CHAPTER XIII.
A few days after this visit, Mr. Bingley called again, and alone. Hisfriend had left him that morning for London, but was to return home inten days time. He sat with them above an hour, and was in remarkablygood spirits. Mrs. Bennet invited him to dine with them; but, with manyexpressions of concern, he confessed himself engaged elsewhere.
”Next time you call,” said she, ”I hope we shall be more lucky.”
He should be particularly happy at any time, &c. &c.; and if she wouldgive him leave, would take an early opportunity of waiting on them.
”Can you come to-morrow?”
Yes, he had no engagement at all for to-morrow; and her invitation wasaccepted with alacrity.
He came, and in such very good time, that the ladies were none of themdressed. In ran Mrs. Bennet to her daughter's room, in her dressinggown, and with her hair half finished, crying out,
”My dear Jane, make haste and hurry down. He is come--Mr. Bingley iscome.--He is, indeed. Make haste, make haste. Here, Sarah, come to MissBennet this moment, and help her on with her gown. Never mind MissLizzy's hair.”
”We will be down as soon as we can,” said Jane; ”but I dare say Kitty isforwarder than either of us, for she went up stairs half an hour ago.”
”Oh! hang Kitty! what has she to do with it? Come be quick, be quick!where is your sash my dear?”
But when her mother was gone, Jane would not be prevailed on to go downwithout one of her sisters.
The same anxiety to get them by themselves, was visible again in theevening. After tea, Mr. Bennet retired to the library, as was hiscustom, and Mary went up stairs to her instrument. Two obstacles of thefive being thus removed, Mrs. Bennet sat looking and winking atElizabeth and Catherine for a considerable time, without making anyimpression on them. Elizabeth would not observe her; and when at lastKitty did, she very innocently said, ”What is the matter mamma? What doyou keep winking at me for? What am I to do?”
”Nothing child, nothing. I did not wink at you.” She then sat still fiveminutes longer; but unable to waste such a precious occasion, shesuddenly got up, and saying to Kitty,
”Come here, my love, I want to speak to you,” took her out of the room.Jane instantly gave a look at Elizabeth, which spoke her distress atsuch premeditation, and her intreaty that _she_ would not give into it.In a few minutes, Mrs. Bennet half opened the door and called out,
”Lizzy, my dear, I want to speak with you.”
Elizabeth was forced to go.
”We may as well leave them by themselves you know;” said her mother assoon as she was in the hall. ”Kitty and I are going upstairs to sit inmy dressing-room.”
Elizabeth made no attempt to reason with her mother, but remainedquietly in the hall, till she and Kitty were out of sight, then returnedinto the drawing-room.
Mrs. Bennet's schemes for this day were ineffectual. Bingley was everything that was charming, except the professed lover of her daughter. Hisease and cheerfulness rendered him a most agreeable addition to theirevening party; and he bore with the ill-judged officiousness of themother, and heard all her silly remarks with a forbearance and commandof countenance, particularly grateful to the daughter.
He scarcely needed an invitation to stay supper; and before he wentaway, an engagement was formed, chiefly through his own and Mrs.Bennet's means, for his coming next morning to shoot with her husband.
After this day, Jane said no more of her indifference. Not a word passedbetween the sisters concerning Bingley; but Elizabeth went to bed inthe happy belief that all must speedily be concluded, unless Mr. Darcyreturned within the stated time. Seriously, however, she felt tolerablypersuaded that all this must have taken place with that gentleman'sconcurrence.
Bingley was punctual to his appointment; and he and Mr. Bennet spent themorning together, as had been agreed on. The latter was much moreagreeable than his companion expected. There was nothing of presumptionor folly in Bingley, that could provoke his ridicule, or disgust himinto silence; and he was more communicative, and less eccentric than theother had ever seen him. Bingley of course returned with him to dinner;and in the evening Mrs. Bennet's invention was again at work to getevery body away from him and her daughter. Elizabeth, who had a letterto write, went into the breakfast room for that purpose soon after tea;for as the others were all going to sit down to cards, she could not bewanted to counteract her mother's schemes.
But on returning to the drawing-room, when her letter was finished, shesaw, to her infinite surprise, there was reason to fear that her motherhad been too ingenious for her. On opening the door, she perceived hersister and Bingley standing together over the hearth, as if engaged inearnest conversation; and had this led to no suspicion, the faces ofboth as they hastily turned round, and moved away from each other, wouldhave told it all. _Their_ situation was awkward enough; but _her's_ shethought was still worse. Not a syllable was uttered by either; andElizabeth was on the point of going away again, when Bingley, who aswell as the other had sat down, suddenly rose, and whispering a fewwords to her sister, ran out of the room.
Jane could have no reserves from Elizabeth, where confidence would givepleasure; and instantly embracing her, acknowledged, with the liveliestemotion, that she was the happiest creature in the world.
”'Tis too much!” she added, ”by far too much. I do not deserve it. Oh!why is not every body as happy?”
Elizabeth's congratulations were given with a sincerity, a warmth, adelight, which words could but poorly express. Every sentence ofkindness was a fresh source of happiness to Jane. But she would notallow herself to stay with her sister, or say half that remained to besaid, for the present.
”I must go instantly to my mother;” she cried. ”I would not on anyaccount trifle with her affectionate solicitude; or allow her to hear itfrom any one but myself. He is gone to my father already. Oh! Lizzy, toknow that what I have to relate will give such pleasure to all my dearfamily! how shall I bear so much happiness!”
She then hastened away to her mother, who had purposely broken up thecard party, and was sitting up stairs with Kitty.
