indeed, not to discover it too.”
“Remember, Eliza, that he does not know Jane’s disposition as you
do.”
“But if a woman is partial to a man, and does not endeavour to
conceal it, he must find it out.”
“Perhaps he must, if he sees enough of her. But, though Bingley
and Jane meet tolerably often, it is never for many hours
together; and, as they always see each other in large mixed
parties, it is impossible that every moment should be employed in
conversing together. Jane should therefore make the most of every
half-hour in which she can command his attention. When she is
secure of him, there will be more leisure for falling in love as
much as she chooses.”
“Your plan is a good one,” replied Elizabeth, “where nothing is
in question but the desire of being well married, and if I were
determined to get a rich husband, or any husband, I dare say I
should adopt it. But these are not Jane’s feelings; she is not
acting by design. As yet, she cannot even be certain of the
degree of her own regard nor of its reasonableness. She has known
him only a fortnight. She danced four dances with him at Meryton;
she saw him one morning at his own house, and has since dined
with him in company four times. This is not quite enough to make
her understand his character.”
“Not as you represent it. Had she merely _dined_ with him, she
might only have discovered whether he had a good appetite; but
you must remember that four evenings have also been spent
together—and four evenings may do a great deal.”
“Yes; these four evenings have enabled them to ascertain that
they both like Vingt-un better than Commerce; but with respect to
any other leading characteristic, I do not imagine that much has
been unfolded.”
“Well,” said Charlotte, “I wish Jane success with all my heart;
and if she were married to him to-morrow, I should think she had
as good a chance of happiness as if she were to be studying his
character for a twelvemonth. Happiness in marriage is entirely a
matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so
well known to each other or ever so similar beforehand, it does
not advance their felicity in the least. They always continue to
grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of
vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the
defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life.”
“You make me laugh, Charlotte; but it is not sound. You know it
is not sound, and that you would never act in this way yourself.”
Occupied in observing Mr. Bingley’s attentions to her sister,
Elizabeth was far from suspecting that she was herself becoming
an object of some interest in the eyes of his friend. Mr. Darcy
had at first scarcely allowed her to be pretty; he had looked at
her without admiration at the ball; and when they next met, he
looked at her only to criticise. But no sooner had he made it
clear to himself and his friends that she hardly had a good
feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered
uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark
eyes. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying.
Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure
of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her
figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting
that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was
caught by their easy playfulness. Of this she was perfectly
unaware; to her he was only the man who made himself agreeable
nowhere, and who had not thought her handsome enough to dance
with.
He began to wish to know more of her, and as a step towards
conversing with her himself, attended to her conversation with
others. His doing so drew her notice. It was at Sir William
Lucas’s, where a large party were assembled.
“What does Mr. Darcy mean,” said she to Charlotte, “by listening
to my conversation with Colonel Forster?”
“That is a question which Mr. Darcy only can answer.”
“But if he does it any more I shall certainly let him know that I
see what he is about. He has a very satirical eye, and if I do
not begin by being impertinent myself, I shall soon grow afraid
of him.”
On his approaching them soon afterwards, though without seeming
to have any intention of speaking, Miss Lucas defied her friend
to mention such a subject to him; which immediately provoking
Elizabeth to do it, she turned to him and said:
“Did you not think, Mr. Darcy, that I expressed myself uncommonly
well just now, when I was teasing Colonel Forster to give us a
ball at Meryton?”
“With great energy; but it is always a subject which makes a lady
energetic.”
“You are severe on us.”
“It will be _her_ turn soon to be teased,” said Miss Lucas. “I am
going to open the instrument, Eliza, and you know what follows.”
“You are a very strange creature by way of a friend!—always
wanting me to play and sing before anybody and everybody! If my
vanity had taken a musical turn, you would have been invaluable;
but as it is, I would really rather not sit down before those who
must be in the habit of hearing the very best performers.” On
Miss Lucas’s persevering, however, she added, “Very well, if it
must be so, it must.” And gravely glancing at Mr. Darcy, “There
is a fine old saying, which everybody here is of course familiar
with: ‘Keep your breath