PRIDE & PREJUDICE: JANE AUSTEN: CHAPTER FIFTY NINE

"Dear Lizzy, where can you have been walking to?" asked Jane as soon as she entered the room. As they sat down to the table, others repeated it. She had only to reply that they had wandered about. She coloured as she spoke, but nobody noticed it.

The evening passed quietly, without anything to mark. The acknowledged lovers talked and laughed, the  unacknowledged lovers were silent. Darcy was not in a disposition in which happiness overflows in mirth; and Elizabeth agitated and confused, rather knew that she was happy than felt herself to be so; for, besides the immediate embarassment, there were other evils before. She anticipated what would be felt in the family when her situation became known; she was aware that no one liked but Jane; and even feared that with the others it was dislike which not all his fortune and consequence might do away.

At night she opened her heart to Jane. Though suspicion was very far from Miss Bennet's general habits, she was absolutely incredulous here.

"You are joking, Lizzy. This cannot be! ---engaged to Mr Darcy! No, no, you shall not be deceive me. I know it is impossible."

"This is a wretched beginning indeed! My sole dependence was on you; and I am sure nobody else will believe me, if you do not. Yet, indeed, I am in earnest. I speak nothing but the truth. He still loves me and we are engaged."

Jane looked at her doubtingly. "Oh, Lizzy! It cannot be. I know how much you dislike him."

"You know nothing of the matter. That is all to be forgotten. Perhaps I did not always love him so well as I now do. But in such cases as this, a good memory is unpardonable. This is the last time I shall ever remember it myself."

Miss Bennet still looked all amazement. Elizabeth again and more seriously assured her of its truth.

"Good Heaven! Can it be really so! Yet now I must believe you," cried Jane. "My dear, dear Lizzy, I would -- I do congratulate you -- but are you certain? Forgive the question -- are you quite certain that you can be happy with him?"

"There can be no doubt of that. It is settled between us already, that we are to be the happiest couple in the world. But are you pleased, Jane? Shall you like to have such a brother?"

"Very, very much. Nothing could give either Bingley or myself more delight. But we considered it, we talked of it as impossible. And do you really love him quite well enough? Oh, Lizzy! do anything, rather than marry without affection. Are you quite sure you feel what you ought to do?"

"Oh, yes! You I will only think I feel more than I ought to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why, I must confess that I love him better than, I do Bingley. I am afraid you will be angry."

"My dearest sister, now be serious. I want to talk seriously. Let me know everything that I am to know, without delay. Will you tell me how long you have loved him?"

"It has been coming on gradually, that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful ground at Pemberly."

Another entreaty that she would be serious, however, produced the desired effect; and she soon satisfied Jane by her solemn assurances of attachment. When convinced on that article Miss Bennet had nothing further to wish.

"Now I am quite happy," said she, "for you will be as happy as myself. I always had a value for him. Were it for nothing but his love of you, I must have always esteemed him; but now as Bingley's friend and your husband, there can be only Bingley and yourself more dear to me. But Lizzy, you have been very sly, very reserved with me. How little did you tell me of what passed at Pemberly and Lambton! I owe all that I know of it to another, not to you."

Elizabeth told her the motives of her secrecy. She had been unwilling to mention Bingley; and the unsettled state of her own feelings had made her equally avoid the name of his friend. But now she would no longer conceal from her his share in Lydia's marriage. All was acknowledged, and half the night spent in conversation.

"Good Gracious!" cried Mrs Bennet as she stood at a window next morning, "if that disagreeable Mr Darcy is not coming here with our dear Bingley! What can he mean by being so tiresome as to be always coming here? I had no notion but he would go a- shooting or something or other, and not disturb us with his company. What shall we do with him? Lizzy, you must walk out with him again, that he may not be in Bingley's ways.

Elizabeth could hardly help laughing at so convenient a proposal, yet was really vexed that her mother should be always giving him such an epithet.

As soon as they entered, Bingley looked at her so expressively, and shook hands with such warmth, as left no doubt of his good information, and he soon afterwards said aloud, "Mrs Bennet, have you no more lanes hereabouts in which Lizzy may lose her way again today?"

"I advise Mr Darcy, and Lizzy and Kitty," said Mrs Bennet, "to walk to Okham mount this morning. It is a nice long walk, and Mr Darcy had never seen the view."

"It may do very well for the others," replied Mr Bingley, "but it will be too much for Kitty. Won't it Kitty?" Kitty owned that she had rather stay at home. Darcy professed great curiosity to see the view from the Mount, and Elizabeth silently consented. As she went upstairs to get ready Mrs Bennet followed her saying: 

"I am quite sorry, Lizzy, that you should be forced to have that disagreeable man all to yourself. But I hope you will not mind it: It is all for Jane's sake, you know, and there is no occasion for talking to him, except just now and then. So, do not put yourself to inconvenience."

