his brothers’ laughter came from downstairs, interrupting the sisters’ conversation.

Mary and Susan went downstairs and saw Richard showing his younger brother how to play with the set of dolls he had brought back from India. Sam, Tom, and Charles were staring wide-eyed, eager to try them out.

Seeing their happy scene, Mary's disappointment at Anne's inability to return vanished instantly.

The Easter holiday flew by amidst laughter and joy. Before Richard left Portsmouth, on a warm afternoon in the sisters' room, Mary took out a sewing machine design drawing from that special Bible—a design that couldn't be manufactured or patented for the time being—from Richard's room.

After listening to his sister explain her idea, Richard's eyes lit up: "That's amazing! If the invention is successful, this patent will definitely bring you a huge reward! But Mary, you're right. Such a huge profit will definitely attract a lot of hyenas. We're all too young. Let's wait a few years, at least until William comes of age or gets promoted."

The brother and sister huddled together, like two children who had discovered a treasure, sketching out their future plans on paper: in a few years, they would find skilled craftsmen in London to bring the sewing machine from the drawing board to reality, and then use the sewing machine to produce clothes. No, they didn't even need to produce clothes; they only needed to produce sewing machines. With this machine, they could build a kingdom of their own.

At the end of April, Richard's merchant ship set sail again. This time, when Mary looked into Richard's ambitious eyes, she seemed to see her own reflection in them.

After Richard left, Mary received a long letter from Anne in Bath: "Hello Mary, I have received your letter. I think you must have had a pleasant time with your brother."

I'm doing well in Bath. Miss Crawford is both wealthy and generous; she really likes my custom-made hat and asked me to buy three more for her. I've already sent the money with the letter—nine pounds in total.

She was very witty, which I liked. I guess she knew a lot of gossip about high society from her aunt. She probably thought I was just a kid who hadn't entered the social scene, so she didn't say much to me.

The two generals' wives seemed to have a lot in common; they went on and on about the navy's many shortcomings and were quite dissatisfied with their husbands' inability to dedicate all their time to their families. It's a real shame, though; my father probably never imagined his young wives would have so many complaints about him. I think the general, your godfather, is a pretty good husband and father, isn't he?

Miss Smith, as always, criticized my love of exercise. I'm glad I'll be saying goodbye to her this August; I imagine she'll be happy to be rid of this odd fellow. The General's wife will recommend her to a fine family; hopefully, the young lady will be a 'proper lady'... Missing you, Anne, in Bath."

This unexpected order surprised and delighted Mary and Susan. As for Anne's description of Miss Crawford—"rich and extravagant"—it reminded Mary of the fashionable young lady in the original novel who had a London flair and captivated Edmund, the male protagonist of Mansfield Park.

“Since Miss Crawford has this kind of personality, she must have seen a lot of the world, so we have to be extra meticulous in our work,” Mary explained to Susan.

She first wrote back to Anne, asking Miss Crawford to wait patiently for a while until the hat was finished before sending it to Bath.

The semester after the Easter break always seems exceptionally short; it feels like no time has passed before school is on summer vacation again.

John returned from London looking more refined than a child from a clergyman's family, hardly resembling someone from a naval household.

Returning to the harbor of Portsmouth from the big city of London was a little disorienting for him, but fortunately he did not pick up the "spoiled brat" behavior that Mr. Price disliked. In this respect, John was still the boy who came from Portsmouth.

Nothing particularly interesting happened throughout the summer. Anne didn't return until the summer ended, and Mary could only keep in touch with her through letters. When Anne went to a girls' boarding school, Mary and her classmates' final year at Mrs. Johnson's School for Girls began.

All three girls cherished their last days of education at school. Mary grew more and more beautiful with age, because Miss Williams paid special attention to her in class.

“Mary Price,” she drawled, as if she were a nun just emerging from a convent, “a proper lady should not flaunt her knowledge, but should always maintain a humble heart.” Mary obediently lowered her eyes in respect for Miss Williams.

As soon as the bell rang for recess, she immediately pulled her sister and Charlotte into a corner of the corridor. She deliberately raised her chin, speaking in the very tone of Miss Williams: "Young ladies, remember, excessive beauty is a test from God!"

Susan's eyes widened, and she covered her mouth, laughing so hard her shoulders shook. Charlotte bent over exaggeratedly, almost unable to catch her breath: "My God, Mary! I never knew you were so funny!"

“Shh, don’t let anyone else hear.” Mary put her index finger to her lips, her blue eyes gleaming with the slyness of someone who had pulled off a prank. “If Miss Williams finds out, she’ll make me copy the whole ‘Lady’s Code’.”

In dance class, Charlotte always stepped wrong at first. The girls who had been ruined by her would shake their heads and sigh when they heard they had to partner with her. It wasn't until after the Christmas holidays that her bad habits were finally corrected. It turned out that Mrs. Brown had given her daughter intensive training at home.

“You’re just like your father. When we first met at the ball, I always suspected he did it on purpose so I couldn’t dance with the other boys.” Mrs. Brown’s words finally led Charlotte to the “culprit.”

During the French lesson, Ms. Abbott praised Susan with delight: "Susan Price, your pronunciation has improved so much! That trill just now sounded just like a Parisian girl."

After class, Elizabeth Wesley glanced at Susan with disdain: "I'm afraid you'll never use French again after you leave this school. How can you not learn a few more words now?" With that, she deliberately fiddled with her brand-new pale yellow soft hat.

Charlotte quickly feigned a cough to cover up the laughter that almost escaped her lips. "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with my hat?" Elizabeth looked at the three of them suspiciously.

“Oh, not at all,” Mary said sincerely. “I think this color suits your skin tone very well.”

After Elizabeth and her friends had walked away triumphantly, the three girls finally couldn't help but burst into laughter. Charlotte wiped away her tears of laughter: "If only she knew who made that hat..."

“Then she’ll definitely switch to a new hat maker.” Susan winked slyly.

For the Price sisters, besides the fun of school, there was something else that made them very happy: watching their money grow little by little. Mary's fortune had exceeded one thousand pounds, and Susan had saved fifty-four pounds in her money box.

It turns out that in the past six months of the new school year, thanks to the social circle that Anne has newly opened up at the boarding school, Mary's hats have become popular in a small circle in London, and profits have naturally continued to increase.

Richard, far away in India, wasn't as lucky as his sisters; his experience was absolutely terrible. All the wool he brought to India was gone!

The oilcloth package suffered a devastating mishap during the rainy season in Calcutta. In Richard's words, it wasn't an accident, but "a deliberately designed mistake." The package came loose, water got in, and no matter how hard he tried to salvage it, it was no use. The wool could no longer fetch a good price, and he couldn't even recoup his costs.

No one can be too critical of a child who has just turned thirteen, because Richard was being watched when he boarded the ship, and no matter how clever he was, he could not avoid it.

The only consolation for him was that the cotton and linen had not suffered much loss, and the profits he made from those two goods slightly offset his losses. He had barely broken even on the hundred or so pounds he had invested in Portsmouth.

However, this trip was a complete waste of time. If it weren't for Mary's analysis before he set off, he might have really lost everything.

When he wrote this letter, Richard had already decided to stay in India temporarily to look for opportunities to make money. He was considering whether to follow a merchant ship to that distant Eastern power, where the prices of tea and silk would be much lower than in India.

However, he remembered his promise to Mary, and after seeing the pitiful state of the local opium-producing people in Calcutta, his conscience wouldn't allow him to associate with them. He considered buying some cotton before going; in any case, he wouldn't be able to return to Portsmouth anytime soon.