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  • CHAPTER 11

  • When the ladies removed after dinner, Elizabeth ran up to her sister, and seeing

  • her well guarded from cold, attended her into the drawing-room, where she was

  • welcomed by her two friends with many

  • professions of pleasure; and Elizabeth had never seen them so agreeable as they were

  • during the hour which passed before the gentlemen appeared.

  • Their powers of conversation were considerable.

  • They could describe an entertainment with accuracy, relate an anecdote with humour,

  • and laugh at their acquaintance with spirit.

  • But when the gentlemen entered, Jane was no longer the first object; Miss Bingley's

  • eyes were instantly turned toward Darcy, and she had something to say to him before

  • he had advanced many steps.

  • He addressed himself to Miss Bennet, with a polite congratulation; Mr. Hurst also made

  • her a slight bow, and said he was "very glad;" but diffuseness and warmth remained

  • for Bingley's salutation.

  • He was full of joy and attention.

  • The first half-hour was spent in piling up the fire, lest she should suffer from the

  • change of room; and she removed at his desire to the other side of the fireplace,

  • that she might be further from the door.

  • He then sat down by her, and talked scarcely to anyone else.

  • Elizabeth, at work in the opposite corner, saw it all with great delight.

  • When tea was over, Mr. Hurst reminded his sister-in-law of the card-table--but in

  • vain.

  • She had obtained private intelligence that Mr. Darcy did not wish for cards; and Mr.

  • Hurst soon found even his open petition rejected.

  • She assured him that no one intended to play, and the silence of the whole party on

  • the subject seemed to justify her.

  • Mr. Hurst had therefore nothing to do, but to stretch himself on one of the sofas and

  • go to sleep.

  • Darcy took up a book; Miss Bingley did the same; and Mrs. Hurst, principally occupied

  • in playing with her bracelets and rings, joined now and then in her brother's

  • conversation with Miss Bennet.

  • Miss Bingley's attention was quite as much engaged in watching Mr. Darcy's progress

  • through his book, as in reading her own; and she was perpetually either making some

  • inquiry, or looking at his page.

  • She could not win him, however, to any conversation; he merely answered her

  • question, and read on.

  • At length, quite exhausted by the attempt to be amused with her own book, which she

  • had only chosen because it was the second volume of his, she gave a great yawn and

  • said, "How pleasant it is to spend an evening in this way!

  • I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!

  • How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book!

  • When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent

  • library."

  • No one made any reply.

  • She then yawned again, threw aside her book, and cast her eyes round the room in

  • quest for some amusement; when hearing her brother mentioning a ball to Miss Bennet,

  • she turned suddenly towards him and said:

  • "By the bye, Charles, are you really serious in meditating a dance at

  • Netherfield?

  • I would advise you, before you determine on it, to consult the wishes of the present

  • party; I am much mistaken if there are not some among us to whom a ball would be

  • rather a punishment than a pleasure."

  • "If you mean Darcy," cried her brother, "he may go to bed, if he chooses, before it

  • begins--but as for the ball, it is quite a settled thing; and as soon as Nicholls has

  • made white soup enough, I shall send round my cards."

  • "I should like balls infinitely better," she replied, "if they were carried on in a

  • different manner; but there is something insufferably tedious in the usual process

  • of such a meeting.

  • It would surely be much more rational if conversation instead of dancing were made

  • the order of the day."

  • "Much more rational, my dear Caroline, I dare say, but it would not be near so much

  • like a ball."

  • Miss Bingley made no answer, and soon afterwards she got up and walked about the

  • room.

  • Her figure was elegant, and she walked well; but Darcy, at whom it was all aimed,

  • was still inflexibly studious.

  • In the desperation of her feelings, she resolved on one effort more, and, turning

  • to Elizabeth, said:

  • "Miss Eliza Bennet, let me persuade you to follow my example, and take a turn about

  • the room. I assure you it is very refreshing after

  • sitting so long in one attitude."

  • Elizabeth was surprised, but agreed to it immediately.

  • Miss Bingley succeeded no less in the real object of her civility; Mr. Darcy looked

  • up.

