Pride and Prejudice; Sense and Sensibility

Chapter 9 Discussion of Character

Elizabeth spent most of that evening in her sister's room.

Early next morning Mr. Bingley sent a maid to greet them.After a while, Mr. Bingley's sister also sent two elegant maids to visit, and Elizabeth told them, with some comfort, that the sick man was showing some improvement.However, though somewhat reassured, she begged them to send a letter to Longburn for her, that her mother should come and see Jane, in order to better judge her sister's condition.The letter was sent at once, and Mrs. Bennet was presently at Netherfield with her two youngest daughters, just after breakfast.

Mrs. Bennet would have been heartbroken if she had found Jane in any danger; but she had some satisfaction when she saw that Jane was not very ill.Nor did she expect Jane to recover immediately, for when she did she would have to leave Netherfield and go home, and she ignored her daughter's suggestion that she take her home, and besides, she was almost the same The doctor who arrived at the same time as her also thought that moving back was not a good idea.After the mother sat with Jane for a while, Miss Bingley came to invite her to breakfast, and she and her three daughters came to the dining room together.Mr. Bingley came to meet them, and said that he hoped that Mrs. Bennet would feel that the lady's illness was not as serious as imagined.

Mrs. Bennet replied: "I really didn't expect it to be so serious, sir. She is too sick to move at all. Dr. Jones also said that she must not be asked to move. We have to bother you to take more care of her." God."

"Move!" cried Bingley. "Never! I am sure my sister would never let her go."

Miss Bingley said coldly and politely: "You can rest assured, ma'am, that Miss Bennet will stay with us, and we will take care of her as best I can."

Mrs. Bennet thanked her repeatedly.

Then she added: "I don't think she knows what she would have become if it hadn't been for the care of her good friends, for she was very ill and suffering terribly, but fortunately she had great patience— —She has always been like that, and I have never seen anyone with such an extremely gentle character. I often tell my other daughters that they are too far behind her. Mr. Bingley , your house is very lovely, and the view from the cobbled road is very good. I never saw a place in this village like Netherfield. Although your tenancy It's very short, I advise you not to move away in a hurry."

Mr. Bingley said: "Whatever I do, I do what I say, and if I make up my mind to leave Netherfield, I may move in five minutes. But for the time being, I intend to live here." .”

"I guess it's all right," said Elizabeth.

Bingley turned at once to her and said loudly, "You're beginning to understand me, aren't you?"

"Oh, yes—I know you perfectly."

"I hope your words are a compliment to me, but it's probably a pitiful thing to be seen through so easily."

"That depends on the situation. It's hard to say whether a person with a deep and complex personality deserves more respect than someone like you."

Her mother hurriedly yelled: "Lizzy, don't forget that you are a guest. You are used to acting wild at home, so you can't come here to mess around with others."

"I really didn't know that you were an expert in the study of human character," Bingley said immediately, "that must be a very interesting subject."

"That's right! But the most interesting thing is to study complex personalities. At least such personalities are worth studying."

Darcy said: "Under normal circumstances, there are not many rural people who can be used as subjects for this kind of research, because in the countryside, people around you are very unenlightened and very monotonous."

"But people themselves change a lot, and there is always something new in them that deserves your attention."

When Mrs. Bennet heard Darcy speak of the country in such a tone, she was quite angry.She quickly shouted: "That's right, let me tell you, there are no fewer research objects in the countryside than in the city."

Everyone was taken aback.Darcy looked at her for a while and then quietly walked aside.Mrs. Bennet, thinking she had the upper hand on him, took advantage of her enthusiasm and went on: "I don't think London has any great advantages over the country, except for the shops and public places. The country is much more comfortable." !—do you not, Mr. Bingley?"

"I don't want to go when I'm in the country," he answered, "and I don't want to go when I live in the city. There are advantages to both the country and the city, and I'm just as happy wherever I live."

"Oh, that's because of your good character. But that gentleman," she said, looking at Darcy, "would think the country is worthless."

"Mother, you are mistaken," said Elizabeth, and her mother blushed. "You quite misunderstand Mr. Darcy. He just said that you don't find as many different kinds of people in the country as you do in the town, and you have to admit that's true."

