The Annotated Pride and Prejudice

by Austen, Jane

  22. This constitutes an important message of the book: the need to learn to perform social duties and to show regard for others, even if it does not come naturally. It is a message Darcy has yet to appreciate.

  23. This is one of the most cryptic and subtle passages in the book, in part because Darcy is misinterpreting Elizabeth's previous words. By “perform to strangers” he means put on a display before others in order to win their approval or impress them. His point seems to be that, just as he does not converse with strangers for that purpose, she, unlike many women (Mary Ben-net or Miss Bingley could be examples), does not waste her time putting on musical displays before large numbers of people in order to gratify her vanity. The words, “no one admitted to the privilege of hearing you,” imply that her performances have been restricted as regards their audience—which in fact is not true.

  All that, however, is not what Elizabeth said. She said nothing of her audience; instead, she admitted there to be something lacking in her piano playing, and attributed it to her failure to practice enough, with an implied analogy to his failure to practice the art of sociable conversation. She was offering a criticism of them both; such a tactic of criticizing oneself as well when criticizing another is a common device to make criticism more palatable and hence more effective. He, unwilling at this stage to accept serious criticism, has converted her words into a compliment to them both for their honesty and their lack of concern for others' opinions, qualities he values highly.

  24. fingering: the action or proper method of using the fingers when playing an instrument.

  25. For the acceptability of love between first cousins, see p. 157, note 73.

  26. forbearance of civility: politeness that makes her tolerate Lady Catherine's impolite remarks. Elizabeth's willingness and ability to do so helps underline the very point she was just making to Darcy about accommodating others, which he refused to perceive.

  Chapter Nine

  Elizabeth was sitting by herself the next morning, and writing to Jane, while Mrs. Collins and Maria were gone on business into the village, when she was startled by a ring at the door, the certain signal of a visitor. As she had heard no carriage, she thought it not unlikely to be Lady Catherine, and under that apprehension was putting away her half-finished letter that she might escape all impertinent1 questions, when the door opened,2 and to her very great surprise, Mr. Darcy, and Mr. Darcy only, entered the room.3

  He seemed astonished too on finding her alone, and apologised for his intrusion, by letting her know that he had understood all the ladies to be within.

  They then sat down, and when her enquiries after Rosings were made, seemed in danger of sinking into total silence.4 It was absolutely necessary, therefore, to think of something, and in this emergence5 recollecting when she had seen him last in Hertfordshire, and feeling curious to know what he would say on the subject of their hasty departure, she observed,

  “How very suddenly you all quitted Netherfield last November, Mr. Darcy! It must have been a most agreeable surprise to Mr. Bingley to see you all after him so soon; for, if I recollect right, he went but the day before.6 He and his sisters were well, I hope, when you left London.”

  “Perfectly so —I thank you.”

  She found that she was to receive no other answer —and, after a short pause, added,

  “I think I have understood that Mr. Bingley has not much idea of ever returning to Netherfield again?”

  “I have never heard him say so; but it is probable that he may spend very little of his time there in future. He has many friends, and he is at a time of life when friends and engagements are continually increasing.”

  “If he means to be but little at Netherfield, it would be better for the neighbourhood that he should give up the place entirely, for then we might possibly get a settled family there.7 But perhaps Mr. Bingley did not take the house so much for the convenience of the neighbourhood as for his own, and we must expect him to keep or quit it on the same principle.”8

  “I should not be surprised,” said Darcy, “if he were to give it up, as soon as any eligible purchase offers.”9

  Elizabeth made no answer. She was afraid of talking longer of his friend; and, having nothing else to say, was now determined to leave the trouble of finding a subject to him.

  He took the hint, and soon began with, “This seems a very comfortable house. Lady Catherine, I believe, did a great deal to it when Mr. Collins first came to Hunsford.”10

  “I believe she did—and I am sure she could not have bestowed her kindness on a more grateful object.”

