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"Next time you call," said she, "I hope we shall be more lucky."
He should be particularly happy at any time, &c. &c.; and if she would give him leave, would take an
early opportunity of waiting on them.
"Can you come to-morrow?"
Yes, he had no engagement at all for to-morrow; and her invitation was accepted with alacrity.
He came, and in such very good time, that the ladies were none of them dressed. In ran Mrs. Bennet to
her daughter's room, in her dressing gown, and with her hair half finished, crying out,
"My dear Jane, make haste and hurry down. He is come Mr. Bingley is come. He is, indeed. Make
haste, make haste. Here, Sarah, come to Miss Bennet this moment, and help her on with her gown.
Never mind Miss Lizzy's hair."
"We will be down as soon as we can," said Jane; "but I dare say Kitty is forwarder than either of us, for
she went up stairs half an hour ago."
"Oh, hang Kitty! what has she to do with it? Come be quick, be quick! where is your sash, my dear?"
But when her mother was gone, Jane would not be prevailed on to go down without one of her sisters.
The same anxiety to get them by themselves, was visible again in the evening. After tea, Mr. Bennet
retired to the library, as was his custom, and Mary went up stairs to her instrument. Two obstacles of the
five being thus removed, Mrs. Bennet sat looking and winking at Elizabeth and Catherine for a
considerable time, without making any impression on them. Elizabeth would not observe her; and when at
last Kitty did, she very innocently said, "What is the matter, mama? What do you keep winking at me
for? What am I to do?"
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"Nothing child, nothing. I did not wink at you." She then sat still five minutes longer; but unable to waste
such a precious occasion, she suddenly got up, and saying to Kitty,
"Come here, my love, I want to speak to you," took her out of the room. Jane instantly gave a look at
Elizabeth, which spoke her distress at such premeditation, and her intreaty that she would not give into it.
In a few minutes, Mrs. Bennet half opened the door and called out,
"Lizzy, my dear, I want to speak to you."
Elizabeth was forced to go.
"We may as well leave them by themselves you know;" said her mother as soon as she was in the hall.
"Kitty and I are going upstairs to sit in my dressing room."
Elizabeth made no attempt to reason with her mother, but remained quietly in the hall, till she and Kitty
were out of sight, then returned to the drawing-room.
Mrs. Bennet's schemes for this day were ineffectual. Bingley was every thing that was charming, except
the professed lover of her daughter. His ease and cheerfulness rendered him a most agreeable addition to
their evening party; and he bore with the ill-judged officiousness of the mother, and heard all her silly
remarks with a forbearance and command of countenance, particularly grateful to the daughter.
He scarcely needed an invitation to stay supper; and before he went away, an engagement was formed,
chiefly through his own and Mrs. Bennet's means, for his coming next morning to shoot with her husband.
After this day, Jane said no more of her indifference. Not a word passed between the sisters concerning
Bingley; but Elizabeth went to bed in the happy belief that all must speedily be concluded, unless Mr.
Darcy returned within the stated time. Seriously, however, she felt tolerably persuaded that all this must
have taken place with that gentleman's concurrence.
Bingley was punctual to his appointment; and he and Mr. Bennet spent the morning together, as had
been agreed on. The latter was much more agreeable than his companion expected. There was nothing of
presumption or folly in Bingley, that could provoke his ridicule, or disgust him into silence; and he was
more communicative, and less eccentric than the other had ever seen him. Bingley of course returned with
him to dinner; and in the evening Mrs. Bennet's invention was again at work to get every body away from
him and her daughter. Elizabeth, who had a letter to write, went into the breakfast room for that purpose
soon after tea; for as the others were all going to sit down to cards, she could not be wanted to
counteract her mother's schemes.
But on returning to the drawing-room, when her letter was finished, she saw, to her infinite surprise,
there was reason to fear that her mother had been too ingenious for her. On opening the door, she
perceived her sister and Bingley standing over the hearth, as if engaged in earnest conversation; and had
this led to no suspicion, the faces of both as they hastily turned round, and moved away from each other, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]