Chapter 10 (Pride and Prejudice)

01X.

02The day passed much as the day before had done.

03Mrs.

04Hurst and Miss Bingley had spent some hours of the morning with the invalid, who continued, though slowly, to mend, and in the evening Elizabeth joined their party in the drawing-room.

05The loo-table, however, did not appear.

06Mr.

07Darcy was writing, and Miss Bingley, seated near him, was watching the progress of his letter and repeatedly calling off his attention by messages to his sister.

08Mr.

09Hurst and Mr.

10Bingley were at Piquet, and Mrs.

11Hurst was observing their game.

12Elizabeth took up some needlework, and was sufficiently amused in attending to what passed between Darcy and his companion.

13The perpetual commendations of the lady, either on his handwriting or on the evenness of the lines, or on the length of his letter, with the perfect unconcern with which her praises were received, formed a curious dialogue, and was exactly in union with her opinion of each.

14How delighted Miss Darcy will be to receive such a letter!

15He made no answer.

16You write uncommonly fast.

17You are mistaken.

18I write rather slowly.

19How many letters you must have occasion to write in the course of a year!

20Letters of business, too!

21How odious I should think them!

22It is fortunate, then, that they fall to my lot instead of yours.

23Pray tell your sister that I long to see her.

24I have already told her so once, by your desire.

25I am afraid you do not like your pen.

26Let me mend it for you.

27I mend pens remarkably well.

28Thank you.

29But I always mend my own." How can you contrive to write so even?

30He was silent.

31Tell your sister, I am delighted to hear of her improvement on the harp, and pray let her know that I am quite in raptures with her beautiful little design for a table, and I think it infinitely superior to Miss Grantley's.

32Will you give me leave to defer your raptures till I write again?

33At present I have not room to do them justice." Oh!

34it is of no consequence.

35I shall see her in January.

36But do you always write such charming long letters to her, Mr.

37Darcy?" They are generally long, but whether always charming it is not for me to determine.

38It is a rule with me that a person who can write a long letter with ease cannot write ill." "'That will not do for a compliment to Darcy, Caroline,' cried her brother, because he does not write with ease.

39He studies too much for words of four syllables.

40Do not you, Darcy?" "'My style of writing is very different from yours." "'Oh!' cried Miss Bingley.

41"'Charles writes in the most careless way imaginable.

42He leaves out half his words, and blots the rest." "'My ideas flow so rapidly that I have not time to express them, by which means my letters sometimes convey no ideas at all to my correspondents." "'Your humility, Mr.

43Bingley,' said Elizabeth, "'must disarm reproof.'" "'Nothing is more deceitful,' said Darcy, "'than the appearance of humility.

44It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast." "'And which of the two do you call my little recent piece of modesty?' "'The indirect boast.

45For you really are proud of your defects in writing, because you consider them as proceeding from a rapidity of thought, and carelessness of execution, which, if not estimable, you think at least highly interesting.

46The power of doing anything with quickness, is always prized much by the possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance.

47When you told Mrs.

48Bennet this morning, that if you ever resolved upon quitting Netherfield you should be gone in five minutes, you meant it to be a sort of panegyric, of compliment to yourself.

49And yet, what is there so very laudable in precipitance, which must leave very necessary business undone, and can be of no real advantage to yourself or anybody else?" "'Nay!' cried Bingley.

50"'This is too much—to remember at night all the foolish things that were said in the morning.

51And yet, upon my honour, I believe what I said of myself to be true, and I believe it at this moment.

52At least, therefore, I did not assume the character of needless precipitance merely to show off before the ladies.' "'I dare say you believed it.

53But I am by no means convinced that you would be gone with such celerity.

54Your conduct would be quite as dependent on chance as that of any man I know.

55And if, as you were mounting your horse, a friend were to say, "'Bingley, you had better stay till next week,' you would probably do it—you would probably not go—and at another word might stay a month.' "'You have only proved by this,' cried Elizabeth, "'that Mr.

56Bingley did not do justice to his own disposition.

57You have shown him off now much more than he did himself.' "'I am exceedingly gratified,' said Bingley, "'by your converting what my friend says into a compliment on the sweetness of my temper.

58But I am afraid that you are giving it a turn which that gentleman did by no means intend.

59For he would certainly think better of me, if under such a circumstance I were to give a flat denial and ride off as fast as I could.' "'Would Mr.

60Darcy then consider the rashness of your original intentions as atoned for, by your obstinacy in adhering to it?' "'Upon my word, I cannot exactly explain the matter.

61Darcy must speak for himself.' "'You expect me to account for opinions which you choose to call mine, but which I have never acknowledged.

62Allowing the case, however, to stand according to your representation, you must remember, Miss Bennet, that the friend who is supposed to desire his return to the house, and the delay of his plan, has merely desired it, asked it without offering one argument in favour of its propriety.' "'To yield readily, easily, to the persuasion of a friend, is no merit with you.' "'To yield without conviction is no compliment to the understanding of either.' "'You appear to me, Mr.

63Darcy, to allow nothing for the influence of friendship and affection.

64A regard for the requester would often make one readily yield to a request, without waiting for arguments to reason one into it.

65I am not particularly speaking of such a case as you have supposed about Mr.

66Bingley.

67We may as well wait, perhaps, till the circumstance occurs, before we discuss the discretion of his behaviour thereupon.

