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  • CHAPTER 8

  • At five o'clock the two ladies retired to dress, and at half-past six Elizabeth was

  • summoned to dinner.

  • To the civil inquiries which then poured in, and amongst which she had the pleasure

  • of distinguishing the much superior solicitude of Mr. Bingley's, she could not

  • make a very favourable answer.

  • Jane was by no means better.

  • The sisters, on hearing this, repeated three or four times how much they were

  • grieved, how shocking it was to have a bad cold, and how excessively they disliked

  • being ill themselves; and then thought no

  • more of the matter: and their indifference towards Jane when not immediately before

  • them restored Elizabeth to the enjoyment of all her former dislike.

  • Their brother, indeed, was the only one of the party whom she could regard with any

  • complacency.

  • His anxiety for Jane was evident, and his attentions to herself most pleasing, and

  • they prevented her feeling herself so much an intruder as she believed she was

  • considered by the others.

  • She had very little notice from any but him.

  • Miss Bingley was engrossed by Mr. Darcy, her sister scarcely less so; and as for Mr.

  • Hurst, by whom Elizabeth sat, he was an indolent man, who lived only to eat, drink,

  • and play at cards; who, when he found her

  • to prefer a plain dish to a ragout, had nothing to say to her.

  • When dinner was over, she returned directly to Jane, and Miss Bingley began abusing her

  • as soon as she was out of the room.

  • Her manners were pronounced to be very bad indeed, a mixture of pride and

  • impertinence; she had no conversation, no style, no beauty.

  • Mrs. Hurst thought the same, and added:

  • "She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being an excellent walker.

  • I shall never forget her appearance this morning.

  • She really looked almost wild."

  • "She did, indeed, Louisa. I could hardly keep my countenance.

  • Very nonsensical to come at all! Why must she be scampering about the

  • country, because her sister had a cold?

  • Her hair, so untidy, so blowsy!"

  • "Yes, and her petticoat; I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud, I am

  • absolutely certain; and the gown which had been let down to hide it not doing its

  • office."

  • "Your picture may be very exact, Louisa," said Bingley; "but this was all lost upon

  • me.

  • I thought Miss Elizabeth Bennet looked remarkably well when she came into the room

  • this morning. Her dirty petticoat quite escaped my

  • notice."

  • "You observed it, Mr. Darcy, I am sure," said Miss Bingley; "and I am inclined to

  • think that you would not wish to see your sister make such an exhibition."

  • "Certainly not."

  • "To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it is, above her

  • ankles in dirt, and alone, quite alone! What could she mean by it?

  • It seems to me to show an abominable sort of conceited independence, a most country-

  • town indifference to decorum." "It shows an affection for her sister that

  • is very pleasing," said Bingley.

  • "I am afraid, Mr. Darcy," observed Miss Bingley in a half whisper, "that this

  • adventure has rather affected your admiration of her fine eyes."

  • "Not at all," he replied; "they were brightened by the exercise."

  • A short pause followed this speech, and Mrs. Hurst began again:

  • "I have an excessive regard for Miss Jane Bennet, she is really a very sweet girl,

  • and I wish with all my heart she were well settled.

  • But with such a father and mother, and such low connections, I am afraid there is no

  • chance of it." "I think I have heard you say that their

  • uncle is an attorney on Meryton."

  • "Yes; and they have another, who lives somewhere near Cheapside."

  • "That is capital," added her sister, and they both laughed heartily.

  • "If they had uncles enough to fill all Cheapside," cried Bingley, "it would not

  • make them one jot less agreeable."

  • "But it must very materially lessen their chance of marrying men of any consideration

  • in the world," replied Darcy.

  • To this speech Bingley made no answer; but his sisters gave it their hearty assent,

  • and indulged their mirth for some time at the expense of their dear friend's vulgar

  • relations.

  • With a renewal of tenderness, however, they returned to her room on leaving the dining-

  • parlour, and sat with her till summoned to coffee.

  • She was still very poorly, and Elizabeth would not quit her at all, till late in the

  • evening, when she had the comfort of seeing her sleep, and when it seemed to her rather

  • right than pleasant that she should go downstairs herself.

  • On entering the drawing-room she found the whole party at loo, and was immediately

  • invited to join them; but suspecting them to be playing high she declined it, and

  • making her sister the excuse, said she

  • would amuse herself for the short time she could stay below, with a book.

  • Mr. Hurst looked at her with astonishment. "Do you prefer reading to cards?" said he;

  • "that is rather singular."

  • "Miss Eliza Bennet," said Miss Bingley, "despises cards.

  • She is a great reader, and has no pleasure in anything else."

  • "I deserve neither such praise nor such censure," cried Elizabeth; "I am not a

  • great reader, and I have pleasure in many things."

  • "In nursing your sister I am sure you have pleasure," said Bingley; "and I hope it

  • will be soon increased by seeing her quite well."

  • Elizabeth thanked him from her heart, and then walked towards the table where a few

  • books were lying. He immediately offered to fetch her others-

  • -all that his library afforded.

