Nineteenth Century Medical Guide

Chapter 398 394. Out of 10 points, he is worth 12 points

5 April

Bois de Boulogne, Longchamp Racecourse, Paris

Sunday is considered a reservation night when socialites gather together, so the choice of entertainment venues becomes particularly important. It is necessary to calculate the performance time of major plays and the importance of other evening parties.

Choosing the Opera House looks solemn and elegant, the Opéra Comique and the Comédie-France represent approachability, the charity ball shows kindness, and the racecourse highlights the unique aristocratic taste while enjoying excitement.

Almost all the princes and nobles who can reach the political stage are members of the Jockey Club.

Because this club, founded in 1833, was originally born to cater to aristocrats with athletic talents. Its purpose is to promote horse training and horse racing in France, and over time it has been included in the complex social scene.

If you want to reach the upper class society at the racecourse, you have to squeeze into the most expensive stands.

Unlike other celebrities with Jockey Club memberships, outsiders have to spend a fortune to get a ticket in the hotly contested Grandstand. If you still want to truly gain a foothold in the social circle, you must at least buy two sets of season tickets in the spring and summer, when social activities are most frequent.

One set costs almost 1 francs, and two sets cost 2 francs, which is not worth mentioning for the top socialites with an average annual income of more than 20.

There were flowers blooming on the hats, hummingbirds and birds of paradise perched on them, and heirloom jewelry around their necks, hands, and ears, taken out of beautiful wooden boxes and worn just for the occasion. Because coming in to bet on horse racing is just a bonus, the real highlight is the parade back to the main city of Paris after the game.

Of course Aspen didn't know. He was so focused on the social and artistic circles that he had no time to care about such things.

"There is no conflict between horse racing and the World Expo." The conductor replied coldly, "Tens of thousands of people came in all of a sudden, and they were all wealthy people. Do you know how popular the Longchamp Racecourse is now?"

As long as you become a member and pay a reasonable annual membership fee, you will have free access to most "reservation night" venues, including the three major theaters in Paris and all racecourses. After marriage, the wife automatically becomes a member. As long as she pays the membership fee, she will also be invited to the club for free.

As Melanie said before:

What makes her happiest about the "Jockey Club" is not the people she can make friends with, but the fact that she truly feels that except for herself and other members of the same level, outsiders do not have such opportunities.

Of course Aspen wants to buy it and must buy it.

Asi couldn't believe his ears. He took two steps back and looked up to see the price change. Now he couldn't even believe his eyes. He was so surprised that he didn't know what to say. He looked around the window and found no acquaintance before asking: "The Expo is coming soon, why has the price increased?"

But in the eyes of people like Charles As, flowers don't look so chic. What he earns is basically commissions from appraisals and recommendations, as well as some royalties from fashion magazines.

The annual income is far less stable than that of nobles who are courtiers. Most of the time, it hovers around 8 to 9, and there are rare times when it can barely exceed 1. A one-time expenditure of 10 is as painful as cutting off pounds of flesh. But he had to cut it. If he didn't watch the horse racing in the stands, he would be eliminated from the social circle, and his income of yuan would also be reduced.

"Buy! Definitely buy!!!"

The conductor counted the banknotes and returned the money. At the same time, he pointed to the notice board above the window: "The prices of tickets for the rest of this year have increased. The stand you want now costs 2."

If you want to calm down the stinging feeling caused by spending money, you can only numb yourself by constantly "accumulating more connections". It's just that this kind of brainwashing method has little effect. I'm afraid only the people around him can feel how gritted his teeth were when he threw out 2 francs.

This view is boring, and it is also the inevitable result of her running a social circle over the years. If you want to become a true communicator, you must make "class", a dirty concept that is so arrogant that it requires the complete elimination of dissidents, a lifelong goal.

Look at the Lady Stand, which looks like a cityscape, like a well-decorated French garden. 【1】

"No, if this continues, we will really make ends meet. No matter how embarrassed we are, we have to go to the Grand Duke to continue applying."

Unlike As's embarrassment, Melanie and other celebrity ladies and ladies who had taken seats in the ladies' stand early had no such concerns. They became members of the club because of their fathers and husbands' glory. In addition to a small gamble, they came here to show off.

