him to be in her power.
In her kind schemes for Elizabeth, she sometimes planned her marrying Colonel Fitzwilliam. He
was beyond comparison the most pleasant man; he certainly admired her, and his situation in life
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was most eligible; but, to counterbalance these advantages, Mr. Darcy had considerable
patronage in the church, and his cousin could have none at all.
Chapter 33
More than once did Elizabeth, in her ramble within the park, unexpectedly meet Mr. Darcy. She
felt all the perverseness of the mischance that should bring him where no one else was brought,
and, to prevent its ever happening again, took care to inform him at first that it was a favourite
haunt of hers. How it could occur a second time, therefore, was very odd! Yet it did, and even a
third. It seemed like wilful ill-nature, or a voluntary penance, for on these occasions it was not
merely a few formal inquiries and an awkward pause and then away, but he actually thought it
necessary to turn back and walk with her. He never said a great deal, nor did she give herself the
trouble of talking or of listening much; but it struck her in the course of their third rencontre that
he was asking some odd unconnected questions—about her pleasure in being at Hunsford, her
love of solitary walks, and her opinion of Mr. and Mrs. Collins's happiness; and that in speaking
of Rosings and her not perfectly understanding the house, he seemed to expect that whenever she
came into Kent again she would be staying THERE too. His words seemed to imply it. Could he
have Colonel Fitzwilliam in his thoughts? She supposed, if he meant anything, he must mean and
allusion to what might arise in that quarter. It distressed her a little, and she was quite glad to
find herself at the gate in the pales opposite the Parsonage.
She was engaged one day as she walked, in perusing Jane's last letter, and dwelling on some
passages which proved that Jane had not written in spirits, when, instead of being again surprised
by Mr. Darcy, she saw on looking up that Colonel Fitzwilliam was meeting her. Putting away the
letter immediately and forcing a smile, she said:
"I did not know before that you ever walked this way."
"I have been making the tour of the park," he replied, "as I generally do every year, and intend to
close it with a call at the Parsonage. Are you going much farther?"
"No, I should have turned in a moment."
And accordingly she did turn, and they walked towards the Parsonage together.
"Do you certainly leave Kent on Saturday?" said she.
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"Yes—if Darcy does not put it off again. But I am at his disposal. He arranges the business just
as he pleases."
"And if not able to please himself in the arrangement, he has at least pleasure in the great power
of choice. I do not know anybody who seems more to enjoy the power of doing what he likes
than Mr. Darcy."
"He likes to have his own way very well," replied Colonel Fitzwilliam. "But so we all do. It is
only that he has better means of having it than many others, because he is rich, and many others
are poor. I speak feelingly. A younger son, you know, must be inured to self-denial and
dependence."
"In my opinion, the younger son of an earl can know very little of either. Now seriously, what
have you ever known of self-denial and dependence? When have you been prevented by want of
money from going wherever you chose, or procuring anything you had a fancy for?"
"These are home questions—and perhaps I cannot say that I have experienced many hardships of
that nature. But in matters of greater weight, I may suffer from want of money. Younger sons
cannot marry where they like."
"Unless where they like women of fortune, which I think they very often do."
Our habits of expense make us too dependent, and there are too many in my rank of life who can
afford to marry without some attention to money."
"Is this," thought Elizabeth, "meant for me?" and she coloured at the idea; but, recovering
herself, said in a lively tone, "And pray, what is the usual price of an earl's younger son? Unless
the elder brother is very sickly, I suppose you would not ask above fifty thousand pounds."
He answered her in the same style, and the subject dropped. To interrupt a silence which might
make him fancy her affected with what had passed, she soon afterwards said:
"I imagine your cousin brought you down with him chiefly for the sake of having someone at his
disposal. I wonder he does not marry, to secure a lasting convenience of that kind. But, perhaps,
his sister does as well for the present, and, as she is under his sole care, he may do what he likes
with her."
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"No," said Colonel Fitzwilliam, "that is an advantage which he must divide with me. I am joined
with him in the guardianship of Miss Darcy."
"Are you indeed? And pray what sort of guardians do you make? Does your charge give you
much trouble? Young ladies of her age are sometimes a little difficult to manage, and if she has
the true Darcy spirit, she may like to have her own way."
As she spoke she observed him looking at her earnestly; and the manner in which he
immediately asked her why she supposed Miss Darcy likely to give them any uneasiness,
convinced her that she had somehow or other got pretty near the truth. She directly replied:
"You need not be frightened. I never heard any harm of her; and I dare say she is one of the most
tractable creatures in the world. She is a very great favourite with some ladies of my
acquaintance, Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley. I think I have heard you say that you know them."
"I know them a little. Their brother is a pleasant gentlemanlike man—he is a great friend of
Darcy's."
"Oh! yes," said Elizabeth drily; "Mr. Darcy is uncommonly kind to Mr. Bingley, and takes a
prodigious deal of care of him."
"Care of him! Yes, I really believe Darcy DOES take care of him in those points where he most
wants care. From something that he told me in our journey hither, I have reason to think Bingley
very much indebted to him. But I ought to beg his pardon, for I have no right to suppose that
Bingley was the person meant. It was all conjecture."
"What is it you mean?"
"It is a circumstance which Darcy could not wish to be generally known, because if it were to get
round to the lady's family, it would be an unpleasant thing."
"You may depend upon my not mentioning it."
"And remember that I have not much reason for supposing it to be Bingley. What he told me was
merely this: that he congratulated himself on having lately saved a friend from the
inconveniences of a most imprudent marriage, but without mentioning names or any other
particulars, and I only suspected it to be Bingley from believing him the kind of young man to