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- can be spared from me. You are all to come to Pemberley at Christmas.
Yours,” etc.
Mr. Darcy’s letter to Lady Catherine was in a different style, and still
different from either was what Mr. Bennet sent to Mr. Collins, in return
for his last.
/* “Dear Sir, */
“I must trouble you once more for congratulations. Elizabeth will
soon be the wife of Mr. Darcy. Console Lady Catherine as well as
you can. But, if I were you, I would stand by the nephew. He has
more to give.
“Yours sincerely,” etc.
Miss Bingley’s congratulations to her brother on his approaching
marriage were all that was affectionate and insincere. She wrote even to
Jane on the occasion, to express her delight, and repeat all her former
professions of regard. Jane was not deceived, but she was affected; and
though feeling no reliance on her, could not help writing her a much
kinder answer than she knew was deserved.
The joy which Miss Darcy expressed on receiving similar information was
as sincere as her brother’s in sending it. Four sides of paper were
insufficient to contain all her delight, and all her earnest desire of
being loved by her sister.
Before any answer could arrive from Mr. Collins, or any congratulations
to Elizabeth from his wife, the Longbourn family heard that the
Collinses were come themselves to Lucas Lodge. The reason of this
sudden removal was soon evident. Lady Catherine had been rendered so
exceedingly angry by the contents of her nephew’s letter, that
Charlotte, really rejoicing in the match, was anxious to get away till
the storm was blown over. At such a moment, the arrival of her friend
was a sincere pleasure to Elizabeth, though in the course of their
meetings she must sometimes think the pleasure dearly bought, when she
saw Mr. Darcy exposed to all the parading and obsequious civility of her
husband. He bore it, however, with admirable calmness. He could even
listen to Sir William Lucas, when he complimented him on carrying away
the brightest jewel of the country, and expressed his hopes of their all
meeting frequently at St. James’s, with very decent composure. If he did
shrug his shoulders, it was not till Sir William was out of sight.
Mrs. Philips’s vulgarity was another, and, perhaps, a greater tax on his
forbearance; and though Mrs. Philips, as well as her sister, stood in
too much awe of him to speak with the familiarity which Bingley’s
good-humour encouraged; yet, whenever she _did_ speak, she must be
vulgar. Nor was her respect for him, though it made her more quiet, at
all likely to make her more elegant. Elizabeth did all she could to
shield him from the frequent notice of either, and was ever anxious to
keep him to herself, and to those of her family with whom he might
converse without mortification; and though the uncomfortable feelings
arising from all this took from the season of courtship much of its
pleasure, it added to the hope of the future; and she looked forward
with delight to the time when they should be removed from society so
little pleasing to either, to all the comfort and elegance of their
family party at Pemberley.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER LXI.
[Illustration]
Happy for all her maternal feelings was the day on which Mrs. Bennet got
rid of her two most deserving daughters. With what delighted pride she
afterwards visited Mrs. Bingley, and talked of Mrs. Darcy, may be
guessed. I wish I could say, for the sake of her family, that the
accomplishment of her earnest desire in the establishment of so many of
her children produced so happy an effect as to make her a sensible,
amiable, well-informed woman for the rest of her life; though, perhaps,
it was lucky for her husband, who might not have relished domestic
felicity in so unusual a form, that she still was occasionally nervous
and invariably silly.
Mr. Bennet missed his second daughter exceedingly; his affection for her
drew him oftener from home than anything else could do. He delighted in
going to Pemberley, especially when he was least expected.
Mr. Bingley and Jane remained at Netherfield only a twelvemonth. So near
a vicinity to her mother and Meryton relations was not desirable even to
_his_ easy temper, or _her_ affectionate heart. The darling wish of his
sisters was then gratified: he bought an estate in a neighbouring county
to Derbyshire; and Jane and Elizabeth, in addition to every other source
of happiness, were within thirty miles of each other.
Kitty, to her very material advantage, spent the chief of her time with
her two elder sisters. In society so superior to what she had generally
known, her improvement was great. She was not of so ungovernable a
temper as Lydia; and, removed from the influence of Lydia’s example, she
became, by proper attention and management, less irritable, less
ignorant, and less insipid. From the further disadvantage of Lydia’s
society she was of course carefully kept; and though Mrs. Wickham
frequently invited her to come and stay with her, with the promise of
balls and young men, her father would never consent to her going.
Mary was the only daughter who remained at home; and she was necessarily
drawn from the pursuit of accomplishments by Mrs. Bennet’s being quite
unable to sit alone. Mary was obliged to mix more with the world, but
she could still moralize over every morning visit; and as she was no
longer mortified by comparisons between her sisters’ beauty and her own,
it was suspected by her father that she submitted to the change without
much reluctance.
As for Wickham and Lydia, their characters suffered no revolution from
the marriage of her sisters. He bore with philosophy the conviction that
Elizabeth must now become acquainted with whatever of his ingratitude
and falsehood had before been unknown to her; and, in spite of
everything, was not wholly without hope that Darcy might yet be
prevailed on to make his fortune. The congratulatory letter which
Elizabeth received from Lydia on her marriage explained to her that, by
his wife at least, if not by himself, such a hope was cherished. The
letter was to this effect:--
/* “My dear Lizzy, */
“I wish you joy. If you love Mr. Darcy half so well as I do my dear
Wickham, you must be very happy. It is a great comfort to have you
so rich; and when you have nothing else to do, I hope you will
think of us. I am sure Wickham would like a place at court very
much; and I do not think we shall have quite money enough to live
upon without some help. Any place would do of about three or four
hundred a year; but, however, do not speak to Mr. Darcy about it,
if you had rather not.
“Yours,” etc.
As it happened that Elizabeth had much rather not, she endeavoured in
her answer to put an end to every entreaty and expectation of the kind.
Such relief, however, as it was in her power to afford, by the practice
of what might be called economy in her own private expenses, she
frequently sent them. It had always been evident to her that such an
income as theirs, under the direction of two persons so extravagant in
their wants, and heedless of the future, must be very insufficient to
their support; and whenever they changed their quarters, either Jane or
herself were sure of being applied to for some little assistance towards
discharging their bills. Their manner of living, even when the
restoration of peace dismissed them to a home, was unsettled in the
extreme. They were always moving from place to place in quest of a
cheap situation, and always spending more than they ought. His affection
for her soon sunk into indifference: hers lasted a little longer; and,
in spite of her youth and her manners, she retained all the claims to
reputation which her marriage had given her.