68But in general, and ordinary cases, between friend and friend, where one of them is desired by the other to change a resolution of no very great moment, should you think ill of that person for complying with a desire, without waiting to be argued into it?' "'Will it not be advisable, before we proceed on this subject, to arrange with rather more precision the degree of importance which is to pertain to this request, as well as the degree of intimacy subsisting between the parties?' "'By all means,' cried Bingley, let us hear the particulars, not forgetting their comparative height and size, for that will have more weight in the argument, Miss Bennet, than you may be aware of.

69I assure you, that if Darcy were not such a great tall fellow, in comparison with myself, I should not pay him half so much deference.

70I declare I do not know a more awful object than Darcy, on particular occasions and in particular places, at his own house especially, and of a Sunday evening, when he has nothing to do." Mr.

71Darcy smiled, but Elizabeth thought she could perceive that he was rather offended, and therefore checked her laugh.

72Miss Bingley warmly resented the indignity he had received, in an expostulation with her brother, for talking such nonsense.

73"'I see your design, Bingley,' said his friend.

74"'You dislike an argument, and want to silence this?' "'Perhaps I do.

75Arguments are too much like disputes.

76If you and Miss Bennet will defer yours, till I am out of the room, I shall be very thankful, and then you may say whatever you like of me.'" "'What you ask,' said Elizabeth, "'is no sacrifice on my side, and Mr.

77Darcy had much better finish his letter.'" Mr.

78Darcy took her advice, and did finish his letter.

79When that business was over, he applied to Miss Bingley and Elizabeth for an indulgence of some music.

80Miss Bingley moved with some alacrity to the pianoforte, and after a polite request that Elizabeth would lead the way, which the other as politely and more earnestly negatived, she seated herself.

81Mrs.

82Hurst sang with her sister, and while they were thus employed, Elizabeth could not help observing, as she turned over some music-books that lay on the instrument, how frequently Mr.

83Darcy's eyes were fixed on her.

84She hardly knew how to suppose that she could be an object of admiration to so great a man, and yet that he should look at her because he disliked her, was still more strange.

85She could only imagine, however, at last, that she drew his notice, because there was something more wrong and reprehensible, according to his ideas of right, than in any other person present.

86The supposition did not pain her.

87She liked him too little to care for his approbation.

88After playing some Italian songs, Miss Bingley varied the charm by a lively Scotch air, and soon afterward Mr.

89Darcy, drawing near Elizabeth, said to her, Do not you feel a great inclination, Miss Bennet, to see such an opportunity of dancing a reel?

90She smiled, but made no answer.

91He repeated the question with some surprise at her silence.

92Oh!

93said she, I heard you before, but I could not immediately determine what to say in reply.

94You wanted me, I know, to say, yes, that you might have the pleasure of despising my taste.

95But I always delight in overthrowing those kind of schemes, and cheating a person of their premeditated contempt.

96I have therefore made up my mind to tell you, that I do not want to dance a reel at all, and now despise me if you dare.

97Indeed, I do not dare.

98Elizabeth, having rather expected to affront him, was amazed at his gallantry.

99But there was a mixture of sweetness and archness in her manner which made it difficult for her to affront anybody, and Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her.

100He really believed, that if it were not for the inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger.

101Miss Bingley saw, or suspected enough to be jealous, and her great anxiety for the recovery of her dear friend Jane received some assistance from her desire of getting rid of Elizabeth.

102She often tried to provoke Darcy into disliking her guest by talking of their supposed marriage, and planning his happiness in such an alliance.

103"'I hope,' said she, as they were walking together in the shrubbery the next day, "'you will give your mother-in-law a few hints, when this desirable event takes place, as to the advantage of holding her tongue, and, if you can compass it, do cure the younger girls of running after officers.

104And, if I may mention so delicate a subject, endeavour to check that little something, bordering on conceit and impertinence, which your lady possesses.

105Have you anything else to propose for my domestic felicity?' "'Oh, yes.

106Do let the portraits of your uncle and aunt Phillips be placed in the gallery at Pemberley.

107Put them next to your great-uncle, the judge.

108They are in the same profession, you know, only in different lines.

109As for your Elizabeth's picture, you must not have it taken, for what painter could do justice to those beautiful eyes?' It would not be easy, indeed, to catch their expression, but their colour and shape, and the eyelashes so remarkably fine, might be copied." At that moment they were met from another walk, by Mrs.

110Hurst and Elizabeth herself.

111"'I did not know that you intended to walk,' said Miss Bingley, in some confusion, lest they had been overheard.

112"'You used us abominably ill,' answered Mrs.

113Hurst, "'running away without telling us that you were coming out.'" Then, taking the disengaged arm of Mr.

114Darcy, she left Elizabeth to walk by herself.

115The path just admitted three.

116Mr.

117Darcy felt their rudeness, and immediately said, "'This walk is not wide enough for our party.

118We had better go into the avenue.'" But Elizabeth, who had not the least inclination to remain with them, laughingly answered, "'No, no.

119Stay where you are.

120You are charmingly grouped, and appear to uncommon advantage.

121The picturesque would be spoilt by admitting a fourth.

122Good-bye.'" She then ran gaily off, rejoicing as she rambled about, in the hope of being at home again in a day or two.

123Jane was already so much recovered as to intend leaving her room for a couple of hours that evening.