"I do not mind his not talking to Mrs. Long," said Miss Lucas, "but I wish he
had danced with Eliza."
"Another time, Lizzy," said her mother, "I would not dance with him, if I were
you."
"I believe, Ma'am, I may safely promise you never to dance with him."
"His pride," said Miss Lucas, "does not offend me so much as pride often does,
because there is an excuse for it. One cannot wonder that so very fine a young man,
with family, fortune, every thing in his favour, should think highly of himself.
If I may so express it, he has a right to be proud."
"That is very true," replied Elizabeth, "and I could easily forgive his pride,
if he had not mortified mine."
"Pride," observed Mary, who piqued herself upon the solidity of her reflections,
"is a very common failing I believe. By all that I have ever read, I am convinced
that it is very common indeed, that human nature is particularly prone to it, and
that there are very few of us who do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency on
the score of some quality or other, real or imaginary. Vanity and pride are different
things, though the words are often used synonimously. A person may be proud without
being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would
have others think of us."
"If I were as rich as Mr. Darcy," cried a young Lucas who came with his sisters,
"I should not care how proud I was. I would keep a pack of foxhounds, and drink
a bottle of wine every day."
"Then you would drink a great deal more than you ought," said Mrs. Bennet; "and
if I were to see you at it, I should take away your bottle directly."
The boy protested that she should not; she continued to declare that she would,
and the argument ended only with the visit.
<CHAPTER VI (6)>
THE ladies of Longbourn soon waited on those of Netherfield.
The visit was returned in due form. Miss Bennet's pleasing manners grew on the
good will of Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley; and though the mother was found to be
intolerable and the younger sisters not worth speaking to, a wish of being better
acquainted with them was expressed towards the two eldest.
By Jane this attention was received with the greatest pleasure; but Elizabeth
still saw superciliousness in their treatment of every body, hardly excepting even
her sister, and could not like them; though their kindness to Jane, such as it was,
had a value, as arising in all probability from the influence of their brother's
admiration. It was generally evident whenever they met, that he did admire her;
and to her it was equally evident that Jane was yielding to the preference which
she had begun to entertain for him from the first, and was in a way to be very much
in love; but she considered with pleasure that it was not likely to be discovered
by the world in general, since Jane united with great strength of feeling a composure
of temper and a uniform cheerfulness of manner, which would guard her from the suspicions
of the impertinent. She mentioned this to her friend Miss Lucas.
"It may perhaps be pleasant," replied Charlotte, "to be able to impose on the
public in such a case; but it is sometimes a disadvantage to be so very guarded.
If a woman conceals her affection with the same skill from the object of it, she
may lose the opportunity of fixing him; and it will then be but poor consolation
to believe the world equally in the dark.
There is so much of gratitude or vanity in almost every attachment, that it is
not safe to leave any to itself. We can all begin freely -- a slight preference
is natural enough; but there are very few of us who have heart enough to be really
in love without encouragement. In nine cases out of ten, a woman had better shew
more affection than she feels. Bingley likes your sister undoubtedly; but he may
never do more than like her, if she does not help him on."
"But she does help him on, as much as her nature will allow.
If I can perceive her regard for him, he must be a simpleton indeed not to
discover it too."
"Remember, Eliza, that he does not know Jane's disposition as you do."
"But if a woman is partial to a man, and does not endeavour to conceal it, he
must find it out."
"Perhaps he must, if he sees enough of her. But though Bingley and Jane meet
tolerably often, it is never for many hours together; and as they always see each
other in large mixed parties, it is impossible that every moment should be employed
in conversing together. Jane should therefore make the most of every half hour in
which she can command his attention. When she is secure of him, there will be leisure
for falling in love as much as she chuses."
"Your plan is a good one," replied Elizabeth, "where nothing is in question but
the desire of being well married; and if I were determined to get a rich husband,
or any husband, I dare say I should adopt it. But these are not Jane's feelings;
she is not acting by design. As yet, she cannot even be certain of the degree of
her own regard, nor of its reasonableness. She has known him only a fortnight. She
danced four dances with him at Meryton; she saw him one morning at his own house,
and has since dined in company with him four times. This is not quite enough to
make her understand his character."
"Not as you represent it. Had she merely dined with him, she might only have
discovered whether he had a good appetite; but you must remember that four evenings
have been also spent together -- and four evenings may do a great deal."
"Yes; these four evenings have enabled them to ascertain that they both like
Vingt-un better than Commerce; but with respect to any other leading characteristic,
I do not imagine that much has been unfolded."
"Well," said Charlotte, "I wish Jane success with all my heart; and if she were
married to him to-morrow, I should think she had as good a chance of happiness as
if she were to be studying his character for a twelvemonth. Happiness in marriage
is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well
known to each other, or ever so similar before-hand, it does not advance their felicity
in the least. They always contrive to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have
their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects
of the person with whom you are to pass your life."
"You make me laugh, Charlotte; but it is not sound. You know it is not sound,
and that you would never act in this way yourself."
Occupied in observing Mr. Bingley's attentions to her sister, Elizabeth was far
from suspecting that she was herself becoming an object of some interest in the
eyes of his friend.
Mr. Darcy had at first scarcely allowed her to be pretty; he had looked at her
without admiration at the ball; and when they next met, he looked at her only to
criticise. But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she
had hardly a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was endered uncommonly
intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded
some others equally mortifying. Though he had detected with a critical eye more
than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her
figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners
were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness.
Of this she was perfectly unaware; -- to her he was only the man who made himself
agreeable no where, and who had not thought her handsome enough to dance with.
He began to wish to know more of her, and as a step towards conversing with her
himself, attended to her conversation with others. His doing so drew her notice.
It was at Sir William Lucas's, where a large party were assembled. "What does Mr.
Darcy mean," said she to Charlotte, "by listening to my conversation with Colonel
Forster?"
"That is a question which Mr. Darcy only can answer."
"But if he does it any more, I shall certainly let him know that I see what he
is about. He has a very satirical eye, and if I do not begin by being impertinent
myself, I shall soon grow afraid of him."
On his approaching them soon afterwards, though without seeming to have any intention
of speaking, Miss Lucas defied her friend to mention such a subject to him, which
immediately provoking Elizabeth to do it, she turned to him and said, "Did not you
think, Mr. Darcy, that I expressed myself uncommonly well just now, when I was teazing
Colonel Forster to give us a ball at Meryton?"
"With great energy; -- but it is a subject which always makes a lady energetic."
"You are severe on us."
"It will be her turn soon to be teazed," said Miss Lucas.
"I am going to open the instrument, Eliza, and you know what follows."
"You are a very strange creature by way of a friend! -- always wanting me to
play and sing before any body and every body! -- If my vanity had taken a musical
turn, you would have been invaluable, but as it is, I would really rather not sit
down before those who must be in the habit of hearing the very best performers."
On Miss Lucas's persevering, however, she added, "Very well; if it must be so, it
must." And gravely glancing at Mr. Darcy, "There is a fine old saying, which every
body here is of course familiar with -- ``Keep your breath to cool your porridge,''
-- and I shall keep mine to swell my song."