CHAPTER II.
Elizabeth had settled it that Mr. Darcy would bring his sister to visither, the very day after her reaching Pemberley; and was consequentlyresolved not to be out of sight of the inn the whole of that morning.But her conclusion was false; for on the very morning after their ownarrival at Lambton, these visitors came. They had been walking about theplace with some of their new friends, and were just returned to the innto dress themselves for dining with the same family, when the sound of acarriage drew them to a window, and they saw a gentleman and lady in acurricle, driving up the street. Elizabeth immediately recognising thelivery, guessed what it meant, and imparted no small degree of surpriseto her relations, by acquainting them with the honour which sheexpected. Her uncle and aunt were all amazement; and the embarrassmentof her manner as she spoke, joined to the circumstance itself, and manyof the circumstances of the preceding day, opened to them a new idea onthe business. Nothing had ever suggested it before, but they now feltthat there was no other way of accounting for such attentions from sucha quarter, than by supposing a partiality for their niece. While thesenewly-born notions were passing in their heads, the perturbation ofElizabeth's feelings was every moment increasing. She was quite amazedat her own discomposure; but amongst other causes of disquiet, shedreaded lest the partiality of the brother should have said too much inher favour; and more than commonly anxious to please, she naturallysuspected that every power of pleasing would fail her.
She retreated from the window, fearful of being seen; and as she walkedup and down the room, endeavouring to compose herself, saw such looksof enquiring surprise in her uncle and aunt, as made every thing worse.
Miss Darcy and her brother appeared, and this formidable introductiontook place. With astonishment did Elizabeth see, that her newacquaintance was at least as much embarrassed as herself. Since herbeing at Lambton, she had heard that Miss Darcy was exceedingly proud;but the observation of a very few minutes convinced her, that she wasonly exceedingly shy. She found it difficult to obtain even a word fromher beyond a monosyllable.
Miss Darcy was tall, and on a larger scale than Elizabeth; and, thoughlittle more than sixteen, her figure was formed, and her appearancewomanly and graceful. She was less handsome than her brother, but therewas sense and good humour in her face, and her manners were perfectlyunassuming and gentle. Elizabeth, who had expected to find in her asacute and unembarrassed an observer as ever Mr. Darcy had been, was muchrelieved by discerning such different feelings.
They had not been long together, before Darcy told her that Bingley wasalso coming to wait on her; and she had barely time to express hersatisfaction, and prepare for such a visitor, when Bingley's quick stepwas heard on the stairs, and in a moment he entered the room. AllElizabeth's anger against him had been long done away; but, had shestill felt any, it could hardly have stood its ground against theunaffected cordiality with which he expressed himself, on seeing heragain. He enquired in a friendly, though general way, after her family,and looked and spoke with the same good-humoured ease that he had everdone.
To Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner he was scarcely a less interesting personagethan to herself. They had long wished to see him. The whole party beforethem, indeed, excited a lively attention. The suspicions which had justarisen of Mr. Darcy and their niece, directed their observation towardseach with an earnest, though guarded, enquiry; and they soon drew fromthose enquiries 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 admiration wasevident enough.
Elizabeth, on her side, had much to do. She wanted to ascertain thefeelings of each of her visitors, she wanted to compose her own, and tomake herself agreeable to all; and in the latter object, where shefeared most to fail, she was most sure of success, for those to whom sheendeavoured to give pleasure were prepossessed in her favour. Bingleywas 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 were directed in alike manner. Sometimes she could fancy, that he talked less than onformer occasions, and once or twice pleased herself with the notion thatas he looked at her, he was trying to trace a resemblance. But, thoughthis might be imaginary, she could not be deceived as to his behaviourto Miss Darcy, who had been set up as a rival of Jane. No look appearedon either side that spoke particular regard. Nothing occurred betweenthem that could justify the hopes of his sister. On this point she wassoon satisfied; and two or three little circumstances occurred ere theyparted, which, in her anxious interpretation, denoted a recollection ofJane, not untinctured by tenderness, and a wish of saying more thatmight lead to the mention of her, had he dared. He observed to her, at amoment when the others were talking together, and in a tone which hadsomething of real regret, that it ”was a very long time since he had hadthe pleasure of seeing her;” and, before she could reply, he added, ”Itis above eight months. We have not met since the 26th of November, whenwe were all dancing together at Netherfield.”
Elizabeth was pleased to find his memory so exact; and he afterwardstook occasion to ask her, when unattended to by any of the rest,whether _all_ her sisters were at Longbourn. There was not much in thequestion, nor in the preceding remark, but there was a look and a mannerwhich gave them meaning.
It was not often that she could turn her eyes on Mr. Darcy himself; but,whenever she did catch a glimpse, she saw an expression of generalcomplaisance, and in all that he said, she heard an accent so farremoved from hauteur or disdain of his companions, as convinced her thatthe improvement of manners which she had yesterday witnessed, howevertemporary its existence might prove, had at least outlived one day. Whenshe saw him thus seeking the acquaintance, and courting the good opinionof people, with whom any intercourse a few months ago would have been adisgrace; when she saw him thus civil, not only to herself, but to thevery relations whom he had openly disdained, and recollected their lastlively scene in Hunsford Parsonage, the difference, the change was sogreat, and struck so forcibly on her mind, that she could hardlyrestrain her astonishment from being visible. Never, even in the companyof his 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 no importance couldresult from the success of his endeavours, and when even theacquaintance of those to whom his attentions were addressed, would drawdown the ridicule and censure of the ladies both of Netherfield andRosings.
