Chapter 45

by Jane Austen

　　Convinced as Elizabeth now was that Miss Bingley's dislike ofher had originated in jealousy, she could not help feeling howunwelcome her appearance at Pemberley must be to her, andwas curious to know with how much civility on that lady's sidethe acquaintance would now be renewed.On reaching the house, they were shown through the hall intothe saloon, whose northern aspect rendered it delightful forsummer. Its windows opening to the ground, admitted a mostrefreshing view of the high woody hills behind the house, andof the beautiful oaks and Spanish chestnuts which werescattered over the intermediate lawn.In this house they were received by Miss Darcy, who wassitting there with Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley, and the ladywith whom she lived in London. Georgiana's reception of themwas very civil, but attended with all the embarrassment which,though proceeding from shyness and the fear of doing wrong,would easily give to those who felt themselves inferior the beliefof her being proud and reserved. Mrs. Gardiner and her niece,however, did her justice, and pitied her.By Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley they were noticed only by acurtsey; and, on their being seated, a pause, awkward as suchpauses must always be, succeeded for a few moments. It wasfirst broken by Mrs. Annesley, a genteel, agreeable-lookingwoman, whose endeavour to introduce some kind of discourseproved her to be more truly well-bred than either of the others;and between her and Mrs. Gardiner, with occasional help fromElizabeth, the conversation was carried on. Miss Darcy lookedas if she wished for courage enough to join in it; and sometimesdid venture a short sentence when there was least danger of itsbeing heard.Elizabeth soon saw that she was herself closely watched by MissBingley, and that she could not speak a word, especially to MissDarcy, without calling her attention. This observation would nothave prevented her from trying to talk to the latter, had they notbeen seated at an inconvenient distance; but she was not sorry tobe spared the necessity of saying much. Her own thoughts wereemploying her. She expected every moment that some of thegentlemen would enter the room. She wished, she feared thatthe master of the house might be amongst them; and whethershe wished or feared it most, she could scarcely determine.After sitting in this manner a quarter of an hour without hearingMiss Bingley's voice, Elizabeth was roused by receiving fromher a cold inquiry after the health of her family. She answeredwith equal indifference and brevity, and the others said no more.The next variation which their visit afforded was produced bythe entrance of the servants with cold meat, cake, and a varietyof all the entrance of servants with cold meat, cake, and avariety of all the finest fruits in season; but this did not takeplace till after many a significant look and smile from Mrs.Annesley to Miss Darcy had been given, to remind her of herpost. There was now employment for the whole party-- forthough they could not all talk, they could all eat; and thebeautiful pyramids of grapes, nectarines, and peaches sooncollected them round the table.While thus engaged, Elizabeth had a fair opportunity of decidingwhether she most feared or wished for the appearance of Mr.Darcy, by the feelings which prevailed on his entering the room;and then, though but a moment before she had believed herwishes to predominate, she began to regret that he came.He had been some time with Mr. Gardiner, who, with two orthree other gentlemen from the house, was engaged by the river,and had left him only on learning that the ladies of the familyintended a visit to Georgiana that morning. No sooner did heappear than Elizabeth wisely resolved to be perfectly easy andunembarrassed; a resolution the more necessary to be made, butperhaps not the more easily kept, because she saw that thesuspicions of the whole party were awakened against them, andthat there was scarcely an eye which did not watch hisbehaviour when he first came into the room. In no countenancewas attentive curiosity so strongly marked as in Miss Bingley's,in spite of the smiles which overspread her face whenever shespoke to one of its objects; for jealousy had not yet made herdesperate, and her attentions to Mr. Darcy were by no meansover. Miss Darcy, on her brother's entrance, exerted herselfmuch more to talk, and Elizabeth saw that she was anxious forhis sister and herself to get acquainted, and forwarded as muchas possible, every attempt at conversation on either side. MissBingley saw all this likewise; and, in the imprudence of anger,took the first opportunity of saying, with sneering civility:"Pray, Miss Eliza, are not the ----shire Militia removed fromMeryton? They must be a great loss to your family."In Darcy's presence she dared not mention Wickham's name;but Elizabeth instantly comprehended that he was uppermost inher thoughts; and the various recollections connected with himgave her