  “Mr. Collins appears very fortunate in his choice of a wife.”

  “Yes, indeed; his friends may well rejoice in his having met with one of the very few sensible women who would have accepted him, or have made him happy if they had. My friend has an excellent understanding—though I am not certain that I consider her marrying Mr. Collins as the wisest thing she ever did. She seems perfectly happy, however, and in a prudential light, it is certainly a very good match for her.”11

  “It must be very agreeable to her to be settled within so easy a distance of her own family and friends.”

  “An easy distance do you call it? It is nearly fifty miles.”12

  “And what is fifty miles of good road? Little more than half a day's journey.13 Yes, I call it a very easy distance.”

  “I should never have considered the distance as one of the advantages of the match,” cried Elizabeth. “I should never have said Mrs. Collins was settled near her family.”

  “It is a proof of your own attachment to Hertfordshire. Any thing beyond the very neighbourhood of Longbourn, I suppose, would appear far.”

  As he spoke there was a sort of smile, which Elizabeth fancied she understood; he must be supposing her to be thinking of Jane and Netherfield,14 and she blushed as she answered,

  “I do not mean to say that a woman may not be settled too near her family. The far and the near must be relative, and depend on many varying circumstances. Where there is fortune to make the expence of travelling unimportant, distance becomes no evil.15 But that is not the case here. Mr. and Mrs. Collins have a comfortable income, but not such a one as will allow of frequent journeys—and I am persuaded my friend would not call herself near her family under less than half the present distance.”

  Mr. Darcy drew his chair a little towards her, and said, “You cannot have a right to such very strong local attachment. You cannot have been always at Longbourn.”16

  Elizabeth looked surprised. The gentleman experienced some change of feeling; he drew back his chair, took a newspaper from the table, and, glancing over it, said, in a colder voice,

  “Are you pleased with Kent?”

  A short dialogue on the subject of the country ensued, on either side calm and concise—and soon put an end to by the entrance of Charlotte and her sister, just returned from their walk. The tète a tète surprised them. Mr. Darcy related the mistake which had occasioned his intruding on Miss Bennet, and after sitting a few minutes longer without saying much to any body, went away.

  “What can be the meaning of this!” said Charlotte, as soon as he was gone. “My dear Eliza he must be in love with you, or he would never have called on us in this familiar way.”

  But when Elizabeth told of his silence, it did not seem very likely, even to Charlotte's wishes, to be the case; and after various conjectures, they could at last only suppose his visit to proceed from the difficulty of finding any thing to do, which was the more probable from the time of year. All field sports were over.17 Within doors there was Lady Catherine, books, and a billiard table, but gentlemen cannot be always within doors;18 and in the nearness of the Parsonage, or the pleasantness of the walk to it, or of the people who lived in it, the two cousins found a temptation from this period of walking thither almost every day. They called at various times of the morning, sometimes separately, sometimes together, and now and then accompanied by their aunt.19 It was plain to them all that Colonel F
itzwilliam came because he had pleasure in their society, a persuasion which of course recommended him still more; and Elizabeth was reminded by her own satisfaction in being with him, as well as by his evident admiration of her, of her former favourite George Wickham; and though, in comparing them, she saw there was less captivating softness in Colonel Fitzwilliam's manners, she believed he might have the best informed mind.20

  But why Mr. Darcy came so often to the Parsonage, it was more difficult to understand. It could not be for society, as he frequently sat there ten minutes together without opening his lips; and when he did speak, it seemed the effect of necessity rather than of choice —a sacrifice to propriety, not a pleasure to himself. He seldom appeared really animated. Mrs. Collins knew not what to make of him. Colonel Fitzwilliam's occasionally laughing at his stupidity,21 proved that he was generally different,22 which her own knowledge of him could not have told her; and as she would have liked to believe this change the effect of love, and the object ofthat love, her friend Eliza, she sat herself seriously to work to find it out.—She watched him whenever they were at Rosings, and whenever he came to Hunsford; but without much success. He certainly looked at her friend a great deal, but the expression ofthat look was disputable. It was an earnest, steadfast gaze, but she often doubted whether there were much admiration in it, and sometimes it seemed nothing but absence of mind.