Their visitors staid with them above half an hour, and when they aroseto depart, Mr. Darcy called on his sister to join him in expressingtheir wish of seeing Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, and Miss Bennet, to dinnerat Pemberley, before they left the country. Miss Darcy, though with adiffidence which marked her little in the habit of giving invitations,readily obeyed. Mrs. Gardiner looked at her niece, desirous of knowinghow _she_, whom the invitation most concerned, felt disposed as to itsacceptance, but Elizabeth had turned away her head. Presuming, however,that this studied avoidance spoke rather a momentary embarrassment, thanany dislike of the proposal, and seeing in her husband, who was fond ofsociety, a perfect willingness to accept it, she ventured to engage forher attendance, and the day after the next was fixed on.
Bingley expressed great pleasure in the certainty of seeing Elizabethagain, having still a great deal to say to her, and many enquiries tomake after all their Hertfordshire friends. Elizabeth, construing allthis into a wish of hearing her speak of her sister, was pleased; and onthis account, as well as some others, found herself, when their visitorsleft them, capable of considering the last half hour with somesatisfaction, though while it was passing, the enjoyment of it had beenlittle. Eager to be alone, and fearful of enquiries or hints from heruncle and aunt, she staid with them only long enough to hear theirfavourable opinion of Bingley, and then hurried away to dress.
But she had no reason to fear Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner's curiosity; it wasnot their wish to force her communication. It was evident that she wasmuch better acquainted with Mr. Darcy than they had before any idea of;it was evident that he was very much in love with her. They saw much tointerest, but nothing to justify enquiry.
Of Mr. Darcy it was now a matter of anxiety to think well; and, as faras their acquaintance reached, there was no fault to find. They couldnot be untouched by his politeness, and had they drawn his characterfrom their own feelings, and his servant's report, without any referenceto any other account, the circle in Hertfordshire to which he was known,would not have recognised it for Mr. Darcy. There was now an interest,however, in believing the housekeeper; and they soon became sensible,that the authority of a servant who had known him since he was fouryears old, and whose own manners indicated respectability, was not to behastily rejected. Neither had any thing occurred in the intelligence oftheir Lambton friends, that could materially lessen its weight. Theyhad nothing to accuse him of but pride; pride he probably had, and ifnot, it would certainly be imputed by the inhabitants of a smallmarket-town, where the family did not visit. It was acknowledged,however, that he was a liberal man, and did much good among the poor.
With respect to Wickham, the travellers soon found that he was not heldthere in much estimation; for though the chief of his concerns, with theson of his patron, were imperfectly understood, it was yet a well knownfact that, on his quitting Derbyshire, he had left many debts behindhim, which Mr. Darcy afterwards discharged.
As for Elizabeth, her thoughts were at Pemberley this evening more thanthe last; and the evening, though as it passed it seemed long, was notlong enough to determine her feelings towards _one_ in that mansion; andshe lay awake two whole hours, endeavouring to make them out. Shecertainly did not hate him. No; hatred had vanished long ago, and shehad almost as long been ashamed of ever feeling a dislike against him,that could be so called. The respect created by the conviction of hisvaluable qualities, though at first unwillingly admitted, had for sometime ceased to be repugnant to her feelings; and it was now heightenedinto somewhat of a friendlier nature, by the testimony so highly in hisfavour, and bringing forward his disposition in so amiable a light,which yesterday had produced. But above all, above respect and esteem,there was a motive within her of good will which could not beoverlooked. It was gratitude.--Gratitude, not merely for having onceloved her, but for loving her still well enough, to forgive all thepetulance and acrimony of her manner in rejecting him, and all theunjust accusations accompanying her rejection. He who, she had beenpersuaded, would avoid her as his greatest enemy, seemed, on thisaccidental meeting, most eager to preserve the acquaintance, and withoutany indelicate display of regard, or any peculiarity of manner, wheretheir two selves only were concerned, was soliciting the good opinionof her friends, and bent on making her known to his sister. Such achange in a man of so much pride, excited not only astonishment butgratitude--for to love, ardent love, it must be attributed; and as suchits impression on her was of a sort to be encouraged, as by no meansunpleasing, though it could not be exactly defined. She respected, sheesteemed, she was grateful to him, she felt a real interest in hiswelfare; and she only wanted to know how far she wished that welfare todepend upon herself, and how far it would be for the happiness of boththat she should employ the power, which her fancy told her she stillpossessed, of bringing on the renewal of his addresses.
It had been settled in the evening, between the aunt and niece, thatsuch a striking civility as Miss Darcy's, in coming to them on the veryday of her arrival at Pemberley, for she had reached it only to a latebreakfast, ought to be imitated, though it could not be equalled, bysome exertion of politeness on their side; and, consequently, that itwould be highly expedient to wait on her at Pemberley the followingmorning. They were, therefore, to go.--Elizabeth was pleased, though,when she asked herself the reason, she had very little to say in reply.
Mr. Gardiner left them soon after breakfast. The fishing scheme had beenrenewed the day before, and a positive engagement made of his meetingsome of the gentlemen at Pemberley by noon.