Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austin
‘Oh! the eldest Miss Bennet, beyond a doubt; there
cannot be two opinions on that point.’”
“Upon my word! Well, that is very decided indeed—that does seem
as if—but, however, it may all come to nothing, you know.”
“_My_ overhearings were more to the purpose than _yours_, Eliza,”
said Charlotte. “Mr. Darcy is not so well worth listening to as
his friend, is he?—poor Eliza!—to be only just _tolerable_.”
“I beg you would not put it into Lizzy’s head to be vexed by his
ill-treatment, for he is such a disagreeable man, that it would
be quite a misfortune to be liked by him. Mrs. Long told me last
night that he sat close to her for half-an-hour without once
opening his lips.”
“Are you quite sure, ma’am?—is not there a little mistake?” said
Jane. “I certainly saw Mr. Darcy speaking to her.”
“Aye—because she asked him at last how he liked Netherfield, and
he could not help answering her; but she said he seemed quite
angry at being spoke to.”
“Miss Bingley told me,” said Jane, “that he never speaks much,
unless among his intimate acquaintances. With _them_ he is
remarkably agreeable.”
“I do not believe a word of it, my dear. If he had been so very
agreeable, he would have talked to Mrs. Long. But I can guess how
it was; everybody says that he is eat up with pride, and I dare
say he had heard somehow that Mrs. Long does not keep a carriage,
and had come to the ball in a hack chaise.”
“I do not mind his not talking to Mrs. Long,” said Miss Lucas,
“but I wish he had danced with Eliza.”
“Another time, Lizzy,” said her mother, “I would not dance with
_him_, if I were you.”
“I believe, ma’am, I may safely promise you _never_ to dance with
him.”
“His pride,” said Miss Lucas, “does not offend _me_ so much as
pride often does, because there is an excuse for it. One cannot
wonder that so very fine a young man, with family, fortune,
everything in his favour, should think highly of himself. If I
may so express it, he has a _right_ to be proud.”
“That is very true,” replied Elizabeth, “and I could easily
forgive _his_ pride, if he had not mortified _mine_.”
“Pride,” observed Mary, who piqued herself upon the solidity of
her reflections, “is a very common failing, I believe. By all
that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common
indeed; that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that
there are very few of us who do not cherish a feeling of
self-complacency on the score of some quality or other, real or
imaginary. Vanity and pride are different things, though the
words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without
being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves,
vanity to what we would have others think of us.”
“If I were as rich as Mr. Darcy,” cried a young Lucas, who came
with his sisters, “I should not care how proud I was. I would
keep a pack of foxhounds, and drink a bottle of wine a day.”
“Then you would drink a great deal more than you ought,” said
Mrs. Bennet; “and if I were to see you at it, I should take away
your bottle directly.”
The boy protested that she should not; she continued to declare
that she would, and the argument ended only with the visit.
Chapter 6
The ladies of Longbourn soon waited on those of Netherfield. The
visit was soon returned in due form. Miss Bennet’s pleasing
manners grew on the goodwill of Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley; and
though the mother was found to be intolerable, and the younger
sisters not worth speaking to, a wish of being better acquainted
with _them_ was expressed towards the two eldest. By Jane, this
attention was received with the greatest pleasure, but Elizabeth
still saw superciliousness in their treatment of everybody,
hardly excepting even her sister, and could not like them; though
their kindness to Jane, such as it was, had a value as arising in
all probability from the influence of their brother’s admiration.
It was generally evident whenever they met, that he _did_ admire
her and to _her_ it was equally evident that Jane was yielding to
the preference which she had begun to entertain for him from the
first, and was in a way to be very much in love; but she
considered with pleasure that it was not likely to be discovered
by the world in general, since Jane united, with great strength
of feeling, a composure of temper and a uniform cheerfulness of
manner which would guard her from the suspicions of the
impertinent. She mentioned this to her friend Miss Lucas.
“It may perhaps be pleasant,” replied Charlotte, “to be able to
impose on the public in such a case; but it is sometimes a
disadvantage to be so very guarded. If a woman conceals her
affection with the same skill from the object of it, she may lose
the opportunity of fixing him; and it will then be but poor
consolation to believe the world equally in the dark. There is so
much of gratitude or vanity in almost every attachment, that it
is not safe to leave any to itself. We can all _begin_ freely—a
slight preference is natural enough; but there are very few of us
who have heart enough to be really in love without encouragement.
In nine cases out of ten a woman had better show _more_ affection
than she feels. Bingley likes your sister undoubtedly; but he may
never do more than like her, if she does not help him on.”
“But she does help him on, as much as