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  • CHAPTER 4

  • When Jane and Elizabeth were alone, the former, who had been cautious in her praise

  • of Mr. Bingley before, expressed to her sister just how very much she admired him.

  • "He is just what a young man ought to be," said she, "sensible, good-humoured, lively;

  • and I never saw such happy manners!--so much ease, with such perfect good

  • breeding!"

  • "He is also handsome," replied Elizabeth, "which a young man ought likewise to be, if

  • he possibly can. His character is thereby complete."

  • "I was very much flattered by his asking me to dance a second time.

  • I did not expect such a compliment." "Did not you?

  • I did for you.

  • But that is one great difference between us.

  • Compliments always take you by surprise, and me never.

  • What could be more natural than his asking you again?

  • He could not help seeing that you were about five times as pretty as every other

  • woman in the room.

  • No thanks to his gallantry for that. Well, he certainly is very agreeable, and I

  • give you leave to like him. You have liked many a stupider person."

  • "Dear Lizzy!"

  • "Oh! you are a great deal too apt, you know, to like people in general.

  • You never see a fault in anybody. All the world are good and agreeable in

  • your eyes.

  • I never heard you speak ill of a human being in your life."

  • "I would not wish to be hasty in censuring anyone; but I always speak what I think."

  • "I know you do; and it is that which makes the wonder.

  • With your good sense, to be so honestly blind to the follies and nonsense of

  • others!

  • Affectation of candour is common enough-- one meets with it everywhere.

  • But to be candid without ostentation or design--to take the good of everybody's

  • character and make it still better, and say nothing of the bad--belongs to you alone.

  • And so you like this man's sisters, too, do you?

  • Their manners are not equal to his." "Certainly not--at first.

  • But they are very pleasing women when you converse with them.

  • Miss Bingley is to live with her brother, and keep his house; and I am much mistaken

  • if we shall not find a very charming neighbour in her."

  • Elizabeth listened in silence, but was not convinced; their behaviour at the assembly

  • had not been calculated to please in general; and with more quickness of

  • observation and less pliancy of temper than

  • her sister, and with a judgement too unassailed by any attention to herself, she

  • was very little disposed to approve them.

  • They were in fact very fine ladies; not deficient in good humour when they were

  • pleased, nor in the power of making themselves agreeable when they chose it,

  • but proud and conceited.

  • They were rather handsome, had been educated in one of the first private

  • seminaries in town, had a fortune of twenty thousand pounds, were in the habit of

  • spending more than they ought, and of

  • associating with people of rank, and were therefore in every respect entitled to

  • think well of themselves, and meanly of others.

  • They were of a respectable family in the north of England; a circumstance more

  • deeply impressed on their memories than that their brother's fortune and their own

  • had been acquired by trade.

  • Mr. Bingley inherited property to the amount of nearly a hundred thousand pounds

  • from his father, who had intended to purchase an estate, but did not live to do

  • it.

  • Mr. Bingley intended it likewise, and sometimes made choice of his county; but as

  • he was now provided with a good house and the liberty of a manor, it was doubtful to

  • many of those who best knew the easiness of

  • his temper, whether he might not spend the remainder of his days at Netherfield, and

  • leave the next generation to purchase.

  • His sisters were anxious for his having an estate of his own; but, though he was now

  • only established as a tenant, Miss Bingley was by no means unwilling to preside at his

  • table--nor was Mrs. Hurst, who had married

  • a man of more fashion than fortune, less disposed to consider his house as her home

  • when it suited her.

  • Mr. Bingley had not been of age two years, when he was tempted by an accidental

  • recommendation to look at Netherfield House.

  • He did look at it, and into it for half-an- hour--was pleased with the situation and

  • the principal rooms, satisfied with what the owner said in its praise, and took it

  • immediately.

  • Between him and Darcy there was a very steady friendship, in spite of great

  • opposition of character.

  • Bingley was endeared to Darcy by the easiness, openness, and ductility of his

  • temper, though no disposition could offer a greater contrast to his own, and though

  • with his own he never appeared dissatisfied.

  • On the strength of Darcy's regard, Bingley had the firmest reliance, and of his

  • judgement the highest opinion.

  • In understanding, Darcy was the superior. Bingley was by no means deficient, but

  • Darcy was clever.

  • He was at the same time haughty, reserved, and fastidious, and his manners, though

  • well-bred, were not inviting. In that respect his friend had greatly the

  • advantage.

  • Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared, Darcy was continually giving

  • offense.

  • The manner in which they spoke of the Meryton assembly was sufficiently

  • characteristic.

  • Bingley had never met with more pleasant people or prettier girls in his life;

  • everybody had been most kind and attentive to him; there had been no formality, no

  • stiffness; he had soon felt acquainted with

  • all the room; and, as to Miss Bennet, he could not conceive an angel more beautiful.

  • Darcy, on the contrary, had seen a collection of people in whom there was

  • little beauty and no fashion, for none of whom he had felt the smallest interest, and

  • from none received either attention or pleasure.

  • Miss Bennet he acknowledged to be pretty, but she smiled too much.

  • Mrs. Hurst and her sister allowed it to be so--but still they admired her and liked

  • her, and pronounced her to be a sweet girl, and one whom they would not object to know

  • more of.

  • Miss Bennet was therefore established as a sweet girl, and their brother felt

  • authorized by such commendation to think of her as he chose.

CHAPTER 4

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