Pride and Prejudice; Sense and Sensibility

Chapter 10 Darcy Writes Letters Home

The day went by not much different from the day before.Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley Morning At that time, in the south of England, especially in the upper class, there was no fixed lunch between breakfast and dinner. Therefore, "morning" refers to the period from morning to four or five o'clock in the afternoon, The word "afternoon" is rare.After spending several hours with the patient, although the patient's improvement was slow, he was still recovering.Elizabeth stayed with them in the drawing-room at night.But this time, no one was seen playing the "Lu card".Mr. Darcy was writing a letter, and Miss Bingley sat beside him to watch him write, and kept pestering him to post her regards to his sister.Mr. Hurst and Mr. Bingley were playing "Picker: a game played by two pairs, generally using only 32 cards above seven." Mrs. Hurst watched them play.

While she was sewing, Elizabeth listened attentively to the conversation between Darcy and Miss Bingley.I only heard Miss Bingley complimenting him non-stop, either saying that his handwriting was good, or that his handwriting was very neat, or that the letters praising him were carefully written, but the other party was completely indifferent ignore.These two people you ask and I answer, forming a wonderful dialogue.In this way, Elizabeth did not misread the two of them.

"How delighted Miss Darcy will be to receive such a letter!"

He didn't answer.

"It's rare for you to write so quickly."

"You're not right. I write rather slowly."

"How many letters do you have to write in a year. And business letters, I reckon it's tiresome enough!"

"Then it's a good thing that these letters got to me and not to you."

"Please tell your sister that I would like to meet her very much."

"I've told her as I was told."

"I'm worried that the pen is not suitable for you. Let me fix it for you. Pen repair is my specialty."

"Thank you for your kindness, I always fix it myself."

"How did you write so neatly?"

He didn't make a sound.

"Tell your sister, just how glad I am to hear her progress on the harp; and tell her how much I like that pretty little picture she sent me to decorate the table with, I think Much better than Miss Grant's."

"Can you please accommodate me and let me delay telling her your liking until the next time I write a letter? I can't write so much this time."

"Oh, never mind. I can see her in the first month. But do you always write such touching long letters to her, Mr. Darcy?"

"My letters are generally very long. But whether each letter is moving or not is not for me to say."

"However, I always feel that anyone who can write a long letter in one go will have a very good literary talent no matter what."

Her brother cried: "That kind of flattery can't be applied to Darcy, Caroline, for he can't do it with a stroke of the pen, and he has to work on four syllables.— Darcy, is that so?"

"My writing style is very different from yours."

"Oh," exclaimed Miss Bingley, "Charles wrote letters in such a scrambled style that it is unimaginable. He would leave out half the words, and cross out half the words."

"I think about it so fast that I don't even have time to write, so sometimes when the recipient reads my letter, they feel that there is nothing to say."

"Mr. Bingley," said Elizabeth, "you are ashamed to be reproached for being so modest."

Darcy said: "Pretending to be modest, and even talking nonsense, is nothing but oblique boasting!"

"Then, are those few modest words I said a moment ago just empty mouths, or bragging around the bush?"

"It's a roundabout boast, because you don't realize your shortcomings in letter writing at all, you think you have a quick mind and don't bother to pay attention to calligraphy, and you think it doesn't matter if you don't pay attention to these aspects, and don't think about what is considered Perfect. You told Mrs. Bennet this morning that if you decided to move from Netherfield, you could do so in five minutes. It was nothing more than boasting and flattering yourself. Besides, the result of impatience It will only make the things that should be done not done well, no matter whether it is beneficial to others or yourself, what is there to praise?"

"Come on," cried Mr. Bingley, "it's very unseemly to remember the morning at night. And, to tell the truth, I don't believe that I was wrong about myself, and I still believe that I am." .So at least I didn't intend to appear so fast, to show off in front of the ladies."

"Maybe you really believe in yourself, but I don't believe that you will be so decisive in doing things. I know that you are just like ordinary people, you just play by ear. For example, when you are about to get on your horse and leave, a friend suddenly tells you: 'Bingley, you'd better stay till next week.' Then you might listen to him and stay, and if he said anything else to you, you might stay again. a month."

Elizabeth cried: "What you say only shows that Mr. Bingley is not doing as he pleases. You say it better than he does himself."

Bingley said: "I am very glad that what my friend said has been translated into a compliment by you. However, I am afraid that what you have said is not the gentleman's original intention. Because if this kind of thing happened to me, I would decline that friend very straightforwardly and ride away on the horse, then he must think more highly of me."

"Does Mr. Darcy, then, think that, however rash and reckless your intentions may be, you may be excused if you stick to them as soon as you have made up your mind?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't understand it either. I have to let Darcy explain it himself."

"You want to take these views as mine, and I have never admitted them. But, Miss Bennet, even if everything you say is true, don't forget this: you can call that friend Go back to the house and tell him not to do that, but that is just a hope of that friend, making such a request of him, but not insisting that he must do that."

"Speaking of being able to easily listen to a friend's advice, it seems that you don't have this advantage yet."

"If you just obey what you say without asking right and wrong, I'm afraid it's not a compliment to both of you."

"It seems to me, Mr. Darcy, that you are denying the influence of friendship and affection on a man. You know that a man who respects the demands of others will usually be willing to follow the advice of others without persuasion. I am not because of you. As far as Mr. Bingley is concerned, perhaps we can wait to discuss the inappropriateness of his handling of such things when they happen. However, generally speaking, when friends get along with friends, when encountering an unimportant matter, a Has made up his mind, and the other wants him to change his mind, and if the one asked has not been persuaded, is it not permissible to obey the other party?"