  • He was as much awake to the novelty of attention in that quarter as Elizabeth

  • herself could be, and unconsciously closed his book.

  • He was directly invited to join their party, but he declined it, observing that

  • he could imagine but two motives for their choosing to walk up and down the room

  • together, with either of which motives his joining them would interfere.

  • "What could he mean?

  • She was dying to know what could be his meaning?"--and asked Elizabeth whether she

  • could at all understand him?

  • "Not at all," was her answer; "but depend upon it, he means to be severe on us, and

  • our surest way of disappointing him will be to ask nothing about it."

  • Miss Bingley, however, was incapable of disappointing Mr. Darcy in anything, and

  • persevered therefore in requiring an explanation of his two motives.

  • "I have not the smallest objection to explaining them," said he, as soon as she

  • allowed him to speak.

  • "You either choose this method of passing the evening because you are in each other's

  • confidence, and have secret affairs to discuss, or because you are conscious that

  • your figures appear to the greatest

  • advantage in walking; if the first, I would be completely in your way, and if the

  • second, I can admire you much better as I sit by the fire."

  • "Oh! shocking!" cried Miss Bingley.

  • "I never heard anything so abominable. How shall we punish him for such a speech?"

  • "Nothing so easy, if you have but the inclination," said Elizabeth.

  • "We can all plague and punish one another.

  • Tease him--laugh at him. Intimate as you are, you must know how it

  • is to be done." "But upon my honour, I do not.

  • I do assure you that my intimacy has not yet taught me that.

  • Tease calmness of manner and presence of mind!

  • No, no--feel he may defy us there.

  • And as to laughter, we will not expose ourselves, if you please, by attempting to

  • laugh without a subject. Mr. Darcy may hug himself."

  • "Mr. Darcy is not to be laughed at!" cried Elizabeth.

  • "That is an uncommon advantage, and uncommon I hope it will continue, for it

  • would be a great loss to me to have many such acquaintances.

  • I dearly love a laugh."

  • "Miss Bingley," said he, "has given me more credit than can be.

  • The wisest and the best of men--nay, the wisest and best of their actions--may be

  • rendered ridiculous by a person whose first object in life is a joke."

  • "Certainly," replied Elizabeth--"there are such people, but I hope I am not one of

  • them. I hope I never ridicule what is wise and

  • good.

  • Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies, do divert me, I own, and I

  • laugh at them whenever I can. But these, I suppose, are precisely what

  • you are without."

  • "Perhaps that is not possible for anyone. But it has been the study of my life to

  • avoid those weaknesses which often expose a strong understanding to ridicule."

  • "Such as vanity and pride."

  • "Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride--where there is a real

  • superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation."

  • Elizabeth turned away to hide a smile.

  • "Your examination of Mr. Darcy is over, I presume," said Miss Bingley; "and pray what

  • is the result?" "I am perfectly convinced by it that Mr.

  • Darcy has no defect.

  • He owns it himself without disguise." "No," said Darcy, "I have made no such

  • pretension. I have faults enough, but they are not, I

  • hope, of understanding.

  • My temper I dare not vouch for. It is, I believe, too little yielding--

  • certainly too little for the convenience of the world.

  • I cannot forget the follies and vices of others so soon as I ought, nor their

  • offenses against myself. My feelings are not puffed about with every

  • attempt to move them.

  • My temper would perhaps be called resentful.

  • My good opinion once lost, is lost forever."

  • "That is a failing indeed!" cried Elizabeth.

  • "Implacable resentment is a shade in a character.

  • But you have chosen your fault well.

  • I really cannot laugh at it. You are safe from me."

  • "There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil--a

  • natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome."

  • "And your defect is to hate everybody."

  • "And yours," he replied with a smile, "is willfully to misunderstand them."

  • "Do let us have a little music," cried Miss Bingley, tired of a conversation in which

  • she had no share.

  • "Louisa, you will not mind my waking Mr. Hurst?"

  • Her sister had not the smallest objection, and the pianoforte was opened; and Darcy,

  • after a few moments' recollection, was not sorry for it.

  • He began to feel the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention.

CHAPTER 11

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