Their manners are not equal to his.”

“Certainly not, at first; but they are very pleasing women when you
converse with them
They were, in fact, very fine
ladies; not deficient in good-humour when they were pleased, nor in the
power of being agreeable where they chose it; but proud and conceited
They were of a respectable family in
the north of England; a circumstance more deeply impressed on their
memories than that their brother’s fortune and their own had been
acquired by trade
Bingley inherited property to the amount of nearly a hundred
thousand pounds from his father, who had intended to purchase an estate,
but did not live to do it
His sisters were very anxious for his having an estate of his own; but
though he was now established only as a tenant, Miss Bingley was by no
means unwilling to preside at his table; nor was Mrs
Hurst, who had
married a man of more fashion than fortune, less disposed to consider
his house as her home when it suited her
Bingley had not been of
age two years when he was tempted, by an accidental recommendation, to
look at Netherfield House
He did look at it, and into it, for half an
hour; was pleased with the situation and the principal rooms, satisfied
with what the owner said in its praise, and took it immediately
Between him and Darcy there was a very steady friendship, in spite of a
great opposition of character
On the strength of Darcy’s regard, Bingley
had the firmest reliance, and of his judgment the highest opinion
In
understanding, Darcy was the superior
Bingley was by no means
deficient; but Darcy was clever
He was at the same time haughty,
reserved, and fastidious; and his manners, though well bred, were not
inviting
In that respect his friend had greatly the advantage
Bingley
was sure of being liked wherever he appeared; Darcy was continually
giving offence
The manner in which they spoke of the Meryton assembly was sufficiently
characteristic
Miss Bennet he acknowledged to be pretty; but she smiled too
much
Hurst and her sister allowed it to be so; but still they admired
her and liked her, and pronounced her to be a sweet girl, and one whom
they should not object to know more of
Miss Bennet was therefore
established as a sweet girl; and their brother felt authorized by such
commendation to think of her as he chose
[Illustration: [_Copyright 1894 by George Allen._]]




CHAPTER V
[Illustration]

Within a short walk of Longbourn lived a family with whom the Bennets
were particularly intimate
Sir William Lucas had been formerly in trade
in Meryton, where he had made a tolerable fortune, and risen to the
honour of knighthood by an address to the king during his mayoralty
The
distinction had, perhaps, been felt too strongly
For,
though elated by his rank, it did not render him supercilious; on the
contrary, he was all attention to everybody
By nature inoffensive,
friendly, and obliging, his presentation at St
Lady Lucas was a very good kind of woman, not too clever to be a
valuable neighbour to Mrs
The eldest
of them, a sensible, intelligent young woman, about twenty-seven, was
Elizabeth’s intimate friend
That the Miss Lucases and the Miss Bennets should meet to talk over a
ball was absolutely necessary; and the morning after the assembly
brought the former to Longbourn to hear and to communicate
“_You_ began the evening well, Charlotte,” said Mrs
Bennet, with civil
self-command, to Miss Lucas
Bingley’s first choice.”

“Yes; but he seemed to like his second better.”

“Oh, you mean Jane, I suppose, because he danced with her twice
To be
sure that _did_ seem as if he admired her--indeed, I rather believe he
_did_--I heard something about it--but I hardly know what--something
about Mr
Robinson.”

“Perhaps you mean what I overheard between him and Mr
Robinson: did not
I mention it to you
Robinson’s asking him how he liked our Meryton
assemblies, and whether he did not think there were a great many pretty
women in the room, and _which_ he thought the prettiest
and his
answering immediately to the last question, ‘Oh, the eldest Miss Bennet,
beyond a doubt: there cannot be two opinions on that point.’”

“Upon my word
Well, that was very decided, indeed--that does seem as
if--but, however, it may all come to nothing, you know.”

“_My_ overhearings were more to the purpose than _yours_, Eliza,” said
Charlotte
Darcy is not so well worth listening to as his friend,
is he
to be only just _tolerable_.”

“I beg you will not put it into Lizzy’s head to be vexed by his
ill-treatment, for he is such a disagreeable man that it would be quite
a misfortune to be liked by him
Is not there a little mistake?” said Jane
With _them_ he is remarkably
agreeable.”

“I do not believe a word of it, my dear
If he had been so very
agreeable, he would have talked to Mrs
But I can guess how it
was; everybody says that he is eat up with pride, and I dare say he had
heard somehow that Mrs
Long does not keep a carriage, and had to come
to the ball in a hack chaise.”

“I do not mind his not talking to Mrs
One cannot wonder that so
very fine a young man, with family, fortune, everything in his favour,
should think highly of himself
Vanity and pride are different
things, though the words are often used synonymously
A person may be
proud without being vain
Pride relates more to our opinion of
ourselves; vanity to what we would have others think of us.”

“If I were as rich as Mr
Darcy,” cried a young Lucas, who came with his
sisters, “I should not care how proud I was
I would keep a pack of
foxhounds, and drink a bottle of wine every day.”

“Then you would drink a great deal more than you ought,” said Mrs