by Jane Austen
“Oh! that my dear mother had more command over herself; she can have no idea of the pain she gives me by her continual reflections on him. But I will not repine. It cannot last long. He will be forgot, and we shall all be as we were before.”
Elizabeth looked at her sister with incredulous solicitude, but said nothing.
“You doubt me,” cried Jane, slightly colouring;8 “indeed you have no reason. He may live in my memory as the most amiable man of my acquaintance, but that is all. I have nothing either to hope or fear, and nothing to reproach him with.9 Thank God! I have not that pain. A little time therefore. —I shall certainly try to get the better.”
With a stronger voice she soon added, “I have this comfort immediately, that it has not been more than an error of fancy on my side, and that it has done no harm to any one but myself.”
“My dear Jane!” exclaimed Elizabeth, “you are too good. Your sweetness and disinterestedness are really angelic; I do not know what to say to you. I feel as if I had never done you justice, or loved you as you deserve.”
Miss Bennet eagerly disclaimed all extraordinary merit, and threw back the praise on her sister's warm affection.
“Nay,” said Elizabeth, “this is not fair. You wish to think all the world respectable, and are hurt if I speak ill of any body, I only want to think you perfect, and you set yourself against it. Do not be afraid of my running into any excess, of my encroaching on your privilege of universal good will.10 You need not. There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters,11 and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of either merit or sense.12 I have met with two instances lately; one I will not mention;13 the other is Charlotte's marriage. It is unaccountable! in every view it is unaccountable!”14
“My dear Lizzy, do not give way to such feelings as these. They will ruin your happiness. You do not make allowance enough for difference of situation and temper.15 Consider Mr. Collins's respectability, and Charlotte's prudent, steady character. Remember that she is one of a large family; that as to fortune, it is a most eligible match;16 and be ready to believe, for every body's sake, that she may feel something like regard and esteem for our cousin.”
“To oblige you, I would try to believe almost any thing, but no one else could be benefited by such a belief as this; for were I persuaded that Charlotte had any regard for him, I should only think worse of her understanding,17 than I now do of her heart. My dear Jane, Mr. Collins is a conceited, pompous, narrow-minded,18 silly man; you know he is, as well as I do; and you must feel, as well as I do, that the woman who marries him, cannot have a proper way of thinking. You shall not defend her, though it is Charlotte Lucas. You shall not, for the sake of one individual, change the meaning of principle and integrity, nor endeavour to persuade yourself or me, that selfishness is prudence, and insensibility of danger,19 security for happiness.”20
“I must think your language too strong in speaking of both,” replied Jane, “and I hope you will be convinced of it, by seeing them happy together. But enough of this. You alluded to something else. You mentioned two instances. I cannot misunderstand you, but I intreat you, dear Lizzy, not to pain me by thinking that
person21 to blame, and saying your opinion of him is sunk. We must not be so ready to fancy ourselves intentionally injured. We must not expect a lively young man to be always so guarded and circumspect. It is very often nothing but our own vanity that deceives us. Women fancy admiration means more than it does.”
“And men take care that they should.”22
“If it is designedly done, they cannot be justified; but I have no idea of there being so much design in the world as some persons imagine.”
“I am far from attributing any part of Mr. Bingley's conduct to design” said Elizabeth; “but without scheming to do wrong, or to make others unhappy, there may be error, and there may be misery. Thoughtlessness, want of attention to other people's feelings, and want of resolution, will do the business.”23
“And do you impute it to either of those?”
“Yes; to the last. But if I go on, I shall displease you by saying what I think of persons you esteem. Stop me whilst you can.”
“You persist, then, in supposing his sisters influence him.”
“Yes, in conjunction with his friend.”
“I cannot believe it. Why should they try to influence him? They can only wish his happiness, and if he is attached to me, no other woman can secure it.”
“Your first position24 is false. They may wish many things besides his happiness; they may wish his increase of wealth and consequence;25 they may wish him to marry a girl who has all the importance of money, great connections,26 and pride.”27
“Beyond a doubt, they do wish him to chuse Miss Darcy,” replied Jane; “but this may be from better feelings than you are supposing. They have known her much longer than they have known me; no wonder if they love her better. But, whatever may be their own wishes, it is very unlikely they should have opposed their brother's. What sister would think herself at liberty to do it, unless there were something very objectionable? If they believed him attached to me, they would not try to part us; if he were so, they could not succeed. By supposing such an affection, you make every body acting unnaturally and wrong, and me most unhappy. Do not distress me by the idea. I am not ashamed of having been mistaken—or, at least, it is slight, it is nothing in comparison of what I should feel in thinking ill of him or his sisters.28 Let me take it in the best light, in the light in which it may be understood.”
Elizabeth could not oppose such a wish; and from this time Mr. Bingley's name was scarcely ever mentioned between them.
