PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 54

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AS soon as they
were gone, Elizabeth walked out to recover her spirits; or in other words,
to dwell without interruption on those subjects that must deaden them
more. Mr. Darcy's behaviour astonished and vexed her.

"Why, if he came only to be silent, grave, and indifferent," said she,
"did he come at all?"

She could settle it in no way that gave her pleasure.

"He could be still amiable, still pleasing, to my uncle and aunt,
  when he was in town; and why not to me? If he fears me, why come hither?
  If he no longer cares for me, why silent? Teazing, teazing, man! I will
  think no more about him."

Her resolution was for a short time involuntarily kept by the approach
  of her sister, who joined her with a cheerful look, which shewed her
  better satisfied with their visitors, than Elizabeth.

"Now," said she, "that this first meeting is over, I feel perfectly
  easy. I know my own strength, and I shall never be embarrassed again
  by his coming. I am glad he dines here on Tuesday. It will then be publicly
  seen that, on both sides, we meet only as common and indifferent acquaintance."

"Yes, very indifferent indeed," said Elizabeth, laughingly. "Oh,
  Jane, take care."

"My dear Lizzy, you cannot think me so weak, as to be in danger now?"

"I think you are in very great danger of making him as much in love
  with you as ever."

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  They did not see the gentlemen again till Tuesday; and Mrs. Bennet,
  in the meanwhile, was giving way to all the happy schemes, which the
  good humour and common politeness of Bingley, in half an hour's visit,
  had revived.

  On Tuesday there was a large party assembled at Longbourn; and the two
  who were most anxiously expected, to the credit of their punctuality
  as sportsmen, were in very good time. When they repaired to the dining-room,
  Elizabeth eagerly watched to see whether Bingley would take the place,
  which, in all their former parties, had belonged to him, by her sister.
  Her prudent mother, occupied by the same ideas, forbore to invite him
  to sit by herself. On entering the room, he seemed to hesitate; but
  Jane happened to look round, and happened to smile: it was decided.
  He placed himself by her.

Elizabeth, with a triumphant sensation, looked towards his friend.
  He bore it with noble indifference, and she would have imagined that
  Bingley had received his sanction to be happy, had she not seen his
  eyes likewise turned towards Mr. Darcy, with an expression of half-laughing
  alarm.

His behaviour to her sister was such, during dinner time, as shewed
  an admiration of her, which, though more guarded than formerly, persuaded
  Elizabeth, that if left wholly to himself, Jane's happiness, and his
  own, would be speedily secured. Though she dared not depend upon the
  consequence, she yet received pleasure from observing his behaviour.
  It gave her all the animation that her spirits could boast; for she
  was in no cheerful humour. Mr. Darcy was almost as far from her as the
  table could divide them. He was on one side of her mother. She knew
  how little such a situation would give pleasure to either, or make either
  appear to advantage. She was not near enough to hear any of their discourse,
  but she could see how seldom they spoke to each other, and how formal
  and cold was their manner whenever they did. Her mother's ungraciousness,
  made the sense of what they owed him more painful to Elizabeth's mind;
  and she would, at times, have given any thing to be privileged to tell
  him that his kindness was neither unknown nor unfelt by the whole of
  the family.

She was in hopes that the evening would afford some opportunity of
  bringing them together; that the whole of the visit would not pass away
  without enabling them to enter into something more of conversation than
  the mere ceremonious salutation attending his entrance. Anxious and
  uneasy, the period which passed in the drawing-room, before the gentlemen
  came, was wearisome and dull to a degree that almost made her uncivil.
  She looked forward to their entrance as the point on which all her chance
  of pleasure for the evening must depend.

"If he does not come to me, then," said she, "I shall give him
  up for ever."

The gentlemen came; and she thought he looked as if he would have
  answered her hopes; but, alas! the ladies had crowded round the table,
  where Miss Bennet was making tea, and Elizabeth pouring out the coffee,
  in so close a confederacy that there was not a single vacancy near her
  which would admit of a chair. And on the gentlemen's approaching, one
  of the girls moved closer to her than ever, and said, in a whisper,

"The men shan't come and part us, I am determined. We want none of
  them; do we?"

