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.’
Chapter 55
A few days after this visit,Mr Bingley called again,and alone.His friend had left him that morning for London,but was to return home in ten days,time.He sat with them above an hour,and was in remarkably good spirits.Mrs Bennet invited him to dine with them;but,with many expressions of concern,he confessed himself engaged elsewhere.
‘Next time you call,’said she,‘I hope we shall be more lucky.’
He should be particularly happy at any time,&c.&c.;and if she would give him leave,would take an early opportunity of waiting on them.
‘Can you come to morrow?’
Yes,he had no engagement at all for to morrow;and her invitation was accepted with alacrity.
He came,and in such very good time that the ladies were none of them dressed.In ran Mrs Bennet to her daughter's room,in her dressing gown,and with her hair half finished,crying out,
‘My dear Jane,make haste and hurry down.He is come-Mr Bingley is come.-He is,indeed.Make haste,make haste.Here,Sarah,come to Miss Bennet this moment,and help her on with her gown.Never mind Miss Lizzy's hair.’
‘We will be down as soon as we can,’said Jane;‘but I dare say Kitty is forwarder than either of us,for she went up stairs half an hour ago.’
‘Oh!hang Kitty!what has she to do with it?Come,be quick,be quick!Where is your sash,my dear?’
But when her mother was gone,Jane would not be prevailed on to go down without one of her sisters.
The same anxiety to get them by themselves was visible again in the evening.After tea,Mr Bennet retired to the library,as was his custom,and Mary went up stairs to her instrument.Two obstacles of the five being thus removed,Mrs Bennet sat looking and winking at Elizabeth and Catherine for a considerable time,without making any impression on them.Elizabeth would not observe her;and when at last Kitty did,she very innocently said,‘What is the matter,mamma?What do you keep winking at me for?What am I to do?’
‘Nothing，child,nothing.I did not wink at you.’She then sat still five minutes longer;but unable to waste such a precious occasion,she suddenly got up,and saying to Kitty,‘Come here,my love,I want to speak to you,’took her out of the room.Jane instantly gave a look at Elizabeth which spoke her distress at such premeditation,and her entreaty that she would not give in to it.In a few minutes,Mrs Bennet half opened the door and called out,
‘Lizzy,my dear,I want to speak with you.’
Elizabeth was forced to go.
‘We may as well leave them by themselves,you know;’said her mother,as soon as she was in the hall.‘Kitty and I are going up stairs to sit in my dressing room.’
Elizabeth made no attempt to reason with her mother,but remained quietly in the hall till she and Kitty were out of sight,then returned into the drawing room.
Mrs Bennet's schemes for this day were ineffectual.Bingley was every thing that was charming,except the professed lover of her daughter.His ease and cheerfulness rendered him a most agreeable addition to their evening party;and he bore with the ill judged officiousness of the mother,and heard all her silly remarks with a forbearance and command of countenance particularly grateful to the daughter.
He scarcely needed an invitation to stay to supper;and before he went away,an engagement was formed,chiefly through his own and Mrs Bennet's means,for his coming next morning to shoot with her husband.
After this day,Jane said no more of her indifference.Not a word passed between the sisters concerning Bingley;but Elizabeth went to bed in the happy belief that all must speedily be concluded,unless Mr Darcy returned within the stated time.Seriously,however,she felt tolerably persuaded that all this must have taken place with that gentleman's concurrence.
Bingley was punctual to his appointment;and he and Mr Bennet spent the morning together,as had been agreed on.The latter was much more agreeable than his companion expected.There was nothing of presumption or folly in Bingley that could provoke his ridicule,or disgust him into silence;and he was more communicative,and less eccentric,than the other had ever seen him.Bingley of course returned with him to dinner;and in the evening Mrs Bennet's invention was again at work to get every body away from him and her daughter.Elizabeth,who had a letter to write,went into the breakfast room for that purpose soon after tea;for as the others were all going to sit down to cards,she could not be wanted to counteract her mother's schemes.
