Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 10

At five o'clock in the afternoon the two ladies of the host family left to dress, and at half past six Elizabeth was called to supper.Everyone asked about her sister's condition with concern, and she was pleased to find that it was Mr. Bingley who expressed the deepest concern, but she could not give everyone a reassuring answer.Jane is not well yet.After hearing this, the two sisters of the Lord's family repeated the following words several times: ah, they really feel sorry for this, how terrible it is to have a bad cold, and how much they hate being sick. No more thought of it; and this indifferent attitude towards Jane, when she was not in their presence, revived Elizabeth's first dislike for the sisters.

Their brother is really the best one in the family she thinks.His apprehension and anxiety for Jane were palpable, and his care for herself was so gracious that she no longer felt that she was an intruder in someone's house, while the others here she thought were obviously Look at her that way.She rarely gets attention from anyone other than him.Miss Bingley is pestering Mr. Darcy, and her sister is no different; as for Mr. Hurst, who sits next to Elizabeth, he is a lazy man, eating, drinking, and playing cards for the whole day. When he sees Elisabeth would rather have the vegetables on the table than the stew, and there was nothing to talk to her about.

Elizabeth went back to Jane's as soon as supper was over, and had hardly come out of the dining-room when Miss Bingley taunted her.Said that her behavior was too inappropriate, that her behavior was arrogant and rude; she couldn't talk to people, she had no temperament, no taste, and she was not beautiful.Mrs Hurst thought so too, adding:
"In a word, she was nothing but a walker. I'll never forget the way she looked this morning. She looked like a wild country girl."

"That's true, Louisa. I was a little overwhelmed by the surprise. She's so uninterested in coming! Does she have to come all the way just because her sister has a cold? Look at her." That disheveled look at that time!"

"Oh! and her skirt; I wish you had seen her skirt then, it was covered in mud, six inches, I'm sure; she tried to hide the mud with her outer dress, but It doesn't help either."

"Your description may be quite accurate, Louisa," said Bingley, "but I did not notice any of what you said at the time. I only thought that when Elizabeth came in this morning, she looked It's beautiful. As for her dirty skirt, I didn't notice."

"I suppose you have, Mr. Darcy," said Miss Bingley, "and I am inclined to think that you would not wish to see your sister in that state."

"of course not."

"Walk three or four miles, or five miles, or more, with her ankles in the mud, and she's all alone! What can she mean by doing that? It seems to me Come to think of it, it just seems like an expression of repulsive self-importance and stubbornness, a countryman's complete disregard for decorum."

"It shows a touching affection for her sister," said Bingley.

"I am afraid, Mr. Darcy," said Miss Bingley, in a lower voice, "that your admiration of her beautiful eyes has been affected by this adventure of hers."

"Not at all," he replied, "they are brighter after the trudge"—and there was a little silence, and then Mrs. Hurst spoke again.

"I have a very good impression of Jane Bennet. She is really a pleasant girl. I sincerely hope that I can marry a good family. However, when I meet such a father and mother, such unsatisfactory sisters, I I'm afraid she won't have such a chance."

"I seem to have heard you say that they have an uncle who is a solicitor in Meryton."

"Yes, and they have an uncle who lives in Cheapside Street (It's a high street, famous for its jewelers and satin dealers) in London."

"That's wonderful," her sister agreed, and they both laughed happily.

"If they had so many uncles as to fill Cheapside Street," said Bingley passionately, "it would not make them any less lovely."

"However, it must really reduce their chances of marrying a respectable man," said Darcy.

Bingley said little to this remark, but his sisters expressed their heartfelt assent, and afterwards, did not hesitate to amuse themselves with the vulgar relation of their intimate friend.

But the tenderness for their friend came back to their faces as they left the dining-room and walked towards Jane's room, where they stayed with Jane until coffee-time.Jiying's body was still very weak, and Elizabeth kept guarding her until the evening. She watched her sister fall asleep with peace of mind, and at the same time felt that it would be a bad idea not to go downstairs, so she reluctantly left the room.When she walked into the living room, she saw everyone playing cards, and they immediately invited her to play, but she was afraid that they would lose a lot in the game, so she declined. She excused that she still had to look after her sister, and she only had one In a short time, she is willing to go down to find a book to read.Hester looked at her in surprise.

"Would you rather read than play cards?" said he. "That's a rarity."

"Miss Elizabeth Bennet hates cards," said Miss Bingley. "She is especially interested in books, and she dislikes everything else."

"I myself do not deserve such praise, nor deserve such reproach," Elizabeth said aloud. "I am not particularly fond of reading, but I am fond of many things, and find pleasure in them."

"I am sure you took pleasure in the care of your sister," said Bingley, "and I hope this pleasure will increase as she improves."

