Chapter 44

by Jane Austen

　　Elizabeth had settled it that Mr. Darcy would bring his sister tovisit her the very day after her reaching Pemberley; and wasconsequently resolved not to be out of sight of the inn the wholeof that morning. But her conclusion was false; for on the verymorning after their arrival at Lambton, these visitors came.They had been walking about the place with some of their newfriends, and were just returning to the inn to dress themselvesfor dining with the same family, when the sound of a carriagedrew them to a window, and they saw a gentleman and a ladyin a curricle driving up the street. Elizabeth immediatelyrecognizing the livery, guessed what it meant, and imparted nosmall degree of her surprise to her relations by acquainting themwith the honour which she expected. Her uncle and aunt wereall amazement; and the embarrassment of her manner as shespoke, joined to the circumstance itself, and many of thecircumstances of the preceding day, opened to them a new ideaon the business. Nothing had ever suggested it before, but theyfelt that there was no other way of accounting for such attentionsfrom such a quarter than by supposing a partiality for their niece.While these newly-born notions were passing in their heads, theperturbation of Elizabeth's feelings was at every momentincreasing. She was quite amazed at her own discomposure; butamongst other causes of disquiet, she dreaded lest the partialityof the brother should have said too much in her favour; and, morethan commonly anxious to please, she naturally suspected thatevery power of pleasing would fail her.She retreated from the window, fearful of being seen; and as shewalked up and down the room, endeavouring to composeherself, saw such looks of inquiring surprise in her uncle andaunt as made everything worse.Miss Darcy and her brother appeared, and this formidableintroduction took place. With astonishment did Elizabeth seethat her new acquaintance was at least as much embarrassed asherself. Since her being at Lambton, she had heard that MissDarcy was exceedingly proud; but the observation of a very fewminutes convinced her that she was only exceedingly shy. Shefound it difficult to obtain even a word from her beyond amonosyllable.Miss Darcy was tall, and on a larger scale than Elizabeth; and,though little more than sixteen, her figure was formed, and herappearance womanly and graceful. She was less handsome thanher brother; but there was sense and good humour in her face,and her manners were perfectly unassuming and gentle.Elizabeth, who had expected to find in her as acute andunembarrassed an observer as ever Mr. Darcy had been, wasmuch relieved by discerning such different feelings.They had not long been together before Mr. Darcy told her thatBingley was also coming to wait on her; and she had barely timeto express her satisfaction, and prepare for such a visitor, whenBingley's quick step was heard on the stairs, and in a moment heentered the room. All Elizabeth's anger against him had beenlong done away; but had she still felt any, it could hardly havestood its ground against the unaffected cordiality with which heexpressed himself on seeing her again. He inquired in a friendly,though general way, after her family, and looked and spoke withthe same good-humoured ease that he had ever done.To Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner he was scarcely a less interestingpersonage than to herself. They had long wished to see him.The whole party before them, indeed, excited a lively attention.The suspicions which had just arisen of Mr. Darcy and theirniece directed their observation towards each with an earnestthough guarded inquiry; and they soon drew from thoseinquiries the full conviction that one of them at least knew whatit was to love. Of the lady's sensations they remained a little indoubt; but that the gentleman was overflowing with admirationwas evident enough.Elizabeth, on her side, had much to do. She wanted toascertain the feelings of each of her visitors; she wanted tocompose her own, and to make herself agreeable to all; and inthe latter object, where she feared most to fail, she was mostsure of success, for those to whom she endeavoured to givepleasure were prepossessed in her favour. Bingley was ready,Georgiana was eager, and Darcy determined, to be pleased.In seeing Bingley, her thoughts naturally flew to her sister; and,oh! how ardently did she long to know whether any of his weredirected in a like manner. Sometimes she could fancy that hetalked less than on former occasions, and once or twice pleasedherself with the notion that, as he looked at her, he was trying totrace a resemblance . But, though this might be imaginary, shecould not be deceived as to his behaviour to Miss Darcy, whohad been set up as a rival to Jane. No look appeared on eitherside that spoke particular regard. Nothing occurred betweenthem that could justify the hopes of his sister. On this point shewas soon satisfied; and two or three little circumstancesoccurred ere they parted, which, in her anxious interpretation,denoted a recollection of Jane not untinctured by tenderness,and a wish of saying more that might lead to the mention of her,had he dared. He observed to her, at a moment when the otherswere talking together, and in a tone which had something of realregret, that it "was a very long time since he had had thepleasure of seeing her"; and, before she could reply, he added,"It is above eight months. We have not met since the 26th ofNovember, when we were all dancing together at Netherfield."Elizabeth was pleased to find his memory so exact; and heafterwards took occasion to ask her, when unattended to byany of the rest, whether all her sisters were at Longbourn.There was not much in the question, nor in the precedingremark; but there was a look and a manner which gave themmeaning.It was not often that she could turn her eyes on Mr. Darcyhimself; but, whenever she did catch a glimpse, she saw anexpression of general complaisance, and in all that he said sheheard an accent so removed from hauteur or disdain of hiscompanions, as convinced her that the improvement of mannerswhich she had yesterday witnessed however temporary itsexistence might prove, had at least outlived one day. When shesaw him thus seeking the acquaintance and courting the goodopinion of people with whom any intercourse a few months agowould have been a disgrace-- when she saw him thus civil, notonly to herself, but to the very relations whom he had openlydisdained, and recollected their last lively scene in HunsfordParsonage-- the difference, the change