Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 51

Elizabeth concluded that Mr. Darcy would bring his sister to visit him on the day of her arrival at Pemberley; and it was resolved to remain at the inn all that morning.But she guessed wrong again; for the brother and sister had called on the very morning they came to Lambton.Elizabeth's aunt and aunt had just wandered around this place with some of their new friends, and were returning to the hotel to change their clothes. When they were having dinner with these friends, they heard the sound of a carriage. They went to the window to have a look. I saw a man and a woman driving along the street in a two-wheeled carriage.Elizabeth at once recognized the livery of the coachman, guessed what was the matter, and informed her aunt of the arrival of the distinguished visitor.They were all astonished; Elizabeth's hesitation in speaking, combined with the incident itself and the circumstances of the previous day, made her aunts and aunts suddenly think of the mystery of it.It had never occurred to them before to go up to this level, but it seemed to them now that Mr. Darcy might be in love with their niece, or else his care and attention could not be explained.Elizabeth grew more and more tense as these new thoughts raced through their minds.She was surprised at her own uneasiness; she was afraid that Mr. Darcy had lifted her up to heaven in front of his sister for his love, and this was one of the causes of her restlessness; The more he tries to please his sister, the more he suspects that he has no ability to please others.

Fearful that she might be seen, Elizabeth moved away from the window; she paced up and down the room, trying to collect herself, but seeing the inquiring surprise on the faces of her uncle and aunt could only make her shudder. became more disturbed.

Miss Darcy and her brother entered, and the awkward introduction began.Elizabeth was surprised to find that her new acquaintance was just as embarrassed as herself.Miss Darcy, she had heard when she arrived at Lambton, was very proud; but a few minutes' observation told her that Miss Darcy was only excessively timid.It was very difficult for Miss Darcy to extract a word from her, except for a brief reply of a word or two.

Miss Darcy was tall, much higher than Elizabeth; though she was only sixteen years old, she was mature, with a grown-up appearance and graceful grace.She was not as pretty as her brother, but she had an expressive face and a gentle demeanor.Elizabeth, who had expected Miss Darcy to look as sharp and merciless as her brother, was greatly relieved to see that this was not the case.

They had not long sat together before Mr. Darcy informed her that Bingley was coming to visit her; By now he had entered the house.All Elizabeth's resentment against Bingley had long since vanished; and if there had been, the sight of the sincerity and unaffected affection of his visit would have quenched her.He asked kindly (albeit generally) about her family, his expression and conversation still as easy as ever.

Like Elizabeth, the Gardiners found Bingley an interesting man.They had long wanted to see him.These young men before them did arouse their inquiring interest.Doubts about the relation between Mr. Darcy and their niece led them to take a furtive and careful look at their situation; and from the results of their observations they soon concluded that at least one of the two had tasted The taste of love.They couldn't decide their feelings for the woman for a while; but it was obvious that the man's side was full of admiration.

And Elizabeth herself had much to do.She wanted to find out what kind of feelings each of these guests had, and she also wanted to calm down her emotions and treat everyone with kindness and enthusiasm; this last thing was the last thing she was most afraid of.In the end, it was the only one that was the most successful, because the people she was trying to please all had a preference for her.Bingley was willing, Georgiana was eager, and Mr. Darcy was determined to make themselves happy and satisfied.

At the sight of Bingley, Elizabeth's thoughts turned naturally to her sister; oh!How anxious she was to know now, whether Bingley thought as much of her sister as she did.Sometimes she felt that he was not as talkative as before, and once or twice she was even pleased to find that, while he was watching her, he seemed to be trying to find some resemblance to his sister.Perhaps these were only her imaginations, but she saw one thing very clearly: he had no love for Miss Darcy, Jane's so-called rival in love.There was nothing in their relation to that which Miss Bingley hoped would produce a marriage.Two or three little incidents occurred before their departure, which, explained by Elizabeth, who was eager to love her sister, showed that Bingley still had a not unfeeling longing for Jane, and wanted to say more about her. The desire to get things up, if he dares to speak."It's been a long time since he saw Jane," he said to her while the others were talking, in a tone of great regret. Before she could answer, he added, "It's been eight months. It's been a long time. We haven't seen each other since last November 11th when we danced together in Nicefeld."

Elizabeth was glad to see him remember the day with such exactness; and when she was silent, he seized the opportunity to ask her if her sisters were all at Longbourn now.His question and the ones he mentioned earlier were not important words, but his expression and demeanor gave them a meaning.

Elizabeth's eyes could not very often rest upon Mr. Darcy himself; but whenever she glanced she saw an expression of kindness and sincerity on his face, and from what he said she heard something very different. Then there was the haughty or contemptuous tone of voice, all of which made her feel that the improvement in style she discovered from him yesterday, no matter how short-lived it may be, has at least been maintained until today.She saw that he was so willing to associate with people whom he would have been ashamed to talk to a few months ago, and wanted to win their favor; she saw He was courteous, not only to herself, but to her relatives whom he had openly despised at the Hansford Vicar's house, and this change of character moved her soul so strongly that she He couldn't help showing the surprise in his heart on his face.She had never seen him so ingratiating, not even at Netherfield with his friends, or at Rosings with his noble relations. He didn't completely abandon his self-dignity and the airs he always put on like now, not to mention that even if his dedication was successful, it would not bring him any important benefits, even if he and These men, when they climbed into friendship, only met the ridicule and disapproval of the ladies of Netherfield and Rosings.

