by Austen, Jane
In vain did Elizabeth endeavour to check the rapidity of her mother's words, or persuade her to describe her felicity in a less audible whisper; for to her inexpressible vexation, she could perceive that the chief73 of it was overheard by Mr. Darcy, who sat opposite to them. Her mother only scolded her for being nonsensical.
“What is Mr. Darcy to me, pray, that I should be afraid of him? I am sure we owe him no such particular civility as to be obliged to say nothing he may not like to hear.”
“For heaven's sake, madam, speak lower.—What advantage can it be to you to offend Mr. Darcy?—You will never recommend yourself to his friend by so doing.”74
Nothing that she could say, however, had any influence. Her mother would talk of her views75 in the same intelligible tone. Elizabeth blushed and blushed again with shame and vexation. She could not help frequently glancing her eye at Mr. Darcy, though every glance convinced her of what she dreaded; for though he was not always looking at her mother, she was convinced that his attention was invariably fixed by her.76 The expression of his face changed gradually from indignant contempt to a composed and steady gravity.
At length however Mrs. Bennet had no more to say; and Lady Lucas, who had been long yawning at the repetition of delights which she saw no likelihood of sharing, was left to the comforts of cold ham and chicken.77 Elizabeth now began to revive. But not long was the interval of tranquillity; for when supper was over, singing was talked of, and she had the mortification of seeing Mary, after very little entreaty, preparing to oblige the company. By many significant looks and silent entreaties, did she endeavour to prevent such a proof of complaisance,78—but in vain; Mary would not understand them; such an opportunity of exhibiting was delightful to her, and she began her song. Elizabeth's eyes were fixed on her with most painful sensations; and she watched her progress through the several stanzas with an impatience which was very ill rewarded at their close; for Mary, on receiving amongst the thanks of the table, the hint of a hope that she might be prevailed on to favour them again,79 after the pause of half a minute began another. Mary's powers were by no means fitted for such a display; her voice was weak,80 and her manner affected. —Elizabeth was in agonies. She looked at Jane, to see how she bore it; but Jane was very composedly talking to Bingley. She looked at his two sisters, and saw them making signs of derision at each other, and at Darcy, who continued however impenetrably grave. She looked at her father to entreat his interference, lest Mary should be singing all night. He took the hint, and when Mary had finished her second song, said aloud,
“That will do extremely well, child. You have delighted us long enough. Let the other young ladies have time to exhibit.”
Mary, though pretending not to hear, was somewhat disconcerted; and Elizabeth sorry for her, and sorry for her father's speech, was afraid her anxiety had done no good.81 —Others of the party were now applied to.
“If I,” said Mr. Collins, “were so fortunate as to be able to sing, I should have great pleasure, I am sure, in obliging the company with an air; for I consider music as a very innocent diversion, and perfectly compatible with the profession of a clergyman.82 I do not mean however to assert that we can be justified in devoting too much of our time to music, for there are certainly other things to be attended to. The rector of a parish has much to do.—In the first place, he must make such an agreement for tythes as may be beneficial to himself and not offensive to his patron.83 He must write his own sermons; and the time that remains will not be too much for his parish duties, and the care and improvement of his dwelling, which he cannot be excused from making as comfortable as possible. And I do not think it of light84 importance that he should have attentive and conciliatory manners towards every body, especially towards those to whom he owes his preferment.85 I cannot acquit him of that duty; nor could I think well of the man who should omit an occasion of testifying his respect towards any body connected with the family.”86 And with a bow to Mr. Darcy, he concluded his speech, which had been spoken so loud as to be heard by half the room. —Many stared.—Many smiled; but no one looked more amused than Mr. Bennet himself,87 while his wife seriously commended Mr. Collins for having spoken so sensibly, and observed in a half-whisper to Lady Lucas, that he was a remarkably clever, good kind of young man.
