Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 38

More than once, during Elizabeth's walks in the garden, she unexpectedly met Mr. Darcy.She felt that fate was deliberately playing tricks on her, and sent him here instead of someone else; in order to prevent such a thing from happening again, she carefully told him when she first met him that this It's a place she likes to stroll around.Therefore, it would be very strange if such a thing happened again!However, there happened to be a second round, or even a third round.It looked as if he wanted to screw her up on purpose, or else he was expressing remorse for his previous behavior, because in the few times they met, it was not just a few greetings After talking or a moment of embarrassing silence, they each went their own way. On the contrary, he really felt that it was necessary to turn around and walk with her.

He never said much, and she herself didn't bother to speak or listen patiently; however, their third encounter left a deep impression on her, and he asked her some strange and interesting questions. Disjointed questions—whether she is happy here at Hunsford, why she likes to walk alone, whether she thinks the Collinses are happy; Without knowing the situation very well, he seemed to hope that if she had the opportunity to come to Kent in the future, she might as well live there for a while.That seemed to be implied in his words.Was he thinking about Colonel Fitzwilliam at this moment?She thought, if there was something in his words, it must be a hint in that direction.This caused her a little embarrassment, and she could not help being glad to find herself at the walled door opposite the vicarage.

One day while she was walking, she was reading Jane's last letter again and again, thinking carefully about the passages where Jane expressed her depression, when suddenly she heard someone walking towards this side, and she looked up. This time it was not Mr. Darcy but Colonel Fitzwilliam who came forward.She hurriedly put away the letter, tried her best to smile and said:

"I didn't know you came here for a walk, too."

"I was looking at the garden, as I do every year when I come here, thinking I'm going to the parsonage when it's over. Do you intend to go any further?"

"No, I should go back too."

So she turned, and they walked together toward the vicarage.

"Are you sure you're leaving Kent on Saturday?" she asked.

"Yes—if Darcy doesn't put it off. I'm at his disposal. He always does things as he pleases."

"Even if he can't please himself in the way things are arranged, he can at least take great pleasure in savoring the power of choice which he has. I have never seen anyone who seems to have more of his own way than Mr. Darcy. Appreciate it."

"He likes to have things his own way very much," replied Colonel Fitzwilliam, "but who of us doesn't. The only difference is that he is in a better position to do it than many, because he is rich and many are not." Poor. I say this out of emotion, you know, for a young son like me who has to get used to self-restraint and dependence."

"It seems to me that an earl's youngest son knows very little of either of these sentiments. Now, tell me seriously, what do you know of self-denial and dependence? How long will you Was there a time when you couldn’t go where you wanted or get what you liked because you didn’t have enough money to spend?”

"These are matters of poverty—in which, perhaps, I cannot say that I have had much difficulty. But in more important matters I may well suffer from want of means. Little Sons often fail to marry the women they want."

"Unless they happen to be in love with a rich woman, which is what I think they usually love."

"Our living habits have made us too easy to depend on others. Young people in my family can hardly consider each other's money when they get married."

"Is he referring to me?" Elizabeth blushed at the thought; however, she soon calmed down, and said in a lively voice: "Well, may I ask the youngest son of the Earl's family?" What's the usual asking price? If your brother hadn't been seriously ill, I don't think you would have asked for five thousand pounds."

He answered her in the same tone, and the matter was not mentioned again.There followed a silence, which she quickly broke, lest anyone should suspect that she had listened to it and cared:
"I suppose your cousin brought you here chiefly so that he might have someone to rule over. I wonder why he didn't get married soon, so that he would have a permanent one. But for now Perhaps his sister will satisfy this desire to dominate, and since she is in his sole charge, he can do with her as he pleases."

"No," said Colonel Fitzwilliam, "his power must be shared with me. I am also Miss Darcy's protector."

"Is that so? How is your protector doing? Do you have no trouble? Girls of her age are sometimes difficult to discipline, and if she had Darcy's disposition, She might like to have her own way."

She saw him staring at her intently as she spoke, and as soon as she had finished he asked her why she thought Miss Darcy might give them a headache in an manner which convinced her of her Guess it is close to ten.She immediately replied:
"You needn't be afraid. I haven't heard anything bad about her; and I dare say she must be the gentlest kind of girl in the world. Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley I know are very kind to her." Like it. I think I heard you say that you knew them."