"Do you want to buy it or not? Don't buy the next one!"

Originally, As thought that joining the Jockey Club was as easy as joining the Artists League Club, and even if there were difficulties, it should not be an obstacle.

That's why he was so eager to get into the jockey's club.

But Duke Dudoville didn't give him any chance, and all three previous applications were rejected, including at Melanie's salon late last year. On the contrary, it was Kawei who received praise from Duke Dudoville after he left, saying that they would have a good chat with him next time they met, and maybe they would consider letting him join.

As stood at the ticket window and painfully took out 1 francs: "Give me a set of season tickets."

Melanie touched the ruby ​​necklace hanging around her neck and couldn't help but look around, satisfied with the envious eyes.

This is the sense of superiority that class can bring.

Of course, if you want to be protected by your husband all the time, you have to tolerate his other behaviors. The euphemistic name is romantic openness, but in fact it is the result of weighing the pros and cons. After ignoring the flirtations between her husband and the courtesan not far away, she found Asi who had just entered the venue and asked, "Is the person here?"

"It's coming, it's coming!" Asma looked happy, "I just saw her motorcade when I came in."

"Okay." Melanie opened the folding fan and gently fanned the displeasure from her face.

After a while, a loud shout rang through the racecourse: "Her Royal Highness Princess Mathilde Bonaparte has arrived!"

The band was stopped just as it started to tune. The 47-year-old princess walked into the venue gracefully, and applause and cheers erupted from the Madam Stand. But the sounds didn't last long, and were quickly replaced by bursts of whispers and laughter.

Mathilde's clothes were still so luxurious, with lots of flowers, bird feathers, and gems. Different from the past, she did not bring a maid, but a male companion who was just in his early 20s. 【2】

This is definitely a handsome face, with clear outlines and exquisite features. Her thick brown wavy hair seemed to have been baptized by the storm of romanticism, swaying gently in the breeze. The pair of black eyes that looked around were like a pampered and melancholy rabbit. They looked around cautiously, not daring to make any other movements. A man came to the female stand, and he was such a handsome man. The scene was a little awkward for a while. In the end, only Melanie dared to speak first: "Is this the one you mentioned before?"

"Yes, my name is Rochester, 24 years old. Born in Hungary, I have been to Moscow, London, Vienna and Milan before." Mathilde found her own exclusive seat, took Rochester's hand and said with a smile, "Take a round and round After many years of wandering, I finally decided to live in Paris.”

Melanie guessed his age, but was surprised by the age difference between the two. However, a woman like Mathilde, who is always frustrated in love, does need the nourishment and nourishment of a young and handsome man.

"How did we meet?"

"Introduced by a Belgian countess at a dance." Not long after her second failed marriage, a long-lost smile appeared on Mathilde's face. "I thought he was pretty good, with a sweet mouth and a kind heart. I was really lonely, so I took it home.”

Melanie has never been interested in this area. Firstly, it is because of her husband's reputation. Secondly, she is also very busy managing the salon and cannot spare time.

However, she couldn't deny the young man's appearance. If it were placed in front of her, she might be tempted by him over time.

"How's it going?" Mathilde covered one side of her face with the fan handle, leaned over and asked softly.

"That's good. You feel a lot more cheerful with him here. Let the past pass. You see, it's time to go out for a walk in this weather. It's not good to stay in the studio all the time." Melanie said to Ass on the side. Without looking away, the wine and fruit plate were delivered to me in the blink of an eye, "Since you're here, let's have fun on this rare weekend."

Mathilde gave up two royal weddings in her life, one to the Three Emperors and one to the future Alexander II. Her only marriage soon ended with her jeweler husband's debauchery and violence. The only things that could accompany her for the rest of her life were paintings and the endless jewelry brought about by the divorce.

The seven-strand pearl necklace now on her neck is enough to stand out from the crowd on the racecourse. In addition, there are 39 diamond hair accessories and diamond rose brooches on her head, each of which can bankrupt a young man like As. 【3】

The appearance of Rochester made up for her emotional shortcomings.

