CHAPTER VIII.
At five o'clock the two ladies retired to dress, and at half past sixElizabeth was summoned to dinner. To the civil enquiries which thenpoured in, and amongst which she had the pleasure of distinguishing themuch superior solicitude of Mr. Bingley's, she could not make a veryfavourable answer. Jane was by no means better. The sisters, on hearingthis, repeated three or four times how much they were grieved, howshocking it was to have a bad cold, and how excessively they dislikedbeing ill themselves; and then thought no more of the matter: and theirindifference towards Jane when not immediately before them, restoredElizabeth to the enjoyment of all her original dislike.
Their brother, indeed, was the only one of the party whom she couldregard with any complacency. His anxiety for Jane was evident, and hisattentions to herself most pleasing, and they prevented her feelingherself so much an intruder as she believed she was considered by theothers. She had very little notice from any but him. Miss Bingley wasengrossed by Mr. Darcy, her sister scarcely less so; and as for Mr.Hurst, by whom Elizabeth sat, he was an indolent man, who lived only toeat, drink, and play at cards, who when he found her prefer a plain dishto a ragout, had nothing to say to her.
When dinner was over, she returned directly to Jane, and Miss Bingleybegan abusing her as soon as she was out of the room. Her manners werepronounced to be very bad indeed, a mixture of pride and impertinence;she had no conversation, no style, no taste, no beauty. Mrs. Hurstthought the same, and added,
”She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being an excellentwalker. I shall never forget her appearance this morning. She reallylooked almost wild.”
”She did indeed, Louisa. I could hardly keep my countenance. Verynonsensical to come at all! Why must _she_ be scampering about thecountry, because her sister had a cold? Her hair so untidy, so blowsy!”
”Yes, and her petticoat; I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deepin mud, I am absolutely certain; and the gown which had been let down tohide it, not doing its office.”
”Your picture may be very exact, Louisa,” said Bingley; ”but this wasall lost upon me. I thought Miss Elizabeth Bennet looked remarkablywell, when she came into the room this morning. Her dirty petticoatquite escaped my notice.”
”_You_ observed it, Mr. Darcy, I am sure,” said Miss Bingley; ”and I aminclined to think that you would not wish to see _your sister_ make suchan exhibition.”
”Certainly not.”
”To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it is,above her ancles in dirt, and alone, quite alone! what could she mean byit? It seems to me to shew an abominable sort of conceited independence,a most country town indifference to decorum.”
”It shews an affection for her sister that is very pleasing,” saidBingley.
”I am afraid, Mr. Darcy,” observed Miss Bingley, in a half whisper,”that this adventure has rather affected your admiration of her fineeyes.”
”Not at all,” he replied; ”they were brightened by the exercise.”--Ashort pause followed this speech, and Mrs. Hurst began again.
”I have an excessive regard for Jane Bennet, she is really a very sweetgirl, and I wish with all my heart she were well settled. But with sucha father and mother, and such low connections, I am afraid there is nochance of it.”
”I think I have heard you say, that their uncle is an attorney inMeryton.”
”Yes; and they have another, who lives somewhere near Cheapside.”
”That is capital,” added her sister, and they both laughed heartily.
”If they had uncles enough to fill _all_ Cheapside,” cried Bingley, ”itwould not make them one jot less agreeable.”
”But it must very materially lessen their chance of marrying men of anyconsideration in the world,” replied Darcy.
To this speech Bingley made no answer; but his sisters gave it theirhearty assent, and indulged their mirth for some time at the expense oftheir dear friend's vulgar relations.
With a renewal of tenderness, however, they repaired to her room onleaving the dining-parlour, and sat with her till summoned to coffee.She was still very poorly, and Elizabeth would not quit her at all, tilllate in the evening, when she had the comfort of seeing her asleep, andwhen it appeared to her rather right than pleasant that she should godown stairs herself. On entering the drawing-room she found the wholeparty at loo, and was immediately invited to join them; but suspectingthem to be playing high she declined it, and making her sister theexcuse, said she would amuse herself for the short time she could staybelow with a book. Mr. Hurst looked at her with astonishment.
”Do you prefer reading to cards?” said he; ”that is rather singular.”
”Miss Eliza Bennet,” said Miss Bingley, ”despises cards. She is a greatreader and has no pleasure in anything else.”
”I deserve neither such praise nor such censure,” cried Elizabeth; ”I am_not_ a great reader, and I have pleasure in many things.”
”In nursing your sister I am sure you have pleasure,” said Bingley; ”andI hope it will soon be increased by seeing her quite well.”
Elizabeth thanked him from her heart, and then walked towards a tablewhere a few books were lying. He immediately offered to fetch herothers; all that his library afforded.
