"I do not know. I hope there was. But to be guarded at such a time is very difficult. My mother
was in hysterics, and though I endeavoured to give her every assistance in my power, I am afraid
I did not do so much as I might have done! But the horror of what might possibly happen almost
took from me my faculties."
"Your attendance upon her has been too much for you. You do not look well. Oh that I had been
with you! you have had every care and anxiety upon yourself alone."
"Mary and Kitty have been very kind, and would have shared in every fatigue, I am sure; but I
did not think it right for either of them. Kitty is slight and delicate; and Mary studies so much,
that her hours of repose should not be broken in on. My aunt Phillips came to Longbourn on
Tuesday, after my father went away; and was so good as to stay till Thursday with me. She was
of great use and comfort to us all. And Lady Lucas has been very kind; she walked here on
Wednesday morning to condole with us, and offered her services, or any of her daughters', if
they should be of use to us."
"She had better have stayed at home," cried Elizabeth; "perhaps she MEANT well, but, under
such a misfortune as this, one cannot see too little of one's neighbours. Assistance is impossible;
condolence insufferable. Let them triumph over us at a distance, and be satisfied."
She then proceeded to inquire into the measures which her father had intended to pursue, while
in town, for the recovery of his daughter.
"He meant I believe," replied Jane, "to go to Epsom, the place where they last changed horses,
see the postilions and try if anything could be made out from them. His principal object must be
to discover the number of the hackney coach which took them from Clapham. It had come with a
fare from London; and as he thought that the circumstance of a gentleman and lady's removing
from one carriage into another might be remarked he meant to make inquiries at Clapham. If he
could anyhow discover at what house the coachman had before set down his fare, he determined
206
to make inquiries there, and hoped it might not be impossible to find out the stand and number of
the coach. I do not know of any other designs that he had formed; but he was in such a hurry to
be gone, and his spirits so greatly discomposed, that I had difficulty in finding out even so much
as this."
Chapter 48
The whole party were in hopes of a letter from Mr. Bennet the next morning, but the post came
in without bringing a single line from him. His family knew him to be, on all common occasions,
a most negligent and dilatory correspondent; but at such a time they had hoped for exertion.
They were forced to conclude that he had no pleasing intelligence to send; but even of THAT
they would have been glad to be certain. Mr. Gardiner had waited only for the letters before he
set off.
When he was gone, they were certain at least of receiving constant information of what was
going on, and their uncle promised, at parting, to prevail on Mr. Bennet to return to Longbourn,
as soon as he could, to the great consolation of his sister, who considered it as the only security
for her husband's not being killed in a duel.
Mrs. Gardiner and the children were to remain in Hertfordshire a few days longer, as the former
thought her presence might be serviceable to her nieces. She shared in their attendance on Mrs.
Bennet, and was a great comfort to them in their hours of freedom. Their other aunt also visited
them frequently, and always, as she said, with the design of cheering and heartening them up—
though, as she never came without reporting some fresh instance of Wickham's extravagance or
irregularity, she seldom went away without leaving them more dispirited than she found them.
All Meryton seemed striving to blacken the man who, but three months before, had been almost
an angel of light. He was declared to be in debt to every tradesman in the place, and his intrigues,
all honoured with the title of seduction, had been extended into every tradesman's family.
Everybody declared that he was the wickedest young man in the world; and everybody began to
find out that they had always distrusted the appearance of his goodness. Elizabeth, though she
did not credit above half of what was said, believed enough to make her former assurance of her
sister's ruin more certain; and even Jane, who believed still less of it, became almost hopeless,
more especially as the time was now come when, if they had gone to Scotland, which she had
never before entirely despaired of, they must in all probability have gained some news of them.
207
Mr. Gardiner left Longbourn on Sunday; on Tuesday his wife received a letter from him; it told
them that, on his arrival, he had immediately found out his brother, and persuaded him to come
to Gracechurch Street; that Mr. Bennet had been to Epsom and Clapham, before his arrival, but
without gaining any satisfactory information; and that he was now determined to inquire at all
the principal hotels in town, as Mr. Bennet thought it possible they might have gone to one of
them, on their first coming to London, before they procured lodgings. Mr. Gardiner himself did
not expect any success from this measure, but as his brother was eager in it, he meant to assist
him in pursuing it. He added that Mr. Bennet seemed wholly disinclined at present to leave
London and promised to write again very soon. There was also a postscript to this effect:
"I have written to Colonel Forster to desire him to find out, if possible, from some of the young
man's intimates in the regiment, whether Wickham has any relations or connections who would
be likely to know in what part of town he has now concealed himself. If there were anyone that
one could apply to with a probability of gaining such a clue as that, it might be of essential
consequence. At present we have nothing to guide us. Colonel Forster will, I dare say, do
everything in his power to satisfy us on this head. But, on second thoughts, perhaps, Lizzy could
tell us what relations he has now living, better than any other person."
Elizabeth was at no loss to understand from whence this deference to her authority proceeded;
but it was not in her power to give any information of so satisfactory a nature as the compliment
deserved. She had never heard of his having had any relations, except a father and mother, both
of whom had been dead many years. It was possible, however, that some of his companions in
the ——shire might be able to give more information; and though she was not very sanguine in
expecting it, the application was a something to look forward to.
Every day at Longbourn was now a day of anxiety; but the most anxious part of each was when
the post was expected. The arrival of letters was the grand object of every morning's impatience.
Through letters, whatever of good or bad was to be told would be communicated, and every
succeeding day was expected to bring some news of importance.
But before they heard again from Mr. Gardiner, a letter arrived for their father, from a different