However, Rochester's own emotional shortcomings are not so easy to make up for.

He sat quietly next to Mathilde from beginning to end, holding the foie gras brioche and red wine in his hand, blowing the cool breeze of late spring and early summer, thinking about these four months in his mind. Gains and losses, and his own dark future.

And, of course, the letter from the Cuspertos. 【4】

At that ball four months ago, he did not win the favor of the Belgian countess. He was about to be thrown back to the slums of Vienna to wait for bankruptcy. Who knew that in a twist of events, he met Mathilde.

He didn't know whether it was luck or misfortune. In short, Hungary's ancestral property was temporarily saved, and what followed was the training from Princess Bonaparte and the tasks assigned by Cusper.

调训

When Rochester thinks of this word, a certain part of his body will feel a dull pain due to the presence of some special instrument. He didn't know why there was such a vicious thing in the world. He only knew that for the next half a year, as long as he was not in the princess's dormitory, he would be asked to put on this thing. 【5】

(I have to say something more here, because it involves women in real history, and it is not polite to discuss deceased women in this way. Therefore, I would like to note that the behaviors and hobbies of the characters in this chapter are purely fictitious and do not exist in real life. Any similarities are purely coincidence)

what to do? Do we really have to wait until the end of the year for the World Expo to end? The princess can listen to herself, but can Naisan listen to hers? What if you don’t listen?

Rochester felt miserable, but had no choice but to look at the expensive dress and accessories on his body and could only do what he did. Somehow, a fierce one-on-three scene with a certain Swiss young man appeared in front of him. Thinking of this, he swallowed the egg roll in one breath and poured red wine into his mouth: In order to pay off the debt, it's a big deal! ! !

He handed the plate and cup to the waiter and gently pushed Mathilde's shoulder: "Her Royal Highness, haven't you chosen a horse yet?"

Mathilde thought it would take him a long time to get familiar with the big scene here, but she didn't expect that he got used to it within a few minutes and was in a good mood: "I'm still hesitant, how about you?"

"I choose No. 10."

"10?" Mathilde nodded, thoughtfully, "Then I will choose No. 01! Come on, Ass, help me buy No. 10 for 1000 francs and No. 01 for 1000 francs."

"okay."

"Melanie, what about you?"

"I'll just play around."

Melanie smiled and looked at the preparation area of ​​the racecourse, recalling the information she had found in the morning. Just as she was about to place her bet, there was another noise at the entrance. This time the attitude of the ladies was much more violent than before, and some even screamed: "So handsome!!!"

"It seems that Mr. Hans has arrived!"

Melanie put away the folding fan and suddenly became interested: "Oh, is that the Vienna court painter you keep mentioning?"

"Yes, that's him. His painting skills are derived from the academic school but are higher than the academic school. The colors are bright and yet solemn." Mathilde stood up quickly, lifted her shawl and looked towards the entrance, "The painting is like the person, they say Hans Schriarty is a stunningly handsome man, and I’m afraid not many girls will want to watch the horse racing today.”

"That's not true. Can he be more handsome than Mr. Rochester?"

"I may hesitate when it comes to judging the quality of paintings by famous artists. But when it comes to appearance, there is no need to hesitate."

Mathilde answered quite simply, but soon she squeezed her male companion's palm with one hand, touched his cheek with the other, and said comfortingly: "You know my temper, I am straightforward, and I don't like to lie. If the full score is 10 points , I will definitely give you 10 points, but I have to give Hans 12 points.”

Melanie glanced at Rochester and couldn't imagine how handsome that man must be to reach the level Mathilde said. However, the reality was far worse than the princess imagined. The beautiful women who had never seen Hans's beauty all turned pale. Even Rochester himself had to admit this.

But this was not the reason for his surprise. What really surprised and even shocked him was the young man following Hans.

"Wait a minute. You don't know what you think."

Rochester rubbed his eyes, thinking he had made a mistake. But the closer he got, the clearer he saw that the person coming was the prodigal son of the president of the Swiss Parliament who had to come here to suffer as a result of a failed bet: "Geiser? Geiser Knissel? Why is he here?" ?”

(End of this chapter)