Chapter 7. Mary didn't know that the woman was most...
Mary didn't know who would ultimately "buy" the woman, but she sincerely hoped that she would have a better life, as the manservant John had said. After leaving the market, the carriage quickly took Mary back to the Price family.
“Oh, dear, why don’t you stay at the general’s house a few more days? General Maxwell’s wife doesn’t have any children of her own, she must be very lonely. Mary, you must try to please her, you know?” Mrs. Price was disappointed that Mary couldn’t stay at the general’s house for long.
Mary was still reeling. Looking at Mrs. Price and recalling Mr. Price's usual domineering manner, she felt even more sorrow for her mother in this life. The whole family relied on Mrs. Price's dowry for survival, yet this woman had no control over her own property. Even if she managed to recreate the rudimentary washing machine, she would have to keep it a secret from Mr. Price.
Days passed, and April was drawing to a close. Mary had finished sketching the design, but she couldn't find a reliable person to build it. She had tried inquiring, but the Price family didn't know any carpenters. If she just found a stranger to make it, the patent would undoubtedly be leaked. Before Mary could come up with a solution, a letter from Mansfield shattered the Price family's peace.
“Good heavens, Fanny! You’re so lucky! Your great-aunt Mrs. Norris has suggested that you be taken to Northampton, and you’ll have the privilege of living in Mansfield with Sir Thomas’s daughters. I should have known better; Mr. Norris and my eldest sister have never had children, and of course they need one…” Mrs. Price exclaimed in the living room as soon as she finished reading the letter, “Why don’t they choose a boy? I have so many handsome boys. Oh, Fanny, put Tom down and come to your mother. Kate, come and help hold the baby! You’re so lucky, you know?” Mrs. Price touched Fanny’s cheek, beaming from ear to ear.
"Mom, what do you mean? Am I leaving home? I don't want to leave you." Fanny was confused. Her young mind couldn't understand Mrs. Price's joy: watching her children grow up in poverty, this woman was not as indifferent as her husband. She desperately wanted all her children to have a better life.
"Leaving home is nothing, Fanny. This is Mrs. Norris's rare kindness. If she hadn't persuaded Sir Thomas so strongly, you wouldn't have gotten such a good deal! Once you go to Northampton, you'll see what a wonderful life you'll have..." As Mrs. Price said this, she seemed to be lost in memories. When she was unmarried, she lived the kind of good life she was now talking about. Back then, no one could have imagined that the three Miss Wards of Huntington would now be living such drastically different lives!
Mary was also happy for her sister Fanny. Since her aunt and uncle had so kindly taken Fanny in, according to the prevailing customs of the time, they would likely not only be responsible for Fanny's upbringing but also introduce her to social circles. Although she herself didn't want to get married, she wouldn't expect the same of her sister. Fanny's escape from the awful social circle of Portsmouth, and the possibility of meeting a better marriage partner in the future, was surely a good thing.
Even disregarding that, my aunt and uncle's living conditions were far better than the Price family's. It's just that the plot is all too familiar: a poor little cousin being fostered by her wealthy aunt and uncle, Sir Thomas Mansfield, and Aunt Norris…
Could this not be the 19th century in history? Or has it become Mansfield Park, the setting of Jane Austen's novel? But I just heard Mrs. Maxwell mention General Nelson last time. Could this be a parallel world? Is God playing a cruel joke on us? Mary carefully recalled the plot. Although this prophecy was completely irrelevant, there wasn't much of a story in the original novel except for some romantic entanglements. Moreover, Fanny only returned to Portsmouth once after she grew up, and apart from William, the Price family was hardly mentioned in the book at other times.
As for the romantic entanglements, Mr. Crawford in this book isn't as devastating as Wickham in *Pride and Prejudice* or Willoughby in *Sense and Sensibility*, since the protagonist, Fanny, doesn't actually like him. And from a modern perspective, Mary doesn't find her cousin, Edmund Bertram, particularly outstanding.
She had neither the power to interfere nor any reason to meddle in Fanny's life after leaving Portsmouth. The only thing worth mentioning was that she had to remind Fanny before she left not to be too grateful to her aunt, even though her letter made it sound very nice. In reality, it was Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram who were the ones who truly provided financial and physical support for Fanny, while Mrs. Norris was always just a bully who relied on her connections.