”And I wish my collection were larger for your benefit and my owncredit; but I am an idle fellow, and though I have not many, I have morethan I ever look into.”
Elizabeth assured him that she could suit herself perfectly with thosein the room.
”I am astonished,” said Miss Bingley, ”that my father should have leftso small a collection of books.--What a delightful library you have atPemberley, Mr. Darcy!”
”It ought to be good,” he replied, ”it has been the work of manygenerations.”
”And then you have added so much to it yourself, you are always buyingbooks.”
”I cannot comprehend the neglect of a family library in such days asthese.”
”Neglect! I am sure you neglect nothing that can add to the beauties ofthat noble place. Charles, when you build _your_ house, I wish it may behalf as delightful as Pemberley.”
”I wish it may.”
”But I would really advise you to make your purchase in thatneighbourhood, and take Pemberley for a kind of model. There is not afiner county in England than Derbyshire.”
”With all my heart; I will buy Pemberley itself if Darcy will sell it.”
”I am talking of possibilities, Charles.”
”Upon my word, Caroline, I should think it more possible to getPemberley by purchase than by imitation.”
Elizabeth was so much caught by what passed, as to leave her very littleattention for her book; and soon laying it wholly aside, she drew nearthe card-table, and stationed herself between Mr. Bingley and his eldestsister, to observe the game.
”Is Miss Darcy much grown since the spring?” said Miss Bingley; ”willshe be as tall as I am?”
”I think she will. She is now about Miss Elizabeth Bennet's height, orrather taller.”
”How I long to see her again! I never met with anybody who delighted meso much. Such a countenance, such manners! and so extremelyaccomplished for her age! Her performance on the piano-forte isexquisite.”
”It is amazing to me,” said Bingley, ”how young ladies can have patienceto be so very accomplished, as they all are.”
”All young ladies accomplished! My dear Charles, what do you mean?”
”Yes, all of them, I think. They all paint tables, cover skreens and netpurses. I scarcely know any one who cannot do all this, and I am sure Inever heard a young lady spoken of for the first time, without beinginformed that she was very accomplished.”
”Your list of the common extent of accomplishments,” said Darcy, ”hastoo much truth. The word is applied to many a woman who deserves it nootherwise than by netting a purse, or covering a skreen. But I am veryfar from agreeing with you in your estimation of ladies in general. Icannot boast of knowing more than half a dozen, in the whole range of myacquaintance, that are really accomplished.”
”Nor I, I am sure,” said Miss Bingley.
”Then,” observed Elizabeth, ”you must comprehend a great deal in youridea of an accomplished woman.”
”Yes; I do comprehend a great deal in it.”
”Oh! certainly,” cried his faithful assistant, ”no one can be reallyesteemed accomplished, who does not greatly surpass what is usually metwith. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing,dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides allthis, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner ofwalking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the wordwill be but half deserved.”
”All this she must possess,” added Darcy, ”and to all this she must yetadd something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind byextensive reading.”
”I am no longer surprised at your knowing _only_ six accomplished women.I rather wonder now at your knowing _any_.”
”Are you so severe upon your own sex, as to doubt the possibility of allthis?”
”_I_ never saw such a woman. _I_ never saw such capacity, and taste, andapplication, and elegance, as you describe, united.”
Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley both cried out against the injustice of herimplied doubt, and were both protesting that they knew many women whoanswered this description, when Mr. Hurst called them to order, withbitter complaints of their inattention to what was going forward. As allconversation was thereby at an end, Elizabeth soon afterwards left theroom.
”Eliza Bennet,” said Miss Bingley, when the door was closed on her, ”isone of those young ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the othersex, by undervaluing their own; and with many men, I dare say, itsucceeds. But, in my opinion, it is a paltry device, a very mean art.”
”Undoubtedly,” replied Darcy, to whom this remark was chiefly addressed,”there is meanness in _all_ the arts which ladies sometimes condescendto employ for captivation. Whatever bears affinity to cunning isdespicable.”
Miss Bingley was not so entirely satisfied with this reply as tocontinue the subject.
Elizabeth joined them again only to say that her sister was worse, andthat she could not leave her. Bingley urged Mr. Jones's being sent forimmediately; while his sisters, convinced that no country advice couldbe of any service, recommended an express to town for one of the mosteminent physicians. This, she would not hear of; but she was not sounwilling to comply with their brother's proposal; and it was settledthat Mr. Jones should be sent for early in the morning, if Miss Bennetwere not decidedly better. Bingley was quite uncomfortable; his sistersdeclared that they were miserable. They solaced their wretchedness,however, by duets after supper, while he could find no better relief tohis feelings than by giving his housekeeper directions that everypossible attention might be paid to the sick lady and her sister.