CHAPTER III.
Not all that Mrs. Bennet, however, with the assistance of her fivedaughters, could ask on the subject was sufficient to draw from herhusband any satisfactory description of Mr. Bingley. They attacked himin various ways; with barefaced questions, ingenious suppositions, anddistant surmises; but he eluded the skill of them all; and they were atlast obliged to accept the second-hand intelligence of their neighbourLady Lucas. Her report was highly favourable. Sir William had beendelighted with him. He was quite young, wonderfully handsome, extremelyagreeable, and to crown the whole, he meant to be at the next assemblywith a large party. Nothing could be more delightful! To be fond ofdancing was a certain step towards falling in love; and very livelyhopes of Mr. Bingley's heart were entertained.
”If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield,”said Mrs. Bennet to her husband, ”and all the others equally wellmarried, I shall have nothing to wish for.”
In a few days Mr. Bingley returned Mr. Bennet's visit, and sat about tenminutes with him in his library. He had entertained hopes of beingadmitted to a sight of the young ladies, of whose beauty he had heardmuch; but he saw only the father. The ladies were somewhat morefortunate, for they had the advantage of ascertaining from an upperwindow, that he wore a blue coat and rode a black horse.
An invitation to dinner was soon afterwards dispatched; and already hadMrs. Bennet planned the courses that were to do credit to herhousekeeping, when an answer arrived which deferred it all. Mr. Bingleywas obliged to be in town the following day, and consequently unable toaccept the honour of their invitation, &c. Mrs. Bennet was quitedisconcerted. She could not imagine what business he could have in townso soon after his arrival in Hertfordshire; and she began to fear thathe might be always flying about from one place to another, and neversettled at Netherfield as he ought to be. Lady Lucas quieted her fears alittle by starting the idea of his being gone to London only to get alarge party for the ball; and a report soon followed that Mr. Bingleywas to bring twelve ladies and seven gentlemen with him to the assembly.The girls grieved over such a number of ladies; but were comforted theday before the ball by hearing, that instead of twelve, he had broughtonly six with him from London, his five sisters and a cousin. And whenthe party entered the assembly room, it consisted of only fivealtogether; Mr. Bingley, his two sisters, the husband of the eldest, andanother young man.
Mr. Bingley was good looking and gentleman-like; he had a pleasantcountenance, and easy, unaffected manners. His sisters were fine women,with an air of decided fashion. His brother-in-law, Mr. Hurst, merelylooked the gentleman; but his friend Mr. Darcy soon drew the attentionof the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien; andthe report which was in general circulation within five minutes afterhis entrance, of his having ten thousand a year. The gentlemenpronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he wasmuch handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with greatadmiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgustwhich turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to beproud, to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all hislarge estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a mostforbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be comparedwith his friend.
Mr. Bingley had soon made himself acquainted with all the principalpeople in the room; he was lively and unreserved, danced every dance,was angry that the ball closed so early, and talked of giving onehimself at Netherfield. Such amiable qualities must speak forthemselves. What a contrast between him and his friend! Mr. Darcy dancedonly once with Mrs. Hurst and once with Miss Bingley, declined beingintroduced to any other lady, and spent the rest of the evening inwalking about the room, speaking occasionally to one of his own party.His character was decided. He was the proudest, most disagreeable man inthe world, and every body hoped that he would never come there again.Amongst the most violent against him was Mrs. Bennet, whose dislike ofhis general behaviour, was sharpened into particular resentment, by hishaving slighted one of her daughters.
Elizabeth Bennet had been obliged, by the scarcity of gentlemen, to sitdown for two dances; and during part of that time, Mr. Darcy had beenstanding near enough for her to overhear a conversation between him andMr. Bingley, who came from the dance for a few minutes, to press hisfriend to join it.
”Come, Darcy,” said he, ”I must have you dance. I hate to see youstanding about by yourself in this stupid manner. You had much betterdance.”
”I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it, unless I amparticularly acquainted with my partner. At such an assembly as this, itwould be insupportable. Your sisters are engaged, and there is notanother woman in the room, whom it would not be a punishment to me tostand up with.”
”I would not be so fastidious as you are,” cried Bingley, ”for akingdom! Upon my honour, I never met with so many pleasant girls in mylife, as I have this evening; and there are several of them you seeuncommonly pretty.”
”_You_ are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room,” said Mr.Darcy, looking at the eldest Miss Bennet.
”Oh! she is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld! But there is oneof her sisters sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty, and Idare say, very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner to introduce you.”
”Which do you mean?” and turning round, he looked for a moment atElizabeth, till catching her eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said,”She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt _me_; and I am in nohumour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slightedby other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy hersmiles, for you are wasting your time with me.”
Mr. Bingley followed his advice. Mr. Darcy walked off; and Elizabethremained with no very cordial feelings towards him. She told the storyhowever with great spirit among her friends; for she had a lively,playful disposition, which delighted in any thing ridiculous.
The evening altogether passed off pleasantly to the whole family. Mrs.Bennet had seen her eldest daughter much admired by the Netherfieldparty. Mr. Bingley had danced with her twice, and she had beendistinguished by his sisters. Jane was as much gratified by this, as hermother could be, though in a quieter way. Elizabeth felt Jane'spleasure. Mary had heard herself mentioned to Miss Bingley as the mostaccomplished girl in the neighbourhood; and Catherine and Lydia had beenfortunate enough to be never without partners, which was all that theyhad yet learnt to care for at a ball. They returned therefore in goodspirits to Longbourn, the village where they lived, and of which theywere the principal inhabitants. They found Mr. Bennet still up. With abook he was regardless of time; and on the present occasion he had agood deal of curiosity as to the event of an evening which had raisedsuch splendid expectations. He had rather hoped that all his wife'sviews on the stranger would be disappointed; but he soon found that hehad a very different story to hear.
”Oh! my dear Mr. Bennet,” as she entered the room, ”we have had a mostdelightful evening, a most excellent ball. I wish you had been there.Jane was so admired, nothing could be like it. Every body said how wellshe looked; and Mr. Bingley thought her quite beautiful, and danced withher twice. Only think of _that_ my dear; he actually danced with hertwice; and she was the only creature in the room that he asked a secondtime. First of all, he asked Miss Lucas. I was so vexed to see him standup with her; but, however, he did not admire her at all: indeed, nobodycan, you know; and he seemed quite struck with Jane as she was goingdown the dance. So, he enquired who she was, and got introduced, andasked her for the two next. Then, the two third he danced with MissKing, and the two fourth with Maria Lucas, and the two fifth with Janeagain, and the two sixth with Lizzy, and the Boulanger----”
”If he had had any compassion for _me_,” cried her husband impatiently,”he would not have danced half so much! For God's sake, say no more ofhis partners. Oh! that he had sprained his ancle in the first dance!”
”Oh! my dear,” continued Mrs. Bennet, ”I am quite delighted with him. Heis so excessively handsome! and his sisters are charming women. I neverin my life saw any thing more elegant than their dresses. I dare say thelace upon Mrs. Hurst's gown----”
Here she was interrupted again. Mr. Bennet protested against anydescription of finery. She was therefore obliged to seek another branchof the subject, and related, with much bitterness of spirit and someexaggeration, the shocking rudeness of Mr. Darcy.
”But I can assure you,” she added, ”that Lizzy does not lose much by notsuiting _his_ fancy; for he is a most disagreeable, horrid man, not atall worth pleasing. So high and so conceited that there was no enduringhim! He walked here, and he walked there, fancying himself so verygreat! Not handsome enough to dance with! I wish you had been there, mydear, to have given him one of your set downs. I quite detest the man.”