Jane Austin - Pride and Prejudice

“Kitty has no discretion in her coughs,” said her father; “she

times them ill.”

“I do not cough for my own amusement,” replied Kitty fretfully.

“When is your next ball to be, Lizzy?”

“To-morrow fortnight.”

“Aye, so it is,” cried her mother, “and Mrs. Long does not come

back till the day before; so it will be impossible for her to

introduce him, for she will not know him herself.”

“Then, my dear, you may have the advantage of your friend, and

introduce Mr. Bingley to _her_.”

“Impossible, Mr. Bennet, impossible, when I am not acquainted

with him myself; how can you be so teasing?”

“I honour your circumspection. A fortnight’s acquaintance is

certainly very little. One cannot know what a man really is by

the end of a fortnight. But if _we_ do not venture somebody else

will; and after all, Mrs. Long and her nieces must stand their

chance; and, therefore, as she will think it an act of kindness,

if you decline the office, I will take it on myself.”

The girls stared at their father. Mrs. Bennet said only,

“Nonsense, nonsense!”

“What can be the meaning of that emphatic exclamation?” cried he.

“Do you consider the forms of introduction, and the stress that

is laid on them, as nonsense? I cannot quite agree with you

_there_. What say you, Mary? For you are a young lady of deep

reflection, I know, and read great books and make extracts.”

Mary wished to say something sensible, but knew not how.

“While Mary is adjusting her ideas,” he continued, “let us return

to Mr. Bingley.”

“I am sick of Mr. Bingley,” cried his wife.

“I am sorry to hear _that_; but why did not you tell me that

before? If I had known as much this morning I certainly would not

have called on him. It is very unlucky; but as I have actually

paid the visit, we cannot escape the acquaintance now.”

The astonishment of the ladies was just what he wished; that of

Mrs. Bennet perhaps surpassing the rest; though, when the first

tumult of joy was over, she began to declare that it was what she

had expected all the while.

“How good it was in you, my dear Mr. Bennet! But I knew I should

persuade you at last. I was sure you loved your girls too well to

neglect such an acquaintance. Well, how pleased I am! and it is

such a good joke, too, that you should have gone this morning and

never said a word about it till now.”

“Now, Kitty, you may cough as much as you choose,” said Mr.

Bennet; and, as he spoke, he left the room, fatigued with the

raptures of his wife.

“What an excellent father you have, girls!” said she, when the

door was shut. “I do not know how you will ever make him amends

for his kindness; or me, either, for that matter. At our time of

life it is not so pleasant, I can tell you, to be making new

acquaintances every day; but for your sakes, we would do

anything. Lydia, my love, though you _are_ the youngest, I dare

say Mr. Bingley will dance with you at the next ball.”

“Oh!” said Lydia stoutly, “I am not afraid; for though I _am_ the

youngest, I’m the tallest.”

The rest of the evening was spent in conjecturing how soon he

would return Mr. Bennet’s visit, and determining when they should

ask him to dinner.

Not all that Mrs. Bennet, however, with the assistance of her

five daughters, could ask on the subject, was sufficient to draw

from her husband any satisfactory description of Mr. Bingley.

They attacked him in various ways—with barefaced questions,

ingenious suppositions, and distant surmises; but he eluded the

skill of them all, and they were at last obliged to accept the

second-hand intelligence of their neighbour, Lady Lucas. Her

report was highly favourable. Sir William had been delighted with

him. He was quite young, wonderfully handsome, extremely

agreeable, and, to crown the whole, he meant to be at the next

assembly with a large party. Nothing could be more delightful! To

be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love;

and very lively hopes of Mr. Bingley’s heart were entertained.

“If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at

Netherfield,” said Mrs. Bennet to her husband, “and all the

others equally well married, I shall have nothing to wish for.”

In a few days Mr. Bingley returned Mr. Bennet’s visit, and sat

about ten minutes with him in his library. He had entertained

hopes of being admitted to a sight of the young ladies, of whose

beauty he had heard much; but he saw only the father. The ladies

were somewhat more fortunate, for they had the advantage of

ascertaining from an upper window that he wore a blue coat, and

rode a black horse.

An invitation to dinner was soon afterwards dispatched; and

already had Mrs. Bennet planned the courses that were to do

credit to her housekeeping, when an answer arrived which deferred

it all. Mr. Bingley was obliged to be in town the following day,

and, consequently, unable to accept the honour of their

invitation, etc. Mrs. Bennet was quite disconcerted. She could

not imagine what business he could have in town so soon after his

arrival in Hertfordshire; and she began to fear that he might be

always flying about from one place to another, and never settled

at Netherfield as he ought to be. Lady Lucas quieted her fears a

little by starting the idea of his being gone to London only to

get a large party for the ball; and a report soon followed that

Mr. Bingley was to bring twelve ladies and seven gentlemen with

him to the assembly. The girls grieved over such a number of

ladies, but were comforted the day before the ball by hearing,

that instead of twelve he brought only six with him from

London—his five sisters and a cousin. And when the party entered

the assembly room it consisted of only five altogether—Mr.

Bingley, his two sisters, the husband of the eldest, and another

young man.

Mr. Bingley was good-looking and gentlemanlike; he had a pleasant

countenance, and easy, unaffected manners. His sisters were fine

women, with an air of decided fashion. His brother-in-law, Mr.

Hurst, merely looked the gentleman; but his friend Mr. Darcy soon

drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome

features, noble mien, and the report which was in general

circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having

ten thousand a year. The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine

figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than

Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about

half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned

the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud; to

be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his

large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most

forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be

compared with his friend.

Mr. Bingley had soon made himself acquainted with all the

principal people in the room; he was lively and unreserved,

danced every dance, was angry that the ball closed so early, and

talked of giving one himself at Netherfield. Such amiable

qualities must speak for themselves. What a contrast between him

and his friend! Mr. Darcy danced only once with Mrs. Hurst and

once with Miss Bingley, declined being introduced to any other