Chapter 24 Chapter 23 The Story of a Charming Lady

Hehehe, I smell British blood. I see you as a gift from heaven and hold you tight. "So you never knew Mr. Leavenworth's marital status?" My partner asked me.Mr. Leavenworth's dislike of the Englishman, I want my partner to explain to me. "I haven't heard of it." "If you'd heard it, you wouldn't have come to me to explain it to you. It's not surprising that you haven't. I doubt there are more than half a dozen people in the world who know. Horatio Leavenworth met in England There are not many people who know about their marriage, and even fewer people know the details of their union at that time."

"As you say, I have been very lucky to have met someone who could tell me the story. Mr. Willey, what is the state of the union you speak of?" "It doesn't help much if you hear it. Horatio Leavenworth was very ambitious in his youth. He once aspired to marry a wealthy lady in Prudence County, Rhode Island. However, he would go to England by chance later, and met Another young woman whose grace and charm had such an influence on him that he turned away from the Prudence County woman. It took him a long time, however, to decide on marrying the woman to whom he was so attracted , because not only is her family poor, but she also has a child with her. The neighbors don’t know who the father of the child is, and she never mentions it. However, the final development of this kind of love story is that the hero is sad and the beauty is closed. He decides his life It was a big deal, so he proposed to her, and she immediately said that he was a noble gentleman, and he couldn't get high, which made him feel that she had to marry him.

"Her explanation sounds poignant. She was originally an American. Her father was a well-known businessman in Chicago. He lived in luxury when he was alive, but his father died before puberty. At her father's funeral, she met the doomed man. The man of her life. How he got here, she never knew. He was not a friend of her father's life. He stood there watching her, and three months later—don't tremble, she's just a child—they married Married. Twenty-four hours later, she knew what marriage meant to her: Marriage meant a bolt from the blue. Everett, I didn't make this up. Twenty-four hours after the girl got married, the husband got drunk from outside Go home, see her in the way, beat her to the ground without saying a word. This is just the beginning. Her father's inheritance is actually less than originally expected. After the distribution, he took her to England, the old man It was to get drunk and beat her. She was tortured by him day and night. Before she was sixteen, she had already tasted the bitterness of the world. And it was not a rough ordinary villain, but a noble, handsome, loving A luxurious gentleman. He has very high requirements on the taste of clothing. If he thinks that the clothes she is wearing are not suitable, he would rather throw the clothes in the fire than see her in vulgar clothes.

“She endured it until the baby was born and she ran away from home. The baby was two days old and she got out of bed and ran out of the house with the baby in her arms. She made ends meet on the few jewels she had in her pocket and started a family. As for her husband, she never saw or heard from him again. From the time she left him until a fortnight before she met Horatio Leavenworth she learned from the papers that he had death. She was freed by it. Although she loved Horatio Leavenworth with all her heart, she refused to marry him. She felt that a whole year of abuse and humiliation had left her forever. He could not persuade her. It was not until her child died, about a month after he proposed, that she agreed to marry and put an end to her unhappy past. He brought her to New York and gave her material luxuries , took good care of her, but she was hurt too badly, and two years after the child took his last breath, she also returned to heaven. For Horatio Leavenworth, it was the biggest blow in his life He was completely changed. Although Mary and Eleanor soon came into the house, he could never regain his former lively and cheerful personality. Money became his idol, and making a lot of money and leaving a family The ambition of a large fortune has also changed his outlook on life. But one thing can prove that he has never forgotten his wife when he was young, that is, he cannot bear to hear the word 'British'."

Mr. Willey paused, and I got up to leave. "Do you remember what Mrs. Leavenworth looked like?" I asked. "Can you describe it?" He seemed a little surprised by my request, but answered right away. "She was very pale, not strictly beautiful, but very attractive in outline and shape. Brown hair, gray eyes—" "Is there a big difference?" He nodded, looking even more surprised. "How do you know? Have you seen her portrait?" I didn't answer. As I went downstairs, it occurred to me that I had a letter in my pocket to be addressed to Fred, Mr. Willey's son, and that if it was to be delivered to him this evening, it would be safest to leave it on the library table.So I went into the library which is located behind the living room.I knocked on the door and got no answer, so I opened it and looked inside.

There was no light in the room, but a warm flame was burning in the fireplace. By the light of the fire, I saw a lady lying prone next to me. At first glance, I thought it was Mrs. Willie.I walked in the door to greet her and that's when I realized I had made a mistake.Because the person in front of me not only didn't want to answer, but also raised her head after hearing my voice, and let me see her curvy figure, exuding a noble demeanor, this can't be my partner's slender wife . "Sorry I made a mistake," I said, "Excuse me." I wanted to leave, but the attitude of this lady made me want to stay, because I think she is Mary Leavenworth.I asked.

"Are you Miss Leavenworth?" Her noble figure seemed to be listless, and her slightly raised head drooped immediately. For a moment, I wondered if I had guessed wrong.Then, she slowly raised her head, straightened her body, and spoke in a soft voice.I heard a muffled "yes," stepped forward, and saw—it wasn't Mary, she had no wandering, eager gaze, no flushed, quivering lips.This person is Eleanor.Her detailed face touched my heart from the very beginning.And I believe the person I'm tracking down is her husband. I was taken aback. I couldn't control my emotions, and I couldn't hide them.I backed away slowly, said in a low voice that I mistook her for Mary just now, and then turned around to leave because I didn't want to see her when I was in a state of mind.At this time, her clear, gentle voice rose again, and I heard such a question.