The guests sat with them for about half an hour, and when they stood up to take their leave, Mr. Darcy called his sister to join him in expressing their wish: Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner and Miss Bennet, before they leave here , be sure to stop by Pemberley for a light meal.Miss Darcy, though a little shy and unaccustomed to making invitations, promptly obeyed her brother's orders.Lady Gardiner was looking now at her niece, wondering what her intentions were, for the invitation was chiefly addressed to her, but Elizabeth had earlier turned her head away.Mrs. Gardiner guessed that Elizabeth's intentional avoidance might be due to temporary timidity rather than reluctance to keep the appointment, and seeing her husband who had always been sociable so willing to accept it, she boldly agreed for them. , the date is set for the day after tomorrow.

Bingley, as he had much to say to Elizabeth, and to ask about all his friends in Hertfordshire, expressed his great pleasure at seeing her again.Elizabeth fancied that it was all in the hope of hearing her speak of her sister again, and Elizabeth was very pleased; and all this enabled her to consider with some satisfaction the half-hour after her guests had departed, though in spite of the At that time, she was not very happy.At this moment, she wanted to stay alone for a while, and she was worried that her uncle and aunt would question her, so after listening to their praise of Bingley, she left in a hurry to change her clothes.

In truth, she need not have dreaded the curiosity of the Gardiners in her affairs; for they had no desire to force words out of her.It was evident that she and Mr. Darcy were more familiar than they had expected; and Mr. Darcy was evidently in love with her.They watched this development with great pleasure, but at the same time felt that they had no reason to ask.

With regard to Mr. Darcy, they thought only of his good; and from their acquaintance for more than a day, there was nothing wrong with him.He was so friendly and courteous that they could not help being moved, and if they judged his character by their own impression and what his servants said of him, and no other opinion, Hartfordshire No one would have recognized Mr. Darcy from what they said.Now they were willing to believe the housekeeper; for they soon realized that the words of a housekeeper who had come to his house since he was four years old and whose behavior was respectable in himself should not be taken at once. discarded.Besides, from what their Lambton friend said, there is nothing that deviates from what the maid said.One could only accuse him of arrogance, and as for arrogance, he probably had some; if not, the townspeople of this small town would naturally add it to him, seeing that his family was never seen.It was admitted, however, that he was a generous and generous man, and often helped the poor.

As for Wickham, it was soon discovered that his reputation here was not always very good; for although it was not quite clear what his chief entanglements with his benefactor's son were, one fact was that It was well known that, when he left Derbyshire, he was in a great debt, which Mr. Darcy afterwards paid for him.

As for Elizabeth, her thoughts were more on Pemberley this evening than on the previous evening; long though it seemed, it was not long enough for her to sort out her feelings for the man at the estate. and she lay awake for two hours trying to make sense of these feelings of hers.There was no doubt that she didn't hate him any more.This hatred had disappeared long ago, and she had long been ashamed of that so-called disgust for him.The respect which she felt for him for his many good qualities, which at first she would not admit, ceased to repel her for some time; this respect, after so much evidence in his favor , had been sublimated to a more genial quality, and, as yesterday proved, had made his character lovable.However, in addition to respect and admiration, there is also a feeling in her heart that cannot be ignored.

That was gratitude—not just gratitude to him for having loved her, but also because he could forgive her for being partial and sharp in her refusal, for all her unjust condemnation of him, And still able to love her to this day.Mr. Darcy, who she thought she would avoid like an enemy, seemed so willing to talk to her at this encounter. , but did not show any inappropriate and excessive performance, but tried hard to win the favor of her friends, and insisted on getting her to know his sister.Such a change in so proud a man not only astonished her but aroused her gratitude—it must have been caused by love, passionate love, and she reflected on it all with interest. There was joy in the stirrings of her mind, though she was not quite sure what kind of feeling she was harboring.She revered him, admired him, appreciated him, and she took a real interest in his happy future; she just wanted to know how much she hoped to influence his happiness, and wanted to know what it meant for both of them. human happiness, how far she should use the power she thought she still had, in order to rekindle his desire for love.

On this evening, after a discussion between the aunt and niece, it was felt that Miss Darcy, who had arrived at Pemberley almost past the time for breakfast, came to see them that day, and they should emulate this courtesy. , though not in a comparable degree; and they thought it best to return to Pemberley the next morning.So it was settled--Elizabeth was very glad, though she could not answer herself when asked why.

Mr. Gardiner left after breakfast the next day.It turned out that fishing had been brought up again yesterday, and it was agreed to meet some gentlemen at Pemberley this afternoon.

(End of this chapter)