Pride and Prejudice; Sense and Sensibility

Chapter 18 The Waiting Before the Netherfield Ball

Next day Elizabeth told Jane exactly what Mr. Wickham had said to her.Jane was surprised and concerned at the same time.She could hardly believe that Mr. Darcy should be so unworthy of Mr. Bingley's esteem; but so handsome a young man as Wickham was, she had no way of suspecting him of dishonesty.She could not help feeling pity at the thought of Wickham's possible real mistreatment, so that she had to say that both gentlemen were good men, and excused both of them, explaining everything that was inexplicable as accident and accident. Misunderstand.

Jane said: "I think both of them have been deceived by others. As for how, of course we have no way of guessing. It may be whoever is involved is trying to stir up trouble. In short, unless we have a definite Evidence can blame either side, otherwise we would have no way of guessing what they were at odds about."

"You're right. Now, my dear Jane, what will you say for such a person concerned? You'll have to defend such a person, or we'll have to blame someone else again." .”

"Mock all you like, but you can't laugh my opinion off. My dear Lizzy, just think that Mr. Darcy's father loved this man so much, and promised to bring him up, Now that Mr. Darcy himself treats him so badly, he is simply disgraceful. It is impossible! As long as a person has a little conscience, as long as he respects his own personality, he will not do such a thing Come on. Could it be that his own best friend will be deceived by him to such an extent? Oh, definitely not. "

"I still think that Mr. Bingley is deluded by him, and does not think that what Mr. Wickham told me last night was a deliberate fabrication. He gave names and facts very well. Reasonable, without pretentiousness. If it is not so, then let Mr. Darcy explain himself. You have only to look at Wickham's face to see that he is not lying."

"It's really hard to say - and it's hard. It's good not to know what to think."

"Don't be surprised if you say something, people know exactly what to think."

There was only one thing on which Jane was right, and that was that, if Mr. Bingley had been deceived, he would have been greatly distressed when the truth came out.

The two young ladies were talking enthusiastically in the bushes, when they were suddenly invited back home by a visitor--as it so happened, those whom they had just spoken of.It turned out that there was to be a long-awaited ball at Netherfield on the following Tuesday, and Mr. Bingley and his sisters had come to invite them in person.The two women were very happy to reunite with their good friends.They said that since they parted, it seemed like a lifetime away, and they asked Jane again and again what she did after parting.They paid little attention to the rest of the Bennett family.They avoided Mrs. Bennet as much as possible, and seldom spoke to Elizabeth; as to the others, they never said a word at all.They took their leave in a moment, and, to the surprise of their brother, Mr. Bingley, rose from their seats, and walked away, as if anxious to escape Mrs. Bennet's entanglements. Like red tape.

The fact that there was going to be a ball at Netherfield was to the utmost delight of the Lady.Mrs. Bennet thought that the ball was reserved for her eldest daughter, and was much more pleased that Mr. Bingley himself had come to invite it, instead of sending it.Jane imagined in her heart that on that night, she would be able to have a heart-to-heart talk with two good friends, and be served attentively by their brothers.Elizabeth was pleased with the idea of ​​having a wild dance with Mr. Wickham, and of being able to get the whole story out of Mr. Darcy's manner.As for Catherine and Lydia, they did not pin their happiness on one thing or one person, and though they, like Elizabeth, wanted to dance most of the night with Mr. Wickham, the ball could make He is definitely not the only partner for their happy dance, and a dance is a dance after all.Even Mary told the family that she was not entirely disinterested in the ball.

Mary said, "As long as the mornings are at my disposal. I don't think it's a sacrifice to go to an occasional evening party. We all should have a social life. I think it's essential for everyone to have some distraction and entertainment."

Elizabeth is so happy now.Though she had been reluctant to speak much to Mr. Collins, she could not help asking him now if he would like to be a guest at Mr. Bingley's, and if so, whether it would be proper to attend the party.To Elizabeth's surprise, Mr. Collins had no hesitation about being a guest, and he dared to dance without fear of reproach from the Archbishop or Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

He said: "To tell you the truth, I don't think there will be any bad inclinations at such a ball, where the host is a noble young man and the guests are decent people. Not only do I have no objection to dancing myself, but I hope that that night Cousins ​​are very flattering. I will take this opportunity, Miss Elizabeth, to ask you to dance with me for the first two dances, and I am sure Jane will blame me for being so rude to her, for I have good reasons for doing so first and second."

Elizabeth felt completely duped.This Mr. Collins was going to get in the way of what she was going to do with Wickham for the first few dances!She has never been so disappointed as now, but it is irreparable now.It seemed that Mr. Wickham's happiness, and her own, had to be delayed.So she acceded to Mr. Collins's request with good looks.

She was not too pleased, however, when she thought that Collins's attentions were motivated by ulterior motives.She thought first of all that he had taken her fancy among her sisters as mistress of the Vicar Hunsford's house, and that, when Rosings had no more suitable guests, the game would be three-for-one. , she can also make up the numbers.Her idea was confirmed at once, for she observed that he was becoming more and more courteous to her, and she heard him always compliment her on her intelligence and vivacity.Although this turmoil has fully demonstrated her seductive charm, she is not proud of it, but rather surprised.Her mother soon told her that it was possible for them to marry, which pleased her mother very much.Elizabeth ignored this remark of her mother's, for she knew very well that a great quarrel was inevitable whenever she spoke to her mother.Mr. Collins would probably not propose, and if he hadn't made it clear, why bother quarreling about him.

From the day when the Bennet ladies were invited to the dance at Netherfield Manor until the day of the ball, the rain kept falling, so that the younger Bennet daughters did not come to the Maiden. Even if they went to Litun once, they would not be able to visit their aunt, interview the officers, or inquire about the news. If they didn't use the matter of attending the ball as a topic of conversation and make preparations, they would be really pitiful.They even asked others to buy the roses for their shoes.Elizabeth, too, hated the weather, which prevented her friendship with Mr. Wickham from progressing.There was a dance next Tuesday, which kept Katie and Lydia through Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

(End of this chapter)