The Annotated Pride and Prejudice

by Jane Austen

  29. scruple: hesitate.

  30. temper: disposition, temperament.

  31. From what has been shown of Jane's amiability toward everyone, a quality that makes it hard for others to distinguish any particular preference on her part, Darcy has some reason for his conclusion. Elizabeth will end up admitting that in the next chapter.

  32. want of connection: lack of good family connections.

  33. evil: drawback, disadvantage.

  34. This could be because the social gap between Bingley and the Bennets was not as great as that between Darcy and the Bennets, or because Bingley cared less about social position. Darcy's explanation runs contrary to Elizabeth's suspicion that it was this want of connection that mostly influenced Darcy.

  35. Darcy touches here on an important issue, which is why his objections to the Bennet family, objections that made him warn Bingley against marrying Jane, did not also prevent his proposing to Elizabeth. His answer is that by the time of his proposal the Bennets' improprieties were distant enough to be somewhat forgettable. The implication of his phrasing is also that he tried to forget these improprieties, presumably because of his passion for Elizabeth, and this may suggest the real answer—that it was easy for him to give primacy to family considerations when advising Bingley because in that case his own amorous feelings did not influence him.

  36. situation: social condition or position.

  37. As is indicated all along, it is on this side that Elizabeth's family is considered to be lower, since her father, as the heir of a comfortable estate, is unquestionably a gentleman.

  38. want: lack.

  39. The Ball at Netherfield was where Elizabeth herself was made miserable by the behavior of her family, including her mother's talk of husband hunting, Mary's vain display on the piano, and Mr. Collins's foolish speeches. The Ball also presented Mr. Bennet's overly blunt reproof of Mary, and his tendency to see his wife's and Mr. Collins's embarrassing conduct purely as occasions for amusement; these incidents are probably at least part of what Darcy has in mind when he mentioned to Elizabeth the lack of propriety that was shown “occasionally even by your father.”

  40. coincidence: agreement, concurrence.

  41. office: obligatory task.

  42. enforced: emphasized, demonstrated.

  43. Darcy indicates what was most crucial in alienating Bingley from Jane. Yet he does not explore the issue further, for he has already admitted that, unlike his condemnation of the Bennet family for impropriety, his evaluation of Jane was probably wrong. Hence Bingley's decision was made primarily on a dubious basis. Darcy, however, does not speak of trying to undo his work.

  44. art: cunning, trickery. It is characteristic that what Darcy regrets, among all his actions, is violating his own ideal of honesty and frankness. His use of “condescended” to describe his action signals his sense of its being beneath him, for one meaning of condescend was to lower oneself.

  45. not yet learnt to condemn them: a curious phrase that indicates Darcy's divided mind. Part of him clearly sees that, given what Elizabeth has told him about Jane, he should condemn his actions. But another part of him—spurred most likely by his continued objections to the Bennet family as well as by his natural reluctance to admit to having made a serious error—recoils from that. Hence he avows his continued adherence to his position, even as he almost admits that he may, and perhaps should, learn to think differently.

  46. The wording implies that several estates, or blocks of land, were connected with the Pemberley property. This was not unusual among very wealthy landowners.

  47. Darcy's praise of Wickham's father is important, for it explains why his own father would have treated so favorably a bad man like Wickham.

  48. The high value of a good steward, or manager of the estates, to a landowner meant that many landowners extended this kind of generous patronage to a steward and his family.

  49. Cambridge: it is possible the Darcy family had a connection with this university, and that Darcy himself went there.

  50. This helps explain Wickham's need for money; it also shows where the son of a good man could have derived his own bad features.

  51. gentleman's education: an education that would include going to a university. It was standard for genteel young men to spend a year or two at a university, even if they were to inherit an estate and therefore, unlike those pursuing clerical careers, had no need of the degree. Such wealthy students—called, if they were not nobles, fellow or gentleman commoners—were able to pursue light courses of study and to receive honorary degrees when they left; they were usually segregated socially from other students.

  52. vicious: immoral, corrupt. The word then did not have the connotations of ferocity or aggression that it has now.