  She had once or twice suggested to Elizabeth the possibility of his being partial to her, but Elizabeth always laughed at the idea; and Mrs. Collins did not think it right to press the subject, from the danger of raising expectations which might only end in disappointment; for in her opinion it admitted not of a doubt, that all her friend's dislike would vanish, if she could suppose him to be in her power.23

  In her kind schemes for Elizabeth, she sometimes planned her marrying Colonel Fitzwilliam. He was beyond comparison the pleasantest man; he certainly admired her, and his situation in life was most eligible; but, to counterbalance these advantages, Mr. Darcy had considerable patronage in the church, and his cousin could have none at all.24

  1. impertinent: intrusive, meddlesome.

  2. A servant would have let Darcy into the house, and then into the room containing Elizabeth.

  3. This point marks the beginning of Darcy's serious interest in Elizabeth, for after this he sees her almost every day. Clearly his seeing her at Lady Catherine's the previous evening had rekindled his interest or had undermined much of his remaining reservations about pursuing her.

  4. Darcy's interest in Elizabeth does not mean that his sociability or skills at conversation have improved. He clearly has given no heed to her reproach at the piano.

  5. emergence: emergency, urgent circumstances.

  6. Meaning that Mr. Bingley must have been surprised and pleased when, only a day after he had gone to London on business, the rest of his party left Netherfield to join him in London. Elizabeth is being sarcastic here, for when Mr. Bingley had left Netherfield it had been with the idea of the others staying, and his returning there. She suspects, and we in fact learn later, that his sisters and Darcy hastened to London in order to interrupt Bingley's plans and prevent his return.

  7. It was considered better for a country neighborhood if those families inhabiting its grand homes, whose wealth and social standing would make them a leading force in the community, remained in the area as much as possible. Many in rural areas at the time complained of the increasing tendency of rich landowners in this period to be away from their estates for long periods, often in London or in resort towns; it was feared particularly that this would lead to neglect of the local poor, who depended heavily on charity from the wealthy.

  8. Elizabeth probably intends this as a criticism of Bingley, for she is angry at his apparently selfish abandonment of Jane.

  9. eligible purchase offers: desirable purchase presents itself or appears. In other words, when a suitable property comes along for Bingley, who is currently a renter, to buy.

  10. Mr. Collins has spoken elsewhere of his parsonage and the improvements it has received. It is another sign of his good luck, and of his reasons for gratitude toward Lady Catherine. Parsonages in this period tended to be in bad shape, with some parishes not even having one. Many of the clergymen living in them lacked the money to repair or improve them, and their incentive to do so was limited by the knowledge that after they died or retired the improved parsonage would go not to their heir but to the next person filling the post. Responsibility for repair and improvement rested mainly on the landowner or other party disposing of the living, but they often did not bother since it meant spending money without receiving anything themselves. Lady Catherine, however, is not guilty of such negligence.

  11. Elizabeth's criticism of Charlotte's marriage, despite its prudential or monetary advantages, indicates that she would not let considerations like that determine her own marital choice. It is a hint Darcy does not perceive.

  12. The distance Elizabeth traveled to London was stated to be 24 miles; Westerham, near which the Collinses live, is a little more than 20 miles to London; thus “nearly fifty miles” would be exactly right.

  13. This suggests the speed of travel. At this time, the best coaches were estimated to be able to achieve 7-8 miles per hour; private carriages, such as Darcy would certainly use, could potentially go faster. The preceding century had witnessed continual improvements in the quality of carriages and of roads, especially the latter, so that journeys, while still slow and difficult from today's perspective, were significantly faster and easier than in preceding generations.