Darcy had walked away to another part of the room. She followed him
  with her eyes, envied every one to whom he spoke, had scarcely patience
  enough to help anybody to coffee; and then was enraged against herself
  for being so silly!

"A man who has once been refused! How could I ever be foolish enough
  to expect a renewal of his love? Is there one among the sex, who would
  not protest against such a weakness as a second proposal to the same
  woman? There is no indignity so abhorrent to their feelings!"

She was a little revived, however, by his bringing back his coffee
  cup himself; and she seized the opportunity of saying,

"Is your sister at Pemberley still?"

"Yes, she will remain there till Christmas."

"And quite alone? Have all her friends left her?"

"Mrs. Annesley is with her. The others have been gone on to Scarborough,
  these three weeks."

She could think of nothing more to say; but if he wished to converse
  with her, he might have better success. He stood by her, however, for
  some minutes, in silence; and, at last, on the young lady's whispering
  to Elizabeth again, he walked away.

When the tea-things were removed, and the card tables placed, the
  ladies all rose, and Elizabeth was then hoping to be soon joined by
  him, when all her views were overthrown by seeing him fall a victim
  to her mother's rapacity for whist players, and in a few moments after
  seated with the rest of the party. She now lost every expectation of
  pleasure. They were confined for the evening at different tables, and
  she had nothing to hope, but that his eyes were so often turned towards
  her side of the room, as to make him play as unsuccessfully as herself.

Mrs. Bennet had designed to keep the two Netherfield gentlemen to
  supper; but their carriage was unluckily ordered before any of the others,
  and she had no opportunity of detaining them.

"Well girls," said she, as soon as they were left to themselves,
  "What say you to the day? I think every thing has passed off uncommonly
  well, I assure you. The dinner was as well dressed as any I ever saw.
  The venison was roasted to a turn -- and everybody said they never saw
  so fat a haunch. The soup was fifty times better than what we had at
  the Lucases' last week; and even Mr. Darcy acknowledged, that the partridges
  were remarkably well done; and I suppose he has two or three French
  cooks at least. And, my dear Jane, I never saw you look in greater beauty.
  Mrs. Long said so too, for I asked her whether you did not. And what
  do you think she said besides? "Ah! Mrs. Bennet, we shall have
  her at Netherfield at last." She did indeed. I do think Mrs. Long
  is as good a creature as ever lived -- and her nieces are very pretty
  behaved girls, and not at all handsome: I like them prodigiously."

Mrs. Bennet, in short, was in very great spirits; she had seen enough
  of Bingley's behaviour to Jane, to be convinced that she would get him
  at last; and her expectations of advantage to her family, when in a
  happy humour, were so far beyond reason, that she was quite disappointed
  at not seeing him there again the next day, to make his proposals.

"It has been a very agreeable day," said Miss Bennet to Elizabeth.
  "The party seemed so well selected, so suitable one with the other.
  I hope we may often meet again."

Elizabeth smiled.

"Lizzy, you must not do so. You must not suspect me. It mortifies
  me. I assure you that I have now learnt to enjoy his conversation as
  an agreeable and sensible young man, without having a wish beyond it.
  I am perfectly satisfied, from what his manners now are, that he never
  had any design of engaging my affection. It is only that he is blessed
  with greater sweetness of address, and a stronger desire of generally
  pleasing, than any other man."

"You are very cruel," said her sister, "you will not let me smile,
  and are provoking me to it every moment."

"How hard it is in some cases to be believed!"

"And how impossible in others!"

"But why should you wish to persuade me that I feel more than I acknowledge?"

"That is a question which I hardly know how to answer. We all love
  to instruct, though we can teach only what is not worth knowing. Forgive
  me; and if you persist in indifference, do not make me your confidante."

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1. Ebooks list page : 81
2. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 53
3. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 37
4. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 36
5. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 35
6. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 31
7. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 30
8. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 34
9. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 29
10. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 27
11. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 28
12. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 26
13. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 38
14. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 39
15. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 52
16. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 51