  53. best friend: Darcy's father. The story of Wickham and old Mr. Darcy has strong parallels with that found in one of the leading eighteenth century English novels, Henry Fielding's Tom Jones (1749). In both cases, an immoral but outwardly charming young man manages to deceive a good rich man as to his true character, and thus to secure the rich man's favor. Moreover, in both cases a good young man sees through the immoral one—though Austen's tale, unlike Fielding's, has no cataclysmic rejection of the good young man by the rich older man. It is possible that Jane Austen, whose letters indicate familiarity with Tom Jones, was influenced by it in this part of her novel. The episodes involving Wickham are certainly the ones that come closest to utilizing or replicating the melodramatic plot devices of other novelists.

  54. The other motive, besides his main motive of vindicating himself, is his wish to make Elizabeth understand Wickham's true character and thus not be so susceptible to his charms. This could signal a continuing concern for her on Darcy's part, for he may wish to ensure that she would not marry Wickham; the phrase “the sentiments Mr. Wickham has created” indicates that Darcy suspects Wickham may have inspired some degree of love in Elizabeth.

  55. took orders: became ordained as a clergyman.

  56. family living: clerical position controlled by the Darcy family.

  57. preferment: advancement to the church living or position.

  58. studying the law: studying to be a barrister, the most prestigious type of lawyer—Wickham would not have needed to demand so much money to become an attorney, for that required at most a few hundred pounds. Barristers were the lawyers who could try cases in court; unlike attorneys, who could not try cases, barristers were considered gentlemen. Becoming a barrister required attendance at the Inns of Court in London. It was common to go there after university, and university graduates could qualify as barristers after three years of study (non-graduates required five).

  59. three thousand pounds: this sum, a large one for the time, would make sense for someone really studying the law, since such a person normally faced several years of study, followed by many years of additional expenditure in order to establish himself in his profession and thereby attain a position where he could start earning money. One authority (Daniel Duman) estimates that between 1200 and 2600 pounds was normally needed for this.

  60. Darcy would probably have heard occasional reports about Wickham from the community around Pemberley, some of whose members might have maintained enough connection with Wickham to receive news of him. This would have enabled Darcy to learn of Wickham's life of dissipation.

  61. incumbent: clergyman who had been holding the living.

  62. presentation: appointment to the living.

  63. establishment: household, residence. Living in London, instead of returning to Pemberley, could allow Georgiana to further her education, for London would have the finest masters to tutor her; it could also allow any close friends of the family who lived in London to introduce her to more people and thereby help improve her social skills and extend her network of acquaintances.

  64. Ramsgate: a resort town in Kent, on the southeastern coast of England (see maps, pp. 742 and 745). Thanks to their proximity to London, Ramsgate and its companion
town of Margate were among the most popular seaside resorts in England at the time. Jane Austen herself visited Ramsgate. She did not, however, seem to regard it highly: in a letter she declares, regarding an acquaintance's interest in moving to Ramsgate, “Bad Taste!” (Oct. 14, 1813).

  65. Mrs. Younge: the person in charge of Miss Darcy. A married or older woman (and “Mrs.” could signal either) would normally chaperone and guide a young, unmarried one.

  66. elopement: running off to marry. Georgiana, at her age, would not be free to marry without her guardian's consent, which of course she would not receive when the husband in question was Wickham. But if she and Wick-ham went to Scotland—as he and Lydia are briefly supposed to have done later—they could marry without a parent or guardian's consent, and the marriage would be legally valid in England.

  67. credit: reputation. Public knowledge of the affair could undermine Georgiana's reputation for sexual modesty, and thus not only embarrass her, but harm her marital prospects.

  68. thirty thousand pounds: a very large fortune for a woman at the time. Amidst the many unmarried women whose fortunes are mentioned in Jane Austen's novels, almost none possess a fortune as large as this. Such a sum would have come out of the capital of the family estate, or from family investments meant to supplement and support the estate. To make up for this loss—and it could be a serious drain if there were numerous children-it was generally expected that the heir to the estate would marry a woman who would bring a large fortune of her own to the family. Hence Darcy, if he married someone like Elizabeth whose own fortune was far less than Miss Darcy's thirty thousand, would be diminishing the capital, and thus harming somewhat the overall financial position, of his estate.

