Chapter 39

by Jane Austen

　　It was the second week in May, in which the three young ladiesset out together from Gracechurch Street for the town of ----, inHertfordshire; and, as they drew near the appointed inn whereMr. Bennet's carriage was to meet them, they quickly perceived,in token of the coachman's punctuality, both Kitty and Lydialooking out of a dining-room upstairs. These two girls had beenabove an hour in the place, happily employed in visiting anopposite milliner, watching the sentinel on guard, and dressing asalad and cucumber.After welcoming their sisters, they triumphantly displayed a tableset out with such cold meat as an inn larder usually affords,exclaiming, "Is not this nice? Is not this an agreeable surprise?""And we mean to treat you all," added Lydia, "but you mustlend us the money, for we have just spent ours at the shop outthere." Then, showing her purchases-- "Look here, I havebought this bonnet. I do not think it is very pretty; but I thoughtI might as well buy it as not. I shall pull it to pieces as soon as Iget home, and see if I can not make it up any better."And when her sisters abused it as ugly, she added, with perfectunconcern, "Oh! but there were two or three much uglier in theshop; and when I have bought some prettier-coloured satin totrim it with fresh, I think it will be very tolerable. Besides, it willnot much signify what one wears this summer, after the ----shirehave left Meryton, and they are going in a fortnight.""Are they indeed!" cried Elizabeth, with the greatest satisfaction."They are going to be encamped near Brighton; and I do sowant papa to take us all there for the summer! It would be sucha delicious scheme; and I dare say would hardly cost anything atall. Mamma would like to go too of all things! Only think whata miserable summer else we shall have!""Yes," thought Elizabeth, "that would be a delightful schemeindeed, and completely do for us at once. Good Heaven!Brighton, and a whole campful of soldiers, to us, who have beenoverset already by one poor regiment of militia, and the monthlyballs of Meryton!""Now I have got some news for you," said Lydia, as they satdown at table. "What do you think? It is excellent news--capital news-- and about a certain person we all like!"Jane and Elizabeth looked at each other, and the waiter was toldhe need not stay. Lydia laughed, and said:"Aye, that is just like your formality and discretion. Youthought the waiter must not hear, as if he cared! I dare say heoften hears worse things said than I am going to say. But he isan ugly fellow! I am glad he is gone. I never saw such a longchin in my life. Well, but now for my news; it is about dearWickham; too good for the waiter, is it not? There is no dangerof Wickham's marrying Mary King. There's for you! She isgone down to her uncle at Liverpool: gone to stay. Wickham issafe.""And Mary King is safe!" added Elizabeth; "safe from aconnection imprudent as to fortune.""She is a great fool for going away, if she liked him.""But I hope there is no strong attachment on either side," saidJane."I am sure there is not on his. I will answer for it, he nevercared three straws about her-- who could about such a nastylittle freckled thing?"Elizabeth was shocked to think that, however incapable of suchcoarseness of expression herself, the coarseness of thesentiment was little other than her own breast hadharboured and fancied liberal!As soon as all had ate, and the elder ones paid, the carriage wasordered; and after some contrivance, the whole party, with alltheir boxes, work-bags, and parcels, and the unwelcome additionof Kitty's and Lydia's purchases, were seated in it."How nicely we are all crammed in," cried Lydia. "I am glad Ibought my bonnet, if it is only for the fun of having anotherbandbox! Well, now let us be quite comfortable and snug, andtalk and laugh all the way home. And in the first place, let ushear what has happened to you all since you went away. Haveyou seen any pleasant men? Have you had any flirting? I was ingreat hopes that one of you would have got a husband beforeyou came back. Jane will be quite an old maid soon, I declare.She is almost three-and-twenty! My aunt Phillips wants you soto get husbands, you can't think. She says Lizzy had better havetaken Mr. Collins; but I do not think there would have beenany fun in it. Lord! how I should like to be married before anyof you! and then I would chaperon you about to all the balls.Dear me! we had such a good piece of fun the other day atColonel Forster's. Kitty and me were to spend the day there,and Mrs. Forster promised to have a little dance in the evening;(by the bye, Mrs. Forster and me are such friends!) and so sheasked the two Harringtons to come, but Harriet was ill, and soPen was forced to come by herself; and then, what do you thinkwe did? We dressed up Chamberlayne in woman's clothes onpurpose to pass for a lady, only think what fun! Not a soulknew of it, but Colonel and Mrs. Forster, and Kitty and me,except my aunt, for we were forced to borrow one of hergowns; and you cannot imagine how well he looked! WhenDenny, and Wickham, and Pratt, and two or three more of themen came in, they did not know him in the least. Lord! how Ilaughed! and so did Mrs. Forster. I thought I should have died.And that made the men suspect something, and then theysoon found out what was the matter."With such kinds of histories of their parties and good jokes, didLydia, assisted by Kitty's hints and additions, endeavour toamuse her companions all the way to Longbourn. Elizabethlistened as little as she could, but there was no escaping thefrequent mention of Wickham's name.Their reception at home was most kind. Mrs. Bennet rejoiced tosee Jane in undiminished beauty; and more than once duringdinner did Mr. Bennet say voluntarily to Elizabeth:"I am glad you are come back, Lizzy."Their party in the dining-room was large, for almost all theLucases came to meet Maria and hear the news; and variouswere the subjects that occupied them: Lady Lucas was inquiringof Maria, after the welfare and poultry of her eldest daughter;Mrs. Bennet was doubly engaged, on one hand collecting anaccount of the present fashions from Jane, who sat some waybelow her, and, on the other, retailing them all to the youngerLucases; and Lydia, in a voice rather louder than any otherperson's, was enumerating the various pleasures of the morningto anybody who would hear her."Oh! Mary," said she, "I wish you had gone with us, for we hadsuch fun! As we went along, Kitty and I drew up the blinds, andpretended there was nobody in the coach; and I should havegone so all the way, if Kitty had not been sick; and when we gotto the George, I do think we behaved very handsomely, for wetreated the other three with the nicest cold luncheon in theworld, and if you would have gone, we would have treated youtoo. And then when we came away it was such fun! I thoughtwe never should have got into the coach. I was ready to die oflaughter. And then we were so merry all the way home! wetalked and laughed so loud, that anybody might have heard usten miles off!"To this Mary very gravely replied, "Far be it from me, my dearsister, to depreciate such pleasures! They would doubtless becongenial with the generality of female minds. But I confessthey would have no charms for me-- I should infinitely prefer abook."But of this answer Lydia heard not a word. She seldom listenedto anybody for more than half a minute, and never attended toMary at all.In the afternoon Lydia was urgent with the rest of the girls towalk to Meryton, and to see how everybody went on; butElizabeth steadily opposed the scheme. It should not be saidthat the Miss Bennets could not be at home half a day beforethey were in pursuit of the officers. There was another reasontoo for her opposition. She dreaded seeing Mr. Wickham again,and was resolved to avoid it as long as possible. The comfort toher of the regiment's approaching removal was indeed beyondexpression. In a fortnight they were to go-- and once gone, shehoped there could be nothing more to plague her on his account.She had not been many hours at home before she found that theBrighton scheme, of which Lydia had given them a hint at theinn, was under frequent discussion between her parents.Elizabeth saw directly that her father had not the smallestintention of yielding; but his answers were at the same time sovague and equivocal, that her mother, though oftendisheartened, had never yet despaired of succeeding at last.