Elizabeth expressed her heartfelt thanks to him, and went to a table with some books on it.He immediately wanted to get her some more books; even his books.

"I really wish I had a little more books in my collection. This will satisfy your needs and save me some face; but I have always been lazy, and although I don't have many books, I can compare them to others." I've seen more."

Elizabeth told him that there were enough books in this room for her to read.

"I wonder," said Miss Bingley, "that my father has left so few books. What a great library you have at Pemberley, Mr. Darcy!"

"It should be," he replied, "because it's the result of many generations."

"You've added to the collection yourself, and you've been buying books all the time."

"I don't agree with the current behavior of neglecting the collection of books at home."

"Negligence! I am sure you have not neglected anything that would have added to that fine house of yours. Chalice, (Mr. Bingley's name.) May it It would be nice to have someone half as beautiful as Pemberley."

"I hope so."

"I really recommend that you get a piece of land near there, and build a house on the model of Pemberley. There's no other county in England like Derbyshire."

"I'm all for your idea; I'd like to buy all of Pemberley if Darcy is willing."

"Charles, what I'm talking to you about is something that might be possible."

"I'm not joking, Caroline, I think that to get a Pemberley it's very hard to imitate, the only way to do it is to buy it."

Elizabeth listened so fascinated to this conversation between her brother and sister that she scarcely paid attention to the book in her hand; presently she simply put it aside altogether, and went to the card-table, where she stood Between Gray and his sister, watching them play cards.

"Miss Darcy is much taller than she was this spring?" asked Miss Bingley. "Will she ever grow as tall as I am?"

"I think so. She's about as tall as Elizabeth now, maybe a little taller."

"I should like to see her again! I have never met a person I love so much. So handsome, so graceful, and so talented at such a young age! She plays the piano wonderfully." gone."

"This has often amazed me," said Bingley, "how young ladies have such patience, and exercise themselves so well, as all ladies do."

"All the ladies! What do you mean, my dear Chalice?"

"Yes, I think they all do. They decorate tables, decorate screens, weave purses. I'm sure that every time I hear of a lady for the first time, someone tells me she's very versatile."

"The range of talents you have listed," said Darcy, "is quite true. Many women have earned their talents simply by doing things like weaving money bags or decorating screens." On the whole, however, I cannot agree with your standard of evaluation of the ladies. I dare not boast that, of all the women I know, there are not half a dozen who are truly talented."

"I feel the same way," said Miss Bingley.

"Then," said Elizabeth, "there must be a lot of content included in your concept of a so-called talented woman."

"Yes, I do think it should contain a lot of conditions."

"Oh! of course," said Mr. Darcy's loyal supporter (referring to Miss Bingley--Translator's Note), amplifying his voice, "no one can really be considered talented if If she is not able to go far beyond the level of ordinary people. A woman must be very proficient in music, singing, painting, dancing and various modern languages ​​​​to be worthy of this title; Grace and originality in appearance and gait, tone of voice, speech and expression, otherwise she is only half as good."

"All these are things she must have," Darcy added, "and she must also have a high degree of culture, which can only be achieved by constantly enriching her mind through extensive reading."

"In this way, I am no longer surprised that you only know six talented women. What I wonder now is whether you have ever known a talented woman like this."

"Are you so severe with your fellow beings that you doubt the possibility?"

"I have never met such a woman. I have never seen such talents, such tastes, such elegance, and such accomplishments as you mentioned, which are difficult to gather in one woman."

Both Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley cried out against this unjust skepticism which she had expressed, and both declared in unison that they knew many women who fit the above qualifications, so that Hearst at this time The husband had to yell at them to keep order, and the repeated complaints made them mess up the game.Elizabeth also left there shortly after the argument died down.

"Elizabeth Bennet," said Miss Bingley, when the door had closed, "like some young women, who elevate themselves before men by degrading their own kind; It works for many men, I bet. But it seems to me like a hack, and very vulgar."

"No doubt," replied Darcy, as he was chiefly addressed, "that there is an element of baseness in all the artifices which women sometimes condescend to use in order to win a mate Everything above should be despised."

Miss Bingley didn't seem very satisfied with such an answer, so she dropped the subject.

Elizabeth returned in a moment, and said her sister was so ill that she could not come down any more.Bingley urged that Dr. Jones be sent at once; and his sisters, feeling that country physicians were of no use at all, suggested hastening to the city, and fetching one of the most eminent physicians.She did not agree to this, but she was not unwilling to consider their brother's suggestion; it was finally agreed that Dr. Jones should be sent for early next morning, if Miss Bennet was not better by then.Bingley was very disturbed, and his sisters said they were troubled.After supper, however, they sang a few tunes together to relieve their distress, and Bingley could only relieve the distress by giving instructions to the servants to do their utmost to attend to the patient and her sister. Calm your emotions a little.

(End of this chapter)