To Elizabeth it appeared, that had her family made an agreement to expose themselves as much as they could during the evening, it would have been impossible for them to play their parts with more spirit,88 or finer success; and happy did she think it for Bingley and her sister that some of the exhibition had escaped his notice, and that his feelings were not of a sort to be much distressed by the folly which he must have witnessed. That his two sisters and Mr. Darcy, however, should have such an opportunity of ridiculing her relations was bad enough, and she could not determine whether the silent contempt of the gentleman, or the insolent smiles of the ladies, were more intolerable.
The rest of the evening brought her little amusement. She was teazed89 by Mr. Collins, who continued most perseveringly by her side, and though he could not prevail with her to dance with him again, put it out of her power to dance with others.90 In vain did she entreat him to stand up91 with somebody else, and offer to introduce him to any young lady in the room. He assured her that as to dancing, he was perfectly indifferent to it; that his chief object was by delicate attentions to recommend himself to her, and that he should therefore make a point of remaining close to her the whole evening. There was no arguing upon such a project. She owed her greatest relief to her friend Miss Lucas, who often joined them, and good-naturedly engaged Mr. Collins's conversation to herself.
She was at least free from the offence of Mr. Darcy's farther notice; though often standing within a very short distance of her, quite disengaged, he never came near enough to speak. She felt it to be the probable consequence of her allusions to Mr. Wickham, and rejoiced in it.92
The Longbourn party were the last of all the company to depart; and by a manoeuvre of Mrs. Bennet had to wait for their carriages93 a quarter of an hour after every body else was gone,94 which gave them time to see how heartily they were wished away by some of the family. Mrs. Hurst and her sister scarcely opened their mouths except to complain of fatigue, and were evidently impatient to have the house to themselves.95 They repulsed every attempt of Mrs. Bennet at conversation, and by so doing, threw a languor over the whole party, which was very little relieved by the long speeches of Mr. Collins, who was complimenting Mr. Bing-ley and his sisters on the elegance of their entertainment, and the hospitality and politeness which had marked their behaviour to their guests. Darcy said nothing at all. Mr. Bennet, in equal silence, was enjoying the scene.96 Mr. Bingley and Jane were standing together, a little detached from the rest, and talked only to each other. Elizabeth preserved as steady a silence as either Mrs. Hurst or Miss Bingley; and even Lydia was too much fatigued to utter more than the occasional exclamation of “Lord, how tired I am!” accompanied by a violent yawn.
When at length they arose to take leave, Mrs. Bennet was most pressingly civil in her hope of seeing the whole family soon at Longbourn; and addressed herself particularly to Mr. Bingley, to assure him how happy he would make them, by eating a family dinner with them at any time, without the ceremony of a formal invitation. Bingley was all grateful pleasure, and he readily engaged for taking the earliest opportunity of waiting on97 her, after his return from London, whither he was obliged to go the next day for a short time.98
Mrs. Bennet was perfectly satisfied; and quitted the house under the delightful persuasion that, allowing for the necessary preparations of settlements, new carriages and wedding clothes,99 she should undoubtedly see her daughter settled at Netherfield, in the course of three or four months. Of having another daughter married to Mr. Collins, she thought with equal certainty, and with considerable, though not equal, pleasure. Elizabeth was the least dear to her of all her children; and though the man and the match were quite good enough for her, the worth of each was eclipsed by
Mr. Bingley and Netherfield.
1. In other words, conquering his heart was not beyond what might be achieved during the evening.
2. town: London.
3. Elizabeth shows her unreasonableness here. Wickham has been invited, and Darcy has done nothing to hinder his coming; Wickham is absent because he himself, contrary to his earlier boast to Elizabeth, has chosen to avoid Darcy.
4. directly: immediately.
5. Darcy is perhaps making a little more of an effort than previously to be friendly and polite, but if so his effort comes too late since Elizabeth's negative impression of him is already too deeply formed.
6. blind partiality: partiality for Darcy as his friend; it is Elizabeth who supposes it to be blind. The irony is that it is she whose partiality for Wickham is truly blind since, unlike Bingley, she has little real acquaintance with the man she is favoring.
