A few days after this visit, Mr. Bingley called again, and alone. His
friend had left him that morning for London, but was to return home in ten
days time. He sat with them above an hour, and was in remarkably good
spirits. Mrs. Bennet invited him to dine with them; but, with many
expressions of concern, he confessed himself engaged elsewhere.🔗
“Next time you call,” said she, “I hope we shall be more lucky.”🔗
He should be particularly happy at any time, etc. etc.; 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 mamma? What do you keep winking at me
for? What am I to do?”🔗
“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 entreaty that she
would not give in to it. In a few minutes, Mrs. Bennet half-opened the
door and called out:🔗
“Lizzy, my dear, I want to speak with 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 up stairs 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 into 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 together 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, would have
told it all. Their situation was awkward enough; but hers she
thought was still worse. Not a syllable was uttered by either; and
Elizabeth was on the point of going away again, when Bingley, who as well
as the other had sat down, suddenly rose, and whispering a few words to
her sister, ran out of the room.🔗
Jane could have no reserves from Elizabeth, where confidence would give
pleasure; and instantly embracing her, acknowledged, with the liveliest
emotion, that she was the happiest creature in the world.🔗
“’Tis too much!” she added, “by far too much. I do not deserve it. Oh! why
is not everybody as happy?”🔗
Elizabeth’s congratulations were given with a sincerity, a warmth, a
delight, which words could but poorly express. Every sentence of kindness
was a fresh source of happiness to Jane. But she would not allow herself
to stay with her sister, or say half that remained to be said for the
present.🔗
“I must go instantly to my mother;” she cried. “I would not on any account
trifle with her affectionate solicitude; or allow her to hear it from
anyone but myself. He is gone to my father already. Oh! Lizzy, to know
that what I have to relate will give such pleasure to all my dear family!
how shall I bear so much happiness!”🔗
She then hastened away to her mother, who had purposely broken up the card
party, and was sitting up stairs with Kitty.🔗
Elizabeth, who was left by herself, now smiled at the rapidity and ease
with which an affair was finally settled, that had given them so many
previous months of suspense and vexation.🔗
“And this,” said she, “is the end of all his friend’s anxious
circumspection! of all his sister’s falsehood and contrivance! the
happiest, wisest, most reasonable end!”🔗
In a few minutes she was joined by Bingley, whose conference with her
father had been short and to the purpose.🔗
“Where is your sister?” said he hastily, as he opened the door.🔗
“With my mother up stairs. She will be down in a moment, I dare say.”🔗
He then shut the door, and, coming up to her, claimed the good wishes and
affection of a sister. Elizabeth honestly and heartily expressed her
delight in the prospect of their relationship. They shook hands with great
cordiality; and then, till her sister came down, she had to listen to all
he had to say of his own happiness, and of Jane’s perfections; and in
spite of his being a lover, Elizabeth really believed all his expectations
of felicity to be rationally founded, because they had for basis the
excellent understanding, and super-excellent disposition of Jane, and a
general similarity of feeling and taste between her and himself.🔗
It was an evening of no common delight to them all; the satisfaction of
Miss Bennet’s mind gave a glow of such sweet animation to her face, as
made her look handsomer than ever. Kitty simpered and smiled, and hoped
her turn was coming soon. Mrs. Bennet could not give her consent or speak
her approbation in terms warm enough to satisfy her feelings, though she
talked to Bingley of nothing else for half an hour; and when Mr. Bennet
joined them at supper, his voice and manner plainly showed how really
happy he was.🔗
Not a word, however, passed his lips in allusion to it, till their visitor
took his leave for the night; but as soon as he was gone, he turned to his
daughter, and said:🔗
“Jane, I congratulate you. You will be a very happy woman.”🔗
Jane went to him instantly, kissed him, and thanked him for his goodness.🔗
“You are a good girl;” he replied, “and I have great pleasure in thinking
