well as her aunt, and amongst the rest there were notes to be written to all their friends at
Lambton, with false excuses for their sudden departure. An hour, however, saw the whole
completed; and Mr. Gardiner meanwhile having settled his account at the inn, nothing remained
to be done but to go; and Elizabeth, after all the misery of the morning, found herself, in a
shorter space of time than she could have supposed, seated in the carriage, and on the road to
Longbourn.
Chapter 47
"I have been thinking it over again, Elizabeth," said her uncle, as they drove from the town; "and
really, upon serious consideration, I am much more inclined than I was to judge as your eldest
sister does on the matter. It appears to me so very unlikely that any young man should form such
a design against a girl who is by no means unprotected or friendless, and who was actually
staying in his colonel's family, that I am strongly inclined to hope the best. Could he expect that
her friends would not step forward? Could he expect to be noticed again by the regiment, after
such an affront to Colonel Forster? His temptation is not adequate to the risk!"
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"Do you really think so?" cried Elizabeth, brightening up for a moment.
"Upon my word," said Mrs. Gardiner, "I begin to be of your uncle's opinion. It is really too great
a violation of decency, honour, and interest, for him to be guilty of. I cannot think so very ill of
Wickham. Can you yourself, Lizzy, so wholly give him up, as to believe him capable of it?"
"Not, perhaps, of neglecting his own interest; but of every other neglect I can believe him
capable. If, indeed, it should be so! But I dare not hope it. Why should they not go on to Scotland
if that had been the case?"
"In the first place," replied Mr. Gardiner, "there is no absolute proof that they are not gone to
Scotland."
"Oh! but their removing from the chaise into a hackney coach is such a presumption! And,
besides, no traces of them were to be found on the Barnet road."
"Well, then—supposing them to be in London. They may be there, though for the purpose of
concealment, for no more exceptional purpose. It is not likely that money should be very
abundant on either side; and it might strike them that they could be more economically, though
less expeditiously, married in London than in Scotland."
But why all this secrecy? Why any fear of detection? Why must their marriage be private? Oh,
no, no—this is not likely. His most particular friend, you see by Jane's account, was persuaded of
his never intending to marry her. Wickham will never marry a woman without some money. He
cannot afford it. And what claims has Lydia—what attraction has she beyond youth, health, and
good humour that could make him, for her sake, forego every chance of benefiting himself by
marrying well? As to what restraint the apprehensions of disgrace in the corps might throw on a
dishonourable elopement with her, I am not able to judge; for I know nothing of the effects that
such a step might produce. But as to your other objection, I am afraid it will hardly hold good.
Lydia has no brothers to step forward; and he might imagine, from my father's behaviour, from
his indolence and the little attention he has ever seemed to give to what was going forward in his
family, that HE would do as little, and think as little about it, as any father could do, in such a
matter."
"But can you think that Lydia is so lost to everything but love of him as to consent to live with
him on any terms other than marriage?"
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"It does seem, and it is most shocking indeed," replied Elizabeth, with tears in her eyes, "that a
sister's sense of decency and virtue in such a point should admit of doubt. But, really, I know not
what to say. Perhaps I am not doing her justice. But she is very young; she has never been taught
to think on serious subjects; and for the last half-year, nay, for a twelvemonth—she has been
given up to nothing but amusement and vanity. She has been allowed to dispose of her time in
the most idle and frivolous manner, and to adopt any opinions that came in her way. Since the
——shire were first quartered in Meryton, nothing but love, flirtation, and officers have been in
her head. She has been doing everything in her power by thinking and talking on the subject, to
give greater—what shall I call it? susceptibility to her feelings; which are naturally lively
enough. And we all know that Wickham has every charm of person and address that can
captivate a woman."
"But you see that Jane," said her aunt, "does not think so very ill of Wickham as to believe him
capable of the attempt."
"Of whom does Jane ever think ill? And who is there, whatever might be their former conduct,
that she would think capable of such an attempt, till it were proved against them? But Jane
knows, as well as I do, what Wickham really is. We both know that he has been profligate in
every sense of the word; that he has neither integrity nor honour; that he is as false and deceitful
as he is insinuating."
"And do you really know all this?" cried Mrs. Gardiner, whose curiosity as to the mode of her
intelligence was all alive.
"I do indeed," replied Elizabeth, colouring. "I told you, the other day, of his infamous behaviour
to Mr. Darcy; and you yourself, when last at Longbourn, heard in what manner he spoke of the
man who had behaved with such forbearance and liberality towards him. And there are other
circumstances which I am not at liberty—which it is not worth while to relate; but his lies about
the whole Pemberley family are endless. From what he said of Miss Darcy I was thoroughly
prepared to see a proud, reserved, disagreeable girl. Yet he knew to the contrary himself. He
must know that she was as amiable and unpretending as we have found her."
"But does Lydia know nothing of this? can she be ignorant of what you and Jane seem so well to
understand?"
"Oh, yes!—that, that is the worst of all. Till I was in Kent, and saw so much both of Mr. Darcy
and his relation Colonel Fitzwilliam, I was ignorant of the truth myself. And when I returned
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home, the ——shire was to leave Meryton in a week or fortnight's time. As that was the case,
neither Jane, to whom I related the whole, nor I, thought it necessary to make our knowledge
public; for of what use could it apparently be to any one, that the good opinion which all the
neighbourhood had of him should then be overthrown? And even when it was settled that Lydia
should go with Mrs. Forster, the necessity of opening her eyes to his character never occurred to
me. That SHE could be in any danger from the deception never entered my head. That such a
consequence as THIS could ensue, you may easily believe, was far enough from my thoughts."
"When they all removed to Brighton, therefore, you had no reason, I suppose, to believe them