Mrs. Bennet still continued to wonder and repine at his returning no more, and though a day seldom passed in which Elizabeth did not account for it clearly, there seemed little chance of her ever considering it with less perplexity. Her daughter endeavoured to convince her of what she did not believe herself, that his attentions to Jane had been merely the effect of a common and transient liking, which ceased when he saw her no more; but though the probability of the statement was admitted at the time, she had the same story to repeat every day. Mrs. Bennet's best comfort was that Mr. Bingley must be down again in the summer.29
Mr. Bennet treated the matter differently. “So, Lizzy,” said he one day, “your sister is crossed in love30 I find. I congratulate her. Next to being married, a girl likes to be crossed in love a little now and then. It is something to think of, and gives her a sort of distinction among her companions.31 When is your turn to come? You will hardly bear to be long outdone by Jane. Now is your time. Here are officers enough at Meryton to disappoint all the young ladies in the country. Let Wickham be your man. He is a pleasant fellow, and would jilt you creditably.”32
“Thank you, Sir, but a less agreeable man33 would satisfy me. We must not all expect Jane's good fortune.”34
“True,” said Mr. Bennet, “but it is a comfort to think that, whatever ofthat kind may befal you, you have an affectionate mother who will always make the most of it.”
Mr. Wickham's society was of material service in dispelling the gloom, which the late perverse occurrences had thrown on many of the Longbourn family. They saw him often, and to his other recommendations was now added that of general unreserve. The whole of what Elizabeth had already heard, his claims on Mr. Darcy, and all that he had suffered from him, was now openly acknowledged and publicly canvassed;35 and every body was pleased to think how much they had always disliked Mr. Darcy before they had known any thing of the matter.36
Miss Bennet was the only creature who could suppose there might be any extenuating circumstances in the case, unknown to the society of Hertfordshire; her mild and steady candour37 always pleaded for allowances, and urged the possibility of mistakes—but by everybody else Mr. Darcy was condemned as the worst of men.
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2. inmate: inhabitant.
3. chief: greater part.
4. Her opinion here stands in ironic contrast to her earlier conversations with Bingley and Darcy about accommodating other people. Then she had argued, with particular reference to Bingley, for being compliant and for acceding to the wishes of a friend; now she censures him for those same qualities. She is thus closer to being able to appreciate the contrary opinion, and contrary character, of Darcy.
5. spon: amuse himself.
6. sensible: aware, conscious.
7. irritation: state of excitement or vexation (meaning Mrs. Bennet is in such a state as she makes her denunciation).
8. colouring: blushing.
9. She means that he made her no offer of marriage, and thus she cannot reproach him for breaking off a promised engagement. Such a breach of promise by a man was a very serious matter and could lead to legal action against the perpetrator (as it does, for example, in Charles Dickens's Pickwick Papers).
10. In other words, of being carried away, or thinking as benevolently of all the world as you do.
11. In fact, Bingley's actions are fairly consistent with the accommodating character he had shown earlier, a character that Elizabeth boasted of understanding perfectly.
12. Elizabeth's disgust with the world is significant because it contrasts with her usual good spirits; it represents an attitude Jane Austen consistently portrays in a bad light.
13. Bingley's conduct, which she does not mention to avoid upsetting Jane.
14. In fact, it is not unaccountable, for Elizabeth received clues regarding Charlotte (as she also did about Bingley) that she disregarded because they conflicted with what she wished to believe. Her miscalculations in these cases supplement her more serious miscalculations regarding Darcy and Wickham. One theme of the novel is that even very intelligent people, like Elizabeth and Darcy, can err seriously in judgment when blinded by wishes or prejudices.
15. difference of situation and temper: meaning differences in those areas between Charlotte and Elizabeth, differences Jane goes on to describe.
16. The match's eligibility, or desirability, in a financial sense would be especially important for someone from a large family, where each child would have to share the family fortune with many siblings.
17. understanding: judgment, intelligence.
18. narrow-minded: self-centered.
19. insensibility of danger: unconsciousness of danger (referring to the dangers arising from a bad marriage).
20. Elizabeth expresses here a fundamental principle for Jane Austen, that standards of good and bad have an objective validity and cannot be altered to suit individual cases. An individual who violates these standards is wrong, regardless ofthat person's other merits.
As concerns this case, while the author probably agrees with Jane that Elizabeth is a little harsh in her verdict and a little prone to neglect certain mitigating factors, most indications are that Jane Austen endorses Elizabeth's overall judgment.
21. that person: Bingley.
22. Jane Austen's works present examples of both these phenomena. Ironically, one instance of the latter is Wickham's flirtation with Elizabeth; the latter fails there to recognize some of the very male deceptiveness she identifies here—though her error in that case involves misjudging Wickham's character more than overestimating his regard for her.
23. Another phenomena frequently seen in Jane Austen. Her works contain few hardened villains, but they do contain numerous cases of people who are generally good, or at least not malicious or ill-intentioned, and who nonetheless commit serious faults or cause significant pain to others. Elizabeth herself provides one example of this, though hardly the worst.
24. position: proposition, assertion.
25. consequence: social position or importance.
26. great connections: high-ranking, or socially prominent, family connections.
27. Since Bingley's sisters would find their own social position enhanced by his marriage to someone who was wealthy and well-connected, they have strong personal reasons for desiring such a match.
