Chapter 56

by Jane Austen

　　One morning, about a week after Bingley's engagement withJane had been formed, as he and the females of the familywere sitting together in the dining room, their attentionwas suddenly drawn to the window, by the sound of a carriage;and they perceived a chaise and four driving up the lawn.It was too early in the morning for visitors, and besides, theequipage did not answer to that of any of their neighbours.The horses were post; and neither the carriage, nor the liveryof the servant who preceded it, were familiar to them. As itwas certain, however, that somebody was coming, Bingleyinstantly prevailed on Miss Bennet to avoid the confinement ofsuch an intrusion, and walk away with him into the shrubbery.They both set off, and the conjectures of the remaining threecontinued, though with little satisfaction, till the door wasthrown open and their visitor entered. It was Lady Catherinede Bourgh.They were of course all intending to be surprised; but theirastonishment was beyond their expectation; and on the part ofMrs. Bennet and Kitty, though she was perfectly unknown tothem, even inferior to what Elizabeth felt.She entered the room with an air more than usually ungracious,made no other reply to Elizabeth's salutation than a slightinclination of the head, and sat down without saying a word.Elizabeth had mentioned her name to her mother on herladyship's entrance, though no request of introduction had beenmade.Mrs. Bennet, all amazement, though flattered by having aguest of such high importance, received her with the utmostpoliteness. After sitting for a moment in silence, she saidvery stiffly to Elizabeth,"I hope you are well, Miss Bennet. That lady, I suppose,is your mother."Elizabeth replied very concisely that she was."And that I suppose is one of your sisters.""Yes, madam," said Mrs. Bennet, delighted to speak to a LadyCatherine. "She is my youngest girl but one. My youngest ofall is lately married, and my eldest is somewhere about thegrounds, walking with a young man who, I believe, will soonbecome a part of the family.""You have a very small park here," returned Lady Catherineafter a short silence."It is nothing in comparison of Rosings, my lady, I dare say;but I assure you it is much larger than Sir William Lucas's.""This must be a most inconvenient sitting room for the evening,in summer; the windows are full west."Mrs. Bennet assured her that they never sat there after dinner,and then added,"May I take the liberty of asking your ladyship whether youleft Mr. and Mrs. Collins well.""Yes, very well. I saw them the night before last."Elizabeth now expected that she would produce a letter forher from Charlotte, as it seemed the only probable motive forher calling. But no letter appeared, and she was completelypuzzled.Mrs. Bennet, with great civility, begged her ladyship to takesome refreshment; but Lady Catherine very resolutely, and notvery politely, declined eating any thing; and then, rising up,said to Elizabeth,"Miss Bennet, there seemed to be a prettyish kind of a littlewilderness on one side of your lawn. I should be glad to takea turn in it, if you will favour me with your company.""Go, my dear," cried her mother, "and shew her ladyship aboutthe different walks. I think she will be pleased with thehermitage."Elizabeth obeyed, and running into her own room for herparasol, attended her noble guest down stairs. As they passedthrough the hall, Lady Catherine opened the doors into thedining-parlour and drawing-room, and pronouncing them, after ashort survey, to be decent looking rooms, walked on.Her carriage remained at the door, and Elizabeth saw that herwaiting-woman was in it. They proceeded in silence along thegravel walk that led to the copse; Elizabeth was determined tomake no effort for conversation with a woman who was now morethan usually insolent and disagreeable."How could I ever think her like her nephew?" said she, as shelooked in her face.As soon as they entered the copse, Lady Catherine began in thefollowing manner: --"You can be at no loss, Miss Bennet, to understand the reasonof my journey hither. Your own heart, your own conscience,must tell you why I come."Elizabeth looked with unaffected astonishment."Indeed, you are mistaken, Madam. I have not been at all ableto account for the honour of seeing you here.""Miss Bennet," replied her ladyship, in an angry tone, "youought to know, that I am not to be trifled with. But howeverinsincere you may choose to be, you shall not find me so.My character has ever been celebrated for its sincerity andfrankness, and in a cause of such moment as this, I shallcertainly not depart from it. A report of a most alarmingnature reached me two days ago. I was told that not only yoursister was on the point of being most advantageously married,but that you, that Miss Elizabeth Bennet, would, in alllikelihood, be soon afterwards united to my nephew, my ownnephew, Mr. Darcy. Though I know it must be a scandalousfalsehood, though I would not