Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen

p>JANE AUSTEN

      Pride and Prejudice

      PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

      ‘It is a truth well known to all the world that an unmarried man in possession of a large fortune must be in need of a wife.’ And so, when such a man comes to live near the Bennet family, Mrs Bennet is delighted. At once, she sees in Mr Bingley a possible, almost a certain, husband for one of her five daughters.

      ‘People say he’s quite young, very handsome, and extremely charming!’ says foolish Lydia, the youngest of the Bennet sisters. ‘And even better, he loves dancing! Everybody knows that means he’s likely to fall in love!’

      But with whom? Soon, Elizabeth Bennet is sure that he admires her eldest sister, Jane. Certainly, he is most attentive to her whenever they meet, but who can tell if admiration will lead to marriage, and happiness?

      Mr Bingley, however, is not the only young man to show interest in the Bennet girls. There is their cousin, the boring Mr Collins. There are the officers of the regiment – the charming Mr Wickham, for example. And of course, there is Mr Bingley’s friend, Mr Darcy – tall, dark, and extremely wealthy, but then he is such a rude, proud, disagreeable man …

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ISBN 978 0 19 479267 7

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Illustrated by: Sue Shields

Word count (main text): 29,455 words

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      PEOPLE IN THIS STORY

      Mr Bennet, of Longbourn House

      Mrs Bennet, his wife

      Charlotte Lucas, a friend of Elizabeth Bennet’s

      Sir William and Lady Lucas, Charlotte’s parents

      Maria Lucas, Charlotte’s sister

      Mr Collins, a rector and a distant cousin of Mr Bennet’s

      Mrs Philips, Mrs Bennet’s sister

      Mr Philips, her husband

      Mr Gardiner, Mrs Bennet’s brother

      Mrs Gardiner, his wife

      Mr Charles Bingley, of Netherfield Park

      Miss Caroline Bingley, his younger sister

      Mrs Louisa Hurst, his elder sister

      Mr Hurst, husband to Mrs Hurst

      Mr Darcy, a friend of Mr Bingley’s

      Miss Georgiana Darcy, Mr Darcy’s young sister

      Colonel Fitzwilliam, Mr Darcy’s cousin

      Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr Darcy’s aunt

      Miss Anne de Bourgh, Lady Catherine’s daughter

      Mr George Wickham, an officer in the regiment

      Colonel Forster, Commanding Officer of the regiment

      Mrs Forster, his wife

      

      The Bennets’ new neighbour

      It is a truth well known to all the world that an unmarried man in possession of a large fortune must be in need of a wife. And when such a man moves into a neighbourhood, even if nothing is known about his feelings or opinions, this truth is so clear to the surrounding families, that they think of him immediately as the future husband of one or other of their daughters.

      ‘My dear Mr Bennet,’ said Mrs Bennet to her husband one day, ‘have you heard that someone is going to rent Netherfield Park at last?’

      ‘No, Mrs Bennet, I haven’t,’ said her husband.

      ‘Don’t you want to know who is renting it?’ cried Mrs Bennet impatiently.

      ‘You want to tell me, and I don’t mind listening.’

      Mrs Bennet needed no further encouragement. ‘Well, my dear, I hear that he’s a very rich young man from the north of England. It seems he came to see Netherfield on Monday and was so delighted with it that he arranged to rent it at once. Of course, it is the finest house in the area, with the largest gardens. His servants will be here by the end of the week, and he will be arriving soon afterwards!’

      ‘What is his name?’ asked Mr Bennet.

      ‘Bingley.’

      ‘Is he married or single?’

      ‘Oh, single, my dear, of course! A single man of large fortune – he has an income of four or five thousand pounds a year. How wonderful for our girls!’

      ‘Why? How can it affect them?’ Mr Bennet asked.

      ‘My dear Mr Bennet,’ she replied, ‘how can you be so annoying! You must realize I’m thinking of his marrying one of our daughters.’

      ‘Is that his purpose in coming to the area?’

      ‘His purpose? No, of course not. But it’s very likely that he’ll fall in love with one of them. And I want him to see the girls as soon as possible, before our other neighbours introduce themselves. So you must visit him as soon as he arrives.’

      ‘I really don’t see why I should,’ said Mr Bennet. ‘You and the girls can visit him, or perhaps you should send them by themselves. Yes, that might be better, as you’re as attractive as any of them, and Mr Bingley might like you best.’

      ‘My dear, you flatter me,’ replied his wife, ‘I certainly have been called beautiful in the past, but I think a woman with five adult daughters should stop thinking of her own beauty. Mr Bennet, I beg you to visit him. You know it’s correct for the gentleman of the family to visit new neighbours first. I simply cannot take the girls to see him unless you have already met him.’

      ‘Surely you worry too much about the rules of polite society. I’m sure Mr Bingley will be delighted to see you all. And I’ll write him a few lines, which you can give him, agreeing gladly to his marrying