28. Jane's preference for thinking badly of herself rather than of others is characteristic. Jane also provides here an excellent contrast to the cynical and almost bitter attitude that Elizabeth expresses at this point, a function Jane often serves in the novel. Jane's behavior, however, does give rise to the question of how someone of her distinctive character could arise in the Bennet family, for while the other four sisters all possess at least some features to be found in one of their parents, Jane seems to have nothing in common with either. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are both, in their distinctive ways, quick to condemn and to criticize others; both are also fundamentally selfish; neither exhibits a trace of Jane's almost angelic sweetness and naivety.
29. Since people who could afford to often went to London for the winter and spring, and returned to the country (which is what is meant by “down”) during the summer, Mrs. Bennet's wish has some basis.
30. crossed in love: a phrase often used for a woman whose lover had abandoned or deceived her.
31. This statement sheds an even stronger, and less amusing, light on Mr. Bennet's callousness, for now his wit is directed not against unsympathetic fools like his wife or Mr. Collins, but against a good and intelligent person, one who is also his own daughter.
32. It is possible that Mr. Bennet, unlike Elizabeth, has perceived some of Wickham's untrustworthiness—he will later express his contempt for Wick-ham's obsequious manner—and that he is trying to warn her (the only one of his daughters he seems to care for significantly). If so, his habitual irony and humor keep the message from being taken seriously.
33. less agreeable man: less agreeable than Wickham.
34. The good fortune of being jilted by a very agreeable man, as Jane has been with Bingley and Elizabeth would be with Wickham. The idea is that the more agreeable the man, the harsher the rejection by him would be, and thus the greater the distinction that would be gained by the woman. Elizabeth is being sarcastic in describing this as good fortune.
35. canvassed: discussed. This action of Wickham's contradicts his earlier promise of discretion for the sake of Darcy's father.
36. A reminder of the irrationality of public opinion. Later the same public will assert its longstanding knowledge of exactly opposite truths.
37. candour: tendency always to think well of others.
Chapter Two
A fter a week spent in professions of love and schemes of felicity, Mr. Collins was called from his amiable Charlotte by the arrival of Saturday.1 The pain of separation, however, might be alleviated on his side, by preparations for the reception of his bride, as he had reason to hope, that shortly after his next return into Hertfordshire, the day would be fixed that was to make him the happiest of men. He took leave of his relations at Longbourn with as much solemnity as before; wished his fair cousins health and happiness again, and promised their father another letter of thanks.
On the following Monday, Mrs. Bennet had the pleasure of receiving her brother and his wife, who came as usual to spend the Christmas at Longbourn. Mr. Gardiner was a sensible, gentlemanlike man, greatly superior to his sister as well by nature as education. The Netherfield ladies would have had difficulty in believing that a man who lived by trade, and within view of his own warehouses,2 could have been so well bred3 and agreeable. Mrs. Gardiner, who was several years younger than Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Philips, was an amiable, intelligent, elegant woman, and a great favourite with all her Longbourn nieces. Between the two eldest and herself especially, there subsisted a very particular regard. They had frequently been staying with her in town.
The first part of Mrs. Gardiner's business on her arrival, was to distribute her presents and describe the newest fashions.4 When this was done she had a less active part to play. It became her turn to listen. Mrs. Bennet had many grievances to relate, and much to complain of. They had all been very ill-used since she last saw her sister. Two
of her girls had been on the point of marriage, and after all there was nothing in it.
“I do not blame Jane,” she continued, “for Jane would have got Mr. Bingley, if she could. But, Lizzy! Oh, sister! it is very hard to think that she might have been Mr. Collins's wife by this time, had not it been for her own perverseness. He made her an offer in this very room, and she refused him. The consequence of it is, that Lady Lucas will have a daughter married before I have, and that Longbourn estate is just as much entailed as ever.5 The Lucases are very artful6 people indeed, sister. They are all for what they can get. I am sorry to say it of them, but so it is. It makes me very nervous7 and poorly,8 to be thwarted so in my own family, and to have neighbours who think of themselves before anybody else. However, your coming just at this time is the greatest of comforts, and I am very glad to hear what you tell us, of long sleeves.”9
Mrs. Gardiner, to whom the chief of this news had been given before, in the course of Jane and Elizabeth's correspondence with her, made her sister a slight answer, and in compassion to her nieces turned the conversation.10
When alone with Elizabeth afterwards, she spoke more on the subject. “It seems likely to have been a desirable match for Jane,” said she. “I am sorry it went off.11 But these things happen so often! A young man, such as you describe Mr. Bingley, so easily falls in love with a pretty girl for a few weeks, and when accident separates them, so easily forgets her, that these sort of inconstancies are very frequent.”
“An excellent consolation in its way,” said Elizabeth, “but it will not do for us. We do not suffer by accident. It does not often happen that the interference of friends will persuade a young man of independent fortune to think no more of a girl, whom he was violently in love with only a few days before.”
“But that expression of ‘violently in love' is so hackneyed, so doubtful, so indefinite, that it gives me very little idea. It is as often applied to feelings which arise from an half-hour's acquaintance, as to a real, strong attachment.12 Pray, how violent was Mr. Bingley's love?”
