Chapter 3 (Pride and Prejudice (Full Cast))

01CHAPTER III.

02Not all that Mrs.

03Bennet, 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.

04Bingley.

05They attacked him in various ways, with barefaced questions, ingenious suppositions, and distant surmises.

06But he eluded the skill of them all, and they were at last obliged to accept the second-hand intelligence of their neighbour, Lady Lucas.

07Her report was highly favourable.

08Sir William had been delighted with him.

09He was quite young, wonderfully handsome, extremely agreeable, and, to crown the whole, he meant to be at the next assembly with a large party.

10Nothing could be more delightful.

11To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love, and very lively hopes of Mr.

12Bingley's heart were entertained.

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

14Bennet to her husband, "'and all the others equally well married, I shall have nothing to wish for.' In a few days Mr.

15Bingley returned Mr.

16Bennet's visit, and sat about ten minutes with him in his library.

17He 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.

18The 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.

19An invitation to dinner was soon afterwards dispatched, and already had Mrs.

20Bennet planned the courses that were to do credit to her housekeeping, when an answer arrived which deferred it all.

21Mr.

22Bingley was obliged to be in town the following day, and consequently unable to accept the honour of their invitation, etc.

23Mrs.

24Bennet was quite disconcerted.

25She 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.

26Lady 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.

27Bingley was to bring twelve ladies and seven gentlemen with him to the assembly.

28The 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.

29And when the party entered the assembly room it consisted of only five altogether, Mr.

30Bingley, his two sisters, the husband of the eldest, and another young man.

31Mr.

32Bingley was good-looking and gentleman-like.

33He had a pleasant countenance and easy, unaffected manners.

34His sisters were fine women with an air of decided fashion.

35His brother-in-law, Mr.

36Hurst, merely looked the gentleman.

37But his friend, Mr.

38Darcy, soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mean, and the report, which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year.

39The gentleman pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man.

40The ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr.

41Bingley, 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.

42For he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased.

43And 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.

44Mr.

45Bingley had soon made himself acquainted with all the principal people in the room.

46He was lively and unreserved, danced every dance, was angry that the ball closed so early, and talked of giving one himself at Netherfield.

47Such amiable qualities must speak for themselves.

48What a contrast between him and his friend!

49Mr.

50Darcy danced only once with Mrs.

51Hurst, 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.

52His character was decided.

53He was the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world, and everybody hoped that he would never come there again.

54Amongst the most violent against him was Mrs.

55Bennet, whose dislike of his general behaviour was sharpened into particular resentment by his having slighted one of her daughters.

56Elizabeth Bennet had been obliged, by the scarcity of gentlemen, to sit down for two dances, and during part of that time Mr.

57Darcy had been standing near enough for her to hear a conversation between him and Mr.

58Bingley, who came from the dance for a few minutes to press his friend to join it.

59Come, Darcy, said he.

60I must have you dance.

61I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner.

62You had much better dance.

63I certainly shall not.

64You know how I detest it.

65Unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner, at such an assembly as this it would be insupportable.

66Your 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.

67I would not be so fastidious as you are, cried Mr.

68Bingley, for a kingdom.

69Upon my honour, I never met with so many pleasant girls in my life as I have seen this evening, and there are several of them you see uncommonly pretty.

70You were dancing with the only handsome girl in the room, said Mr.

71Darcy, looking at the eldest Miss Bennet.

72Oh, she is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld.

73But there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty, and I dare say very agreeable.

74Do let me ask my partner to introduce you.

75Which do you mean?

76In 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.

77I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men.

78You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me.

79Mr.

80Bingley followed his advice.

81Mr.

82Darcy walked off, and Elizabeth remained with no very cordial feelings toward him.

83She told the story, however, with great spirit among her friends, for she had a lively, playful disposition which delighted in anything ridiculous.

84The evening altogether passed off pleasantly to the whole family.

85Mrs.

86Bennet had seen her eldest daughter much admired by the Netherfield party.

87Mr.

88Bingley had danced with her twice, and she had been distinguished by his sisters.

89Jane was as much gratified by this as her mother could be, though in a quieter way.

90Elizabeth felt Jane's pleasure.

91Mary 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.

92They returned, therefore, in good spirits to Longbourn, the village where they lived, and of which they were the principal inhabitants.

93They found Mr.

94Bennet still up.

95With 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.

96He 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.

97Oh, my dear Mr.

98Bennet!

99As she entered the room, We have had a most delightful evening, a most excellent ball.

100I wish you had been there.

101Jane was so admired.

102Nothing could be like it.

103Everybody said how well she looked, and Mr.

104Bingley thought her quite beautiful, and danced with her twice.

105Only think of that, my dear.

106He actually danced with her twice, and she was the only creature in the room that he asked a second time.

107First of all he asked Miss Lucas.

108I was so vexed to see him stand up with her.

109But, however, he did not admire her at all.

110Indeed, nobody can, you know.

111And he seemed quite struck with Jane as she was going down the dance.

112So he inquired who she was, and got introduced, and asked her for the two next.

113Then 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— If he had any compassion for me, cried her husband impatiently, he would not have danced half so much.

114For God's sake, say no more of his partners.

115Oh, that he had sprained his ankle in the first dance!

116Oh, my dear, I am quite delighted with him.

117He is so excessively handsome, and his sisters are charming women.

118I never in my life saw anything more elegant than their dresses.

119I dare say the lace on Mrs.

120Hurst's gown!

121Here she was interrupted again.

122Mr.

123Bennet protested against any description of finery.

124She 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.

125Darcy.

126But 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.

127So high and so conceited that there was no enduring him.

128He walked here, and he walked there, fancying himself so very great.

129Not handsome enough to dance with.

130I wish you had been there, my dear, to have given him one of your set-downs.

131I quite detest the man.

132End of chapter 3