7. This is an example of how Elizabeth's love of laughter keeps her from dwelling in resentment. It is a resource that Darcy lacks.
8. In two different letters Jane Austen describes her own efforts to escape from dancing with a bad partner; in the second case, in which the man “danced too ill to be endured,” she calls her sitting down rather than dancing with him one of her happiest actions of the evening (Jan. 9, 1796; Jan. 8, 1799).
9. evil: misfortune. Elizabeth's reply is clearly playful and ironic, but it also expresses a truth about her attitude toward Darcy. Her dislike is not simply spontaneous, but is something she has decided to foster, in particular by interpreting everything concerning him in the worst light.
10. consequence: importance (in a social sense). Charlotte shows her greater concern than Elizabeth for such matters.
11. The implication is that until now Darcy has asked few women, if any, to dance aside from Bingley's sisters. In addition, he and his partner would probably, thanks to his social position and his friendship with the host, be at or near the top of the lines of dancers, a position of prestige. In Jane Austen's story “Catharine, or the Bower” the heroine arouses envy in other women because she is asked to dance by the man of highest rank present and thereby ends up leading the dance.
12. The most popular dances of the time involved periods of standing while others in the lines of dancers performed their movements, so one had ample opportunity to engage in conversation.
13. Public balls, like the original assembly at Meryton, are open to anyone paying a certain fee. Private balls, like this one, are open only to those personally invited. This allowed the latter to be more selective about who came, which is perhaps why Elizabeth suggests they are more pleasant. It is also why private balls became more the fashion as the century progressed and why, to accommodate such dances, more homes were built with their own ballrooms.
14. by rule: according to a set of rules or regulations (such as ones prescribing successive intervals of speech and silence). That the phrase, which was a standard one of the time, does not mean “as a rule” is indicated by Elizabeth's reply of “sometimes,” for such a reply would not make sense if Darcy were asking if she always talked while dancing.
15. In other words, when Elizabeth suggested arranging the conversation so that the participants can say little, did she wish that for herself or was she thinking of Darcy? Her words, particularly the some, imply the latter, as Darcy seems to realize.
16. turn of our minds: inclination of our characters.
17. eclat: brilliance, public acclamation.
18. Elizabeth's comment is humorous, but is also a jab at Darcy. Though she says they both are unsociable and taciturn, she clearly means to point to him, for it is he, not she, who has most often acted this way. Even still, it is noteworthy that she has compared herself to Darcy, for in fact they have more in common than she cares to admit at this point.
19. resemblance: representation, picture.
20. my own performance: my performance, or achievement, in describing or portraying our characters.
21. gone down the dance: danced past the others to take their places again at the ends of the two lines.
22. hauteur: haughtiness, loftiness.
23. own weakness: weakness in giving in to the temptation of alluding to Wickham.
24. Darcy obviously knows Wickham well enough to be aware of his friendly manners, and of how that allows him to win friends easily. This knowledge, however, has never spurred Darcy to try to improve his own manners.
25. the set: the set of dancers that includes Darcy and Elizabeth.
26. superior: extreme, greater than normal.
27. first circles: best society. Sir William's compliment, though reflecting his usual extreme courtesy, is presumably inspired by seeing Darcy and Elizabeth both exhibit excellence in dancing, which would be another sign of their compatible qualities.
28. Meaning Bingley and Jane's marriage; such an event would bring Darcy and Elizabeth together often at dances. Sir William's speculation on such a marriage indicates that its likelihood has already been guessed by people in the community, despite the limited contact between Jane and Bingley so far. One reason for this guess could be Mrs. Bennet, who is already speaking of the marriage as almost certain. Another reason is the constrained nature of courtship, in which purely private contact between the couple was usually not allowed; this meant that even modest contact and friendliness between a man and a woman could indicate love between them and thus lead to speculation about an engagement.
29. converse: conversation, company.