a moment's distress; but exerting herself vigorously torepel the ill-natured attack, she presently answered the questionin a tolerably detached tone. While she spoke, an involuntaryglance showed her Darcy, with a heightened complexion,earnestly looking at her, and his sister overcome with confusion,and unable to lift up her eyes. Had Miss Bingley know whatpain she was then giving her beloved friend, she undoubtedlywould have refrained from the hint; but she had merely intendedto discompose Elizabeth by bringing forward the idea of a manto whom she believed her partial, to make her betray a sensibilitywhich might injure her in Darcy's opinion, and, perhaps, toremind the latter of all the follies and absurdities by which somepart of her family were connected with that corps. Not asyllable had ever reached her of Miss Darcy's meditatedelopement. To no creature had it been revealed, where secrecywas possible, except to Elizabeth; and from all Bingley'sconnections her brother was particularly anxious to conceal it,from the very wish which Elizabeth had long ago attributed tohim, of their becoming hereafter her own. He had certainlyformed such a plan, and without meaning that it should effecthis endeavour to separate him from Miss Bennet, it is probablethat it might add something to his lively concern for the welfareof his friend.Elizabeth's collected behaviour, however, soon quieted hisemotion; and as Miss Bingley, vexed and disappointed, darednot approach nearer to Wickham, Georgiana also recovered intime, though not enough to be able to speak any more. Herbrother, whose eye she feared to meet, scarcely recollected herinterest in the affair, and the very circumstance which had beendesigned to turn his thoughts from Elizabeth seemed to havefixed them on her more and more cheerfully.Their visit did not continue long after the question and answerabove mentioned; and while Mr. Darcy was attending them totheir carriage Miss Bingley was venting her feelings in criticismson Elizabeth's person, behaviour, and dress. But Georgianawould not join her. Her brother's recommendation was enoughto ensure her favour; his judgement could not err. And he hadspoken in such terms of Elizabeth as to leave Georgiana withoutthe power of finding her otherwise than lovely and amiable.When Darcy returned to the saloon, Miss Bingley could not helprepeating to him some part of what she had been saying to hissister."How very ill Miss Eliza Bennet looks this morning, Mr. Darcy,"she cried; "I never in my life saw anyone so much altered as sheis since the winter. She is grown so brown and coarse! Louisaand I were agreeing that we should not have known her again."However little Mr. Darcy might have liked such an address, hecontented himself with coolly replying that he perceived noother alteration than her being rather tanned, no miraculousconsequence of travelling in the summer."For my own part," she rejoined, "I must confess that I nevercould see any beauty in her. Her face is too thin; hercomplexion has no brilliancy; and her features are not at allhandsome. Her nose wants character-- there is nothing markedin its lines. Her teeth are tolerable, but not out of the commonway; and as for her eyes, which have sometimes been called sofine, I could never see anything extraordinary in them. Theyhave a sharp, shrewish look, which I do not like at all; and in herair altogether there is a self-sufficiency without fashion, which isintolerable."Persuaded as Miss Bingley was that Darcy admired Elizabeth,this was not the best method of recommending herself; butangry people are not always wise; and in seeing him at last looksomewhat nettled, she had all the success she expected. He wasresolutely silent, however, and, from a determination of makinghim speak, she continued:"I remember, when we first knew her in Hertfordshire, howamazed we all were to find that she was a reputed beauty; and Iparticularly recollect your saying one night, after they had beendining at Netherfield, 'She a beauty! I should as soon call hermother a wit.' But afterwards she seemed to improve on you,and I believe you thought her rather pretty at one time.""Yes," replied Darcy, who could contain himself no longer, "butthat was only when I first saw her, for it is many monthssince I have considered her as one of the handsomest women ofmy acquaintances."He then went away, and Miss Bingley was left to all thesatisfaction of having forced him to say what gave no one anypain but herself.Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth talked of all that had occurred during their visit, as they returned,except what had particularly interested them both. The look and behaviour of everybody they hadseen were discussed, except of the person who had mostly engaged their attention. They talkedof his sister, his friends, his house, his fruit-- of everything but himself; yet Elizabeth was longingto know what Mrs. Gardiner thought of him, and Mrs. Gardiner would have been highly gratifiedby her niece's beginning the subject.