married before three-and-twenty! My aunt Phillips wants you so to get husbands, you can't think.
She says Lizzy had better have taken Mr. Collins; but I do not think there would have been any
fun in it. Lord! how I should like to be married before any of you; and then I would chaperon
you about to all the balls. Dear me! we had such a good piece of fun the other day at Colonel
Forster's. Kitty and me were to spend the day there, and Mrs. Forster promised to have a little
dance in the evening; (by the bye, Mrs. Forster and me are SUCH friends!) and so she asked the
two Harringtons to come, but Harriet was ill, and so Pen was forced to come by herself; and
then, what do you think we did? We dressed up Chamberlayne in woman's clothes on purpose to
pass for a lady, only think what fun! Not a soul knew of it, but Colonel and Mrs. Forster, and
Kitty and me, except my aunt, for we were forced to borrow one of her gowns; and you cannot
imagine how well he looked! When Denny, and Wickham, and Pratt, and two or three more of
the men came in, they did not know him in the least. Lord! how I laughed! and so did Mrs.
Forster. I thought I should have died. And THAT made the men suspect something, and then
they soon found out what was the matter."
With such kinds of histories of their parties and good jokes, did Lydia, assisted by Kitty's hints
and additions, endeavour to amuse her companions all the way to Longbourn. Elizabeth listened
as little as she could, but there was no escaping the frequent mention of Wickham's name.
157
Their reception at home was most kind. Mrs. Bennet rejoiced to see Jane in undiminished
beauty; and more than once during dinner did Mr. Bennet say voluntarily to Elizabeth:
"I am glad you are come back, Lizzy."
Their party in the dining-room was large, for almost all the Lucases came to meet Maria and hear
the news; and various were the subjects that occupied them: Lady Lucas was inquiring of Maria,
after the welfare and poultry of her eldest daughter; Mrs. Bennet was doubly engaged, on one
hand collecting an account of the present fashions from Jane, who sat some way below her, and,
on the other, retailing them all to the younger Lucases; and Lydia, in a voice rather louder than
any other person's, was enumerating the various pleasures of the morning to anybody who would
hear her.
"Oh! Mary," said she, "I wish you had gone with us, for we had such fun! As we went along,
Kitty and I drew up the blinds, and pretended there was nobody in the coach; and I should have
gone so all the way, if Kitty had not been sick; and when we got to the George, I do think we
behaved very handsomely, for we treated the other three with the nicest cold luncheon in the
world, and if you would have gone, we would have treated you too. And then when we came
away it was such fun! I thought we never should have got into the coach. I was ready to die of
laughter. And then we were so merry all the way home! we talked and laughed so loud, that
anybody might have heard us ten miles off!"
To this Mary very gravely replied, "Far be it from me, my dear sister, to depreciate such
pleasures! They would doubtless be congenial with the generality of female minds. But I confess
they would have no charms for ME—I should infinitely prefer a book."
But of this answer Lydia heard not a word. She seldom listened to anybody for more than half a
minute, and never attended to Mary at all.
In the afternoon Lydia was urgent with the rest of the girls to walk to Meryton, and to see how
everybody went on; but Elizabeth steadily opposed the scheme. It should not be said that the
Miss Bennets could not be at home half a day before they were in pursuit of the officers. There
was another reason too for her opposition. She dreaded seeing Mr. Wickham again, and was
resolved to avoid it as long as possible. The comfort to HER of the regiment's approaching
removal was indeed beyond expression. In a fortnight they were to go—and once gone, she
hoped there could be nothing more to plague her on his account.
158
She had not been many hours at home before she found that the Brighton scheme, of which
Lydia had given them a hint at the inn, was under frequent discussion between her parents.
Elizabeth saw directly that her father had not the smallest intention of yielding; but his answers
were at the same time so vague and equivocal, that her mother, though often disheartened, had
never yet despaired of succeeding at last.
Chapter 40
Elizabeth's impatience to acquaint Jane with what had happened could no longer be overcome;
and at length, resolving to suppress every particular in which her sister was concerned, and
preparing her to be surprised, she related to her the next morning the chief of the scene between
Mr. Darcy and herself.
Miss Bennet's astonishment was soon lessened by the strong sisterly partiality which made any
admiration of Elizabeth appear perfectly natural; and all surprise was shortly lost in other
feelings. She was sorry that Mr. Darcy should have delivered his sentiments in a manner so little
suited to recommend them; but still more was she grieved for the unhappiness which her sister's
refusal must have given him.
"His being so sure of succeeding was wrong," said she, "and certainly ought not to have
appeared; but consider how much it must increase his disappointment!"
"Indeed," replied Elizabeth, "I am heartily sorry for him; but he has other feelings, which will
probably soon drive away his regard for me. You do not blame me, however, for refusing him?"
"Blame you! Oh, no."
"But you blame me for having spoken so warmly of Wickham?"
"No—I do not know that you were wrong in saying what you did."
"But you WILL know it, when I tell you what happened the very next day."
She then spoke of the letter, repeating the whole of its contents as far as they concerned George
Wickham. What a stroke was this for poor Jane! who would willingly have gone through the
world without believing that so much wickedness existed in the whole race of mankind, as was
here collected in one individual. Nor was Darcy's vindication, though grateful to her feelings,
159
capable of consoling her for such discovery. Most earnestly did she labour to prove the
probability of error, and seek to clear the one without involving the other.
"This will not do," said Elizabeth; "you never will be able to make both of them good for
anything. Take your choice, but you must be satisfied with only one. There is but such a quantity
of merit between them; just enough to make one good sort of man; and of late it has been shifting
about pretty much. For my part, I am inclined to believe it all Darcy's; but you shall do as you
choose."
It was some time, however, before a smile could be extorted from Jane.
"I do not know when I have been more shocked," said she. "Wickham so very bad! It is almost