Chapter 9 (This is from the previous chapter...)
Out of habit from her previous life, Mary always felt that new mothers should rest for a while, so she did not directly refuse the pile of bills that Mrs. Price threw at her.
But Mrs. Price already received money from her husband, and with Mary coming in, there was another layer of separation. Mary wondered if she was becoming a housekeeper without pay, yet still having to manage the household chores. That wouldn't do. Since she was in charge, she needed some conveniences. She begged and pleaded with her mother until she finally got the key to Mrs. Price's little money box, and only then did she take over these complicated household chores.
After reviewing the bills, Mary sent her maid Kate to inquire among the servants of other families in the neighborhood about any other reliable tailors on the street. Mary considered Black, the tailor the Price family had always used, to be of mediocre skill, and his fees weren't much cheaper.
In addition, the Price family's rent was paid monthly, and she wanted to talk to the landlord to see if it could be cheaper if they switched to quarterly or even yearly payments. Of course, if they wanted to pay the rent that way, the little change Mrs. Price had in her treasury would obviously not be enough, and she would have to talk to Mr. Price and get the rent money from him. Apart from these two issues, almost all other problems had to be discovered and corrected by Mary as she actually managed the household.
To be honest, even though Mrs. Price now has to take care of six boys, sew and mend for the whole family, and do all sorts of housework, she feels much better now that she doesn't have to deal with those annoying things or have to outwit the servants and merchants.
Even though Mary was just a child, she always managed to spot those deceptive tricks: "The meat a certain butcher is selling lately is way too cheap; it might be rat meat being passed off as meat. Don't buy meat from him!" "The bright green fabric in Black's tailor shop isn't silk; it's made of some other fabric and isn't as valuable as he claims. Plus, this green color is probably highly poisonous..."
After Mary's careful selection, the Price family changed their tailor shop. The owner was a seamstress, Aunt Taylor, who used to run the business with her husband. The business was very successful, but many of their regular customers left after her husband's unexpected death. However, after Mary's evaluation, she felt that Aunt Taylor's skills were much better than Blake's. With a new customer, Aunt Taylor was also willing to give the Price family a discount.
Negotiations with the landlord were temporarily stalled, as Mr. Brant insisted on discussing such an important matter with a man. "How can women and children make decisions like this? What do they know? They'll only mess everything up and then wash their hands of it! I can't believe Mr. Price will let you do this!" Faced with such a person, Mary had no choice but to put the matter aside for the time being.
And so, although Mrs. Price no longer managed the household affairs, Mr. Price and his children found that life not only wasn't affected, but actually became more organized. The servants became more diligent and capable, and the house became cleaner and tidier. Mrs. Price could devote herself wholeheartedly to caring for her husband and beloved boys; her eldest daughter, who had left, was almost no longer on her mind, and who even remembered Fanny?
“Mom, Mary, you’ll never guess who sent me this letter!” William, who had been listless lately, beamed as he held up the letter he had just received from the postman. This precious letter was from Fanny at Mansfield Manor.
“William, quickly open it and see how Fanny is doing there? Has she been bullied?” Mary asked repeatedly.
The letter was co-written by Fanny and her cousin Edmund Bertram, and it came with half a guinea (an old British currency unit, one guinea being equivalent to one pound sterling), as he was thoughtful and worried that his cousin might not have enough money to reply.
In her letter, Fanny naturally only reported good news and not bad. She was living at Mansfield Manor, where everything was wonderful. Her aunt and uncle were all kind, and her cousins were all amiable.
After listening to William read the letter, Mrs. Price felt even more certain that she had found the best match for her eldest daughter. While busy making clothes for the newborn Charles, she asked, "Did Fanny mention Sir Thomas's arrangements for you in the letter?"
William shook his head: "Oh, Mother, how could Sir Thomas possibly talk about such things with Fanny! We should pay more attention to Fanny; she's so kind, I'm worried she'll be bullied by Mansfield's servants."
"Of course I care about her, but with Sir Thomas around, the kind of thing you're talking about won't happen. My dear, if Sir Thomas can't find a reliable connection, you'll have to just go with whatever ship you want."
"That's nothing. Capable people can succeed anywhere," William said nonchalantly.
Ever since William graduated, the Prices had hoped he would get a good ship and learn from a good captain. Sir Thomas, though he had pulled some strings, didn't have any real connections in the trade and seemed unlikely to be of much use.
Two days later, just as Mrs. Price was urging Mr. Price to find a friend to help him, Mr. Andrew, General Maxwell's butler, actually came to the Price's house to see Mary.
