Detective Mary

Chapter 33

When Mary arrived back at Mr. and Mrs. Gardner's apartment on Glynos Church Street, her appearance startled Jane.

Though Mary had been careful, she had been in the slums and had gotten stains on her dress and shoes, and even her face was dusty and dirty as a tabby cat from Henry Decker's frenzied attack.

"Mary?!"

Jane nearly screamed as she entered the bedroom. Covering her mouth, she rushed forward and looked Mary up and down several times to make sure she wasn't hurt before asking, "Where have you been? Did you have an accident? Did Mr. Bentley fail to protect you?"

"Wait," Mary had to stop Jane's questioning trifecta, "I'm fine, there was no accident, let me explain!"

Well, with that glowing look, one would have thought that some gentleman had asked her to marry him, but it really wasn't an accident.

Especially as Mary's face was still in a state of excitement, which was somewhat of a comfort to Jane.

She still wrinkled her nose, but at least it calmed down, "What's going on?"

"I'm talking now," Mary lowered her voice, "and you're gonna have to hear me out before you scream."

"...... you say."

Mary raised a smile, "I went to meet the Irish workers!"

Jane: "Sh...... never mind, you finish first."

I knew this would be her reaction, the pretty eldest sister looked worried. But Jane kept her word, and waited until Mary had finished before making her remarks.

So Mary didn't hesitate to tell Jane all about the day's experience in colorful detail.

The slums, the Irish workers, Henry Dyke, who had been sacked on excuses, and the beautiful, unassuming, impressive, future Mrs. Watson, Miss Mary Morstan.

Mary spoke glowingly, and Jane, for her part, listened attentively.

She shook her head at first when she heard of the conditions of the slums, as if she had a great deal of warning and admonition pressed into her heart, waiting for Mary to finish and reprimand her.

But little by little Jane's expression softened as she heard of the wrongs done to Henry Dyke, and of Miss Mary Morstan's forthright kindness.

"So, ah," Mary ended the paraphrase with exuberance, "Mr. Holmes was so wonderful that he recognized the Devil's Heel at first sight, and not only saved Henry Dyke, but promised him that he would find out the truth. I see that everybody has a special respect for him, and I am afraid this is not the first time that Mr. Detective has helped the poor people!"

"......"

Mary would have thought that Jane, who was kind by nature, would have been relieved to hear this act of righteousness, but she was not.

Warm and beautiful sister, just a slight frown, with watery eyes looking deeply at Mary.

"Jane?"

Sensing Jane's mood, Mary then put away her frown as she calmed down and spoke cautiously, "Did I piss you off by wandering around?"

Jane heard this and let out a long sigh.

She allowed Mary to sit beside her, and Jane closed her eyes and said, with immense hesitation, "I should have been angry."

Mary raised her eyes, "But?"

Jane: "But, Mary, it's the first time I've seen you look so happy."

Oi?

The words froze Mary in place.

-Before coming back, she had guessed that Jane would be angry, chagrined, or even more unlucky, that she would simply run into the Gardners and make a big mess with herself looking this out of sorts for all to see.

Yet no. Lucky Mary avoided the maid and her own aunt and uncle and sneaked back to her room, and even her eldest sister, who was almost a template for a lady, was not immediately annoyed.

"When you were at Longbourn," Jane spoke warmly, "you were full of queer ideas, but always refused to speak them. Neither a dancer nor a socializer, you did nothing but bury your head in your books and argue with Lydia. Lizzie and I were worried sometimes, afraid you'd become a nerd, so full of words people wouldn't understand that you wouldn't even be able to communicate properly, let alone marry."

"...... That's because I don't like it." Mary wryly argued.

"Yeah."

Jane lost her voice in laughter, "Until Mr. Bingley moved into Netherfield Manor and brought a breath of fresh air. Especially since that Mr. Detective showed up, you were like a different person. That's when I wondered if it wasn't that you weren't good at communicating with people, you just didn't want to."

With that, Jane took Mary's hand.

"You never laughed so much at home, Mary," she said, "and never showed so much enthusiasm for anything. It is so unseemly for you to do this to-day, but ......"

"But?" Mary's eyes flashed.

"But," Jane was a little embarrassed, "you really are doing a good deed and are willing to do it from the bottom of your heart. As a sister, I can't support you in your nonsense, but I shouldn't stand in the way of you helping others either, and I really don't know what to do about it."

Mary sniffed, and a hanging heart completely relaxed.

She was afraid that Jane would be angry, but her good sister was not. The limitations of the times made her totally disapprove of Mary's behavior, but at the same time Jane was a kind and compassionate person.

Who would stop their loved ones from doing what they could to help those in need?

"On my watch."

Mary reached out and wrapped her arm around Jane, "It's not hard at all, do you resent me for running around?"

Jane didn't think twice, "Of course not."

After saying that she thought for a moment and added, "I also believe that you have it in your heart that you know better than Lydia, and have read more books, and won't really fool around."

"In that case, isn't this very simple?"

Mary spoke with a smile, "Jane thinks I'm doing a good deed and trusts me to have a point, so what are you worried about? "

Jane: "Nothing at all."