"Let's not discuss this issue for the time being, we might as well study carefully first, how important is the request made by that friend, and how deep is the friendship between the two of them, is this good?"

Bingley said loudly: "Excellent, please tell us in detail, even their height, shortness, fatness, and thinness, Miss Bennet, you must not imagine that this is a matter of discussion." How important time is. To tell you the truth, if Mr. Darcy hadn't been so much taller and so much older than I am, you wouldn't expect me to respect him so much. On certain occasions, on certain occasions, Darcy is a very annoying fellow. — especially at his house on Sunday nights, when he has nothing to do."

Darcy smiled, and Elizabeth was about to laugh, but felt that he seemed a little angry, and suppressed it.Miss Bingley was indignant at seeing the teasing made of him, and blamed her brother for such a dull remark.

Darcy said: "I understand what you mean, Bingley, you don't like debate, and you want to suppress it."

"Perhaps. Debates are often very much like arguments, and I would be very grateful if you and Miss Bennet could pause for a moment and resume the debate after I have gone out of the room. You can say what you like about me when I am out."

Elizabeth said: "It will do me no harm if you do it. Mr. Darcy has better go and write the letter."

Mr. Darcy obeyed her, and continued to write.

When this was over, Darcy asked Miss Bingley and Miss Elizabeth to give him a little music.Miss Bingley walked quickly to the piano, made some courtesies, and asked Elizabeth to take the lead.Elizabeth declined more politely and sincerely.Miss Bingley now sat down at the piano.

Mrs. Hurst sang for her sister.While the two sisters played, Elizabeth leafed through the few books on the piano, feeling Mr. Darcy's eyes always on her.If the great man looked at her out of admiration, she had little audacity to hope for it; but it would be much less plausible if Darcy looked at her because he hated her.In the end, she thought that perhaps she had attracted Darcy's attention because Darcy thought she was less attractive than anyone else in the room.After she made this assumption, she didn't feel pain, because she didn't like him at all, so she didn't care about his favor.

After Miss Bingley played some Italian songs, she changed the mood by some lively Scottish pieces.Presently Mr. Darcy came up to Elizabeth and said: "Miss Bennet, would you take this opportunity to dance a Scotch dance?"

Elizabeth did not answer him, but smiled.Seeing her silence, he felt a little strange, so he asked her again.

"Oh," she said, "I've heard it before, but I don't know how to answer you. Of course, I know you want me to say 'yes', so that you will be contemptuous of my low taste, so that I can't tell you what to say." Make yourself proud, but I am always fond of prying on people's tricks, and playing tricks on those who would like to despise others. Therefore, I want to say to you: I don't like Scotch dancing at all.-- so you don't dare despise me."

"Of course not."

Elizabeth had intended to embarrass him, but he seemed so respectful now that she froze.However, Elizabeth was always gentle and well-behaved, not easily offending anyone, and Darcy was fascinated by her more than any woman had ever fascinated him before.He couldn't help but seriously think that if her relatives weren't of humble origins, I might be in danger.

Seeing this scene, Miss Bingley felt a little jealous; of course, it can also be said that she was very suspicious, and jealousy came from suspicion.Therefore, she wanted to drive Elizabeth away more and more, and hoped that her good friend Jane would recover from her illness more and more.In order to arouse Darcy's dislike of this guest, she often gossips that he and Elizabeth will form a happy marriage in the end, and estimates that this marriage will bring Darcy great happiness.

The next day, when Miss Bingley and Darcy were walking in the undergrowth, Miss Bingley said: "I hope that one day when good things happen, you will gently advise your mother-in-law to be careful in her speech. and your sisters-in-law, if you are capable enough, you'd better cure them of their obsession with pursuing officers. There is one more thing, I am really embarrassed to say it: Your Madam has a little temper , seems to be conceited, and seems to be not polite, you have to try your best to adjust and adjust."

"Do you have any other suggestions for promoting my family's happiness?"

"Oh, yes. You must hang the portrait of your aunt, father-in-law and mother-in-law in the Pemberley Gallery, next to the portrait of your great-uncle who was a judge. You know they are all colleagues, but the department is different That's all. As for Mrs. Elizabeth, don't let anyone else paint her, what painter in the world can paint her beautiful eyes so vividly?"

"It is true that the expression of those eyes is not easy to draw. But the shape and color of the eyes, and her eyelashes, are so wonderful that they may be drawn."

When they were talking vigorously, they suddenly saw Mrs. Hurst and Elizabeth coming from another road.

Miss Bingley greeted them hastily, saying: "I didn't know you wanted to go for a walk, too," and she said this with some anxiety, for she was afraid they had heard what she had just said.

"You are too mean," Mrs. Hurst replied, "you just come out by yourself and don't tell us."

Then she took Darcy's free other arm, and left Elizabeth to go by herself.The road happened to only allow three people to walk side by side.

Mr. Darcy felt that they were too presumptuous, so he said: "This road is too narrow for all of us to walk side by side. Let's walk on the main road."

Elizabeth didn't want to stay with them at first, so when she heard this, she said with a smile: "No, no, just walk here. The three of you walking together are very beautiful and wonderful. In addition, the first Four people, the picture will be ruined. Goodbye!" So she ran away triumphantly.

As she walked about, she thought that she would be home in a day or two, and she couldn't help feeling very happy.Jane's illness has been greatly improved, and she wanted to go out of the room to play for two hours that night.

(End of this chapter)