The discussion of Mr. Collins's offer was now nearly at an end, and
Elizabeth had only to suffer from the uncomfortable feelings necessarily
attending it, and occasionally from some peevish allusions of her
mother. As for the gentleman himself, _his_ feelings were chiefly
expressed, not by embarrassment or dejection, or by trying to avoid her,
but by stiffness of manner and resentful silence. He scarcely ever
spoke to her, and the assiduous attentions which he had been so sensible
of himself were transferred for the rest of the day to Miss Lucas,
whose civility in listening to him was a seasonable relief to them all,
and especially to her friend.
The morrow produced no abatement of
Mrs. Bennet's ill-humour or ill health. Mr. Collins was also in the same
state of angry pride. Elizabeth had hoped that his resentment might
shorten his visit, but his plan did not appear in the least affected by
it. He was always to have gone on Saturday, and to Saturday he meant to
stay.
After breakfast, the girls walked to Meryton to inquire if
Mr. Wickham were returned, and to lament over his absence from the
Netherfield ball. He joined them on their entering the town, and
attended them to their aunt's where his regret and vexation, and the
concern of everybody, was well talked over. To Elizabeth, however, he
voluntarily acknowledged that the necessity of his absence _had_ been
self-imposed.
"I found," said he, "as the time drew near that I
had better not meet Mr. Darcy; that to be in the same room, the same
party with him for so many hours together, might be more than I could
bear, and that scenes might arise unpleasant to more than myself."
She
highly approved his forbearance, and they had leisure for a full
discussion of it, and for all the commendation which they civilly
bestowed on each other, as Wickham and another officer walked back with
them to Longbourn, and during the walk he particularly attended to her.
His accompanying them was a double advantage; she felt all the
compliment it offered to herself, and it was most acceptable as an
occasion of introducing him to her father and mother.
Soon after
their return, a letter was delivered to Miss Bennet; it came from
Netherfield. The envelope contained a sheet of elegant, little,
hot-pressed paper, well covered with a lady's fair, flowing hand; and
Elizabeth saw her sister's countenance change as she read it, and saw
her dwelling intently on some particular passages. Jane recollected
herself soon, and putting the letter away, tried to join with her usual
cheerfulness in the general conversation; but Elizabeth felt an anxiety
on the subject which drew off her attention even from Wickham; and no
sooner had he and his companion taken leave, than a glance from Jane
invited her to follow her upstairs. When they had gained their own room,
Jane, taking out the letter, said:
"This is from Caroline
Bingley; what it contains has surprised me a good deal. The whole party
have left Netherfield by this time, and are on their way to town--and
without any intention of coming back again. You shall hear what she
says."
She then read the first sentence aloud, which comprised the
information of their having just resolved to follow their brother to
town directly, and of their meaning to dine in Grosvenor Street, where
Mr. Hurst had a house. The next was in these words: "I do not pretend to
regret anything I shall leave in Hertfordshire, except your society, my
dearest friend; but we will hope, at some future period, to enjoy many
returns of that delightful intercourse we have known, and in the
meanwhile may lessen the pain of separation by a very frequent and most
unreserved correspondence. I depend on you for that." To these highflown
expressions Elizabeth listened with all the insensibility of distrust;
and though the suddenness of their removal surprised her, she saw
nothing in it really to lament; it was not to be supposed that their
absence from Netherfield would prevent Mr. Bingley's being there; and as
to the loss of their society, she was persuaded that Jane must cease to
regard it, in the enjoyment of his.
"It is unlucky," said she,
after a short pause, "that you should not be able to see your friends
before they leave the country. But may we not hope that the period of
future happiness to which Miss Bingley looks forward may arrive earlier
than she is aware, and that the delightful intercourse you have known as
friends will be renewed with yet greater satisfaction as sisters? Mr.
Bingley will not be detained in London by them."
"Caroline decidedly says that none of the party will return into Hertfordshire this winter. I will read it to you:"
"When
my brother left us yesterday, he imagined that the business which took
him to London might be concluded in three or four days; but as we are
certain it cannot be so, and at the same time convinced that when
Charles gets to town he will be in no hurry to leave it again, we have
determined on following him thither, that he may not be obliged to spend
his vacant hours in a comfortless hotel. Many of my acquaintances are
already there for the winter; I wish that I could hear that you, my
dearest friend, had any intention of making one of the crowd--but of
that I despair. I sincerely hope your Christmas in Hertfordshire may
abound in the gaieties which that season generally brings, and that your
beaux will be so numerous as to prevent your feeling the loss of the
three of whom we shall deprive you."
"It is evident by this," added Jane, "that he comes back no more this winter."
"It is only evident that Miss Bingley does not mean that he _should_."