  The function of women's fortunes as an addition to the capital of an estate is why their wealth is generally described by Jane Austen as a lump sum. In contrast, men's wealth is generally described in terms of an annual income, for this is what men would receive either from the estates they owned or the professional position they occupied.

  69. It is noteworthy that Darcy judges himself to have lost self-mastery on the previous night, for, given the circumstances, he controlled himself fairly well. His judgment indicates his high standards of conduct.

  70. Though Darcy is much gentler here than at the beginning of his letter, his wounded feelings are still apparent.

  71. FlTZWILLIAM DARCY: this is one of only two times in the novel that Darcy's full name is revealed; in general, male characters are almost always identified solely by last name, both by the narrator and by other characters. Darcy's first name is his mother's maiden name (his mother having been the sister of Colonel Fitzwilliam's father). This was a common practice for eldest sons in aristocratic families, especially when, as in this case, the mother came from a titled or very wealthy family. It allowed the man himself to reveal the prominence of his descent on both sides, and it allowed the mother's family to perpetuate their own name to a degree through the female line. Sometimes the eldest son of each successive generation would continue to bear this name: thus Darcy's first son, if he has one, may also receive the name Fitzwilliam.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I f Elizabeth, when Mr. Darcy gave her the letter, did not expect it to contain a renewal of his offers, she had formed no expectation at all of its contents. But such as they were, it may be well supposed how eagerly she went through them, and what a contrariety1 of emotion they excited. Her feelings as she read were scarcely to be defined. With amazement did she first understand that he believed any apology to be in his power; and stedfastly was she persuaded that he could have no explanation to give, which a just sense of shame would not conceal. With a strong prejudice against every thing he might say, she began his account of what had happened at Netherfield. She read, with an eagerness which hardly left her power of comprehension, and from impatience of knowing what the next sentence might bring, was incapable of attending to the sense of the one before her eyes. His belief of her sister's insensibility,2 she instantly resolved to be false, and his account of the real, the worst objections to the match,3 made her too angry to have any wish of doing him justice. He expressed no regret for what he had done which satisfied her; his style was not penitent, but haughty. It was all pride and insolence.

  But when this subject was succeeded by his account of Mr. Wickham, when she read with somewhat clearer attention, a relation of events, which, if true, must overthrow every cherished opinion of his worth, and which bore so alarming an affinity to his own history of himself, her feelings were yet more acutely painful and more difficult of definition. Astonishment, apprehension, and even horror, oppressed4 her. She wished to discredit it entirely, repeatedly exclaiming, “This must be false! This cannot be! This must be the grossest falsehood!” —and when she had gone through the whole letter, though scarcely knowing any thing of the last page or two, put it hastily away, protesting that she would not regard it, that she would never look in it again.

  In this perturbed state of mind, with thoughts that could rest on nothing, she walked on; but it would not do; in half a minute the letter was unfolded again, and collecting herself as well as she could, she again began the mortifying perusal of all that related to Wickham, and commanded herself so far as to examine the meaning of every sentence. The account of his connection with the Pemberley family, was exactly what he had related himself; and the kindness of the late Mr. Darcy, though she had not before known its extent, agreed equally well with his own words. So far each recital confirmed the other: but when she came to the will, the difference was great. What Wickham had said of the living was fresh in her memory, and as she recalled his very words, it was impossible not to feel that there was gross duplicity on one side or the other; and, for a few moments, she flattered herself that her wishes did not err.5 But when she read, and re-read with the closest attention, the particulars immediately following of Wickham's resigning all pretensions to the living, of his receiving in lieu, so considerable a sum as three thousand pounds,6 again was she forced to hesitate. She put down the letter, weighed every circumstance with what she meant to be impartiality—deliberated on the probability of each statement—but with little success.7 On both sides it was only assertion. Again she read on. But every line proved more clearly that the affair, which she had believed it impossible that any contrivance8 could so represent, as to render Mr. Darcy's conduct in it less than infamous, was capable of a turn9 which must make him entirely blameless throughout the whole.

