Pride and Prejudice; Sense and Sensibility

Chapter 59 Feasting Netherfield Guests

As soon as they were gone, Elizabeth went for a walk outside the house, to refresh herself.In other words, not to think about the thoughts that would make her mentally more dull.Mr. Darcy's behavior surprised her and troubled her.

She thought: "If he came this time to be silent and serious, why should he come?"

"When he was in the city, he was still very kind and likable to my aunt and aunt. Why did he treat me differently? If he has no interest in me, why should he say nothing? What a man who is used to teasing people I will never miss him again from now on.”

When her sister came up to her, she had to put the thought aside for a while.As soon as she saw her sister's happy expression, she knew that although these two distinguished guests disappointed her, her sister was more proud.

My sister said: "The first meeting is finally over, and I feel very comfortable. Now that I can handle it this time, I will not be embarrassed when he comes next time. I am very happy that he can come here for dinner on Tuesday, because At that time, everyone will see that he and I are just ordinary friends who don't care."

Elizabeth smiled and said: "What a friend who doesn't care! Jane, you'd better be careful!"

"Dear Lizzy, don't think that I'm so weak that I'm still in danger."

"I see you in great danger of making him fall in love with you."

It was not until Tuesday that they saw the two distinguished guests again.Mrs. Bennet, as she had last seen Mr. Bingley in high spirits and good manners during his short half-hour visit, had been preoccupied for the last few days.

There were many guests at Longburn that day.The two most desired guests of the host's family arrived on time. They really kept their time and lived up to their reputation.As soon as they entered the dining-room, Elizabeth looked at Mr. Bingley, to see if he was seated beside Jane, as he had always sat in that seat before when there was a party.Her shrewd mother felt the same way, and did not invite him to sit beside her.When he first walked into the restaurant, he seemed to be hesitant. Fortunately, Jane happened to turn around and was smiling, so he made up his mind and sat down beside her.

Elizabeth was very pleased with it, and couldn't help but glanced at his friend, only to see that Darcy was very generous, as if nothing had happened.If she had not happened to catch Mr. Bingley looking also at Mr. Darcy, with mixed surprise and delight, she would have thought that Mr. Darcy had given him permission to do so this time.

At dinner, Mr. Bingley did express his admiration for her sister.Although this affection was less explicit than before, Elizabeth felt that Jane's happiness and his own happiness must be at once certain if she could leave him alone.Although she didn't dare to expect too much, seeing his attitude really made her happy.Although she was not in a very happy mood at the time, it gave her a great encouragement in spirit.

Mr. Darcy's seat was so far from hers that he sat with her mother.She found it disinteresting and inconvenient, both to Darcy and to her mother.The seats were so far apart that, of course, she could not hear what Darcy and her mother were talking about, but she could see that they talked very little, and that they talked very formally and coldly.

Seeing his mother's perfunctory treatment of him, and thinking of his deep affection for their family, she certainly felt very uncomfortable.There were times when she wished she could tell him that it wasn't that nobody in her family knew his good, and that it wasn't that the whole family was ungrateful to him.

She hoped that this afternoon they could get closer to each other and talk more, not to let him down this visit, not to let him just hear her greeting as usual when he entered the door, and then get nothing.She felt so anxious and restless that she was almost on the verge of losing her temper with boredom before the two distinguished guests entered the drawing room.She wished with all her heart that they would come in, for that was the whole interest of the afternoon.

She thought, "If he still doesn't come to me by then, I'll have to give him up forever."

Two distinguished guests entered.Seeing his expression, she felt that he would not let her down.But my God!Miss Bennet poured tea, Elizabeth poured coffee, but the ladies crowded the table so crowded that there was not room for a chair.After they had come in, one of the girls moved closer to Elizabeth, and whispered to her, "I'm determined not to let a man like that come and separate us. We won't let any man come, will we?"

Darcy had to go away.Elizabeth's eyes were fixed on him, and she felt jealous no matter who talked to him.She was hardly in the mood to serve coffee to the guests.After a while, she complained that she shouldn't be so infatuated.

"He's a man I've rejected! How could I be so stupid as to expect him to fall in love with me again? Which man would be so spineless to propose a second marriage to a woman? They wouldn't bother to do that What a shame!"

She was a little glad now that he had delivered the coffee mug himself, and immediately seized the opportunity to speak to him: "Is your sister still at Pemberley?"

"Still, she's going to be there until Christmas."

"Is she alone? Are all her friends gone?"

"Lady Annesley was with her. The others went to Scarborough three weeks ago."

She couldn't think of anything else to say, but if he would talk to her, she could do it.He stood beside her in silence for some minutes, and then the young lady began to whisper to Elizabeth again, and he was obliged to go away again.

After the tea sets were removed and the card tables were all set, and the female guests stood up, Elizabeth hoped that he would come to her immediately, but seeing her mother forcefully pulling people around to play "whistle", he also couldn't help it. The sympathy was hard to turn off, and she immediately sat down at the poker table with all the guests, so all her hopes were dashed.All the excitement she had had was gone, and there was nothing left for her tonight.The two had to sit at a card table each, and Darcy's eyes looked her way frequently, and they both lost the game.

Mrs. Bennet had intended to dine with the two distinguished guests at Reunion Field, but unfortunately they ordered the servants to harness the carriage before anyone else, and she lost the chance of retaining them.

As soon as the guests had gone, Mrs. Bennet said: "Have you had a good day, boys? I tell you, I think everything is going very well. The food was never so well cooked. The venison was cooked just right, and everybody said, Never seen such a fat leg. And as for the soup, it's much better than what we had at Lucas's last week. Even Mr. Darcy admits the partridge is beautifully cooked, I see him I have used at least three French cooks myself. Besides, dear Jane, I have never seen you more beautiful than you are today. Madame Lange said the same, because I asked you in front of her if you were beautiful. Guess she also said What happened? She said: 'Well! Mrs. Bennet, she's going to marry at Netherfield.' She really said it. I think Mrs. Long is a wonderful person. Her niece They're nice, well-behaved girls, but they're not pretty at all. I really like them."

All in all, Mrs. Bennet had a very happy day indeed.She saw Bingley's every move towards Jane, so she believed that Jane would get him.When she was happy, she couldn't help dreaming, and she only hoped that this marriage would bring some benefits to her family.When he didn't come to propose marriage the next day, she was disappointed again.

Miss Bennet said to Elizabeth: "It's really interesting to have a day today. The guests who come to dinner are all selected so well. Everyone is very speculative. I hope we can gather often in the future."

Elizabeth smiled.

"Lizzy, please don't laugh, don't be suspicious of me. It makes me sick. I tell you, I just appreciate the conversation of such a bright and kind young man, and I don't think it's wrong. There is one thing in his whole demeanor which I am entirely satisfied with, and that is that he has absolutely no intention of pleasing me. It is only that he talks better than other people, and he is more agreeable than other people."

I only heard my sister say: "You are so cruel, you don't want me to laugh, but you want to make me laugh all the time."

"How hard some things are to be believed!"

"And some things are simply impossible to believe!"

"But why do you insist on forcing me to think that I haven't told the whole truth?"

"I can't answer this question. We all like to give advice to others, but if you give advice and people don't appreciate it, I'm sorry for you. If you keep saying that you don't mean anything to him, don't let me believe."

(End of this chapter)