injure him so much as to supposethe truth of it possible, I instantly resolved on setting offfor this place, that I might make my sentiments known to you.""If you believed it impossible to be true," said Elizabeth,colouring with astonishment and disdain, "I wonder you took thetrouble of coming so far. What could your ladyship propose byit?""At once to insist upon having such a report universallycontradicted.""Your coming to Longbourn, to see me and my family," saidElizabeth coolly, "will be rather a confirmation of it; if,indeed, such a report is in existence.""If! Do you then pretend to be ignorant of it? Has it notbeen industriously circulated by yourselves? Do you not knowthat such a report is spread abroad?""I never heard that it was.""And can you likewise declare, that there is no foundationfor it?""I do not pretend to possess equal frankness with yourladyship. You may ask questions which I shall notchoose to answer.""This is not to be borne. Miss Bennet, I insist on beingsatisfied. Has he, has my nephew, made you an offer ofmarriage?""Your ladyship has declared it to be impossible.""It ought to be so; it must be so, while he retains the use ofhis reason. But your arts and allurements may, in a momentof infatuation, have made him forget what he owes to himselfand to all his family. You may have drawn him in.""If I have, I shall be the last person to confess it.""Miss Bennet, do you know who I am? I have not been accustomedto such language as this. I am almost the nearest relation hehas in the world, and am entitled to know all his dearestconcerns.""But you are not entitled to know mine; nor will suchbehaviour as this, ever induce me to be explicit.""Let me be rightly understood. This match, to which you havethe presumption to aspire, can never take place. No, never.Mr. Darcy is engaged to my daughter. Now what have you tosay?""Only this; that if he is so, you can have no reason to supposehe will make an offer to me."Lady Catherine hesitated for a moment, and then replied,"The engagement between them is of a peculiar kind. From theirinfancy, they have been intended for each other. It was thefavourite wish of his mother, as well as of her's. While intheir cradles, we planned the union: and now, at the momentwhen the wishes of both sisters would be accomplished in theirmarriage, to be prevented by a young woman of inferior birth,of no importance in the world, and wholly unallied to thefamily! Do you pay no regard to the wishes of his friends?To his tacit engagement with Miss De Bourgh? Are you lost toevery feeling of propriety and delicacy? Have you not heardme say that from his earliest hours he was destined for hiscousin?""Yes, and I had heard it before. But what is that to me? Ifthere is no other objection to my marrying your nephew, I shallcertainly not be kept from it by knowing that his mother andaunt wished him to marry Miss De Bourgh. You both did as muchas you could in planning the marriage. Its completion dependedon others. If Mr. Darcy is neither by honour nor inclinationconfined to his cousin, why is not he to make another choice?And if I am that choice, why may not I accept him?""Because honour, decorum, prudence, nay, interest, forbid it.Yes, Miss Bennet, interest; for do not expect to be noticedby his family or friends, if you wilfully act against theinclinations of all. You will be censured, slighted, anddespised, by every one connected with him. Your alliance willbe a disgrace; your name will never even be mentioned by anyof us.""These are heavy misfortunes," replied Elizabeth. "But thewife of Mr. Darcy must have such extraordinary sources ofhappiness necessarily attached to her situation, that shecould, upon the whole, have no cause to repine.""Obstinate, headstrong girl! I am ashamed of you! Is thisyour gratitude for my attentions to you last spring? Isnothing due to me on that score? Let us sit down. You are tounderstand, Miss Bennet, that I came here with the determinedresolution of carrying my purpose; nor will I be dissuadedfrom it. I have not been used to submit to any person's whims.I have not been in the habit of brooking disappointment.""That will make your ladyship's situation at present morepitiable; but it will have no effect on me.""I will not be interrupted. Hear me in silence. My daughterand my nephew are formed for each other. They are descended,on the maternal side, from the same noble line; and, on thefather's, from respectable, honourable, and ancient -- thoughuntitled -- families. Their fortune on both sides is splendid.They are destined for each other by the voice of every memberof their respective houses; and what is to divide them? Theupstart pretensions of a young woman without family,connections, or fortune. Is this to be endured! But itmust not, shall not be. If you were sensible of your owngood, you would not wish to quit the sphere in which youhave been brought up.""In marrying your nephew, I should not consider myself asquitting that