"I know them more or less. Their brother is a very good-humoured, gentleman-like fellow—he's a good friend of Darcy's."

"Oh! yes," said Elizabeth sarcastically, "Mr. Darcy has been very kind to Mr. Bingley, and has taken great care of him."

"Take care of him--you're kind of right, I do believe Mr. Darcy always took care of him where he needed the most attention. Judging from what you said to me on the way here, I There is reason to think that he was doing Bingley a great favor. But I must beg his pardon for thinking that Bingley was who he said he was. I am only guessing."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Mr. Darcy, of course, does not want to let the story get out. If it gets to the lady's house, it will make people unhappy."

"I won't say it, you just trust me."

"Remember, though, that I had no good reason to think that it was Bingley. He merely told me that he was glad he had recently brought a friend out of a potentially rash marriage. Excuse me for the inconvenience, he didn't mention the person's name or any other details, I just suspect he may be talking about Bingley, because I think Bingley is the kind of person who sometimes gets into these kinds of affairs Young man, and I know they've been together all summer."

"Did Mr. Darcy tell you the reasons why he should interfere?"

"As I understand it, because there were many circumstances against the young lady."

"How did he separate them?"

"He didn't talk to me about his own tactics," Fitzwilliam said with a laugh. "That's all he told me."

Elizabeth didn't make a sound, and continued to walk forward, her heart burning with anger.After watching her for a while, Fitzwilliam asked why she was so brooding.

"I was thinking what you told me," she said, "that your cousin's behavior makes me uncomfortable. Why should he be judge in this matter?"

"Do you think he's meddling?"

"I don't understand what right Mr. Darcy has to decide whether his friend's favor is decent. I don't understand why he should decide and influence his friend's happiness by relying on his own judgment alone. Way. But," she went on calmly, "it wouldn't be fair to say that because we don't know the details at all. Maybe there isn't much truth in this love affair at all."

"You are quite right to think so," said Fitzwilliam, "but it will, unfortunately, detract from the glory of my cousin's victor."

The remark was only a jest, but it seemed to Elizabeth so true a picture of Mr. Darcy that she refrained from showing it; so she quickly changed the subject, and talked of After some unimportant things, he walked all the way to the Vicarage.As soon as their guest (referring to Colonel Fitzwilliam.) was gone, she shut herself up in her room, to think over all that she had heard undisturbed.The incident just mentioned obviously has something to do with her family.There could be no second person in this world who would have been so greatly influenced by Mr. Darcy.Mr. Darcy's part in breaking up Mr. Bingley and Jane had never been suspected to her; but she had always thought it was Miss Bingley who was the mastermind and the arrangement.Even if his vanity had not overwhelmed him, what Jane had suffered, and was still going to suffer, was his own doing, the result of his pride and self-will.He destroyed in an instant all aspirations of happiness that the kindest and most loving soul in the world had ever dreamed of;

"Because there are some very unfavorable circumstances for the lady." These are the exact words of Fitzwilliam. These very unfavorable circumstances may refer to her uncle who is a lawyer in the country, and an uncle who is a businessman in London. .

"As for Jane herself," she cried out involuntarily, "there's nothing in her that can be reproached with. She's absolutely a lovely, kind-hearted creature! He is very charming. My father has nothing to blame. Although he is a little weird, his ability even Mr. Darcy himself dare not underestimate him. When it comes to his character, Mr. Darcy may never catch up with him." When she It was true that her self-confidence was somewhat lacking in thinking of her mother, but she did not want to believe that her mother's faults were Mr. Darcy's chief motive in breaking up the lovers, but she was convinced that, His friend's association with a lowly family would have hurt his noble self-respect more than with a lowly one; and at last she came to her judgment that this Mr. Darcy must have been influenced by him on the one hand. and on the other hand he was governed by his desire to leave Mr. Bingley to his sister.

This continual torment of thought made her restless, made her weep, and finally gave her a headache, which was so much worse in the evening that, together with her reluctance to see Mr. Darcy, she resolved not to accompany her. My cousin and sister-in-law were at Rosings for tea.Seeing that she was indeed unwell, Mrs. Collins did not force her, and she tried not to let her husband pester her as much as possible. Although Mr. Collins did not force her to go, he still couldn't hide his worry. She blames something for staying home.

(End of this chapter)