Mrs. Gardiner's caution to Elizabeth was punctually and kindly given on the first

favourable opportunity of speaking to her alone; after honestly telling her what she

thought, she thus went on:

"You are too sensible a girl, Lizzy, to fall in love merely because you are warned

against it; and, therefore, I am not afraid of speaking openly.

Seriously, I would have you be on your guard.

Do not involve yourself or endeavour to involve him in an affection which the want

of fortune would make so very imprudent.

I have nothing to say against him; he is a most interesting young man; and if he had

the fortune he ought to have, I should think you could not do better.

But as it is, you must not let your fancy run away with you.

You have sense, and we all expect you to use it.

Your father would depend on your resolution and good conduct, I am sure.

You must not disappoint your father." "My dear aunt, this is being serious

indeed."

"Yes, and I hope to engage you to be serious likewise."

"Well, then, you need not be under any alarm.

I will take care of myself, and of Mr. Wickham too.

He shall not be in love with me, if I can prevent it."

"Elizabeth, you are not serious now."

"I beg your pardon, I will try again. At present I am not in love with Mr.

Wickham; no, I certainly am not.

But he is, beyond all comparison, the most agreeable man I ever saw--and if he becomes

really attached to me--I believe it will be better that he should not.

I see the imprudence of it.

Oh! that abominable Mr. Darcy! My father's opinion of me does me the

greatest honour, and I should be miserable to forfeit it.

My father, however, is partial to Mr. Wickham.

In short, my dear aunt, I should be very sorry to be the means of making any of you

unhappy; but since we see every day that where there is affection, young people are

seldom withheld by immediate want of

fortune from entering into engagements with each other, how can I promise to be wiser

than so many of my fellow-creatures if I am tempted, or how am I even to know that it

would be wisdom to resist?

All that I can promise you, therefore, is not to be in a hurry.

I will not be in a hurry to believe myself his first object.

When I am in company with him, I will not be wishing.

In short, I will do my best." "Perhaps it will be as well if you

discourage his coming here so very often.

At least, you should not remind your mother of inviting him."

"As I did the other day," said Elizabeth with a conscious smile: "very true, it will

be wise in me to refrain from that.

But do not imagine that he is always here so often.

It is on your account that he has been so frequently invited this week.

You know my mother's ideas as to the necessity of constant company for her

friends.

But really, and upon my honour, I will try to do what I think to be the wisest; and

now I hope you are satisfied."

Her aunt assured her that she was, and Elizabeth having thanked her for the

kindness of her hints, they parted; a wonderful instance of advice being given on

such a point, without being resented.

Mr. Collins returned into Hertfordshire soon after it had been quitted by the

Gardiners and Jane; but as he took up his abode with the Lucases, his arrival was no

great inconvenience to Mrs. Bennet.

His marriage was now fast approaching, and she was at length so far resigned as to

think it inevitable, and even repeatedly to say, in an ill-natured tone, that she

"wished they might be happy."

Thursday was to be the wedding day, and on Wednesday Miss Lucas paid her farewell

visit; and when she rose to take leave, Elizabeth, ashamed of her mother's

ungracious and reluctant good wishes, and

sincerely affected herself, accompanied her out of the room.

As they went downstairs together, Charlotte said:

"I shall depend on hearing from you very often, Eliza."

"That you certainly shall." "And I have another favour to ask you.

Will you come and see me?"

"We shall often meet, I hope, in Hertfordshire."

"I am not likely to leave Kent for some time.

Promise me, therefore, to come to Hunsford."

Elizabeth could not refuse, though she foresaw little pleasure in the visit.

"My father and Maria are coming to me in March," added Charlotte, "and I hope you

will consent to be of the party. Indeed, Eliza, you will be as welcome as

either of them."

The wedding took place; the bride and bridegroom set off for Kent from the church

door, and everybody had as much to say, or to hear, on the subject as usual.

Elizabeth soon heard from her friend; and their correspondence was as regular and

frequent as it had ever been; that it should be equally unreserved was

impossible.

Elizabeth could never address her without feeling that all the comfort of intimacy

was over, and though determined not to slacken as a correspondent, it was for the

sake of what had been, rather than what was.

Charlotte's first letters were received with a good deal of eagerness; there could

not but be curiosity to know how she would speak of her new home, how she would like

Lady Catherine, and how happy she would

dare pronounce herself to be; though, when the letters were read, Elizabeth felt that

Charlotte expressed herself on every point exactly as she might have foreseen.