During the walk it was resolved that Mr Bennet's consent should be asked in the course of the evening. Elizabeth reserved to herself the application for her mother's.

In the evening, soon after Mr Bennet withdrew to the library, she saw Mr Darcy rise also and follow him. Elizabeth began to agitate. She was the favourite child of her father. What would be his reaction to her choice? She sat in misery till Darcy appeared again. She was a little relieved by his smile. He came directly to the table where she was sitting, and whispered to her, "Go to your father, he wants you in the library."

Within a while, she was in the library; and her father was walking about the room, looking grave and anxious. "Lizzy, said he, "what are you doing? Are you out of your senses, to be accepting this man? Have not you always hated him?"

She earnestly did wish that her former opinions had been more reasonable, her expressions more moderate, It would have spared her from explanations, and she felt the awkwardness of the situation. She assured him of her attachment to Darcy.

"Or, in other words, you are determined to have him. He is rich, to be sure, and you may have more fine clothes and fine carriages than Jane. But will they make you happy?"

"Have you any other objection," said Elizabeth, "than your belief of my indifference?"

"None at all. We all know him to be proud, unpleasant sort of man; but this would be nothing if you really liked him."

"I do, I do like him, she replied, with tears in her eyes, "I love him. Indeed he has no improper pride. He is perfectly amiable. You do not know what he really is; then pray do not pain me by speaking of him in such terms."

"Lizzy," said her father, "I have given him my consent. He is the kind of man, indeed, to whom I should never dare refuse anything, if he condescended to ask. I now give it to you, if you are resolved of having him. But let me advise you to think better of it. I know your disposition, Lizzy. I know that you could be neither happy nor respectable, unless you truly esteemed your husband; unless you looked upto him a superior. Your lively talents would place you in the greatest danger in an unequal marriage. You could scarcely escape discredit and misery. My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life. You know not what you are about."

Elizabeth was earnest and solemn in her reply; she explained the gradual change in her estimation of Darcy; her affection towards him was not the work of a day, but has stood the test of many months; and she enumerated all his good qualities.

"Well, my dear," said he, when she ceased speaking, "I have no more to say. If this be the case, he deserves you. I could not have parted with you, my Lizzy, to anyone less worthy."

She told him what Mr Darcy had voluntarily done for Lydia. He heard her with astonishment.

"This is an evening of wonders indeed! And so, Darcy did everything, made up the match, gave the money, paid the fellow's debts, and got him his commission! So much the better. It will save me a world of trouble and economy. Had it been your uncle's doing, I must and would have paid him; but these violent young lovers carry everything their own way. I shall offer to pay him tomorrow; he will rant and storm about his love for you, and there will be an end of the matter."

He then recollected her embarassment a few days before, on his reading Mr Collins's letter; and after laughing at her for some time, allowed her to go - saying as she quitted the room, "If any young men come for Mary and Kitty, send them in, for I am quite at leisure."

Elizabeth was relieved from a heavy weight; she joined the others after half an hour's reflection. Happy and tranquil, the evening passed away.

When her mother went up to her dressing room at night, she followed her, and made the important communication. Mrs Bennet sat still, unable to utter a syllable. She could not believe what she heard. At length, she recovered, began to fidget about in her chair, get up and sit down, wonder and bless herself.

"Good gracious! Mr Darcy! Lord bless me! Who would have thought it! And is it really true? Oh! My sweetest Lizzy! How rich and how great you will be! What pin-money, what jewels, what carriages you will have! Jane's is nothing to it - nothing at all. I am so pleased - so happy. Such a charming man! Oh, my Lizzy! pray apologize for my having disliked him so much before. I hope he will overlook it. Dear, dear Lizzy, a house in town! Everything thing that is charming! Three daughters married! Ten thousand a year! Oh, Lord! what will become of me. I shall go distracted.

This was enough to prove that her approbation need not be doubted: and Elizabeth rejoicing that such an affusion was heard only by herself, soon went away. But she followed her into her room, and said, "My dearest child," she cried, "I can think of nothing else! Ten thousand a year, and very likely more! Tis as good as Lord! And a special licence. You must and shall be married by a special licence. But my dearest love, tell me what dish Mr Darcy is particularly fond of, that I may have it tomorrow."

But the morrow ended much better than she expected; for Mrs Bennet stood in such an awe of her intended son-in-law that she ventured not to speak.

THE END 

 

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