Jane Austin - Pride and Prejudice

and relieve the poor. Family pride, and _filial_ pride—for he is

very proud of what his father was—have done this. Not to appear

to disgrace his family, to degenerate from the popular qualities,

or lose the influence of the Pemberley House, is a powerful

motive. He has also _brotherly_ pride, which, with _some_

brotherly affection, makes him a very kind and careful guardian

of his sister, and you will hear him generally cried up as the

most attentive and best of brothers.”

“What sort of girl is Miss Darcy?”

He shook his head. “I wish I could call her amiable. It gives me

pain to speak ill of a Darcy. But she is too much like her

brother—very, very proud. As a child, she was affectionate and

pleasing, and extremely fond of me; and I have devoted hours and

hours to her amusement. But she is nothing to me now. She is a

handsome girl, about fifteen or sixteen, and, I understand,

highly accomplished. Since her father’s death, her home has been

London, where a lady lives with her, and superintends her

education.”

After many pauses and many trials of other subjects, Elizabeth

could not help reverting once more to the first, and saying:

“I am astonished at his intimacy with Mr. Bingley! How can Mr.

Bingley, who seems good humour itself, and is, I really believe,

truly amiable, be in friendship with such a man? How can they

suit each other? Do you know Mr. Bingley?”

“Not at all.”

“He is a sweet-tempered, amiable, charming man. He cannot know

what Mr. Darcy is.”

“Probably not; but Mr. Darcy can please where he chooses. He does

not want abilities. He can be a conversible companion if he

thinks it worth his while. Among those who are at all his equals

in consequence, he is a very different man from what he is to the

less prosperous. His pride never deserts him; but with the rich

he is liberal-minded, just, sincere, rational, honourable, and

perhaps agreeable—allowing something for fortune and figure.”

The whist party soon afterwards breaking up, the players gathered

round the other table and Mr. Collins took his station between

his cousin Elizabeth and Mrs. Phillips. The usual enquiries as to

his success were made by the latter. It had not been very great;

he had lost every point; but when Mrs. Phillips began to express

her concern thereupon, he assured her with much earnest gravity

that it was not of the least importance, that he considered the

money as a mere trifle, and begged that she would not make

herself uneasy.

“I know very well, madam,” said he, “that when persons sit down

to a card-table, they must take their chances of these things,

and happily I am not in such circumstances as to make five

shillings any object. There are undoubtedly many who could not

say the same, but thanks to Lady Catherine de Bourgh, I am

removed far beyond the necessity of regarding little matters.”

Mr. Wickham’s attention was caught; and after observing Mr.

Collins for a few moments, he asked Elizabeth in a low voice

whether her relation was very intimately acquainted with the

family of de Bourgh.

“Lady Catherine de Bourgh,” she replied, “has very lately given

him a living. I hardly know how Mr. Collins was first introduced

to her notice, but he certainly has not known her long.”

“You know of course that Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Lady Anne

Darcy were sisters; consequently that she is aunt to the present

Mr. Darcy.”

“No, indeed, I did not. I knew nothing at all of Lady Catherine’s

connections. I never heard of her existence till the day before

yesterday.”

“Her daughter, Miss de Bourgh, will have a very large fortune,

and it is believed that she and her cousin will unite the two

estates.”

This information made Elizabeth smile, as she thought of poor

Miss Bingley. Vain indeed must be all her attentions, vain and

useless her affection for his sister and her praise of himself,

if he were already self-destined for another.

“Mr. Collins,” said she, “speaks highly both of Lady Catherine

and her daughter; but from some particulars that he has related

of her ladyship, I suspect his gratitude misleads him, and that

in spite of her being his patroness, she is an arrogant,

conceited woman.”

“I believe her to be both in a great degree,” replied Wickham; “I

have not seen her for many years, but I very well remember that I

never liked her, and that her manners were dictatorial and

insolent. She has the reputation of being remarkably sensible and

clever; but I rather believe she derives part of her abilities

from her rank and fortune, part from her authoritative manner,

and the rest from the pride of her nephew, who chooses that

everyone connected with him should have an understanding of the

first class.”

Elizabeth allowed that he had given a very rational account of

it, and they continued talking together, with mutual satisfaction

till supper put an end to cards, and gave the rest of the ladies

their share of Mr. Wickham’s attentions. There could be no

conversation in the noise of Mrs. Phillips’s supper party, but

his manners recommended him to everybody. Whatever he said, was

said well; and whatever he did, done gracefully. Elizabeth went

away with her head full of him. She could think of nothing but of

Mr. Wickham, and of what he had told her, all the way home; but

there was not time for her even to mention his name as they went,

for neither Lydia nor Mr. Collins were once silent. Lydia talked

incessantly of lottery tickets, of the fish she had lost and the

fish she had won; and Mr. Collins in describing the civility of

Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, protesting that he did not in the least

regard his losses at whist, enumerating all the dishes at supper,

and repeatedly fearing that he crowded his cousins, had more to

say than he could well manage before the carriage stopped at

Longbourn House.

Elizabeth related to Jane the next day what had passed between

Mr. Wickham and herself. Jane listened with astonishment and

concern; she knew not how to believe that Mr. Darcy could be so

unworthy of Mr. Bingley’s regard; and yet, it was not in her

nature to question the veracity of a young man of such amiable

appearance as Wickham. The possibility of his having endured such

unkindness, was enough to interest all her tender feelings; and

nothing remained therefore to be done, but to think well of them

both, to defend the conduct of each, and throw into the account

of accident or mistake whatever could not be otherwise explained.

“They have both,” said she, “been deceived, I dare say, in some

way or other, of which we can form no idea. Interested people

have perhaps misrepresented each to the other. It is, in short,

impossible for us to conjecture the causes or circumstances which

may have alienated them, without actual blame on either side.”

“Very true, indeed; and now, my dear Jane, what have you got to

say on behalf of the interested people who have probably been

concerned in the business? Do clear _them_ too, or we shall be

obliged to think ill of somebody.”

“Laugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my

opinion. My dearest Lizzy, do but consider in what a disgraceful

light it places Mr. Darcy, to be treating his father’s favourite