PRIDE & PREJUDICE: JANE AUSTEN: CHAPTER FORTY FOUR

Next morning. Lambton.  Elizabeth, her uncle and aunt along with some new friends had been walking about the place; and were just returning to the inn to dress themselves for dining, when the sound of carriage drew them to a window, they saw Mr Darcy and her sister in a curricle driving up the street.  With a perturbed mind, she stood looking at them, and then withdrew from the window, fearful of being seen.
Mr Darcy and her sister appeared, and a formal introduction took place. Elizabeth saw that Miss Darcy was also embarassed. She had heard that Miss Darcy was exceedingly proud. But she observed that she is exceedingly shy.  She found it difficult to get even a word from her beyond monosyllable.  Miss Darcy was little more than sixteen, tall, and graceful.  She was less handsome than her brother; but there was sense and good humour in her.  Her manners were perfectly unassuming and gentle.

They had not been long together before Mr Darcy had told her that Mr Bingley was also coming to wait on her; and Mr Bingley's quick step was heard on the stairs, and in a moment he entered the room.  Elizabeth's anger against him had been done away.  He inquired friendly, though general way, after her family, and looked and spoke with the same good-humoured ease that he had ever done.

Elizabeth wanted to ascertain the feelings of each of her visitors, and make herself agreeable to all.  Her thoughts naturally flew to her sister, and she wanted to know his mood towards her. Two or three occasions occurred when he said, "it was a very long time since he had the pleasure of seeing Jane," and before she could reply, he added, "It is above eight months.  We have not met since the 26th of November, when we were all dancing together at Netherfield."

It was not often that she could turn her eyes on Mr Darcy; whenever she did catch a glimpse, she saw an expression of complaisance.

Their visitors stayed with them above half an hour; and when they arose to depart, Mr Darcy called on his sister to join him in expressing their wish of seeing Mr and Mrs Gardiner, and Miss Bennet, to dinner at Pemberly, before they left the country.  Mrs Gardiner accepted the invitation on behalf of all the others. She along with her husband could see that Mr Darcy was in love with Elizabeth.

After Mr Darcy and party left, Elizabeth, fearful of inquiries from uncle and aunt, stayed with them only long enough to hear their favourable opinion of Mr Bingley, hurried away to dress.  They have formed their own opinion of Darcy and Wickham.  Darcy, though proud was liberal and compassionate. Wickham, they found, was not held in esteem in those parts.  On his quitting Derbyshire, he had left many debts behind him, which Mr Darcy afterwards discharged.

As for Elizabeth, her thoughts were at Pemberly.  A retrospect of her transactions with Mr Darcy brought a new light to her.  She did not hate him now. Hate was past.  Her dislike of him was based on the intelligence she received from Mr Wickham.  She was ashamed of her blind faith in Wickham.  The favourable opinion of Mrs Reynolds, and also of aunt and uncle convinced her that she was wrong in assessing Mr Darcy.  She found that her hitherto response to Mr Darcy was not reasonable but prejudiced. Elizabeth found that she was beginning to love Mr Darcy.

THE END 

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