  • "And I wish my collection were larger for your benefit and my own credit; but I am an

  • idle fellow, and though I have not many, I have more than I ever looked into."

  • Elizabeth assured him that she could suit herself perfectly with those in the room.

  • "I am astonished," said Miss Bingley, "that my father should have left so small a

  • collection of books.

  • What a delightful library you have at Pemberley, Mr. Darcy!"

  • "It ought to be good," he replied, "it has been the work of many generations."

  • "And then you have added so much to it yourself, you are always buying books."

  • "I cannot comprehend the neglect of a family library in such days as these."

  • "Neglect!

  • I am sure you neglect nothing that can add to the beauties of that noble place.

  • Charles, when you build your house, I wish it may be half as delightful as Pemberley."

  • "I wish it may."

  • "But I would really advise you to make your purchase in that neighbourhood, and take

  • Pemberley for a kind of model. There is not a finer county in England than

  • Derbyshire."

  • "With all my heart; I will buy Pemberley itself if Darcy will sell it."

  • "I am talking of possibilities, Charles."

  • "Upon my word, Caroline, I should think it more possible to get Pemberley by purchase

  • than by imitation."

  • Elizabeth was so much caught with what passed, as to leave her very little

  • attention for her book; and soon laying it wholly aside, she drew near the card-table,

  • and stationed herself between Mr. Bingley and his eldest sister, to observe the game.

  • "Is Miss Darcy much grown since the spring?" said Miss Bingley; "will she be as

  • tall as I am?"

  • "I think she will. She is now about Miss Elizabeth Bennet's

  • height, or rather taller." "How I long to see her again!

  • I never met with anybody who delighted me so much.

  • Such a countenance, such manners! And so extremely accomplished for her age!

  • Her performance on the pianoforte is exquisite."

  • "It is amazing to me," said Bingley, "how young ladies can have patience to be so

  • very accomplished as they all are."

  • "All young ladies accomplished! My dear Charles, what do you mean?"

  • "Yes, all of them, I think. They all paint tables, cover screens, and

  • net purses.

  • I scarcely know anyone who cannot do all this, and I am sure I never heard a young

  • lady spoken of for the first time, without being informed that she was very

  • accomplished."

  • "Your list of the common extent of accomplishments," said Darcy, "has too much

  • truth.

  • The word is applied to many a woman who deserves it no otherwise than by netting a

  • purse or covering a screen. But I am very far from agreeing with you in

  • your estimation of ladies in general.

  • I cannot boast of knowing more than half-a- dozen, in the whole range of my

  • acquaintance, that are really accomplished."

  • "Nor I, I am sure," said Miss Bingley.

  • "Then," observed Elizabeth, "you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an

  • accomplished woman." "Yes, I do comprehend a great deal in it."

  • "Oh! certainly," cried his faithful assistant, "no one can be really esteemed

  • accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with.

  • A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the

  • modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a

  • certain something in her air and manner of

  • walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but

  • half-deserved."

  • "All this she must possess," added Darcy, "and to all this she must yet add something

  • more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading."

  • "I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women.

  • I rather wonder now at your knowing any." "Are you so severe upon your own sex as to

  • doubt the possibility of all this?"

  • "I never saw such a woman. I never saw such capacity, and taste, and

  • application, and elegance, as you describe united."

  • Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley both cried out against the injustice of her implied doubt,

  • and were both protesting that they knew many women who answered this description,

  • when Mr. Hurst called them to order, with

  • bitter complaints of their inattention to what was going forward.

  • As all conversation was thereby at an end, Elizabeth soon afterwards left the room.

  • "Elizabeth Bennet," said Miss Bingley, when the door was closed on her, "is one of

  • those young ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex by undervaluing

  • their own; and with many men, I dare say, it succeeds.

  • But, in my opinion, it is a paltry device, a very mean art."

  • "Undoubtedly," replied Darcy, to whom this remark was chiefly addressed, "there is a

  • meanness in all the arts which ladies sometimes condescend to employ for

  • captivation.

  • Whatever bears affinity to cunning is despicable."

  • Miss Bingley was not so entirely satisfied with this reply as to continue the subject.

  • Elizabeth joined them again only to say that her sister was worse, and that she

  • could not leave her.

  • Bingley urged Mr. Jones being sent for immediately; while his sisters, convinced

  • that no country advice could be of any service, recommended an express to town for

  • one of the most eminent physicians.

  • This she would not hear of; but she was not so unwilling to comply with their brother's

  • proposal; and it was settled that Mr. Jones should be sent for early in the morning, if

  • Miss Bennet were not decidedly better.

  • Bingley was quite uncomfortable; his sisters declared that they were miserable.

  • They solaced their wretchedness, however, by duets after supper, while he could find

  • no better relief to his feelings than by giving his housekeeper directions that

  • every attention might be paid to the sick lady and her sister.

CHAPTER 8

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