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Гордость и предубеждение
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Pride and Prejudice
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“But does Lydia know nothing of this?
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can she be ignorant of what you and Jane seem so well to understand?”
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“Oh,
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yes!—
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that,
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that is the worst of all.
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Till I was in Kent,
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and saw so much both of Mr. Darcy and his relation Colonel Fitzwilliam,
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I was ignorant of the truth myself.
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And when I returned home,
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the ——shire was to leave Meryton in a week or fortnight’s time.
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As that was the case,
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neither Jane,
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to whom I related the whole,
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nor I,
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thought it necessary to make our knowledge public;
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for of what use could it apparently be to any one,
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that the good opinion which all the neighbourhood had of him should then be overthrown?
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And even when it was settled that Lydia should go with Mrs. Forster,
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the necessity of opening her eyes to his character never occurred to me.
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That she could be in any danger from the deception never entered my head.
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That such a consequence as this could ensue,
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you may easily believe,
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was far enough from my thoughts.”
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“When they all removed to Brighton,
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therefore,
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you had no reason,
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I suppose,
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to believe them fond of each other?”
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“Not the slightest.
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I can remember no symptom of affection on either side;
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and had anything of the kind been perceptible,
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you must be aware that ours is not a family on which it could be thrown away.
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When first he entered the corps,
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she was ready enough to admire him;
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but so we all were.
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Every girl in or near Meryton was out of her senses about him for the first two months;
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but he never distinguished her by any particular attention;
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and,
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consequently,
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after a moderate period of extravagant and wild admiration,
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her fancy for him gave way,
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and others of the regiment,
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who treated her with more distinction,
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again became her favourites.”
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It may be easily believed,
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that however little of novelty could be added to their fears,
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hopes,
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and conjectures,
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on this interesting subject,
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by its repeated discussion,
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no other could detain them from it long,
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during the whole of the journey.
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From Elizabeth’s thoughts it was never absent.
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Fixed there by the keenest of all anguish,
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self-reproach,
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she could find no interval of ease or forgetfulness.
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They travelled as expeditiously as possible,
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and,
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sleeping one night on the road,
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reached Longbourn by dinner time the next day.
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It was a comfort to Elizabeth to consider that Jane could not have been wearied by long expectations.
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The little Gardiners,
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attracted by the sight of a chaise,
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were standing on the steps of the house as they entered the paddock;
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and,
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when the carriage drove up to the door,
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the joyful surprise that lighted up their faces,
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and displayed itself over their whole bodies,
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in a variety of capers and frisks,
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was the first pleasing earnest of their welcome.
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Elizabeth jumped out;
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and,
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after giving each of them a hasty kiss,
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hurried into the vestibule,
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where Jane,
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who came running down from her mother’s apartment,
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immediately met her.
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Elizabeth,
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as she affectionately embraced her,
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whilst tears filled the eyes of both,
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lost not a moment in asking whether anything had been heard of the fugitives.
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“Not yet,”
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replied Jane.
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“But now that my dear uncle is come,
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I hope everything will be well.”
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“Is my father in town?”
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“Yes,
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he went on Tuesday,
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as I wrote you word.”
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“And have you heard from him often?”
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“We have heard only twice.
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He wrote me a few lines on Wednesday to say that he had arrived in safety,
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and to give me his directions,
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which I particularly begged him to do.
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He merely added that he should not write again till he had something of importance to mention.”
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“And my mother—how is she?
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How are you all?”
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“My mother is tolerably well,
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I trust;
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though her spirits are greatly shaken.
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She is up stairs and will have great satisfaction in seeing you all.
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She does not yet leave her dressing-room.
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Mary and Kitty,
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thank Heaven,
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are quite well.”
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“But you—how are you?”
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cried Elizabeth.
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“You look pale.
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How much you must have gone through!”
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Her sister,
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however,
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assured her of her being perfectly well;
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and their conversation,
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which had been passing while Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner were engaged with their children,
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was now put an end to by the approach of the whole party.
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Jane ran to her uncle and aunt,
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and welcomed and thanked them both,
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with alternate smiles and tears.
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When they were all in the drawing-room,
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the questions which Elizabeth had already asked were of course repeated by the others,
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and they soon found that Jane had no intelligence to give.
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The sanguine hope of good,
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however,
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which the benevolence of her heart suggested had not yet deserted her;
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she still expected that it would all end well,
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and that every morning would bring some letter,
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either from Lydia or her father,
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to explain their proceedings,
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and,
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perhaps,
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announce their marriage.
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Mrs. Bennet,
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to whose apartment they all repaired,
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after a few minutes’ conversation together,
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received them exactly as might be expected;
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with tears and lamentations of regret,
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invectives against the villainous conduct of Wickham,
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and complaints of her own sufferings and ill-usage;
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blaming everybody but the person to whose ill-judging indulgence the errors of her daughter must principally be owing.
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“If I had been able,”
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said she,
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“to carry my point in going to Brighton,
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with all my family,
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this would not have happened;
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but poor dear Lydia had nobody to take care of her.
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Why did the Forsters ever let her go out of their sight?
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I am sure there was some great neglect or other on their side,
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for she is not the kind of girl to do such a thing if she had been well looked after.
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I always thought they were very unfit to have the charge of her;
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but I was overruled,
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as I always am.
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Poor dear child!
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And now here’s Mr. Bennet gone away,
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and I know he will fight Wickham,
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wherever he meets him and then he will be killed,
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and what is to become of us all?
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The Collinses will turn us out before he is cold in his grave,
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and if you are not kind to us,
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brother,
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I do not know what we shall do.”
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