Chapter 20 Country Life 14 Major Henry Brown
The rich aroma of steak and roast grouse wafted through the dining room of the Bennetts' house in Longbourn, a prelude to a sumptuous dinner.
The Bennett family always has the desire but not the ability to save money. One of the important reasons is that they usually spend lavishly on living expenses, especially daily meals.
Lucy, the maid, carried a tray with several plates of trembling blancmange towards the table.
The exquisite dessert swayed slightly on the silver plate, and the raspberries decorating the surface looked like they would fall off at any moment. This made Lucy, who had just been scolded by Mrs. Bennett that morning for her slow plating, so nervous that she even broke out in sweat on her forehead.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard on the back porch, and Lydia rushed into the restaurant like a whirlwind, almost colliding head-on with Lucy who was moving slowly.
Fortunately, Reina next to her quickly took the tray from her hand in time, allowing Lucy to escape.
Lucy smiled gratefully at Reina, who winked secretly and helped her place the milk jelly in front of each seat.
Mrs. Bennett just walked into the dining room. She looked at Lydia, who was panting and holding onto the back of her chair, and Kitty, who had just run in, in surprise. She said, "Lydia, why are you back from Meryton at this hour? I thought Mrs. Jones had invited you to dinner."
"Something big happened in Meryton!"
Lydia picked up the water in front of her seat and took a big gulp. After drinking it, she poured another full glass. Only then did she feel that her dry throat was slightly better.
After everyone was seated and dinner started, she began to explain after everyone's repeated requests.
"When Kitty and I arrived at Mrs. Jones's house this afternoon, we discovered that not a single officer was there. Mrs. Jones said this was because something big happened with the militia yesterday, so all the officers had to train and have group talks, so they didn't have time to play for the time being."
She would have liked to keep the story a secret till her sisters and mother would have begged her to go on, but Kitty did not give her the opportunity; she could no longer contain herself, and told it all at once.
"It's Lieutenant Davis who came to our house before! Do you know what happened? He was beaten up by several people in the back street of the Red Stone Tavern in Meryton last night. Then this morning, his direct superior received an anonymous letter of denunciation. The letter listed the people to whom he owed a large sum of money and they wanted to teach him a lesson."
Mary and Heather looked at each other and asked hurriedly, "Where is he now? Who is the creditor? How much does he owe?"
Lydia spoke up first, "He was expelled from the militia. Mrs. Jones said many people in town saw him leave. He got into a carriage with a bruised face and no one knew where he went. They didn't find the man who beat him because it was too late and no one was passing by. Plus, Lieutenant Davis was beaten in a sack, so he couldn't identify him."
Kitty added, "Mrs. Jones said it might have been a murder, because the creditors listed in the letter were not local officers. I never heard the exact amount, but I think it was at least three hundred pounds."
Lydia scooped a large spoonful of milk jelly into her mouth and muttered in retort, "I think it must be more than that! It must be at least a thousand pounds, otherwise how could they have the heart to punch Mr. Davis in the face like that? He's so handsome, it's really heartbreaking."
Mrs. Bennett was also impressed by the handsome and well-mannered officer. She said seriously that it might be a murder of passion or someone was jealous of his face.
Elizabeth said: "Not paying back debts shows that they have low character and no moral integrity. Such people deserve their punishment no matter how good-looking they are. There is no need to sympathize with them."
Heather silently praised her in her heart while chewing on a chicken leg. How could someone who had no financial support but was still in debt be considered a good person? This statement applied to both Davis and Wickham.
Hearing that Davis had been driven away and the militia had stepped up their crackdown, Heather wanted to go to the mountain again to take a look.
After she returned, she carefully recalled what she had learned at university. She felt that the silver-grey leaves resembled a plant native to South America. How could such a tropical plant appear in the hills behind Longbourn? Heather was puzzled.
She really wanted to go back to the mountain to have a look, because if it rained, there would probably be no trace left.
But she really didn't dare to risk her own life and the lives of her nieces. There were no young men with close relationships and suitable identities here. Even Mr. Collins had temporarily returned to his parish to perform his duties, so Heather finally gave up the idea of going back to take a look.
Fortunately, the rainy season in Longbourn has completely passed. Mr. Bennett speculates that there will be sunny days for at least the next week, and they can take the opportunity to hold a hunting meeting.
After hearing about the militia's collective reorganization, Hessel thought she wouldn't see any red uniforms in Longbourn for at least the next few days. Unexpectedly, an unexpected guest came the next day, and he specifically asked to see Hessel.
