Surprisingly, I did not meet Charles Strickland under the circumstances envisioned by Mrs. Strickland. One day, she invited me to dinner. I not only met her husband, but also several others. Early that morning, Mrs. Strickland sent someone to bring a note. A guest was unable to come because of the matter, so she invited me to fill the empty seat. The note said:

I have a feeling that you will be bored, after all, I have known that this banquet is very boring. But if you can come, I will be grateful. At least the two of us can still have a chat.

Of course I accepted her invitation.

Under the help of Mrs. Strickland, I met her husband. When he shook hands with me, I could not feel his enthusiasm at all. Mrs. Strickland was very interested, and she even joked when she turned around.

"I asked him to come and see my husband. Now he should have begun to doubt."

Strickland smiled coldly but politely, and then he remained silent. Other guests came one after another, and the host went to entertain them, leaving me alone. When all the guests arrived, before dinner started, I chatted with other female guests. I suddenly thought: Is this what a civilized society should look like? These boring social gatherings and gatherings have no other meaning except passing the time. They are completely useless to waste their will and waste their lives. It is really strange! Take today for example, you can't understand why the hostess invited a lot of guests to the party, and these

Why did the guests come to the party? The ten guests on that day didn't know each other, but when the banquet ended and everyone came home, they would feel much more relaxed. This was just a social event, and everyone regarded completing it as an obligation. Because the Stricklands and his wife were invited to the party before, they had to repay the favor and invite each other back and forth. Why did the other party come? Is it because they were tired of having only the couple sitting opposite each other while eating, or because there was no reason to refuse, they should have returned to the meal? I really don't understand.

The restaurant was crowded and uncomfortable. There were many people with prominent status among these people, such as Mrs. Strickland's brother-in-law Colonel McAndrew, a gentleman who served as royal legal counsel, and a gentleman who served as a senior government official, who carried his wife as a company. The guest who had something to come was a MP, and his wife also came. They were all noble people. The wives didn't care about dressing because they knew their status and were too lazy to please. The husbands dressed more luxuriously than the other. In short, they all had a smug look on their faces.

Everyone was cheerful, talking loudly, feeling the warm atmosphere of the banquet. However, people were in groups of three or five, talking about their own, and not talking about a common theme. Everyone was talking about delicious food. They talked a lot, from political situations to golf, from family matters to newly performed plays recently, from painting exhibitions to weather and vacations. The conversation never stopped, and the sound became louder. This was a successful banquet, and I thought Mrs. Strickland must be very happy. Although her husband was not talking much, he was elegant and showed the style of the host. As the meal came to an end, I found that the female guests on both sides were tired. I thought he must be a person who was not good at talking. I even saw Mrs. Strickland looking at him several times, with anxiety in her eyes.

Finally, she stood up and took the guests out. After they left, Strickland closed the door and changed seats. He sat between the royal counsel and the government officials, and asked the maid to bring the red wine and cigars again. The royal counsel praised the red wine, and Strickland talked about where he bought the good wine. We talked about the wine making process and the production of tobacco. The royal counsel told us about his recent case,

The colonel talked about the sport of polo. I had nothing to say, so I had to sit there quietly, showing interest, and listening carefully to other people's conversations. At this time, I began to look at Strickland again. He was not as short as I thought; I used to think he was a small man with a bad appearance. He was burly, strong limbs, and a bit dull in an evening gown, as if he was a groom attending a party. He was about forty years old, and his appearance had nothing to do with beauty, but it was never annoying.

Because his facial features are very well-proportioned, although they are a little bigger than ordinary people, they look a little rough and clumsy. He has no beard, probably shaved, his face is very big, and his whole face looks a little inconsistent. His hair is red and not long. He also has small gray-blue eyes. In short, he looks very ordinary. I finally understand why Mrs. Strickland is a little embarrassed every time she mentions him: if a woman wants to gain a foothold in the literary and artistic circles, she cannot add to her such a husband.
Chapter completed!