"Fate has brought us together, and you're going to turn around and leave without saying a word, Mr. Raymond?" Then, as I walked slowly toward her, I heard her say, "You see me Are you surprised that people are here?" "I don't know, I didn't expect you to be here," I replied incoherently, "I heard that you are not feeling well, you are staying at home and not going anywhere, and I also heard that you don't want to see friends." "I've been unwell lately," she said, "but I'm better now, so I've come to Mrs. Willie's to spend the night because I can't stand the four walls of that room staring at me any longer."

She doesn't sound plaintive when she speaks, more like she feels the need to explain why she's here. "I'm glad you're here for the night," I said. "You ought to stay here all the time. It's a dreary and lonely hotel for you to stay for long, Miss Leavenworth. You're exiling yourself at this time, and we're all very sorry." sad." "I don't want anyone to be sad, this is the best place for me. I am no longer alone here. I still have a pure self in my heart, keep me from the abyss of despair. Don't let my friends do it for me Anxious. I can make it through." Then she lowered her voice, "The only thing that really frustrates me is that I don't know what's going on at home. I can bear the sadness, but the questions in my mind make life worse than death. You Can you tell me about Mary and the family? I can't ask Mrs. Willey. She is very kind, but she doesn't know Mary and me very well, and she doesn't know anything about the separation between us. She thinks I'm capricious, and blames me for letting my cousin suffer alone. But you know, I really can't help it. You know—" Her voice became unstable, and she didn't finish the sentence.

"I can't tell you much," I replied hastily, "but I will tell you everything I know. Is there anything in particular you want to know?" "Yes. How is Mary? Is she all right? Is she calm?" "Your cousin is in good health," I replied, "but I'm afraid she is not very calm. She is also very worried about you." "So you see her often?" "I'm helping Mr. Harwell prepare your uncle's book for publication, so I'll be there most of the time." "Uncle's book!" Her tone was low and frightened. "Yes, Miss Leavenworth. She thinks it would be best to make his writings public, and—"

"Did Mary ask you to help?" "yes." She seemed to develop a lingering fear of the words. "How could she? Oh, how could she?" "She thought it would be fulfilling your uncle's behest. Your uncle, you know, was anxious to have it published before July." "Don't mention my uncle's book!" she interrupted me, "I can't stand it." Then, she seemed worried that she was too abrupt and hurt my self-esteem, so she lowered her voice and said, "But I don't know anyone else who is better than me." You are better suited for the job. With your assistance, that book will be respected and admired. But, stranger, oh, I can't bear to have a stranger touch my uncle's writings." She fell into fear again.Then she straightened up, and murmured, "I want to know, oh, I know—" Then she turned to me, "I want to ask you, is everything in the house as it was before? Are the people the same as before?" ? Did anything else change?" "Here comes a Mrs. Darrell. What else has changed, I don't know." "Mary didn't mention she was going out?" "Not so far as I know." "Has anyone come to visit her? Is there anyone besides Mrs. Darrell who has come to keep her company?" I knew what she was going to ask next, and I tried to stay calm. "Yes," I replied, "how many people there are." "Could you please tell them their names one by one?" Her voice was lowered, but the words were clear and easy to read. "Certainly. Mrs. Willie, Mrs. Gilbert, Miss Martin, and—" "Go on," she whispered. "There is also a gentleman named Claflin." "You obviously felt awkward when you said that name," she said, seeing my extreme anxiety, "may I ask why?" I was a little surprised and raised my eyes to look at her face.She was very pale, with an expression of self-repression which I have never forgotten.I look away immediately. "Why? Because there's something about him that strikes me as peculiar." "How?" she asked. "He has two names. Today it's Claflin, and not long ago he called himself—" "talk." "Robbins." The dress on her was rustling against the fire, sounding a bit lonely.However, her voice was without any emotion, like a machine. "How many times has this person, whose name you are not sure of, visited Mary?" "once." "when?" "last night." "Did he stay long?" "About twenty minutes." "Do you think he'll come again?" "I do not think so." "why?" "He has left the United States." After a moment of silence, I felt her eyes searching my face.Had I known she had a loaded pistol in her hand, I probably would not have dared to look up at her. "Mr. Raymond," she said with a last change of tone, "the last time I saw you, you said you would try to clear me up before the world. I didn't want you to do that, and I don't now. I don't want you to do this. Can you please do me a favor and say that you let this matter go? Anyway, no matter how hard you try, there will be no results." "I can't," I replied emphatically, "I can't just let it go. I'm sorry to cause you grief, but you'd better understand that as long as I'm alive, I won't give up and clear your name hope." In the rapidly dimming firelight, she stretched out her hand, making a desperate plea to me.Her gesture is moving, but I am not moved. "If I give up my right to justice, and wash away the unwarranted disgrace of a noble lady, I will never be able to face the world or my own conscience." Seeing that she was not about to speak, I took a step closer and said, "Is it possible Something for me to do for you, Miss Leavenworth? Shall I carry a message for you, or do something for you to please you?" She thought for a while. "No," she said, "I just want to ask you for one thing, and you refuse to accept it." "I'm completely selfless," I emphasized. She shook her head slowly. "You think so," she added before I could respond, "but I do have a small request." "What's up?" "If there is any new news, such as discovering Hannah, or when I need to come forward, you must let me know. You must also promise me that even if the worst happens, you must let me know." "I will." "Well, good night. Mrs. Willie will be back soon, and it's best not to let her see you here." "I know." I said. However, I didn't leave. I just stood there watching the flickering light of the fire shine on her black dress. I didn't turn and walk towards the door until I suddenly remembered Claflin and tomorrow's mission.When I reached the threshold, I stopped again and looked back.O flickering fire, dying flame!Oh, the shadows swarming in crowds!O languid figures among the shadows, covering their faces with their hands!I'll take another look.Take another look like a dream.Night fell on the gas-lit streets, and I walked quickly, alone and sad, to my lonely home at last.