CHAPTER XIV.
One morning, about a week after Bingley's engagement with Jane had beenformed, as he and the females of the family were sitting together in thedining-room, their attention was suddenly drawn to the window, by thesound of a carriage; and they perceived a chaise and four driving up thelawn. It was too early in the morning for visitors, and besides, theequipage did not answer to that of any of their neighbours. The horseswere post; and neither the carriage, nor the livery of the servant whopreceded it, were familiar to them. As it was certain, however, thatsomebody was coming, Bingley instantly prevailed on Miss Bennet to avoidthe confinement of such an intrusion, and walk away with him into theshrubbery. They both set off, and the conjectures of the remaining threecontinued, though with little satisfaction, till the door was thrownopen, and their visitor entered. It was lady Catherine de Bourgh.
They were of course all intending to be surprised; but theirastonishment was beyond their expectation; and on the part of Mrs.Bennet and Kitty, though she was perfectly unknown to them, eveninferior to what Elizabeth felt.
She entered the room with an air more than usually ungracious, made noother reply to Elizabeth's salutation, than a slight inclination of thehead, and sat down without saying a word. Elizabeth had mentioned hername to her mother, on her ladyship's entrance, though no request ofintroduction had been made.
Mrs. Bennet all amazement, though flattered by having a guest of suchhigh importance, received her with the utmost politeness. After sittingfor a moment in silence, she said very 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 lady Catherine.”She is my youngest girl but one. My youngest of all, is lately married,and my eldest is somewhere about the grounds, walking with a young man,who I believe will soon become a part of the family.”
”You have a very small park here,” returned Lady Catherine after a shortsilence.
”It is nothing in comparison of Rosings, my lady, I dare say; but Iassure you it is much larger than Sir William Lucas's.”
”This must be a most inconvenient sitting room for the evening, insummer; the windows are full west.”
Mrs. Bennet assured her that they never sat there after dinner; and thenadded,
”May I take the liberty of asking your ladyship whether you left Mr. andMrs. Collins well.”
”Yes, very well. I saw them the night before last.”
Elizabeth now expected that she would produce a letter for her fromCharlotte, as it seemed the only probable motive for her calling. But noletter appeared, and she was completely puzzled.
Mrs. Bennet, with great civility, begged her ladyship to take somerefreshment; but Lady Catherine very resolutely, and not very politely,declined eating any thing; and then rising up, said to Elizabeth,
”Miss Bennet, there seemed to be a prettyish kind of a little wildernesson one side of your lawn. I should be glad to take a turn in it, if youwill favour me with your company.”
”Go, my dear,” cried her mother, ”and shew her ladyship about thedifferent walks. I think she will be pleased with the hermitage.”
Elizabeth obeyed, and running into her own room for her parasol,attended her noble guest down stairs. As they passed through the hall,Lady Catherine opened the doors into the dining-parlour anddrawing-room, and pronouncing them, after a short survey, to be decentlooking rooms, walked on.
Her carriage remained at the door, and Elizabeth saw that herwaiting-woman was in it. They proceeded in silence along the gravel walkthat led to the copse; Elizabeth was determined to make no effort forconversation with a woman, who was now more than usually insolent anddisagreeable.
”How could I ever think her like her nephew?” said she, as she looked inher face.
As soon as they entered the copse, Lady Catherine began in the followingmanner:--
”You can be at no loss, Miss Bennet, to understand the reason of myjourney hither. Your own heart, your own conscience, must tell you why Icome.”
Elizabeth looked with unaffected astonishment.
”Indeed, you are mistaken, Madam. I have not been at all able to accountfor the honour of seeing you here.”
”Miss Bennet,” replied her ladyship, in an angry tone, ”you ought toknow, that I am not to be trifled with. But however insincere _you_ maychoose to be, you shall not find _me_ so. My character has ever beencelebrated for its sincerity and frankness, and in a cause of suchmoment as this, I shall certainly not depart from it. A report of a mostalarming nature, 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 all likelihood, be soonafterwards united to my nephew, my own nephew, Mr. Darcy. Though I_know_ it must be a scandalous falsehood; though I would not injure himso much as to suppose the truth of it possible, I instantly resolved onsetting off for this place, that I might make my sentiments known toyou.”