30. The significance of this will be revealed later (see p. 364 and p. 365, note 25).
31. He may be smiling at Elizabeth's now rejecting any conversation, after having earlier persisted in starting one.
32. Now that Elizabeth's initial comments have broken through Darcy's normal reserve, he shows himself willing, if not eager, to converse, despite being angered by her mention of Wickham.
33. Elizabeth is making Darcy's earlier statement to be harsher than it actually was. It clearly continues to stick in her mind; she mentioned it also to Wickham.
34. Though Elizabeth claims to be interested in Darcy's character, in fact she shows little real interest here in examining him, except for the purpose of confirming her existing condemnation of him. In many ways this exchange does more to illustrate her character than his.
35. sketch: describe generally or in outline.
36. That is, he fears that her judging him now would put both of them in a bad light—him because her verdict would be negative, her because she would turn out to be wrong.
37. take your likeness: form a picture of you, figure out your character.
38. Meaning that since Elizabeth seems to wish to take his likeness, i.e., study and describe his character, and fears this may be her last chance, Darcy would not force her to put off that pleasure by waiting until another time. Elizabeth's fear about another chance shows how Darcy's being a temporary resident in the neighborhood encourages her misjudgment of him.
39. other dance: second dance of the pair they are dancing together.
40. another: i.e., Wickham.
41. George Wickham: calling him this rather than Mr. Wickham indicates Miss Bingley's contempt for him. One would not use someone's first name, without a “Mr.” or “Miss” or “Mrs.,” if one considered that person a social equal, unless he or she was a family member. This snobbery toward Wickham also makes Miss Bingley mention his being the son of a steward, with the idea that this will by itself condemn him in Elizabeth's eyes. In fact, the effect of the snobbery is only to encourage Elizabeth's rejection of her words, even though Miss Bingley's opinion of Wickham is actually more accurate than Elizabeth's.
42. steward: a position that, while it involved many responsibilities (see p. 151, note 53), meant working in some respects as a servant, and thus could be an object of contempt for a snobbish person like Miss Bingley.
43. the country: this area.
44. Because it would bring him close to Darcy. In fact, it is hard to see how Wickham co
uld have known his regiment would be stationed where Darcy happened to be visiting. Such an unreasonable criticism only undermines the rest of Miss Bingley's statement.
45. descent: birth, ancestry.
46. In other words, [Elizabeth says to Miss Bingley] you seem to think his having low origins is what makes him guilty.
47. In fact, Miss Bingley has accused Wickham of bad conduct as well, although her mingling of these accusations with expressions of social snobbery makes it easy for Elizabeth to dismiss her words.
48. Miss Bingley's avowal of her kind intention could be partly sincere. She may consider that she was doing Elizabeth a favor by revealing the falseness of Wickham's story and his low social rank, and thereby showing Elizabeth why she should wish to disassociate herself from him. At the same time, Miss Bingley clearly enjoys the opportunity to deliver such a correction to Elizabeth.
49. The phrase may imply that Elizabeth imagines Darcy to have spurred Miss Bingley to this attack; if so it would represent a foolish surmise on Elizabeth's part, considering all she has seen of Darcy's haughty indifference toward Miss Bingley.
50. complacency: pleasure, satisfaction.
51. Once again the reader is reminded of Elizabeth's basic good nature, even with her mistakes relating to Wickham and Darcy.
52. perfectly satisfied: words indicating how much she, in asking about the case, wishes only to confirm her existing opinion, rather than really to learn more.
53. Such inability to remember details would be perfectly characteristic of Bingley. Here, it plays an important role in the story by keeping him from providing the information that might have undermined some of Elizabeth's certainty.
54. does the honours of this house: performs the civilities or duties of a host. Thus it is Miss Bingley, who is keeping house at Netherfield. Few besides Mr. Collins would employ such a formal and long-winded designation.
55. wonderfully: amazingly, astonishingly.
56. plead my apology: provide my plea or apology, i.e., be my excuse.
