Philips, and was, by her watchfulness, most abundantly
supplied with coffee and muffin
When the card tables were placed, he had an opportunity of obliging her,
in return, by sitting down to whist
“I know little of the game at present,” said he, “but I shall be glad to
improve myself; for in my situation of life----” Mrs
Philips was very
thankful for his compliance, but could not wait for his reason
Wickham did not play at whist, and with ready delight was he
received at the other table between Elizabeth and Lydia
Allowing for the common demands of the game, Mr
She dared not even
mention that gentleman
Her curiosity, however, was unexpectedly
relieved
Wickham began the subject himself
He inquired how far
Netherfield was from Meryton; and, after receiving her answer, asked in
a hesitating manner how long Mr
“You may well be surprised, Miss Bennet, at such an assertion, after
seeing, as you probably might, the very cold manner of our meeting
yesterday
Are you much acquainted with Mr
Darcy?”

“As much as I ever wish to be,” cried Elizabeth, warmly
“I have spent
four days in the same house with him, and I think him very
disagreeable.”

“I have no right to give _my_ opinion,” said Wickham, “as to his being
agreeable or otherwise
I have known him
too long and too well to be a fair judge
It is impossible for _me_ to
be impartial
But I believe your opinion of him would in general
astonish--and, perhaps, you would not express it quite so strongly
anywhere else
Here you are in your own family.”

“Upon my word I say no more _here_ than I might say in any house in the
neighbourhood, except Netherfield
He is not at all liked in
Hertfordshire
Everybody is disgusted with his pride
I hope your plans in favour of the ----shire will
not be affected by his being in the neighbourhood.”

“Oh no--it is not for _me_ to be driven away by Mr
If _he_
wishes to avoid seeing _me_ he must go
His father, Miss Bennet, the late Mr
Darcy, was one of the best men
that ever breathed, and the truest friend I ever had; and I can never be
in company with this Mr
Darcy without being grieved to the soul by a
thousand tender recollections
“It was the prospect of constant society, and good society,” he added,
“which was my chief inducement to enter the ----shire
Society, I own, is necessary to me
I have been a disappointed man, and
my spirits will not bear solitude
I _must_ have employment and society
A military life is not what I was intended for, but circumstances have
now made it eligible
Darcy bequeathed me the next presentation of the best
living in his gift
He was my godfather, and excessively attached to me
I cannot do justice to his kindness
He meant to provide for me amply,
and thought he had done it; but when the living fell, it was given
elsewhere.”

“Good heavens!” cried Elizabeth; “but how could _that_ be
How could his
will be disregarded
Why did not you seek legal redress?”

“There was just such an informality in the terms of the bequest as to
give me no hope from law
A man of honour could not have doubted the
intention, but Mr
Darcy chose to doubt it--or to treat it as a merely
conditional recommendation, and to assert that I had forfeited all claim
to it by extravagance, imprudence, in short, anything or nothing
I have a warm unguarded temper, and I
may perhaps have sometimes spoken my opinion _of_ him, and _to_ him, too
freely
But the fact is, that we are very
different sort of men, and that he hates me.”

“This is quite shocking
He deserves to be publicly disgraced.”

“Some time or other he _will_ be--but it shall not be by _me_
Till I
can forget his father, I can never defy or expose _him_.”

Elizabeth honoured him for such feelings, and thought him handsomer than
ever as he expressed them
“But what,” said she, after a pause, “can have been his motive
what can
have induced him to behave so cruelly?”

“A thorough, determined dislike of me--a dislike which I cannot but
attribute in some measure to jealousy
Darcy liked me
less, his son might have borne with me better; but his father’s uncommon
attachment to me irritated him, I believe, very early in life
He had
not a temper to bear the sort of competition in which we stood--the sort
of preference which was often given me.”

“I had not thought Mr
_My_
father began life in the profession which your uncle, Mr
Philips,
appears to do so much credit to; but he gave up everything to be of use
to the late Mr
Darcy, and devoted all his time to the care of the
Pemberley property
He was most highly esteemed by Mr