you will be so happily settled. I have not a doubt of your doing very well
together. Your tempers are by no means unlike. You are each of you so
complying, that nothing will ever be resolved on; so easy, that every
servant will cheat you; and so generous, that you will always exceed your
income.”🔗
“I hope not so. Imprudence or thoughtlessness in money matters would be
unpardonable in me.”🔗
“Exceed their income! My dear Mr. Bennet,” cried his wife, “what are you
talking of? Why, he has four or five thousand a year, and very likely
more.” Then addressing her daughter, “Oh! my dear, dear Jane, I am so
happy! I am sure I shan’t get a wink of sleep all night. I knew how it
would be. I always said it must be so, at last. I was sure you could not
be so beautiful for nothing! I remember, as soon as ever I saw him, when
he first came into Hertfordshire last year, I thought how likely it was
that you should come together. Oh! he is the handsomest young man that
ever was seen!”🔗
Wickham, Lydia, were all forgotten. Jane was beyond competition her
favourite child. At that moment, she cared for no other. Her younger
sisters soon began to make interest with her for objects of happiness
which she might in future be able to dispense.🔗
Mary petitioned for the use of the library at Netherfield; and Kitty
begged very hard for a few balls there every winter.🔗
Bingley, from this time, was of course a daily visitor at Longbourn;
coming frequently before breakfast, and always remaining till after
supper; unless when some barbarous neighbour, who could not be enough
detested, had given him an invitation to dinner which he thought himself
obliged to accept.🔗
Elizabeth had now but little time for conversation with her sister; for
while he was present, Jane had no attention to bestow on anyone else; but
she found herself considerably useful to both of them in those hours of
separation that must sometimes occur. In the absence of Jane, he always
attached himself to Elizabeth, for the pleasure of talking of her; and
when Bingley was gone, Jane constantly sought the same means of relief.🔗
“He has made me so happy,” said she, one evening, “by telling me that he
was totally ignorant of my being in town last spring! I had not believed
it possible.”🔗
“I suspected as much,” replied Elizabeth. “But how did he account for it?”🔗
“It must have been his sister’s doing. They were certainly no friends to
his acquaintance with me, which I cannot wonder at, since he might have
chosen so much more advantageously in many respects. But when they see, as
I trust they will, that their brother is happy with me, they will learn to
be contented, and we shall be on good terms again; though we can never be
what we once were to each other.”🔗
“That is the most unforgiving speech,” said Elizabeth, “that I ever heard
you utter. Good girl! It would vex me, indeed, to see you again the dupe
of Miss Bingley’s pretended regard.”🔗
“Would you believe it, Lizzy, that when he went to town last November, he
really loved me, and nothing but a persuasion of my being
indifferent would have prevented his coming down again!”🔗
“He made a little mistake to be sure; but it is to the credit of his
modesty.”🔗
This naturally introduced a panegyric from Jane on his diffidence, and the
little value he put on his own good qualities. Elizabeth was pleased to
find that he had not betrayed the interference of his friend; for, though
Jane had the most generous and forgiving heart in the world, she knew it
was a circumstance which must prejudice her against him.🔗
“I am certainly the most fortunate creature that ever
existed!” cried Jane. “Oh! Lizzy, why am I thus singled from
my family, and blessed above them all! If I could but see you as happy!
If there were but such another man for you!”🔗
“If you were to give me forty such men, I never could be so happy as you.
Till I have your disposition, your goodness, I never can have your
happiness. No, no, let me shift for myself; and, perhaps, if I have very
good luck, I may meet with another Mr. Collins in time.”🔗
The situation of affairs in the Longbourn family could not be long a
secret. Mrs. Bennet was privileged to whisper it to Mrs. Phillips, and she
ventured, without any permission, to do the same by all her neighbours in
Meryton.🔗
The Bennets were speedily pronounced to be the luckiest family in the
world, though only a few weeks before, when Lydia had first run away, they
had been generally proved to be marked out for misfortune.🔗