Mary continued to think: In the original story, Susan was eventually taken to Mansfield by Fanny, and she seemed quite capable; her Aunt Bertram was very pleased with her. But what about me? Was Mary even a character in the original story?
Her memory was already somewhat hazy, but after recalling the descriptions of Fanny's family in the book over and over again, she finally remembered that she was the deceased little sister in Fanny's memory. The silver knife she received from her godmother, General Maxwell's wife, would also trigger a "family war" between her sister Susan and the youngest sister Betsy after her death.
Oh God! Mrs. Price is going to get pregnant again after this one? That's unbearable! There will be ten children in the house! No way! Mary decided that once Fanny was gone, she and Susan wouldn't be as devoted as Fanny was now, helping Mrs. Price take care of her little brothers. Hopefully, Sam, Tom, and the unborn baby would keep Mrs. Price occupied; it's just too terrible for her to keep having so many babies!
Besides making money, Mary also needed to take good care of her health; she absolutely couldn't die from an illness like in the original story. Looking at her thin arms and legs, she only regretted not being as strong as her brothers.
In this respect, the Price family really seemed to have been kissed by Lady Luck, as several of their neighbors had faced the grief of losing a child to varying degrees. When Mary was very young, she saw the neighbor's children playing "funeral games" with dolls, and at the time she almost thought she had traveled to the Cthulhu world, and she was very cautious for a long time.
It was only later that she discovered these games, which seem terrifying to modern people and completely incompatible with the identity of children, are quite popular in this era. It seems that parents believe that this can subtly help children accept death. But Mary has already died once, and she can't be sure if she will have the chance to live again. She must cherish this life.
When William and the others returned from school, Mrs. Price told the older boys the good news about Fanny. John and Richard were still somewhat confused, but William was both happy for Fanny and worried about her being away from home and living with relatives. He talked to Fanny for a long time, telling her not to be afraid and that he would definitely come to Mansfield to see her when he grew up.
The deep affection between the siblings needs no further explanation. Aside from Sam and Tom, who were unaware of the situation, the siblings were reluctant to part with Fanny. As the older sister, she was their playmate, caretaker, and teacher; who wouldn't adore her?
While everyone was still reeling from the sudden news, Mr. Price returned with a familiar thud, a newspaper in his hand, shouting, "I'm back! What are you all doing in the living room?"
“Mr. Price, you’re finally back! I have great news for you. My sister, Mrs. Norris, and Sir Thomas Bertram have discussed it and are planning to bring Fanny to Northampton.” Mrs. Price handed the letter to the lieutenant.
The lieutenant took the letter, glanced at it, and put it down casually. "That's a good thing," he said. "I think my brothers-in-law will find Fanny a good family, which will relieve me of one more worry. If someone were willing to take Mary and Susan in to raise them now, that would save me a lot of trouble!"
Mr. Price's words were rather cold, and unlike Mrs. Price's heartfelt desire for the children to have a change of scenery, Mary couldn't discern much fatherly affection in the lieutenant's words. Perhaps Mr. Price wasn't the worst, but she couldn't bring herself to respect him as a father.
If she couldn't have a decent income and a certain status before adulthood, then as a young woman, it would be difficult for her to find a way out of Lieutenant Price except through marriage. However, the reason she wanted to get rid of Mr. Price was precisely because she didn't want to live under a man's control; she couldn't possibly jump into an even bigger fire pit just to escape one.
Mary had secretly calculated that for a single woman to live independently while maintaining a middle-class standard of living, she would need an annual income of at least £150. Considering that upper-middle-class women in this era had almost no chance of working, she would need to save at least £3,000 or £4,000 (at the interest rates on savings or bonds at that time, £4,000 could earn £160 to £200 a year).
To live relatively comfortably, one needs an annual income of at least £300, which requires saving at least £6,000 to £7,000; to live a relatively affluent life, one needs an annual income of £500, which requires saving at least £10,000 to £12,000, which is an astronomical sum.
How much money does Mary have now? She only has twenty-two shillings in her little money box, but one must always have dreams, and her current goal is to save four thousand pounds. She hopes that one day she can leave Portsmouth and see the city of London in this era; she hopes that one day she can buy her own house, just like in the 21st century, and live a comfortable single life.
The most promising way to make money at this stage is still the washing machine blueprints she has. If only she could make use of them, or even just find someone who knows their value to sell them!
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