  14. In fact, Darcy is probably wondering about her attachment to home because of his own interest in her, for his home lies at a farther distance from her home than Kent does. Elizabeth, however, fails to perceive this, which means she unconsciously ends up fanning his hopes.

  15. evil: great drawback or defect. Distance would not be a drawback to Darcy, who has his own carriages. The Collinses would have to hire carriages, so such travel would be harder for them. Of course, this answer would serve as an encouragement for Darcy: if “distance becomes no evil” with adequate finances, Elizabeth would have no objection on that ground to marriage with Darcy, for as his wife she would certainly have carriages enough.

  16. An indication that Darcy is becoming more decided in his interest in Elizabeth, though her refusal to reciprocate his interest then makes him draw back.

  17. hunting and shooting, the most popular field sports, were fall and winter activities, and it is now spring.

  18. Gentlemen's need for diversion, including outdoor diversion, is often mentioned in nineteenth century novels. In contrast, ladies, often required to stay inside continuously, are pictured as more accustomed to enforced idleness, and thus less apt to chafe at it.

  19. These visits are occurring over a ten-day period, from the Monday on which Darcy first sees Elizabeth alone at the parsonage, until the following Thursday when he proposes to her; see chronology, p. 716.

  20. Elizabeth's admiration of Colonel Fitzwilliam reveals another blind spot in her judgment of Darcy, for she never stops to consider how a man whom she regards as despicable could be close friends with a worthy man such as the Colonel.

  21. stupidity: dullness, lack of animation.

  22. Another hint of additional features of Darcy, this time of not always being so proud and reserved.

  23. in her power: in love with her. Charlotte assumes that, like herself, Elizabeth would place material advantage above personal affection in deciding on marriage, a misjudgment of Elizabeth that parallels the latter's misjudg-ment of her. Charlotte's perspective would be normal for the time, perhaps more normal than Elizabeth's; this is why Darcy's misplaced confidence that she would accept him has some rational basis.

  24. This passage is one of the best examples of Jane Austen's subtle appreciation of human psychology, and its complex mixture of generous and selfish impulses. Charlotte has started her speculations about whom it would be best for Elizabeth
to marry with a genuine concern for what would be best for her friend. Soon, however, she segues, almost unconsciously it seems, into wondering which choice would be best for herself and her husband—for having her best friend married to a man with great patronage in the church (and Darcy controls multiple livings) would be a significant help to her husband's career.

  Chapter Ten

  More than once did Elizabeth in her ramble within the Park, unexpectedly meet Mr. Darcy. —She felt all the perverseness of the mischance that should bring him where no one else was brought; and to prevent its ever happening again, took care to inform him at first, that it was a favourite haunt of hers. —How it could occur a second time therefore was very odd! —Yet it did, and even a third. It seemed like wilful ill-nature, or a voluntary penance, for on these occasions it was not merely a few formal enquiries and an awkward pause and then away, but he actually thought it necessary to turn back and walk with her. He never said a great deal, nor did she give herself the trouble of talking or of listening much; but it struck her in the course of their third rencontre1 that he was asking some odd unconnected questions—about her pleasure in being at Hunsford, her love of solitary walks, and her opinion of Mr. and Mrs. Collins's happiness; and that in speaking of Rosings and her not perfectly understanding the house, he seemed to expect that whenever she came into Kent again she would be staying there too. His words seemed to imply it. Could he have Colonel Fitzwilliam in his thoughts? She supposed, if he meant any thing, he must mean an allusion to what might arise in that quarter.2 It distressed her a little, and she was quite glad to find herself at the gate in the pales3 opposite the Parsonage.

  She was engaged one day as she walked, in re-perusing Jane's last letter, and dwelling on some passages which proved that Jane had not written in spirits,4 when, instead of being again surprised by Mr. Darcy, she saw on looking up that Colonel Fitzwilliam was meeting her. Putting away the letter immediately and forcing a smile, she said,