Pride and Prejudice; Sense and Sensibility

Chapter 55

A long time ago, Mr. Bennet hoped not to spend all his income every year, but to save part of it so that his daughter would not be short of food and clothing in the future;For now, his hope is more urgent than ever.If he had already made arrangements in this regard, then this time Lydia's matter of saving face and reputation would not require her uncle to spend money for her, nor would it be necessary for her uncle to persuade the most despicable young man in the whole of England to do it for her. Determine the names of the couple.

It was no good to anyone, and it made him very sorry that his uncle had to pay for it alone.He decided to try his best to find out how helpful their uncle had been, so as to repay the favor as soon as possible.

When Mr. Bennet first got married, he didn't need to save money at all, because the couple would naturally have a son. When the son was of age, the inheritance of property rights by outsiders could be cancelled, and widows and orphans would have nothing to worry about. .But five daughters were born one after another, and the son didn't know where he was.For many years after Lydia's birth, Mrs. Bennet had always expected a son.This hope was in vain, and now it is too late to save money.Mrs. Bennet was not used to thrift, but fortunately her husband had his own way of thinking, and finally she was able to make ends meet.

The old couple stipulated in the marriage contract that Mrs. Bennet and her children should enjoy a total inheritance of [-] pounds.As for how the children will share, it is up to the parents to decide in the will. Mr. Bennett did not hesitate to agree to the proposal before him.He wrote back to his uncle, thanking him for his kindness.His terms were extremely succinct, and he only said that he agreed with all the fait accompli and that he was willing to comply with all the conditions put forward by his uncle.It turned out that the matter of persuading Wickham to marry his daughter was so well arranged, and gave him so little trouble, that he really did not expect it.Though he paid them both a hundred pounds a year, in fact he could not lose ten pounds a year, for Lydia's food and expenses at home, and her mother's contribution to her expenses, amounted to almost ten pounds a year. Not less than a hundred pounds.

There is also a gratifying surprise, that is, it can be done without much effort on his own, and at present he hopes to have as little trouble as possible.At the beginning, he also went to find his daughter in person out of impulsiveness, but now he has calmed down and naturally became as lazy as usual.He sent the reply letter immediately. Although he likes to procrastinate, as long as he is willing to do it, he can finish it quickly.He wrote to ask her uncle to give him all the details of what he had done for him, but talking about Lydia irritated him so much that he didn't even greet her.

The good news immediately spread throughout the family, and soon reached the ears of the neighbors.The neighbors and neighbors have a rather detached attitude towards this matter.Of course, if Miss Lydia Bennet had been here herself, or if, on the contrary, she had taken up residence in some isolated country village, it would have added much to the conversation.However, the issue of her marriage still caused people to talk about it after all.Those vicious old women in Meryton, who had always been kind enough to wish her a happy husband, were now chattering vigorously, though they saw the change of circumstances, because they all felt that she was married to such a husband. I thought it was bound to meet a tragic end.

Mrs. Bennet hadn't come downstairs for two weeks, and she was overjoyed to see such a happy day, and she took the chief seat again.She didn't feel ashamed, and naturally she didn't disappoint.Since Jane was 16 years old, her first wish was to marry her daughter, and now she is about to get her wish.Her thoughts and speech were entirely bound up with the splendor of marriage, the finest muslins, new carriages, and servants and servants.She was still running around trying to find a proper home for her daughter, having no idea of ​​their income and never thinking about it.She looked at many houses but didn't like them, either because the bays were too small, or they didn't think they were grand enough.

She said: "If the Godins could move away, Haye would be all right; the big house at Stoke would be all right if the drawing-room were bigger, but Ashworth is so far away! I can't bear it." Put her ten miles away from me; as far as Park Way is concerned, that fake three-story house is a terrible thing."

Whenever the servants were present, her husband always let her go on without interrupting her.But as soon as the servant went out, he said to her honestly: "My dear lady, you will rent a house for your daughter and son-in-law, whether you want to rent one house or rent all the houses. Well, let's talk things over beforehand. They're not allowed to live in any of the neighboring houses. They shouldn't dream that I'm entertaining them at Longbourne!"

As soon as this was said, the two quarreled endlessly, but Mr. Bennet was right, and the quarrel resumed.Mrs. Bennet was horrified when she discovered that her husband would not spend a penny for a dress for her daughter.

Mr. Bennet's firm declaration that Lydia could not expect any affection from him on this occasion was a matter which his wife could not understand.He would be so angry that he hated her so deeply that he would not even give preferential treatment to his daughter when she got married, and wanted to make the wedding unseemly. This was really beyond her expectation.She knew only that it was disgraceful for a daughter to be married without a dowry, and that her elopement, which she had lived with Wickham for a fortnight before her marriage, did not concern her at all.

Now, Elizabeth regrets it very much. She really should not have let Mr. Darcy know about her own family’s worries about her sister because of a moment of pain, because the younger sister will get married right away and end that period of elopement. , then of course they hoped that it would be best not to let outsiders know about the unseemly things at the beginning.

