PRIDE & PREJUDICE: JANE AUSTEN: CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
Elizabeth awoke the next morning to the same thoughts which had at length closed her eyes. She could not recover from the surprise of what had happened; it was impossible to think of anything else. Soon after breakfast, she resolved to indulge herself in air and exercise. She was proceeding directly to her favourite walk, when the recollection of Mr Darcy's sometimes coming there stopped her, and instead of entering the park, she turned up the lane, which led farther from the turnpike-road. The park paling was still the boundary on one side, and she soon passed one of the gates into the ground.
After walking along the part of the lane, she was tempted by the pleasant morning to stop at the gate and look into the park. It had been five weeks she was in Kent, and every day added to the lush green of trees. Suddenly, she got a glimpse of Mr Darcy within the grove which edged the park. As he was moving towards her, she began to retreat. But he was near enough to see her, and stepping forward, pronounced her name. She moved again to the gate. By that time he reached it, holding an envelope. As she took it instinctively, he said haughtily, "I have been walking in the grove to meet you. Will you do the honour of reading it?" And then, with a slight bow, turned again into the park, and was soon out of sight.
Out of strong curiosity, she opened the envelope and found two sheets of paper, written quite through in close hand. Walking along the lane she began to read it:
"Be not alarmed, madam, the repetition of sentiments and offers of the previous day. It is not for the renewal of those offers. I have no intention to pain you or humble me. Pardon me, for the freedom I take to draw your attention to my explanation to the accusations you have made against me.
"The first is that I have detached Mr Bingley from your sister. I had not been long in Hertfordshire, before I saw, that Mr Bingley preferred Miss Jane Bennet to any other young woman in the country. I had often seen him in love. The evening of dance at Netherfield showed me the difference of his attachment to Miss Jane. It was Sir William Lucas, who told me that the attachment had given rise to a general expectation of their marriage. Following this, my observations also revealed to me his inclination to Miss Bennet was beyond what I have ever witnessed in him. I also watched Miss Bennet. Her look and manners were open, cheerful, and engaging as ever, but without any symptom of peculiar regard, and I remain convinced, from the evening's scrutiny, that though she received attentions with pleasure, she did not invite him by any participation of sentiment. If you have not been mistaken here, I must have been in error. Your superior knowledge of your sister must make the latter probable. If it be so, if I have been misled by such error to inflict pain on her, your resentment has not been unreasonable.
"The situation of your mother's family, though objectionable, is not devoid of propriety. As he is my true friend, I was obliged to pass these intelligence to him. It was my attempt to preserve my friend from what I considered an unhappy connection. He left Netherfield for London on the following day. Miss Bingley and I joined him in London, the next day. There, I emphasized certain evils of his choice. But that might not have prevented him, had I not exposed Jane's lack of peculiar regard towards him. In this he depended on my judgement.
"Later, when Miss Jane was with her aunt in London, we concealed it from Bingley.
"About Mr Wickham, I feel, you are under a cloud of misinformation, and it is my duty to set the matters right.
"Mr Wickham is the son of a very respectable man, who had for years the management of Pemberly estate.
George Wickham was the godson of my father. My father supported him at school, and afterwards at Cambridge. His own father, because of the extravagance of his wife, was unable to give him a gentleman's education. My father was not only fond of this young man's society, he had also the highest opinion of him, and hoping that church would be his profession, intended to provide for him in it. As for myself, it is many many years, since I first began to think of him in a very different light. The vicious propensities - the want of principle, which he was careful to guard from the knowledge of his best friend, could not escape the observation of a young man of nearly the same age with himself, and who had opportunities of seeing him in unguarded moments, which I could not have. Whatever may be the sentiments which Mr Wickham had created, I have to unfold his real character.
"My father died about five years ago; and his attachment to him to the last was so steady, that in his will he particularly recommended to me, to promote his advancement in the best manner that his profession might allow - and if he took orders, desired that a valuable family living might be his as soon as it became vacant. There was also a legacy of one thousand pounds. His own father did not long survive mine, and within half a year of his death, Mr Wickham wrote to me that, having fully resolved against taking orders, he was going to study law. He added that the interest of one thousand pounds would be insufficient to support his studies; and he put forward a proposal that he may be paid a lumpsum three thousand pounds in lieu of his claim on legacy and the living. I believed him to be sincere, and according to my own view of him, he ought not to be a clergyman. So I accepted his proposal. All connection between us seemed now dissolved. His studying law was a mere pretence. He lived in the town. Being free from restraint he lived a life of idleness and dissipation. For about three years I heard little of him; but on the death of the incumbent of the living, he wrote me that he had found law very unprofitable, and was resolved on being ordained and asked whether the living in question would be given to him. It was hard for me to comply with his request. His resentment was in proportion to the distress in his circumstances. He began to abuse me to others.
"My sister, Georgiana, who is more than ten years junior to me was left to the guardianship of mother's nephew, Colonel Fitzwilliam and myself. About a year ago she was taken from school and an establishment formed for her in London, and last summer she went with Mrs Younge, who presided over it, to Ramsgate; and tither also went Mr Wickham, undoubtedly by design for there proved to have been a prior acquaintance between him and Mrs Younge, who deceived us, and by her connivance and aid pretended to be in love with Georgiana. Mr Wickham's target was a settlement of thirty thousand pounds in her favour, which would become his when she married. Wickham planned an elopement with Georgina. When I got wind of this, I joined them unexpectedly a day or two before the intended elopement. Georgina, unable to support grieving and offending a brother, whom she looked up to as a father, acknowledged the whole to me. You may imagine what I felt and how I acted. Regard for my sister's credit and feelings prevented any public exposure; but I wrote to Mr Wickham, who left the place immediately. Mrs Younge was of course removed from her charge. Mr Wickham's chief object was undoubtedly my sister's fortune, but I cannot help suppose that the hope of revenge on me was a strong inducement.
"This, madam, is a faithful narrative of every event in which we have been concerned together, and if you do not absolutely reject it as false, you will, I hope, acquit me henceforth of cruelty towards Mr Wickham.
"You may possibly wonder why all this was not told you last night, but I was not then master enough of myself to know what could or ought to be revealed. For the truth of everything here related, I can appeal to the testimony of Colonel Fitzwilliam, who has been acquainted with every particulars of these transactions. I shall endeavour to put this letter in your hand in the morning. I will add, God bless you.
"Fitzwilliam Darcy."
THE END
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