  The extravagance and general profligacy10 which he scrupled11 not to lay to Mr. Wickham's charge, exceedingly shocked her; the more so, as she could bring no proof of its injustice. She had never heard of him before his entrance into the—shire Militia,

  in which he had engaged at the persuasion of the young man, who, on meeting him accidentally in town, had there renewed a slight acquaintance.12 Of his former way of life, nothing had been known in Hertfordshire but what he told himself. As to his real character, had information13 been in her power, she had never felt a wish of enquiring. His countenance, voice, and manner, had established him at once in the possession of every virtue. She tried to recollect some instance of goodness, some distinguished trait of integrity or benevolence, that might rescue him from the attacks of Mr. Darcy; or at least, by the predominance of virtue, atone for those casual errors,14 under which she would endeavour to class, what Mr. Darcy had described as the idleness and vice of many years continuance. But no such recollection befriended her. She could see him instantly before her, in every charm of air and address;15 but she could remember no more substantial good than the general approbation of the neighbourhood, and the regard which his social powers had gained him in the mess.16 After pausing on this point a considerable while, she once more continued to read. But, alas! the story which followed of his designs on Miss Darcy, received some confirmation from what had passed between Colonel Fitzwilliam and herself only the morning before; and at last she was referred for the truth of every particular to Colonel F
itzwilliam himself—from whom she had previously received the information of his near concern in all his cousin's affairs, and whose character she had no reason to question. At one time she had almost resolved on applying to him, but the idea was checked by the awkwardness of the application, and at length wholly banished by the conviction that Mr. Darcy would never have hazarded such a proposal, if he had not been well assured of his cousin's corroboration.

  She perfectly remembered every thing that had passed in conversation between Wickham and herself, in their first evening at Mr. Philips's. Many of his expressions17 were still fresh in her memory. She was now struck with the impropriety of such communications to a stranger, and wondered it had escaped her before. She saw the indelicacy18 of putting himself forward as he had done, and the inconsistency of his professions with his conduct. She remembered that he had boasted of having no fear of seeing Mr. Darcy—that Mr. Darcy might leave the country,19 but that he should stand his ground; yet he had avoided the Nether-field ball the very next week. She remembered also, that till the Netherfield family had quitted the country, he had told his story to no one but herself; but that after their removal, it had been every where discussed;20 that he had then no reserves,21 no scruples in sinking Mr. Darcy's character,22 though he had assured her that respect for the father, would always prevent his exposing23 the son.24

  How differently did every thing now appear in which he was concerned! His attentions to Miss King were now the consequence of views25 solely and hatefully mercenary; and the mediocrity of her fortune proved no longer the moderation of his wishes, but his eagerness to grasp at any thing.26 His behaviour to herself could now have had no tolerable motive; he had either been deceived with regard to her fortune,27 or had been gratifying his vanity by encouraging the preference which she believed she had most incautiously shewn. Every lingering struggle in his favour grew fainter and fainter; and in farther justification of Mr. Darcy, she could not but allow that Mr. Bingley, when questioned by Jane, had long ago asserted his blamelessness in the affair; that proud and repulsive28 as were his manners, she had never, in the whole course of their acquaintance, an acquaintance which had latterly brought them much together, and given her a sort of intimacy with his ways, seen any thing that betrayed him to be unprincipled or unjust—any thing that spoke him of29 irreligious or immoral30 habits. That among his own connections he was esteemed and valued—that even Wickham had allowed him merit as a brother, and that she had often heard him speak so affectionately of his sister as to prove him capable of some amiable31 feeling. That had his actions been what Wickham represented them, so gross a violation of every thing right could hardly have been concealed from the world; and that friendship between a person capable of it, and such an amiable man as Mr. Bingley, was incomprehensible.