sphere. He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman'sdaughter; so far we are equal.""True. You are a gentleman's daughter. But who was yourmother? Who are your uncles and aunts? Do not imagine meignorant of their condition.""Whatever my connections may be," said Elizabeth, "if yournephew does not object to them, they can be nothing to you.""Tell me once for all, are you engaged to him?"Though Elizabeth would not, for the mere purpose of obligingLady Catherine, have answered this question, she could not butsay, after a moment's deliberation,"I am not."Lady Catherine seemed pleased."And will you promise me, never to enter into such anengagement?""I will make no promise of the kind.""Miss Bennet I am shocked and astonished. I expected to find amore reasonable young woman. But do not deceive yourself intoa belief that I will ever recede. I shall not go away till youhave given me the assurance I require.""And I certainly never shall give it. I am not to beintimidated into anything so wholly unreasonable. Yourladyship wants Mr. Darcy to marry your daughter; but wouldmy giving you the wished-for promise make their marriage atall more probable? Supposing him to be attached to me,would my refusing to accept his hand make him wish to bestowit on his cousin? Allow me to say, Lady Catherine, that thearguments with which you have supported this extraordinaryapplication have been as frivolous as the application wasill-judged. You have widely mistaken my character, if youthink I can be worked on by such persuasions as these.How far your nephew might approve of your interference inhis affairs, I cannot tell; but you have certainly noright to concern yourself in mine. I must beg, therefore,to be importuned no farther on the subject.""Not so hasty, if you please. I have by no means done.To all the objections I have already urged, I have stillanother to add. I am no stranger to the particulars of youryoungest sister's infamous elopement. I know it all; thatthe young man's marrying her was a patched-up business, atthe expence of your father and uncles. And is such a girlto be my nephew's sister? Is her husband, is the son ofhis late father's steward, to be his brother? Heaven andearth! -- of what are you thinking? Are the shades ofPemberley to be thus polluted?""You can now have nothing farther to say," she resentfullyanswered. "You have insulted me in every possible method.I must beg to return to the house."And she rose as she spoke. Lady Catherine rose also, and theyturned back. Her ladyship was highly incensed."You have no regard, then, for the honour and credit of mynephew! Unfeeling, selfish girl! Do you not consider thata connection with you must disgrace him in the eyes ofeverybody?""Lady Catherine, I have nothing farther to say. You know mysentiments.""You are then resolved to have him?""I have said no such thing. I am only resolved to act in thatmanner, which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness,without reference to you, or to any person so whollyunconnected with me.""It is well. You refuse, then, to oblige me. You refuse toobey the claims of duty, honour, and gratitude. You aredetermined to ruin him in the opinion of all his friends, andmake him the contempt of the world.""Neither duty, nor honour, nor gratitude," replied Elizabeth,"have any possible claim on me, in the present instance. Noprinciple of either would be violated by my marriage withMr. Darcy. And with regard to the resentment of his family, orthe indignation of the world, if the former were excited by hismarrying me, it would not give me one moment's concern -- andthe world in general would have too much sense to join in thescorn.""And this is your real opinion! This is your final resolve!Very well. I shall now know how to act. Do not imagine, MissBennet, that your ambition will ever be gratified. I came totry you. I hoped to find you reasonable; but, depend upon it,I will carry my point."In this manner Lady Catherine talked on, till they were at thedoor of the carriage, when, turning hastily round, she added,"I take no leave of you, Miss Bennet. I send no compliments toyour mother. You deserve no such attention. I am mostseriously displeased."Elizabeth made no answer; and without attempting to persuadeher ladyship to return into the house, walked quietly into itherself. She heard the carriage drive away as she proceeded upstairs. Her mother impatiently met her at the door of thedressing-room, to ask why Lady Catherine would not come inagain and rest herself."She did not choose it," said her daughter, "she would go.""She is a very fine-looking woman! and her calling here wasprodigiously civil! for she only came, I suppose, to tell usthe Collinses were well. She is on her road somewhere, I daresay, and so, passing through Meryton, thought she might as wellcall on you. I suppose she had nothing particular to say toyou, Lizzy?"Elizabeth was forced to give into a little falsehood here;for to acknowledge the substance of their conversation wasimpossible.