Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 13

After the ladies had supper, Elizabeth ran upstairs to her sister, and after beckoning her to dress closely to keep out the cold, accompanied her into the drawing-room; and Elizabeth saw how genial they both had been to Jane during the hour before the gentlemen's arrival.Their ability to talk can't be blamed.They can paint a great dinner party, tell an anecdote, and tell a friend a joke with extra amusement.

But when the men came in, Jane was no longer the first object of attention.Miss Bingley's eyes fell on Darcy at once, and she was anxious to say something to him before he came nearer to her.Darcy went straight up to Miss Bennet and politely congratulated her on her recovery; Mr. Hurst also bowed slightly to her and said he was "very happy"; , or Bingley's greeting.He was so happy, he greeted this and that.During the first half-hour he busied himself adding wood to the fire, fearing that she would not soon acclimatize to the temperature; and Jane, at his advice, moved over to the fire, so as to be farther from the door.After that, he sat down next to her and chatted with her.Elizabeth, working in the opposite corner, saw all this with pleasure.

When the tea was over, Mr. Hurst reminded his sister-in-law of the game--in vain, for Miss Bingley had privately learned that Mr. Darcy did not want to play.After a while, Mr. Hearst found that even his public offer had been rejected.Miss Bingley had assured him that no one wanted to play, and the silence of those present seemed to confirm this.Mr. Hurst, therefore, had to lie down on a sofa and sleep his sleep.Darcy picked up a book, and Miss Bingley picked up a book; Mrs. Hurst played with her bracelets and rings, and was here and there in the conversation of her brother and Miss Bennet. Insert a few words.

Miss Bingley's attention can be said to be only half used on the book, and the other half is concerned about Darcy's reading situation; she is never idle, either asking him something, or looking at what he read. out of place.Still, she failed to interest him in conversation; he answered her questions briefly, and returned to his book.Originally, she had chosen the book she was holding now only because it was the second volume of Darcy's book, and now her patience to get some pleasure from that book had long been exhausted, and she couldn't help typing it loudly. He yawned, but said in his mouth: "How pleasant it is to spend an evening like this! I dare say that after all, there is nothing in this world that gives people a greater pleasure than reading!— —It would be a great misfortune to me not to have a good library when I have a home of my own."

No one answered her words.Then she yawned again, threw the book aside, and looked about the room for some amusement; when her brother spoke to Miss Bennet about the ball, she turned suddenly. Turned to him and said:

"Hey, Chalice, are you going to have a ball at Netherfield?—I advise you to ask the opinions of everyone present before you make up your mind; If I do not think that going to such a ball is more a pain than a pleasure, then I am very much mistaken."

"If you mean Darcy," cried her brother, "he's free to go to bed until the ball begins--as for the ball, it's a settled matter; just wait until Nichols puts it on." Once everything is ready, I will send an invitation."

"If the balls could be held in a different way," she replied, "I might like them better; there is something very tiresome and annoying in the old fashioned order of balls now. If the A change in its main program, replacing dancing with talking, must have seemed much more reasonable."

"I dare say that is much more reasonable, my Caroline, but then it won't be very much like a ball."

Miss Bingley said nothing; presently afterwards she rose, and paced the room.Her figure was slim and graceful, and her walking posture was also beautiful;--she did it all for Darcy, but Darcy was still reading his book unmoved.In her disappointment she resolved to try again, and turning to Elizabeth said:

"Miss Eliza Bennet, listen to me, and walk about the house a few times like I did.—I dare say it's very refreshing after sitting so long in one position. "

Elizabeth was a little surprised, but agreed immediately.Miss Bingley's courtesy to Elizabeth had been accomplished, and Mr. Darcy looked up.He felt that Elizabeth was willing to do the same, which was as novel to Elizabeth as Miss Bingley would invite her to walk, and he involuntarily closed the book in his hand.The two ladies also invited him to join them, but he declined, saying that he thought they had two motives for doing so, and that he would have been ashamed of either of them if he had joined them. is a distraction.Miss Bingley, anxious to understand what he meant by this, asked Elizabeth if she knew what he meant.