She was not worried that Darcy would spread the matter to the outside world.When it comes to keeping secrets, there is hardly anyone she trusts more than him.However, this time, if someone else knew of her sister's scandal, she would never feel as uncomfortable as she does now.It was not for fear of doing her any harm, for an insurmountable gulf stood between her and Darcy.Had Lydia been able to marry in a respectable manner, Mr. Darcy would never have married such a family, which already had enough faults, and now had a person whom he always despised. Of course, there is no need to talk about everything.

Of course she didn't blame him for holding back from the marriage.She had seen at Derbyshire that he was trying to win her favor, but of course he would change his mind after this blow.She was ashamed, she was sad; she regretted it, but she hardly knew what it was.

Now, she no longer wants to cling to his status, but she also hates his status.Now, she has no chance to hear from him anymore, but she just hopes to hear from him; now, it is impossible for the two of them to meet again, but she also thinks how happy it would be if they could get together day and night .She had often thought how flattered he would be to know that she had so proudly rejected his proposal less than four months ago, and now convincingly expected him to propose again!She had no doubts that he was an extremely generous man.However, since he is a human being, of course he cannot avoid complacency.

She began to understand that he was [-] percent the perfect man for her in terms of personality and talents.Even though his opinions and temper are not exactly the same as her own, they will definitely satisfy her.This combination is beneficial to both parties: the woman is calm and lively, and can cultivate the man into a gentle mood and elegant style; the man is shrewd and experienced, and will definitely benefit the woman greatly.

It's a pity that this happy marriage is no longer possible, and thousands of lovers in the world who want to have a truly happy marriage have since missed a role model for reference.A marriage of another kind was about to be entered into in her family, and that marriage spoiled this one.

She could not imagine how Wickham and Lydia could support themselves.However, she can easily imagine the other side: this kind of union that only cares about lust and disregards morality is really difficult to obtain long-term happiness.

Mr. Gardner immediately wrote another letter to his brother-in-law.He first responded briefly to Mr. Bennet's letter of gratitude, then spoke of his great desire for the comfort of all the men, women and children of the Bennet family, and finally begged Mr. Bennet not to mention it again. this matter.His chief object in writing this letter was to inform them that Mr. Wickham had resolved to leave the militia.

His letter went on as follows:

I very much hope that he will do so after the marriage is certain.I think you will agree with me that leaving the militia would be a very wise move, both for his own sake and for his niece's.Mr. Wickham wanted to join the regular army, and his former friends were willing and able to help him.A regiment under the command of a certain general stationed in the north has agreed to let him be the standard bearer.It would only be to his own advantage that he should stay far away from this region.He has a promising future, and I hope they can save face and behave a little better when they are in an unfamiliar place.

I have written to Colonel Forster, advising him of our present arrangements, and requesting him to inform all Mr. Wickham's creditors in the Brighton area, that I will keep my word and pay them at once. debt.May I trouble you, too, to inform the creditors at Meryton who are nearest?Enclosed is a list of creditors, all of which he said himself.He has spoken out about the whole debt, and I hope at least he hasn't lied to us.

We have entrusted Haston with everything to be done within a week.If you don't want them to come to Longbourne then, they can go straight to the army.I heard from my wife that my niece really hopes to meet you before leaving the south.She is doing well, please let me send you and her mother greetings on her behalf.

love gardner
Mr. Bennet and his daughters saw as plainly as Mr. Gardner the advantages of Wickham's departure from the Midlands.Only Mrs. Bennet was not so pleased.She was looking forward to a good and triumphant time with Lydia, and it was a great disappointment that she should go to the North.So far she was determined to have her daughter and son-in-law live in Hertfordshire.Besides, Lydia had just become acquainted with everyone in this militia, and there were so many people who liked her, it would be a pity to go away now.

She said: "She likes Mrs. Forster so much, it's too bad to send her away! And there are several young boys, she likes too. The officers in General So-and-so's regiment may not be able to please her like that." .”

Her daughter's request (actually it should be counted as her own request) to come home to see it again before going north, was immediately and flatly rejected by her father.Fortunately, Jane and Elizabeth took into account their younger sister's mood and status, and they both hoped that her marriage would be valued by their parents, and repeatedly asked their father to let their younger sister and her brother-in-law come to Longbourne as soon as they got married.They asked so earnestly, so reasonably, and so tactfully, that they finally persuaded their father, agreed with their ideas, and were willing to do as they wanted.The mother is really proud of this: she can show the married daughter to the neighbors as if she is a treasure before she goes to the north.

When Bennet wrote back to her uncle, he mentioned that they should come back once, and it was promised that they would come to Longbourn immediately after the wedding.Elizabeth, however, wondered coldly whether Wickham would agree to such a course of action; if it was only for her own sake, seeing Wickham was a necessity.

(End of this chapter)