After finishing work in the Parliament Building, Mr. Ben Harmon went to several places one after another. His own tobacco company, a club, and several mansions that were obviously inhabited by wealthy people. Richmond's prosperity at this time seems to be comparable to that of transportation hub cities like Chicago. There is even a higher proportion of large buildings built with bricks and stones, and the proportion of wealthy people seems to be higher as well. At least when Wayne and his friends were in Chicago, they hardly saw any ladies or young ladies wearing gorgeous and complicated dresses. Basically, they were all so-called "ordinary citizens." However, this may also be related to the circle and class that Mr. Ben Harmon interacts with on a daily basis. At night, Mr. Ben Harmon made a special trip to see a gentleman first, and then several carriages drove to a manor on the outskirts of the city, where it was said that there was going to be a ball. Assistants, valets, bodyguards, coachmen and the like are of course not eligible to attend the ball.
So a few people stayed with the two carriages, which were lined up in a long row on an open space outside the manor house. There are actually some particularities here, and the best positions are currently left vacant on purpose. Mr. Ben Harmon estimated that the location was not bad and the place to park the carriage was not too remote. If the servants were of high enough status, such as the butlers of some of the guests, they could follow into the main house, but most of them were socializing or standing in the side halls or outside the banquet hall. Wayne doesn't want to go. Coachmen and servants also have their own social circles. The coachman and servants who were staying in the carriage nearby and also had nothing to do for the time being saw that Wayne and his friends looked unfamiliar, so someone came over to chat with them. The basic approach to chatting someone up is "How was your day?" or "Huh? I remember Mr. Harmon's coachman was supposed to be someone so-and-so. Did he get a promotion/find a better job?" Then it would be “Anything interesting happening lately?”, telling each other some gossip or gossip about other wealthy families besides their own employers. At first, everyone just chatted casually and then left. When a valet started to distribute cigarettes to Ryan, Things began to change. Commercial cigarettes are still a relatively luxurious item these days. Even if ordinary people have the money to spend or are particularly fond of them, they just buy some cheap tobacco to smoke in their pipes or roll their own. Being willing to distribute commercial cigarettes between strangers is considered a very friendly act. Ryan, who is considered a "single migrant worker" and a former bounty hunter, is more willing to spend money on this compared to locals with families, and the rewards shared by the detective agency in the first two times were also good. So after feeling the friendliness of others, the cigarettes he returned not only seemed to be of significantly better quality, but were also distributed more generously. Soon, a circle of people gathered behind Mr. Ben Harmon's carriage, smoking and chatting. The flames flickered, looking like a group of fireflies. Mr. Ben Harmon's assistant, like Wayne, neither smoked nor wanted to hear gossip, so he stood outside the circle next to the carriage. By the way, I complained to Wayne about the inappropriate behavior of these "low-class people" in gatherings.
However, his angle of criticism is a little different from that of modern society. Nowadays, smoking tobacco is not considered rude, but rather carries a bit of "upper class" temperament. Even in the first-class carriage of a steam train, lighting a cigarette would not be considered rude by the ladies - although they might not like it, their tolerance level was indeed much higher than in modern society. Therefore, what Mr. Ben Harmon's assistant disliked was their "gathering" behavior itself and their casual appearance which was "not in accordance with etiquette." By the way, this assistant is probably from a middle-class family, has a university diploma, and is working hard to become a qualified lawyer, and then strive to enter the circle of wealthy or upper-class people or something. He positioned himself as a step ahead of "future students" like Wayne, having already stepped onto a new level, and would also pass on some of his experiences as a veteran to Wayne. As for other servants or coachmen, in his eyes they were not of the same class. Compared to the atmosphere in Blackrock Town where even the mayor likes to act "people-friendly", the hierarchy between people in the south feels to Wayne more clear-cut. But southerners don’t seem to hate this “clear social hierarchy” and they even agree with it. As for Wayne's recent impressions of interacting with people in Georgeburg, the atmosphere in the South is somewhat similar to that in the Kingdom of Windsor at this time. Most people seem willing to accept this reality and will work harder to climb to a higher circle. The servants and coachmen here, while chatting about various interesting anecdotes and gossips, would occasionally reveal their plans for future promotions or salary increases. Even the landlord, who was so open-minded and indifferent, encouraged Wayne to make more connections in college, develop his career, accumulate wealth, and become a promising middle-class person. Progressive, Not as happy as the townspeople in Blackrock Town. By this time, it was past the time Wayne knew the party was going to start. At the entrance of the main house, someone who looked like the owner was still guarding it. A coachman nearby gave Wayne some advice after hearing his question, saying that this is how dances in the South are: most guests will try to arrive a little later, most of them will not be too late, but they will never arrive early. The coachman smoked the cigarette Ryan gave him until it reached the butt, then reluctantly threw it on the ground and extinguished it: "But judging by the current time, it's already more than half an hour late, and Mr. Russell is still waiting at the door, so the one who is coming must be a 'distinguished guest'." Yo ho. Wayne was a little curious, so he continued to listen to the gossip while looking over there. Finally, among the three carriages that stopped in front of the manor house, one of them was a dazzling four-wheeled carriage that looked magnificently decorated. It's almost like if the gang appeared in the West and didn't seem to have enough guards, if they didn't rob, they would be regarded as a joke if the news got out. The master and his servants quickly came over to meet him, blocking the view so that no one could be seen. One could only vaguely see the host gently kissing the back of the hand of a lady who was wearing a gorgeous long dress with a crinoline, and then a group of people surrounded the two guests and entered the main house. Wayne was a little disappointed at first. However, after the three carriages drove over and stopped at the best position under the guidance of the manor servants, Wayne saw an acquaintance. Ian Fisk's bodyguard captain was also obviously surprised when he saw Wayne: "Mr. Wayne, aren't you going in to the dance?" Wayne shrugged, "Our detective agency has received a new commission, and I am now a bodyguard."
“I see…” The captain of the bodyguards nodded slightly, as if he understood something, and then walked towards the mansion under the guidance of the manor servants. Then the butler of the manor came over quickly: "Excuse me, which one is Mr. Wayne? Mr. Russell was negligent in not sending the invitation in time. He asked me to express his apologies and invite you to the ball." Then, to the astonishment of Mr. Ben Harmon's assistant and the people around him, Wayne followed the butler. When Wayne turned his head for the last time, several people here were passing cigarettes to Ryan and Doug, as if they wanted to find out who Wayne was.