"I don't know at all," she replied, "but it is certain that he meant to ridicule us, and that the most effective way we can disappoint him is to ignore him."

Miss Bingley, not being capable of disappointing Mr. Darcy in any matter, begged him to give an account of these two motives.

"I'm not at all opposed to explaining them," she said, before he added, "you choose this way of passing the time because you're close to each other, have secret things to discuss, or Because you realize that your delicate figures are at their best when you move about;—if it is the first reason, then I will hinder you both;—if it is the second reason, then I'd appreciate you two better sitting by the fire."

"Oh! what an insult!" cried Miss Bingley. "I never heard such an insult. How shall we punish him?"

"Nothing is so easy," said Elizabeth, "as long as you punish him in good faith. "It is so easy for men to bother and punish each other. To make him angry--to make fun of him.--so much between you You are used to it, you must know how to do it."

"But, to tell you the truth, I really don't know. My familiarity with him hasn't taught me that. To tease such a calm, level-headed man! No, no—I don't think we can beat him .And when it comes to making fun of him, we can't make fun of people and make ourselves the butt of jokes, don't you think? Mr. Darcy would be flattered then."

"It turns out that Mr. Darcy can't be laughed at!" Elizabeth could not help raising her voice, "This is a rare advantage, and I hope that such an advantage will never be seen, otherwise, it will be a great benefit to me to have more friends like this." Loss. Because I love a joke so much."

"Miss Bingley has not given me the right name," said he, "that the wisest and most eminent man, the wisest and best conduct, can be turned into a joke by a man whose chief purpose in life is to make jokes." Ridiculous."

"Undoubtedly," replied Elizabeth, "there are such men in the world, but I hope I am not one of them. I hope that I shall never laugh at an act of wisdom and goodness. Stupid and dull, I admit, Absurdities and inconsistencies do amuse me, and I never miss an opportunity to make fun of them if I can.—But these, I suppose, are just what you don't have."

"Perhaps no one can do what you say. But since these weaknesses often make a wise man ridiculous, it is my life's pursuit to avoid such mistakes as much as possible."

"Such weaknesses as vanity and pride."

"Yes, vanity is indeed a weakness. Pride, though--if one is really wise, pride will always be well regulated."

Elizabeth turned away and smiled secretly.

"Your investigations of Mr. Darcy are at an end, I suppose," said Miss Bingley, "how did it turn out, may I ask?"

"I am fully convinced that Mr. Darcy is without fault. He himself admits it quite openly."

"No"--said Darcy, "I'm not so boastful. I have many faults, though I hope they are not of understanding or intellect. As for my temper, I dare not call it perfect either.- —I believe it is too stubborn, too unaccommodating to the world. I can't imagine forgetting other people's stupidity and bad habits as quickly as I should, and it's the same for others who offend me. I haven't mobilized My own emotions, trying to get them out of my mind in every possible way. My temperament may be called resentful.—Once my affection for a person is lost, it is lost forever.”

"It is indeed a defect!"-- cried Elizabeth; "an indelible resentment is indeed a shadow of character. But you choose your faults, and you choose them well.--For such defects, I really don't want to make fun of it. Don't worry about it."

"I think that in every human being there is some kind of negativity, a natural defect, which the best education cannot necessarily overcome."

"Your flaw is your tendency to hate everyone."

"Your defect," he replied with a smile, "is to misunderstand everyone at will."

"Well, let's have some music instead,"- cried Miss Bingley, who was weary of this conversation without her part. —"Louisa, you don't mind if I wake Mr. Hurst."

Her sister made no objection, and the lid was opened, and Darcy, after a moment's reflection, regretted the interruption of the conversation.Because he had begun to feel that he was paying too much attention to Elizabeth.

(End of this chapter)