Darcy, a most
intimate, confidential friend
Darcy often acknowledged himself to
be under the greatest obligations to my father’s active superintendence;
and when, immediately before my father’s death, Mr
Darcy gave him a
voluntary promise of providing for me, I am convinced that he felt it
to be as much a debt of gratitude to _him_ as of affection to myself.”

“How strange!” cried Elizabeth
I wonder that the very
pride of this Mr
Darcy has not made him just to you
It has
connected him nearer with virtue than any other feeling
Family pride, and _filial_ pride, for he is very proud of what his
father was, have done this
Not to appear to disgrace his family, to
degenerate from the popular qualities, or lose the influence of the
Pemberley House, is a powerful motive
“I wish I could call her amiable
It gives me pain to
speak ill of a Darcy; but she is too much like her brother,--very, very
proud
As a child, she was affectionate and pleasing, and extremely fond
of me; and I have devoted hours and hours to her amusement
She is a handsome girl, about fifteen or sixteen,
and, I understand, highly accomplished
Bingley,
who seems good-humour itself, and is, I really believe, truly amiable,
be in friendship with such a man
Bingley?”

“Not at all.”

“He is a sweet-tempered, amiable, charming man
Darcy is.”

“Probably not; but Mr
Darcy can please where he chooses
He can be a conversible companion if he thinks it worth
his while
Among those who are at all his equals in consequence, he is a
very different man from what he is to the less prosperous
Collins took his station between his cousin
Elizabeth and Mrs
The usual inquiries as to his success were
made by the latter
It had not been very great; he had lost every point;
but when Mrs
There
are, undoubtedly, many who could not say the same; but, thanks to Lady
Catherine de Bourgh, I am removed far beyond the necessity of regarding
little matters.”

Mr
Wickham’s attention was caught; and after observing Mr
Collins for
a few moments, he asked Elizabeth in a low voice whether her relations
were very intimately acquainted with the family of De Bourgh
“Lady Catherine de Bourgh,” she replied, “has very lately given him a
living
Darcy.”

“No, indeed, I did not
I knew nothing at all of Lady Catherine’s
connections
Vain indeed must be all her attentions, vain and useless her
affection for his sister and her praise of himself, if he were already
self-destined to another
There could be no conversation in the noise of
Mrs
Philips’s supper party, but his manners recommended him to
everybody
Whatever he said, was said well; and whatever he did, done
gracefully
Elizabeth went away with her head full of him
She could
think of nothing but of Mr
Wickham, and of what he had told her, all
the way home; but there was not time for her even to mention his name as
they went, for neither Lydia nor Mr
Lydia
talked incessantly of lottery tickets, of the fish she had lost and the
fish she had won; and Mr
Collins, in describing the civility of Mr
[Illustration:

     “delighted to see their dear friend again”
]




CHAPTER XVII
[Illustration]

Elizabeth related to Jane, the next day, what had passed between Mr
Jane listened with astonishment and concern: she
knew not how to believe that Mr
Darcy could be so unworthy of Mr
Bingley’s regard; and yet it was not in her nature to question the
veracity of a young man of such amiable appearance as Wickham
“They have both,” said she, “been deceived, I dare say, in some way or
other, of which we can form no idea
Interested people have perhaps
misrepresented each to the other
Do clear _them_, too, or we shall be obliged to think ill of
somebody.”

“Laugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my
opinion
My dearest Lizzy, do but consider in what a disgraceful light
it places Mr
Darcy, to be treating his father’s favourite in such a
manner,--one whom his father had promised to provide for
No man of common humanity, no man who had any value for his
character, could be capable of it
Can his most intimate friends be so
excessively deceived in him
Oh no.”

“I can much more easily believe Mr
Bingley’s being imposed on than that
Mr