Elizabeth, who was left by herself, now smiled at the rapidity and easewith which an affair was finally settled, that had given them so manyprevious months of suspense and vexation.
”And this,” said she, ”is the end of all his friend's anxiouscircumspection! of all his sister's falsehood and contrivance! thehappiest, wisest, most reasonable end!”
In a few minutes she was joined by Bingley, whose conference with herfather had been short and to the purpose.
”Where is your sister?” said he hastily, as he opened the door.
”With my mother up stairs. She will be down in a moment I dare say.”
He then shut the door, and coming up to her, claimed the good wishes andaffection of a sister. Elizabeth honestly and heartily expressed herdelight in the prospect of their relationship. They shook hands withgreat cordiality; and then till her sister came down, she had to listento all he had to say, of his own happiness, and of Jane's perfections;and in spite of his being a lover, Elizabeth really believed all hisexpectations of felicity, to be rationally founded, because they had forbasis the excellent understanding, and super-excellent disposition ofJane, and a general similarity of feeling and taste between her andhimself.
It was an evening of no common delight to them all; the satisfaction ofMiss Bennet's mind gave a glow of such sweet animation to her face, asmade her look handsomer than ever. Kitty simpered and smiled, and hopedher turn was coming soon. Mrs. Bennet could not give her consent, orspeak her approbation in terms warm enough to satisfy her feelings,though she talked to Bingley of nothing else, for half an hour; and whenMr. Bennet joined them at supper, his voice and manner plainly shewedhow really happy he was.
Not a word, however, passed his lips in allusion to it, till theirvisitor took his leave for the night; but as soon as he was gone, heturned to his daughter and said,
”Jane, I congratulate you. You will be a very happy woman.”
Jane went to him instantly, kissed him, and thanked him for hisgoodness.
”You are a good girl;” he replied, ”and I have great pleasure inthinking you will be so happily settled. I have not a doubt of yourdoing very well together. Your tempers are by no means unlike. You areeach of you so complying, that nothing will ever be resolved on; soeasy, that every servant will cheat you; and so generous, that you willalways exceed your income.”
”I hope not so. Imprudence or thoughtlessness in money matters, would beunpardonable in _me_.”
”Exceed their income! My dear Mr. Bennet,” cried his wife, ”what are youtalking of? Why, he has four or five thousand a-year, and very likelymore.” Then addressing her daughter, ”Oh! my dear, dear Jane, I am sohappy! I am sure I sha'nt get a wink of sleep all night. I knew how itwould be. I always said it must be so, at last. I was sure you could notbe so beautiful for nothing! I remember, as soon as ever I saw him, whenhe first came into Hertfordshire last year, I thought how likely it wasthat you should come together. Oh! he is the handsomest young man thatever was seen!”
Wickham, Lydia, were all forgotten. Jane was beyond competition herfavourite child. At that moment, she cared for no other. Her youngersisters soon began to make interest with her for objects of happinesswhich she might in future be able to dispense.
Mary petitioned for the use of the library at Netherfield; and Kittybegged very hard for a few balls there every winter.
Bingley, from this time, was of course a daily visitor at Longbourn;coming frequently before breakfast, and always remaining till aftersupper; unless when some barbarous neighbour, who could not be enoughdetested, had given him an invitation to dinner, which he thoughthimself obliged to accept.
Elizabeth had now but little time for conversation with her sister; forwhile he was present, Jane had no attention to bestow on any one else;but she found herself considerably useful to both of them, in thosehours of separation that must sometimes occur. In the absence of Jane,he always attached himself to Elizabeth, for the pleasure of talking ofher; and when Bingley was gone, Jane constantly sought the same means ofrelief.
”He has made me so happy,” said she, one evening, ”by telling me, thathe was totally ignorant of my being in town last spring! I had notbelieved it possible.”
”I suspected as much,” replied Elizabeth. ”But how did he account forit?”
”It must have been his sister's doing. They were certainly no friends tohis acquaintance with me, which I cannot wonder at, since he might havechosen so much more advantageously in many respects. But when they see,as I trust they will, that their brother is happy with me, they willlearn to be contented, and we shall be on good terms again; though wecan never be what we once were to each other.”
”That is the most unforgiving speech,” said Elizabeth, ”that I everheard you utter. Good girl! It would vex me, indeed, to see you againthe dupe of Miss Bingley's pretended regard.”
”Would you believe it, Lizzy, that when he went to town last November,he really loved me, and nothing but a persuasion of _my_ beingindifferent, would have prevented his coming down again!”
”He made a little mistake to be sure; but it is to the credit of hismodesty.”
This naturally introduced a panegyric from Jane on his diffidence, andthe little value he put on his own good qualities.
Elizabeth was pleased to find, that he had not betrayed the interferenceof his friend, for, though Jane had the most generous and forgivingheart in the world, she knew it was a circumstance which must prejudiceher against him.
”I am certainly the most fortunate creature that ever existed!” criedJane. ”Oh! Lizzy, why am I thus singled from my family, and blessedabove them all! If I could but see _you_ as happy! If there _were_ butsuch another man for you!”
”If you were to give me forty such men, I never could be so happy asyou. Till I have your disposition, your goodness, I never can have yourhappiness. No, no, let me shift for myself; and, perhaps, if I have verygood luck, I may meet with another Mr. Collins in time.”
The situation of affairs in the Longbourn family could not be long asecret. Mrs. Bennet was privileged to whisper it to Mrs. Philips, and_she_ ventured, without any permission, to do the same by all herneighbours in Meryton.
The Bennets were speedily pronounced to be the luckiest family in theworld, though only a few weeks before, when Lydia had first run away,they had been generally proved to be marked out for misfortune.