It was Major Henry Brown of the militia.
He arrived at the Bennett's house at three o'clock in the afternoon. He claimed that he had something to talk to Heather about alone and invited her to go out for a walk, and specifically emphasized that it was on the nearby main road.
Heather agreed, thinking it obvious that Major Brown was kind enough to tell her the details of Davis's expulsion as a proof of the strict fairness of the militia's administration and his personal kindness and integrity.
But Mrs. Bennett didn't think so. She felt that her sister, who had a great record in marriage, was about to receive a new proposal, and it was in a red uniform, a red uniform with a rank higher than most of the officers in their family!
As Heather walked out of the living room, she could still hear her sister talking loudly behind her, praising her vision and ability in finding a man, and urging her nieces to speed up their progress and ask more questions from their aunt.
Heather was speechless. She believed that Major Brown, who was a step away from her, must have heard it too. The fact that he could remain calm and pretend nothing happened at this time at least showed that he had strong control and a certain degree of tolerance.
It has been sunny in Longbourn these days. At this time, the sun is still hanging overhead, and there are few people to be seen even on the main road.
Even with a parasol, Heather still felt hot and sunny.
She thought Major Brown would get straight to the point about Davis's condition, but he rambled on, asking about lunch and then about his hobbies, and didn't get to the point in ten minutes.
Heather couldn't bear to listen any longer. If they were to discuss this topic together in the living room, it would probably be more comfortable and cool.
"Well, Major Brown, I suppose you came here to-day to tell me about this Davis? I've heard he was kicked out of the militia."
Major Brown was stunned for a moment before he said, "Yes, that's right." He hesitated, as if he didn't know how to say it.
"I think the news has spread. He was beaten by his creditors and can no longer complete his daily tasks. Plus, the commander felt that this was too damaging to the militia's image, so he let him go."
Heather picked a few flowers from the roadside and asked curiously, "Does your commander know that he followed me?"
Major Brown immediately stopped and said solemnly, "I don't know. I can guarantee that no one except those who were there that day would know about this."
Heather glanced at him, a little confused as to why he suddenly became so serious, but it would be best if this matter did not get out and become a topic of conversation among others. She was very grateful that Major Brown could help keep the secret.
"Thank you, Major Brown. But when I heard about this yesterday, I was wondering if it was really a coincidence that he was confronted by his creditors right after that incident, and ended up with such a happy ending."
Heather thought Major Brown next to her looked a little nervous, but she was too lazy to guess what he was thinking now. She just wanted to quickly return to the cool room and drink a large glass of lemon tea with ice cubes.
"I mean, if Major Brown did anything privately to uphold justice, please let me know. I'm so relieved that this matter was resolved so perfectly. If there really is someone who made an effort to make this happen, I should at least express my gratitude to them in person."
As soon as he finished speaking, Major Brown turned his head abruptly, looked Heather in the eye for the first time that day, and spoke rapidly, "It's not just about upholding justice. I just feel that if he gets away unharmed, the lady will suffer in vain. There's always a price to pay for doing something like that."
After saying this, he no longer looked directly at Heather, but stared straight ahead, talking to himself, "It's true that he's in debt. Some people who dislike him have reported it to his superiors before, but he paid a fortune to get this position, so the superiors won't care unless he makes a fuss. I just got a few people to beat him up, and after that, they left Meryton, so no one will notice."
Heather realized that Major Brown must have carefully groomed himself today; his hair gleamed in the sun, not a single hair out of place. He unconsciously clenched his fists, his expressionless face betraying a hint of awkwardness and anticipation. He even wore a silver bow tie, the kind you'd only wear at a ball, in broad daylight!
Heather is not actually a very slow person. Most of the time she is just too lazy to think, too lazy to move, and too lazy to cause unnecessary trouble for herself.
If Major Brown had simply found a few people to set up a trap, eliminating factors that would negatively affect the reputation of the militia while taking the reputation of the victim into consideration, that would be understandable.
Just based on his expression and body language, Heather felt that even if she was being self-indulgent, she still needed to go back.
"I see. You are truly a kind and good man. The residents of Meryton and the surrounding villages can rest assured with an officer like you protecting them."
She pulled a fan from her sleeve and fanned herself a few times, then said, "The sun is really too strong right now. Why don't we go back? We can try the milk jelly we made this afternoon."
However, Major Brown suddenly made up his mind and did not give Heather a chance to escape. He called out to Heather, who had already turned and taken two steps.
"Ma'am, I do have something to say, but it's not about Davis. I beg you to listen."
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