Chapter 03 (Pride and Prejudice)

01CHAPTER III Not all that Mrs.

02Bennet, however, with the assistance of her five daughters, could ask on the subject was sufficient to draw from her husband any satisfactory description of Mr.

03Bingley.

04They attacked him in various ways, with barefaced questions, ingenious suppositions, and distant surmises.

05But he eluded the skill of them all, and they were at last obliged to accept the second-hand intelligence of their neighbor, Lady Lucas.

06Her report was highly favorable.

07Sir William had been delighted with him.

08He was quite young, wonderfully handsome, extremely agreeable, and, to crown the whole, he meant to be at the next assembly with a large party.

09Nothing could be more delightful.

10To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love, and very lively hopes of Mr.

11Bingley's heart were entertained.

12"'If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield,' said Mrs.

13Bennet to her husband, and all the others equally well married, I shall have nothing to wish for." In a few days Mr.

14Bingley returned Mr.

15Bennet's visit, and sat about ten minutes with him in his library.

16He had entertained hopes of being admitted to a sight of the young ladies, of whose beauty he had heard much, but he saw only the father.

17The ladies were somewhat more fortunate, for they had the advantage of ascertaining from an upper window, that he wore a blue coat and rode a black horse.

18An invitation to dinner was soon afterwards dispatched, and already had Mrs.

19Bennet planned the courses that were to do credit to her housekeeping, when an answer arrived which deferred it all.

20Mr.

21Bingley was obliged to be in town the following day, and consequently unable to accept the honour of their invitation, etc.

22Mrs.

23Bennet was quite disconcerted.

24She could not imagine what business he could have in town so soon after his arrival in Hertfordshire, and she began to fear that he might be always flying about from one place to another, and never settled at Netherfield as he ought to be.

25Lady Lucas quieted her fears a little, by starting the idea of his being gone to London only to get a large party for the ball, and a report soon followed that Mr.

26Bingley was to bring twelve ladies and seven gentlemen with him to the assembly.

27The girls grieved over such a number of ladies, but were comforted the day before the ball by hearing that instead of twelve, he brought only six with him from London, his five sisters and a cousin.

28And when the party entered the assembly-room, it consisted of only five altogether, Mr.

29Bingley, his two sisters, the husband of the eldest, and another young man.

30Mr.

31Bingley was good-looking and gentlemanlike.

32He had a pleasant countenance, and easy, unaffected manners.

33His sisters were fine women, with an air of decided fashion.

34His brother-in-law, Mr.

35Hurst, merely looked the gentleman, but his friend Mr.

36Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien, and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year.

37The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man.

38The ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr.

39Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity, for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased, and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend.

40Mr.

41Bingley had soon made himself acquainted with all the principal people in the room.

42He was lively and unreserved, danced every dance, was angry that the ball closed so early, and talked of giving one himself at Netherfield.

43Such amiable qualities must speak for themselves.

44What a contrast between him and his friend!

45Mr.

46Darcy danced only once with Mrs.

47Hurst, and once with Miss Bingley, declined being introduced to any other lady, and spent the rest of the evening in walking about the room, speaking occasionally to one of his own party.

48His character was decided.

49He was the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world, and every body hoped that he would never come there again.

50Amongst the most violent against him was Mrs.

51Bennet, whose dislike of his general behaviour was sharpened into particular resentment by his having slighted one of her daughters.

52Elizabeth Bennet had been obliged, by the scarcity of gentlemen, to sit down for two dances, and during part of that time, Mr.

53Darcy had been standing near enough for her to hear a conversation between him and Mr.

54Bingley, who came from the dance for a few minutes, to press his friend to join it.

55"'Come, Darcy,' said he, "'I must have you dance.

56I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner.

57You had much better dance.' "'I certainly shall not.

58You know how I detest it, unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner.

59At such an assembly as this, it would be insupportable.

60Your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in the room, whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with.' "'I would not be so fastidious as you are,' cried Mr.

61Bingley, "'for a kingdom.

62Upon my honour, I never met with so many pleasant girls in my life as I have this evening, and there are several of them, you see, uncommonly pretty.' "'You are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room,' said Mr.

63Darcy, looking at the eldest Miss Bennet.

64"'Oh, she is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld.

65But there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty, and I dare say very agreeable.

66Do let me ask my partner to introduce you.' "'Which do you mean?' And turning round, he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till catching her eye, he withdrew his own, and coldly said, "'She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.

67I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men.

68You had better return to your partner, and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me.' Mr.

69Bingley followed his advice.

70Mr.

71Darcy walked off, and Elizabeth remained with no very cordial feelings towards him.

72She told the story, however, with great spirit among her friends, for she had a lively, playful disposition, which delighted in anything ridiculous.

73The evening altogether passed off pleasantly to the whole family.

74Mrs.

75Bennet had seen her eldest daughter much admired by the Netherfield party.

76Mr.

77Bingley had danced with her twice, and she had been distinguished by his sisters.

78Jane was as much gratified by this as her mother could be, though in a quieter way.

79Elizabeth felt Jane's pleasure.

80Mary had heard herself mentioned to Miss Bingley as the most accomplished girl in the neighbourhood, and Catherine and Lydia had been fortunate enough never to be without partners, which was all that they had yet learnt to care for at a ball.

81They returned, therefore, in good spirits to Longbourn, the village where they lived, and of which they were the principal inhabitants.

82They found Mr.

83Bennet still up.

84With a book he was regardless of time, and on the present occasion he had a good deal of curiosity as to the events of an evening which had raised such splendid expectations.

85He had rather hoped that his wife's views on the stranger would be disappointed, but he soon found out that he had a different story to hear.

86Oh, my dear Mr.

87Bennet, as she entered the room, we have had a most delightful evening, a most excellent ball.

88I wish you had been there.

89Jane was so admired, nothing could be like it.

90Everybody said how well she looked, and Mr.

91Bingley thought her quite beautiful, and danced with her twice.

92Only think of that, my dear, he actually danced with her twice.

93And she was the only creature in the room that he asked a second time.

94First of all, he asked Miss Lucas.

95I was so vexed to see him stand up with her.

96But, however, he did not admire her at all.

97Indeed, nobody can, you know.

98And he seemed quite struck with Jane as she was going down the dance.

99So he inquired who she was, and got introduced, and asked her for the next two.

100Then the two-third he danced with Miss King, and the two-fourth with Mariah Lucas, and the two-fifth with Jane again, and the two-sixth with Lizzy, and the Boulanger.

101If he had any compassion for me, cried her husband impatiently, he would not have danced half so much.

102For God's sake, say no more of his partners.

103Oh, that he had sprained his ankle in the first dance!

104Oh, my dear, I am quite delighted with him.

105He is so excessively handsome.

106And his sisters are charming women.

107I never in my life saw anything more elegant than their dresses.

108I dare say the lace upon Mrs.

109Hurst's gown." Here she was interrupted again.

110Mr.

111Bennet protested against any description of finery.

112She was therefore obliged to seek another branch of the subject, and related, with much bitterness of spirit and some exaggeration, the shocking rudeness of Mr.

113Darcy.

114But I can assure you," she added,—that Lizzy does not lose much by not suiting HIS fancy, for he is a most disagreeable horrid man, not at all worth pleasing.

115So high and so conceited that there was no enduring him.

116He walked here and he walked there, fancying himself so very great, not handsome enough to dance with.

117I wish you had been there, my dear, to have given him one of your set-downs.

118I quite detest the man.

119End of chapter 3