She wrote cheerfully, seemed surrounded with comforts, and mentioned nothing which

she could not praise.

The house, furniture, neighbourhood, and roads, were all to her taste, and Lady

Catherine's behaviour was most friendly and obliging.

It was Mr. Collins's picture of Hunsford and Rosings rationally softened; and

Elizabeth perceived that she must wait for her own visit there to know the rest.

Jane had already written a few lines to her sister to announce their safe arrival in

London; and when she wrote again, Elizabeth hoped it would be in her power to say

something of the Bingleys.

Her impatience for this second letter was as well rewarded as impatience generally

is. Jane had been a week in town without either

seeing or hearing from Caroline.

She accounted for it, however, by supposing that her last letter to her friend from

Longbourn had by some accident been lost.

"My aunt," she continued, "is going to- morrow into that part of the town, and I

shall take the opportunity of calling in Grosvenor Street."

She wrote again when the visit was paid, and she had seen Miss Bingley.

"I did not think Caroline in spirits," were her words, "but she was very glad to see

me, and reproached me for giving her no notice of my coming to London.

I was right, therefore, my last letter had never reached her.

I inquired after their brother, of course. He was well, but so much engaged with Mr.

Darcy that they scarcely ever saw him.

I found that Miss Darcy was expected to dinner.

I wish I could see her. My visit was not long, as Caroline and Mrs.

Hurst were going out.

I dare say I shall see them soon here." Elizabeth shook her head over this letter.

It convinced her that accident only could discover to Mr. Bingley her sister's being

in town.

Four weeks passed away, and Jane saw nothing of him.

She endeavoured to persuade herself that she did not regret it; but she could no

longer be blind to Miss Bingley's inattention.

After waiting at home every morning for a fortnight, and inventing every evening a

fresh excuse for her, the visitor did at last appear; but the shortness of her stay,

and yet more, the alteration of her manner

would allow Jane to deceive herself no longer.

The letter which she wrote on this occasion to her sister will prove what she felt.

"My dearest Lizzy will, I am sure, be incapable of triumphing in her better

judgement, at my expense, when I confess myself to have been entirely deceived in

Miss Bingley's regard for me.

But, my dear sister, though the event has proved you right, do not think me obstinate

if I still assert that, considering what her behaviour was, my confidence was as

natural as your suspicion.

I do not at all comprehend her reason for wishing to be intimate with me; but if the

same circumstances were to happen again, I am sure I should be deceived again.

Caroline did not return my visit till yesterday; and not a note, not a line, did

I receive in the meantime.

When she did come, it was very evident that she had no pleasure in it; she made a

slight, formal apology, for not calling before, said not a word of wishing to see

me again, and was in every respect so

altered a creature, that when she went away I was perfectly resolved to continue the

acquaintance no longer. I pity, though I cannot help blaming her.

She was very wrong in singling me out as she did; I can safely say that every

advance to intimacy began on her side.

But I pity her, because she must feel that she has been acting wrong, and because I am

very sure that anxiety for her brother is the cause of it.

I need not explain myself farther; and though we know this anxiety to be quite

needless, yet if she feels it, it will easily account for her behaviour to me; and

so deservedly dear as he is to his sister,

whatever anxiety she must feel on his behalf is natural and amiable.

I cannot but wonder, however, at her having any such fears now, because, if he had at

all cared about me, we must have met, long ago.

He knows of my being in town, I am certain, from something she said herself; and yet it

would seem, by her manner of talking, as if she wanted to persuade herself that he is

really partial to Miss Darcy.

I cannot understand it. If I were not afraid of judging harshly, I

should be almost tempted to say that there is a strong appearance of duplicity in all

this.

But I will endeavour to banish every painful thought, and think only of what

will make me happy--your affection, and the invariable kindness of my dear uncle and

aunt.

Let me hear from you very soon. Miss Bingley said something of his never

returning to Netherfield again, of giving up the house, but not with any certainty.

We had better not mention it.

I am extremely glad that you have such pleasant accounts from our friends at

Hunsford. Pray go to see them, with Sir William and

Maria.

I am sure you will be very comfortable there.--Yours, etc."

This letter gave Elizabeth some pain; but her spirits returned as she considered that