She tried to speak a few times, as if she wanted to admonish Mary to stop running around, but the words didn't feel right.

In the end, Jane didn't voice this misgiving, but fell into deep thought - what Mary had done was by no means wrong, but it was also by no means right for an unmarried girl.

Either way, one was right and one was wrong.

So, was Mary wrong to pursue the truth, or was Mary wrong to do it, or was society's morality wrong to demand that a "lady" be a "lady"?

If Mary knew that, because of her own boldness and risk-taking, Jane had begun to think about, and even question, the rights of women and the status of women in society, she would have been shocked.

But she was not the worm in Jane's stomach, so naturally she did not understand what her eldest sister was pondering. Mary just confirmed that Jane no longer pursue this matter, then changed clothes, ran to urge the maid, if the Irish girl with the same name as their own Miss Mary Morstan door to visit, do not because of her clothes and economic conditions to drive people out.

However, just because Jane put the matter aside for the time being did not mean that there would be no follow-up.

Early in the morning of the following day, out of courtesy of a return visit, Mrs. Gardiner answered Mr. Bingley's invitation to be his guest at his mansion in London.

Mary had not wished to go; she had intended to wait until her aunt and elder sister had gone out, and then to send a message to Mr. Detective to ask if he needed any further help.

But Jane, who had always been gentle and good-natured, was adamant that Mary should go and visit Mr. Bentley as well.

For one thing, Jane is indecisive, not knowing whether to discipline Mary out of the responsibility of the eldest sister, or let her continue to run the case, simply bring Mary with her; secondly, this is a matter of basic courtesy, Mr. Bentley came to visit the two sisters, always have to return the visit.

Mary saw Jane's rare toughness, consider for a moment, but also painfully agreed.

It didn't matter if she couldn't see Mr. Detective for a while; Mr. Bentley had gone to see Hamp himself yesterday, and would have more or less some clues.

Yet when she waited at Mr. Bingley's lodgings, Mary's hopes were disappointed.

It was not that Mr. Bingley was absent, but that his sister, Miss Caroline Bingley, was present.

The last time they had parted at Longbourn, Mary had made a point of telling her that she was not at all interested in Mr. Darcy, and was not at all a rival for Miss Bingley's affections, and had sent her away both embarrassed and humiliated - Mary had thought that would be enough to make Miss Bingley turn away from her, but when they had met again, Miss Bingley had put on her condescending and grudgingly agreeable-to-you airs.

"Mary!"

As soon as she saw Mary enter, Miss Bingley spoke with feigned eagerness, "I've been waiting for you and Jane to arrive early in the morning for quite some time."

Mary was speechless, but she couldn't help but smile, so she had to hook up the corners of her mouth and put on a surprised look, "So you missed me so much! I promised to ask about Mr. Holmes for me, but I couldn't wait for a letter for months, and I thought you had forgotten me."

Miss Bentley: "......"

Miss Bentley's cheeks reddened at the direct poke at her politeness, and she coughed softly a few times, barely hiding her embarrassment from the past.

"It's not that I don't write," she explained, "but Mr. Sherlock Holmes never appears in social circles, and I don't understand what Charles is busy with on a regular basis, so I really can't pry for information."

This was true.

Mary accepted the remark, "Well then, I don't blame you."

"But ......"

Miss Bentley evoked a smug smile, "Recently I have had to be a proper gentleman, and after not two sentences of conversation, I felt that you and he must have something in common, and he is talking matters over with Charles in his study, and in a few moments when they come out, I will introduce you to him."

Mary: "............"

What more to do!

She was simply going to be out of temper with Miss Bingley, and this was afraid that she had not confirmed that Mary was no threat, and was actually doing the bridesmaid's business - with that in mind, bother to help set up Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, so as not to have to get on the bandwagon herself!

Who cared for any decent gentleman, talking as if the various Miss Bennet's were sadly married. Even if Mary did not care for the eyes of others, Miss Bingley's repeated harassment had made her a little impatient.

Unable to do so, Mary hesitated for a few words, and was about to excuse herself when Mr. Bingley came out with the guest of the day.

Then Mary realized that she had misunderstood Miss Bingley.

"Mr. Hall," Miss Bentley stood up, "this is the young lady I mentioned to you earlier, who is working on a detective novel."

The strange gentleman who came into the parlor was not some single young man, but a middle-aged man of about forty-five.

Like all the middle-aged gentlemen Mary had ever seen, he looked polite, wore a pair of glasses, and was full of books. After hearing Miss Bentley's words, his eyes lit up, "Is this the lady?"

Miss Bentley proudly turned her head to look at Mary, "Mary, this is Mr. Fred Hall, he is a very famous magazine editor-in-chief, specializing in displaying fresh things from all over the world, and also publishes manuscripts for serialization, and is worrying that the novels section will not be filled up now."

"Magazine?"

Mary's eyes widened, "What magazine?"

"Seaside Magazine," said Miss Bentley rather smugly, "thought you must have heard of it."

"............"

OMG.

Mary had to cover her mouth just to hide her shocked expression.

The Seaside Magazine was no other than the magazine in which Mr. Conan Doyle himself published the Sherlock Holmes series of novels!