Jane Austin - Pride and Prejudice

in the evening. This was agreed to, and Mrs. Phillips protested

that they would have a nice comfortable noisy game of lottery

tickets, and a little bit of hot supper afterwards. The prospect

of such delights was very cheering, and they parted in mutual

good spirits. Mr. Collins repeated his apologies in quitting the

room, and was assured with unwearying civility that they were

perfectly needless.

As they walked home, Elizabeth related to Jane what she had seen

pass between the two gentlemen; but though Jane would have

defended either or both, had they appeared to be in the wrong,

she could no more explain such behaviour than her sister.

Mr. Collins on his return highly gratified Mrs. Bennet by

admiring Mrs. Phillips’s manners and politeness. He protested

that, except Lady Catherine and her daughter, he had never seen a

more elegant woman; for she had not only received him with the

utmost civility, but even pointedly included him in her

invitation for the next evening, although utterly unknown to her

before. Something, he supposed, might be attributed to his

connection with them, but yet he had never met with so much

attention in the whole course of his life.

As no objection was made to the young people’s engagement with

their aunt, and all Mr. Collins’s scruples of leaving Mr. and

Mrs. Bennet for a single evening during his visit were most

steadily resisted, the coach conveyed him and his five cousins at

a suitable hour to Meryton; and the girls had the pleasure of

hearing, as they entered the drawing-room, that Mr. Wickham had

accepted their uncle’s invitation, and was then in the house.

When this information was given, and they had all taken their

seats, Mr. Collins was at leisure to look around him and admire,

and he was so much struck with the size and furniture of the

apartment, that he declared he might almost have supposed himself

in the small summer breakfast parlour at Rosings; a comparison

that did not at first convey much gratification; but when Mrs.

Phillips understood from him what Rosings was, and who was its

proprietor—when she had listened to the description of only one

of Lady Catherine’s drawing-rooms, and found that the

chimney-piece alone had cost eight hundred pounds, she felt all

the force of the compliment, and would hardly have resented a

comparison with the housekeeper’s room.

In describing to her all the grandeur of Lady Catherine and her

mansion, with occasional digressions in praise of his own humble

abode, and the improvements it was receiving, he was happily

employed until the gentlemen joined them; and he found in Mrs.

Phillips a very attentive listener, whose opinion of his

consequence increased with what she heard, and who was resolving

to retail it all among her neighbours as soon as she could. To

the girls, who could not listen to their cousin, and who had

nothing to do but to wish for an instrument, and examine their

own indifferent imitations of china on the mantelpiece, the

interval of waiting appeared very long. It was over at last,

however. The gentlemen did approach, and when Mr. Wickham walked

into the room, Elizabeth felt that she had neither been seeing

him before, nor thinking of him since, with the smallest degree

of unreasonable admiration. The officers of the ——shire were in

general a very creditable, gentlemanlike set, and the best of

them were of the present party; but Mr. Wickham was as far beyond

them all in person, countenance, air, and walk, as _they_ were

superior to the broad-faced, stuffy uncle Phillips, breathing

port wine, who followed them into the room.

Mr. Wickham was the happy man towards whom almost every female

eye was turned, and Elizabeth was the happy woman by whom he

finally seated himself; and the agreeable manner in which he

immediately fell into conversation, though it was only on its

being a wet night, made her feel that the commonest, dullest,

most threadbare topic might be rendered interesting by the skill

of the speaker.

With such rivals for the notice of the fair as Mr. Wickham and

the officers, Mr. Collins seemed to sink into insignificance; to

the young ladies he certainly was nothing; but he had still at

intervals a kind listener in Mrs. Phillips, and was by her

watchfulness, most abundantly supplied with coffee and muffin.

When the card-tables were placed, he had the opportunity of

obliging her in turn, by sitting down to whist.

“I know little of the game at present,” said he, “but I shall be

glad to improve myself, for in my situation in life—” Mrs.

Phillips was very glad for his compliance, but could not wait for

his reason.

Mr. Wickham did not play at whist, and with ready delight was he

received at the other table between Elizabeth and Lydia. At first

there seemed danger of Lydia’s engrossing him entirely, for she

was a most determined talker; but being likewise extremely fond

of lottery tickets, she soon grew too much interested in the

game, too eager in making bets and exclaiming after prizes to

have attention for anyone in particular. Allowing for the common

demands of the game, Mr. Wickham was therefore at leisure to talk

to Elizabeth, and she was very willing to hear him, though what

she chiefly wished to hear she could not hope to be told—the

history of his acquaintance with Mr. Darcy. She dared not even

mention that gentleman. Her curiosity, however, was unexpectedly

relieved. Mr. Wickham began the subject himself. He enquired how

far Netherfield was from Meryton; and, after receiving her

answer, asked in a hesitating manner how long Mr. Darcy had been

staying there.

“About a month,” said Elizabeth; and then, unwilling to let the

subject drop, added, “He is a man of very large property in

Derbyshire, I understand.”

“Yes,” replied Mr. Wickham; “his estate there is a noble one. A

clear ten thousand per annum. You could not have met with a

person more capable of giving you certain information on that

head than myself, for I have been connected with his family in a

particular manner from my infancy.”

Elizabeth could not but look surprised.

“You may well be surprised, Miss Bennet, at such an assertion,

after seeing, as you probably might, the very cold manner of our

meeting yesterday. Are you much acquainted with Mr. Darcy?”

“As much as I ever wish to be,” cried Elizabeth very warmly. “I

have spent four days in the same house with him, and I think him

very disagreeable.”

“I have no right to give _my_ opinion,” said Wickham, “as to his

being agreeable or otherwise. I am not qualified to form one. I

have known him too long and too well to be a fair judge. It is

impossible for _me_ to be impartial. But I believe your opinion

of him would in general astonish—and perhaps you would not

express it quite so strongly anywhere else. Here you are in your

own family.”

“Upon my word, I say no more _here_ than I might say in any house

in the neighbourhood, except Netherfield. He is not at all liked

in Hertfordshire. Everybody is disgusted with his pride. You will

not find him more favourably spoken of by anyone.”

“I cannot pretend to be sorry,” said Wickham, after a short

interruption, “that he or that any man should not be estimated

beyond their deserts; but with _him_ I believe it does not often