Mary found it rather comical when Mr. Andrew and Mr. Price stood together: according to the social hierarchy in England at that time, a lieutenant was much higher than a butler, and Mr. Price’s affected inquiries about General Maxwell’s well-being seemed to reflect this; but Andrew represented General Maxwell’s reputation, so Mr. Price had to personally come out and exchange pleasantries with him.
This was nothing like the father who usually talked so much at home, Mary thought with a touch of irony.
After exchanging pleasantries, Andrew produced a letter from General Maxwell to his goddaughter, intending to deliver it personally to Miss Mary Price. What important message was in the letter? The whole family looked at Mary expectantly.
Mary didn't care. She rushed upstairs and read the documents quickly. The general had brought good news: the blueprints had been sold. Andrew was a skilled negotiator, and the owner of the largest laundry in Portsmouth had given him a good price. Along with the letter was a cash check for three hundred pounds.
Three hundred pounds! This was the first time Mary had ever seen so much money in her life! It might not be much to the wealthy, but it was equivalent to the Price family's living expenses for a year, a huge sum enough to buy the Price family's current residence.
Unfortunately, Mary was still a minor and, under the protection of her father, Mr. Price, could not acquire property in her own name. General Maxwell's letter also took this into consideration for his goddaughter; knowing the temperament of his old colleague, he advised Andrew not to disclose the money to Mr. Price.
How thoughtful of General Maxwell! She hid the checks, disposed of the letter, and had prepared a prepared explanation before going downstairs.
“Mother, my godmother told me that she and Miss Maxwell are going to Bath for a holiday, and Miss Smith is going with them too. They haven’t had time to pick me up from General Maxwell’s house lately. I want to ask General Maxwell if he can arrange a good captain for my brother before they leave.”
Mrs. Price was truly pleased with her daughter's understanding nature. She kissed her daughter's smooth little face repeatedly, loving her dearly. Although the trip was for their eldest son's future, the Price couple did not intend to spend any money on it. They had their own calculations: General Maxwell was so wealthy that he wouldn't care about their money at all.
Fortunately, Mary was prepared. She had already ordered a men's suit she had meticulously designed herself from Taylor's tailor shop. Aunt Taylor personally came to the shop to tailor the suit to the general's measurements. Mary was thrilled; it was the first time she had ever met such a distinguished person. The suit was navy blue, consisting of trousers, a linen shirt, and an elegant bow tie. The design was simple, without excessive embellishments, yet it subtly exuded gentlemanly elegance and sophistication. To secure the design, Aunt Taylor charged Mary very little for the suit.
After the clothes were finished and delivered, Mary went to visit General Maxwell. She sincerely said to the general, "Dear Godfather, thank you for everything you have done for me. I must tell you something honestly. You may think this is disloyalty of children to their parents, but I really don't want Mr. Price to know about this money."
The general nodded, gesturing for his goddaughter to sit down and speak: "Although I am also a father, I understand that not all fathers are willing to leave their property to their daughters. You mentioned wanting to go to school, and Mr. Price was unwilling to pay for it, so I looked into that." In the general's view, Lieutenant Price was indifferent to his children, spending his time drinking with friends, and was not a competent father, making it difficult for him to project an authoritative image in front of his children.
“I am truly grateful for your magnanimity! This amount of money may not be much to you, but it is a great sum to me.” Mary’s bright eyes were filled with joy as she heard the general’s words.
"So what are you going to do with it? Although it's a lot of money, if you use it for your and your sister's tuition for a few years, there doesn't seem to be much left."
“Godfather, I read a story in Aesop’s Fables about a farmer who found a goose in his coop that laid a golden egg every day. By selling the eggs, he gradually became wealthy. Until one day, he was no longer satisfied with the goose laying only one egg a day and thought there might be more gold hidden inside. He killed the goose, but got nothing, and he never had such good fortune again. In my opinion, this unexpected three hundred pounds is like a goose that lays golden eggs. I can’t expect to have such good fortune forever. If I kill it now, I will never get any 'golden eggs' again.”
Seeing General Maxwell deep in thought, Mary paused for a moment before continuing, "I know that my father's income comes from the interest on the seven thousand pounds dowry that my maternal grandfather gave to my mother, so I would like to ask you whether I can also deposit this money in a bank or buy bonds? As for my sister's and my tuition fees, I can continue to save money and go to Mrs. Johnson's school next year. I have inquired and found that students there can enroll mid-term."
A note from the author:
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