”If you believed it impossible to be true,” said Elizabeth, colouringwith astonishment and disdain, ”I wonder you took the trouble of comingso far. What could your ladyship propose by it?”
”At once to insist upon having such a report universally contradicted.”
”Your coming to Longbourn, to see me and my family,” said Elizabeth,coolly, ”will be rather a confirmation of it; if, indeed, such a reportis in existence.”
”If! do you then pretend to be ignorant of it? Has it not beenindustriously circulated by yourselves? Do you not know that such areport is spread abroad?”
”I never heard that it was.”
”And can you likewise declare, that there is no _foundation_ for it?”
”I do not pretend to possess equal frankness with your ladyship. _You_may ask questions, which _I_ shall not choose to answer.”
”This is not to be borne. Miss Bennet, I insist on being satisfied. Hashe, has my nephew, made you an offer of marriage?”
”Your ladyship has declared it to be impossible.”
”It ought to be so; it must be so, while he retains the use of hisreason. But _your_ arts and allurements may, in a moment of infatuation,have made him forget what he owes to himself and to all his family. Youmay 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 accustomed to suchlanguage as this. I am almost the nearest relation he has in the world,and am entitled to know all his dearest concerns.”
”But you are not entitled to know _mine_; nor will such behaviour asthis, ever induce me to be explicit.”
”Let me be rightly understood. This match, to which you have thepresumption to aspire, can never take place. No, never. Mr. Darcy isengaged to _my daughter_. Now what have you to say?”
”Only this; that if he is so, you can have no reason to suppose he willmake an offer to me.”
Lady Catherine hesitated for a moment, and then replied,
”The engagement between them is of a peculiar kind. From their infancy,they have been intended for each other. It was the favourite wish of_his_ mother, as well as of her's. While in their cradles, we plannedthe union: and now, at the moment when the wishes of both sisters wouldbe accomplished, in their marriage, to be prevented by a young woman ofinferior birth, of no importance in the world, and wholly unallied tothe family! Do you pay no regard to the wishes of his friends? To histacit engagement with Miss De Bourgh? Are you lost to every feeling ofpropriety and delicacy? Have you not heard me say, that from hisearliest hours he was destined for his cousin?”
”Yes, and I had heard it before. But what is that to me? If there is noother objection to my marrying your nephew, I shall certainly not bekept from it, by knowing that his mother and aunt wished him to marryMiss De Bourgh. You both did as much as you could, in planning themarriage. Its completion depended on others. If Mr. Darcy is neither byhonour nor inclination confined to his cousin, why is not he to makeanother choice? And if I am that choice, why may not I accept him?”
”Because honour, decorum, prudence, nay, interest, forbid it. Yes, MissBennet, interest; for do not expect to be noticed by his family orfriends, if you wilfully act against the inclinations of all. You willbe censured, slighted, and despised, by every one connected with him.Your alliance will be a disgrace; your name will never even be mentionedby any of us.”
”These are heavy misfortunes,” replied Elizabeth. ”But the wife of Mr.Darcy must have such extraordinary sources of happiness necessarilyattached to her situation, that she could, upon the whole, have no causeto repine.”
”Obstinate, headstrong girl! I am ashamed of you! Is this your gratitudefor my attentions to you last spring? Is nothing due to me on thatscore?
”Let us sit down. You are to understand, Miss Bennet, that I came herewith the determined resolution of carrying my purpose; nor will I bedissuaded from 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 more pitiable;but it will have no effect on _me_.”
”I will not be interrupted. Hear me in silence. My daughter and mynephew are formed for each other. They are descended on the maternalside, from the same noble line; and, on the father's, from respectable,honourable, and ancient, though untitled families. Their fortune on bothsides is splendid. They are destined for each other by the voice ofevery member of their respective houses; and what is to divide them? Theupstart pretensions of a young woman without family, connections, orfortune. Is this to be endured! But it must not, shall not be. If youwere sensible of your own good, you would not wish to quit the sphere,in which you have been brought up.”
”In marrying your nephew, I should not consider myself as quitting thatsphere. He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman's daughter; so far we areequal.”
