The discussion of Mr. Collins's offer was now nearly at an end, and Eliza-
beth had only to suffer from the uncomfortable feelings necessarily attend-
ing it, and occasionally from some peevish allusions of her mother. As for
the gentleman himself, his feelings were chiefly expressed, not by embar-
rassment 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 at-
tentions 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 sea-
sonable 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 ap-
pear 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 absencehad 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 dis-
cussion 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 accom-
panying 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 in-
tently on some particular passages. Jane recollected herself soon, and
putting the letter away, tried to join with her usual cheerfulness in the gen-
eral conversation; but Elizabeth felt an anxiety on the subject which drew
off her attention even from Wickham; and no sooner had he and his com-
panion taken leave, than a glance from Jane invited her to follow her up-
stairs. 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 inter-
course we have known, and in the meanwhile may lessen the pain of sepa-
ration 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 sur-
prised 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 Hertford-
shire 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 inten-
tion 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 sea-
son 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 al-
ready; he will have frequent opportunity now of seeing her on the most inti-
mate 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 Caro-
line neither expects nor wishes me to be her sister; that she is perfectly con-
vinced 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 anx-
ious 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 seri-
ously imagine that because Miss Bingley tells you her brother greatly ad-
mires 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 accept-
ing a man whose sisters and friends are all wishing him to marry
elsewhere?"
"You must decide for yourself," said Elizabeth; "and if, upon mature de-
liberation, 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 con-
tempt. 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 indepen-
dent 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 diffi-
dence 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.