"Of course, honey—I didn't say that. If you say that you don't meet many people in this village, I believe there are not many villages bigger than this one. As far as I know, the people who usually welcome and send us But there are also 24."

Mr. Bingley could hardly have restrained his laughter, had it not been for Elizabeth's honor.His sister, not so cultivated as he, could not help smiling at Mr. Darcy with a rich expression.

Elizabeth was obliged to find an excuse to divert her mother's attention, and asked her mother if Charlotte Lucas had not been at Longbourne since she left home.

"Come here, she came yesterday with her father. What a man Sir William is, Mr. Bingley—isn't he? Such a man of fashion! So gentle, and so amiable! What did he see?" People always have to talk. That's what I call good breeding. Those who are self-righteous and hard-talking, they think very wrong."

"Has Charlotte dined with us?"

"No, she insists on going back. It may be her family, I suppose, who are waiting for her to go back and make the meatloaf. Mr. Bingley, I must hire servants to do their duty, and my daughter is They weren't brought up like others. But it's all up to each person. I tell you, the girls in Lucas' family are all very good girls. It's a pity that they are not pretty! Of course, it's not that I personally think Charlotte Tee is ugly, and she's our best friend after all."

"She looks like a very lovely girl," said Bingley.

"Yes, but you must admit that she is ugly. Mrs. Lucas said so herself, and envied my Jane's beauty. I don't like to praise my own children, but it is true." , without exaggerating. When she was 15 years old, at the house of my brother Gardner in the city, a gentleman fell in love with her. My sister-in-law thought that the gentleman would go to her She proposed. But he didn't mention it afterwards, perhaps because he thought she was too young.—But he wrote a lot of poems for Jane, and they were very good."

"That gentleman's love ended just like that," Elizabeth said impatiently. "I think so many lovers restrain themselves like this. Poetry has this function—it can drive away love, really." I don't know who was the first to discover it!"

"I have always believed that poetry is the food of love." Darcy said.

"It must be a beautiful, steady, healthy love. When it is healthy, it can be nourished by anything. If there is only a hint of it, then I believe that a sonnet will make it Give it up."

Darcy only smiled, and then all fell silent.Elizabeth was very anxious, fearing that her mother would make a fool of herself again.She wanted to say something, but could think of nothing to say.

After a short silence, Mrs. Bennet again thanked Mr. Bingley for his good care of Jane, and at the same time apologized for having disturbed him with Lizzy's presence.Mr. Bingley answered with such earnestness and civility that his sister was compelled to be equally courteous, and to say something very tactful.Her manner of speaking was not quite natural, but Mrs. Bennet was quite satisfied.In a few minutes Mrs. Bennet called for the carriage.

As soon as the order was issued, her youngest daughter immediately stepped forward.It turned out that since their mother and daughter came here, the two daughters had been discussing in whispers, and finally decided that the youngest daughter should ask Mr. Bingley to fulfill his promise when he first came to the country, and give a ball at Netherfield Manor.

Lydia was a stout, well-grown girl of fifteen, with soft skin and a beautiful smile, who was the apple of her mother's eye, and because she was very much loved she entered society at an early age.She is active by nature, and she is a little bit unprofessional. In addition, her uncle entertained the officers with fine wines and banquets. The officers saw that she had a bit of a slutty style, so they had a good impression of her, so she Even more unscrupulous.She felt entitled to propose a ball to Mr. Bingley, and she ventured to remind him of her former promise, adding that it would be the greatest disgrace in the world if he did not keep it.

Mr. Bingley was unfazed, and his answer pleased her mother very much.

"I can assure you that I am very willing to fulfill my promise. As long as your sister recovers, you decide the day. You don't want to dance when your sister is sick?!"

Lydia expressed satisfaction. "You're right. It would be very nice to wait till Jane recovers, and then perhaps Captain Carter will be back in Meryton again. After you've given the ball, I'll make them do it again." .I'll be sure to tell Colonel Foster it's a shame if he doesn't."

So Mrs. Bennet took her two daughters away.Elizabeth went back to Jane at once, not caring what the two Bingley ladies were talking about behind her back about her and her family's indecency.

But in spite of Miss Bingley's wisecracks, and even jokes about her "beautiful eyes," Darcy never accepted their enticement to join them in speaking ill of her.

(End of this chapter)