”True. You _are_ a gentleman's daughter. But who was your mother? Whoare your uncles and aunts? Do not imagine me ignorant of theircondition.”
”Whatever my connections may be,” said Elizabeth, ”if your nephew doesnot 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 obliging LadyCatherine, have answered this question; she could not but say, after amoment's deliberation,
”I am not.”
Lady Catherine seemed pleased.
”And will you promise me, never to enter into such an engagement?”
”I will make no promise of the kind.”
”Miss Bennet I am shocked and astonished. I expected to find a morereasonable young woman. But do not deceive yourself into a belief that Iwill ever recede. I shall not go away, till you have given me theassurance I require.”
”And I certainly _never_ shall give it. I am not to be intimidated intoanything so wholly unreasonable. Your ladyship wants Mr. Darcy to marryyour daughter; but would my giving you the wished-for promise, make_their_ marriage at all more probable? Supposing him to be attached tome, would _my_ refusing to accept his hand, make him wish to bestow iton his cousin? Allow me to say, Lady Catherine, that the arguments withwhich you have supported this extraordinary application, have been asfrivolous as the application was ill-judged. You have widely mistaken mycharacter, if you think I can be worked on by such persuasions as these.How far your nephew might approve of your interference in _his_ affairs,I cannot tell; but you have certainly no right to concern yourself inmine. I must beg, therefore, to be importuned no farther on thesubject.”
”Not so hasty, if you please. I have by no means done. To all theobjections I have already urged, I have still another to add. I am nostranger to the particulars of your youngest sister's infamouselopement. I know it all; that the young man's marrying her, was apatched-up business, at the expence of your father and uncles. And is_such_ a girl to be my nephew's sister? Is _her_ husband, is the son ofhis late father's steward, to be his brother? Heaven and earth!--of whatare you thinking? Are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted?”
”You can _now_ have nothing farther to say,” she resentfully answered.”You have insulted me, in every possible method. I must beg to return tothe house.”
And she rose as she spoke. Lady Catherine rose also, and they turnedback. Her ladyship was highly incensed.
”You have no regard, then, for the honour and credit of my nephew!Unfeeling, selfish girl! Do you not consider that a connection with you,must disgrace him in the eyes of everybody?”
”Lady Catherine, I have nothing farther to say. You know my sentiments.”
”You are then resolved to have him?”
”I have said no such thing. I am only resolved to act in that manner,which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness, withoutreference to _you_, or to any person so wholly unconnected with me.”
”It is well. You refuse, then, to oblige me. You refuse to obey theclaims of duty, honour, and gratitude. You are determined to ruin him inthe opinion of all his friends, and make him the contempt of the world.”
”Neither duty, nor honour, nor gratitude,” replied Elizabeth, ”have anypossible claim on me, in the present instance. No principle of either,would be violated by my marriage with Mr. Darcy. And with regard to theresentment of his family, or the indignation of the world, if the former_were_ excited by his marrying me, it would not give me one moment'sconcern--and the world in general would have too much sense to join inthe scorn.”
”And this is your real opinion! This is your final resolve! Very well. Ishall now know how to act. Do not imagine, Miss Bennet, that yourambition will ever be gratified. I came to try you. I hoped to find youreasonable; but depend upon it I will carry my point.”
In this manner Lady Catherine talked on, till they were at the door ofthe carriage, when turning hastily round, she added,
”I take no leave of you, Miss Bennet. I send no compliments to yourmother. You deserve no such attention. I am most seriously displeased.”
Elizabeth made no answer; and without attempting to persuade herladyship to return into the house, walked quietly into it herself. Sheheard the carriage drive away as she proceeded up stairs. Her motherimpatiently met her at the door of the dressing-room, to ask why LadyCatherine would not come in again 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 was prodigiouslycivil! for she only came, I suppose, to tell us the Collinses were well.She is on her road somewhere, I dare say, and so passing throughMeryton, thought she might as well call on you. I suppose she hadnothing particular to say to you, Lizzy?”
Elizabeth was forced to give into a little falsehood here; for toacknowledge the substance of their conversation was impossible.