was so great, and struckso forcibly on her mind, that she could hardly restrain herastonishment from being visible. Never, even in the company ofhis dear friends at Netherfield, or his dignified relations atRosings, had she seen him so desirous to please, so free fromself-consequence or unbending reserve, as now, when noimportance could result from the success of his endeavours, andwhen even the acquaintance of those to whom his attentionswere addressed would draw down the ridicule and censure ofthe ladies both of Netherfield as Rosings.Their visitors stayed with them above half-an-hour; and whenthey arose to depart, Mr. Darcy called on his sister to join himin expressing their wish of seeing Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, andMiss Bennet, to dinner at Pemberley, before they left thecountry. Miss Darcy, though with a diffidence which markedher little in the habit of giving invitations, readily obeyed. Mrs.Gardiner looked at her niece, desirous of knowing how she,whom the invitation most concerned, felt disposed as to itsacceptance, but Elizabeth had turned away her head. Presuminghowever, that this studied avoidance spoke rather a momentaryembarrassment than any dislike of the proposal, and seeing in herhusband, who was fond or society, a perfect willingness toaccept it, she ventured to engage for her attendance, and theday after the next was fixed on.Bingley expressed great pleasure in the certainty of seeingElizabeth again, having still a great deal to say to her, and manyinquiries to make after all their Hertfordshire friends. Elizabeth,construing all this into a wish of hearing her speak of her sister,was pleased, and on this account, as well as some others, foundherself, when their visitors left them, capable of considering thelast half-hour with some satisfaction, though while it waspassing, the enjoyment of it had been little. Eager to be alone,and fearful of inquiries or hints from her uncle and aunt, shestayed with them only long enough to hear their favourableopinion of Bingley, and then hurried away to dress.But she had no reason to fear Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner's curiosity;it was not their wish to force her communication. It was evidentthat she was much better acquainted with Mr. Darcy than theyhad before any idea of; it was evident that he was very much inlove with her. They saw much to interest, but nothing to justifyinquiry.Of Mr. Darcy it was now a matter of anxiety to think well; and,as far as their acquaintance reached, there was no fault to find.They could not be untouched by his politeness; and had theydrawn his character from their own feelings and his servant'sreport, without any reference to any other account, the circle inHertfordshire to which he was known would not haverecognized it for Mr. Darcy. There was now an interest,however, in believing the housekeeper; and they soon becamesensible that the authority of a servant who had known himsince he was four years old, and whose own manners indicatedrespectability, was not to be hastily rejected. Neither hadanything occurred in the intelligence of their Lambton friendsthat could materially lessen its weight. They had nothing toaccuse him of but pride; pride he probably had, and if not, itwould certainly be imputed by the inhabitants of a smallmarket-town where the family did not visit. It wasacknowledged, however, that he was a liberal man, and didmuch good among the poor.With respect to Wickham, the travellers soon found that he wasnot held there in much estimation; for though the chief of hisconcerns with the son of his patron were imperfectlyunderstood, it was yet a well-known fact that, on his quittingDerbyshire, he had left many debts behind him, which Mr.Darcy afterwards discharged.As for Elizabeth, her thoughts were at Pemberley this eveningmore than the last; and the evening, though as it passed itseemed long, was not long enough to determine her feelingstowards one in that mansion; and she lay awake two wholehours endeavouring to make them out. She certainly did nothate him. No; hatred had vanished long ago, and she hadalmost as long been ashamed of ever feeling a dislike againsthim, that could be so called. The respect created by theconviction of his valuable qualities, though at first unwillinglyadmitted, had for some time ceased to be repugnant to herfeeling; and it was now heightened into somewhat of a friendliernature, by the testimony so highly in his favour, and bringingforward his disposition in so amiable a light, which yesterdayhad produced. But above all, above respect and esteem, therewas a motive within her of goodwill which could not beoverlooked. It was gratitude; gratitude, not merely for havingonce loved her, but for loving her still well enough to forgive allthe petulance and acrimony of her manner in rejecting him, andall the unjust accusations accompanying her rejection. He who,she had been persuaded, would avoid her as his greatest enemy,seemed, on this accidental meeting, most eager to preserve theacquaintance, and without any indelicate display of regard, orany peculiarity of manner, where their two selves only wereconcerned, was soliciting the good opinion of her friends, andbent on making her known to his sister. Such a change in aman of so much pride exciting not only astonishment butgratitude-- for to love, ardent love, it must be attributed; and assuch its impression on her was of a sort to be encouraged, as byno means unpleasing, though it could not be exactly defined.She respected, she esteemed, he was grateful to him, she felt areal interest in his welfare; and she only wanted to know howfar she wished that welfare to depend upon herself, and how farit would be for the happiness of both that she should employ thepower, which her fancy told her she still possessed, of bringingon her the renewal of his addresses.It had been settled in the evening between the aunt and theniece, that such a striking civility as Miss Darcy's in coming tosee them on the very day of her arrival at Pemberley, for shehad reached it only to a late breakfast, ought to be imitated,though it could not be equalled, by some exertion of politenesson their side; and, consequently, that it would be highlyexpedient to wait on her at Pemberley the following morning.They were, therefore, to go. Elizabeth was pleased; thoughwhen she asked herself the reason, she had very little to say inreply.Mr. Gardiner left them soon after breakfast. The fishing schemehad been renewed the day before, and a positive engagementmade of his meeting some of the gentlemen at Pemberley beforenoon.