Mr Bingley was good looking and gentleman like;he had a pleasant countenance,and easy,unaffected manners.His brother in law,Mr Hurst,merely looked the gentleman;but his friend Mr Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine,tall person,handsome features,noble mien;and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance,of his having ten thousand a year.The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man,the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr Bingley,and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening,till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity;for he was discovered to be proud,to be above his company,and above being pleased;and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding,disagreeable countenance,and being unworthy to be compared with his friend.
Mr Bingley had soon made himself acquainted with all the principal people in the room;he was lively and unreserved,danced every dance,was angry that the ball closed so early,and talked of giving one himself at Netherfield.Such amiable qualities must speak for themselves.What a contrast between him and his friend!Mr Darcy danced only once with Mrs Hurst and once with Miss Bingley,declined being introduced to any other lady,and spent the rest of the evening in walking about the room,speaking occasionally to one of his own party.His character was decided.He was the proudest,most disagreeable man in the world,and every body hoped that he would never come there again.Amongst the most violent against him was Mrs Bennet,whose dislike of his general behaviour was sharpened into particular resentment by his having slighted one of her daughters.
Elizabeth Bennet had been obliged,by the scarcity of gentlemen,to sit down for two dances;and during part of that time,Mr Darcy had been standing near enough for her to overhear a conversation between him and Mr Bingley,who came from the dance for a few minutes to press his friend to join it.
‘Come,Darcy,’said he,‘I must have you dance.I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner.You had much better dance.’
‘I certainly shall not.You know how I detest it,unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner.At such an assembly as this,it would be insupportable.Your sisters are engaged,and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with.’
‘I would not be so fastidious as you are,’cried Bingley,‘for a kingdom!Upon my honour I never met with so many pleasant girls in my life,as I have this evening;and there are several of them you see uncommonly pretty.’
‘You are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room,’said Mr Darcy,looking at the eldest Miss Bennet.
‘Oh!she is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld!But there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you,who is very pretty,and I dare say very agreeable.Do let me ask my partner to introduce you.’
‘Which do you mean?’and turning round,he looked for a moment at Elizabeth,till catching her eye,he withdrew his own and coldly said,‘She is tolerable,but not handsome enough to tempt me;and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men.You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles,for you are wasting your time with me.’
Mr Bingley followed his advice.Mr Darcy walked off;and Elizabeth remained with no very cordial feelings towards him.She told the story however with great spirit among her friends;for she had a lively,playful disposition,which delighted in any thing ridiculous.
The evening altogether passed off pleasantly to the whole family.Mrs Bennet had seen her eldest daughter much admired by the Netherfield party.Mr Bingley had danced with her twice,and she had been distinguished by his sisters.Jane was as much gratified by this as her mother could be,though in a quieter way.Elizabeth felt Jane's pleasure.Mary had heard herself mentioned to Miss Bingley as the most accomplished girl in the neighbourhood;and Catherine and Lydia had been fortunate enough to be never without partners,which was all that they had yet learnt to care for at a ball.They returned therefore in good spirits to Longbourn,the village where they lived,and of which they were the principal inhabitants.They found Mr Bennet still up.With a book,he was regardless of time;and on the present occasion he had a good deal of curiosity as to the event of an evening which had raised such splendid expectations.He had rather hoped that all his wife's views on the stranger would be disappointed;but he soon found that he had a very different story to hear.
‘Oh!My dear Mr Bennet,’as she entered the room,‘we have had a most delightful evening,a most excellent ball.I wish you had been there.Jane was so admired,nothing could be like it.Every body said how well she looked;and Mr Bingley thought her quite beautiful,and danced with her twice.Only think of that,my dear;he actually danced with her twice.and she was the only creature in the room that he asked a second time.First of all,he asked Miss Lucas.I was so vexed to see him stand up with her;but,however,he did not admire her at all;indeed,nobody can,you know;and he seemed quite struck with Jane as she was going down the dance.So he inquired who she was,and got introduced,and asked her for the two next.Then the two third he danced with Miss King,and the two fourth with Maria Lucas,and the two fifth with Jane again,and the two sixth with Lizzy,and the Boulanger-’
‘If he had had any compassion for me,’cried her husband impatiently,‘he would not have danced half so much!For God's sake,say no more of his partners.Oh!That he had sprained his ancle in the first dance!’