"Why
will you think so? It must be his own doing. He is his own master. But
you do not know _all_. I _will_ read you the passage which particularly
hurts me. I will have no reserves from _you_."
"Mr. Darcy is
impatient to see his sister; and, to confess the truth, _we_ are
scarcely less eager to meet her again. I really do not think Georgiana
Darcy has her equal for beauty, elegance, and accomplishments; and the
affection she inspires in Louisa and myself is heightened into something
still more interesting, from the hope we dare entertain of her being
hereafter our sister. I do not know whether I ever before mentioned to
you my feelings on this subject; but I will not leave the country
without confiding them, and I trust you will not esteem them
unreasonable. My brother admires her greatly already; he will have
frequent opportunity now of seeing her on the most intimate footing; her
relations all wish the connection as much as his own; and a sister's
partiality is not misleading me, I think, when I call Charles most
capable of engaging any woman's heart. With all these circumstances to
favour an attachment, and nothing to prevent it, am I wrong, my dearest
Jane, in indulging the hope of an event which will secure the happiness
of so many?"
"What do you think of _this_ sentence, my dear
Lizzy?" said Jane as she finished it. "Is it not clear enough? Does it
not expressly declare that Caroline neither expects nor wishes me to be
her sister; that she is perfectly convinced of her brother's
indifference; and that if she suspects the nature of my feelings for
him, she means (most kindly!) to put me on my guard? Can there be any
other opinion on the subject?"
"Yes, there can; for mine is totally different. Will you hear it?"
"Most willingly."
"You
shall have it in a few words. Miss Bingley sees that her brother is in
love with you, and wants him to marry Miss Darcy. She follows him to
town in hope of keeping him there, and tries to persuade you that he
does not care about you."
Jane shook her head.
"Indeed,
Jane, you ought to believe me. No one who has ever seen you together can
doubt his affection. Miss Bingley, I am sure, cannot. She is not such a
simpleton. Could she have seen half as much love in Mr. Darcy for
herself, she would have ordered her wedding clothes. But the case is
this: We are not rich enough or grand enough for them; and she is the
more anxious to get Miss Darcy for her brother, from the notion that
when there has been _one_ intermarriage, she may have less trouble in
achieving a second; in which there is certainly some ingenuity, and I
dare say it would succeed, if Miss de Bourgh were out of the way. But,
my dearest Jane, you cannot seriously imagine that because Miss Bingley
tells you her brother greatly admires Miss Darcy, he is in the smallest
degree less sensible of _your_ merit than when he took leave of you on
Tuesday, or that it will be in her power to persuade him that, instead
of being in love with you, he is very much in love with her friend."
"If
we thought alike of Miss Bingley," replied Jane, "your representation
of all this might make me quite easy. But I know the foundation is
unjust. Caroline is incapable of wilfully deceiving anyone; and all that
I can hope in this case is that she is deceiving herself."
"That
is right. You could not have started a more happy idea, since you will
not take comfort in mine. Believe her to be deceived, by all means. You
have now done your duty by her, and must fret no longer."
"But, my
dear sister, can I be happy, even supposing the best, in accepting a
man whose sisters and friends are all wishing him to marry elsewhere?"
"You
must decide for yourself," said Elizabeth; "and if, upon mature
deliberation, you find that the misery of disobliging his two sisters is
more than equivalent to the happiness of being his wife, I advise you
by all means to refuse him."
"How can you talk so?" said Jane,
faintly smiling. "You must know that though I should be exceedingly
grieved at their disapprobation, I could not hesitate."
"I did not think you would; and that being the case, I cannot consider your situation with much compassion."
"But if he returns no more this winter, my choice will never be required. A thousand things may arise in six months!"
The
idea of his returning no more Elizabeth treated with the utmost
contempt. It appeared to her merely the suggestion of Caroline's
interested wishes, and she could not for a moment suppose that those
wishes, however openly or artfully spoken, could influence a young man
so totally independent of everyone.
She represented to her sister
as forcibly as possible what she felt on the subject, and had soon the
pleasure of seeing its happy effect. Jane's temper was not desponding,
and she was gradually led to hope, though the diffidence of affection
sometimes overcame the hope, that Bingley would return to Netherfield
and answer every wish of her heart.
They agreed that Mrs. Bennet
should only hear of the departure of the family, without being alarmed
on the score of the gentleman's conduct; but even this partial
communication gave her a great deal of concern, and she bewailed it as
exceedingly unlucky that the ladies should happen to go away just as
they were all getting so intimate together. After lamenting it, however,
at some length, she had the consolation that Mr. Bingley would be soon
down again and soon dining at Longbourn, and the conclusion of all was
the comfortable declaration, that though he had been invited only to a
family dinner, she would take care to have two full courses. _