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Гордость и предубеждение
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Pride and Prejudice
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Chapter 55
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A few days after this visit,
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Mr. Bingley called again,
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and alone.
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His friend had left him that morning for London,
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but was to return home in ten days time.
7
He sat with them above an hour,
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and was in remarkably good spirits.
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Mrs. Bennet invited him to dine with them;
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but,
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with many expressions of concern,
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he confessed himself engaged elsewhere.
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“Next time you call,”
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said she,
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“I hope we shall be more lucky.”
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He should be particularly happy at any time,
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etc.
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etc.;
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and if she would give him leave,
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would take an early opportunity of waiting on them.
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“Can you come to-morrow?”
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Yes,
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he had no engagement at all for to-morrow;
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and her invitation was accepted with alacrity.
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He came,
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and in such very good time that the ladies were none of them dressed.
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In ran Mrs. Bennet to her daughter’s room,
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in her dressing gown,
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and with her hair half finished,
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crying out:
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“My dear Jane,
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make haste and hurry down.
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He is come—Mr. Bingley is come.
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He is,
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indeed.
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Make haste,
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make haste.
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Here,
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Sarah,
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come to Miss Bennet this moment,
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and help her on with her gown.
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Never mind Miss Lizzy’s hair.”
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“We will be down as soon as we can,”
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said Jane;
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“but I dare say Kitty is forwarder than either of us,
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for she went up stairs half an hour ago.”
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“Oh!
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hang Kitty!
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what has she to do with it?
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Come be quick,
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be quick!
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Where is your sash,
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my dear?”
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But when her mother was gone,
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Jane would not be prevailed on to go down without one of her sisters.
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The same anxiety to get them by themselves was visible again in the evening.
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After tea,
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Mr. Bennet retired to the library,
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as was his custom,
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and Mary went up stairs to her instrument.
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Two obstacles of the five being thus removed,
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Mrs. Bennet sat looking and winking at Elizabeth and Catherine for a considerable time,
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without making any impression on them.
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Elizabeth would not observe her;
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and when at last Kitty did,
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she very innocently said,
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“What is the matter mamma?
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What do you keep winking at me for?
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What am I to do?”
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“Nothing child,
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nothing.
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I did not wink at you.”
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She then sat still five minutes longer;
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but unable to waste such a precious occasion,
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she suddenly got up,
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and saying to Kitty,
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“Come here,
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my love,
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I want to speak to you,”
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took her out of the room.
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Jane instantly gave a look at Elizabeth which spoke her distress at such premeditation,
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and her entreaty that she would not give in to it.
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In a few minutes,
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Mrs. Bennet half-opened the door and called out:
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“Lizzy,
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my dear,
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I want to speak with you.”
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Elizabeth was forced to go.
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“We may as well leave them by themselves you know;”
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said her mother,
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as soon as she was in the hall.
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“Kitty and I are going up stairs to sit in my dressing-room.”
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Elizabeth made no attempt to reason with her mother,
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but remained quietly in the hall,
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till she and Kitty were out of sight,
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then returned into the drawing-room.
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Mrs. Bennet’s schemes for this day were ineffectual.
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Bingley was every thing that was charming,
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except the professed lover of her daughter.
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His ease and cheerfulness rendered him a most agreeable addition to their evening party;
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and he bore with the ill-judged officiousness of the mother,
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and heard all her silly remarks with a forbearance and command of countenance particularly grateful to the daughter.
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He scarcely needed an invitation to stay supper;
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and before he went away,
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an engagement was formed,
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chiefly through his own and Mrs. Bennet’s means,
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for his coming next morning to shoot with her husband.
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After this day,
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Jane said no more of her indifference.
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Not a word passed between the sisters concerning Bingley;
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but Elizabeth went to bed in the happy belief that all must speedily be concluded,
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unless Mr. Darcy returned within the stated time.
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Seriously,
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however,
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she felt tolerably persuaded that all this must have taken place with that gentleman’s concurrence.
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Bingley was punctual to his appointment;
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and he and Mr. Bennet spent the morning together,
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as had been agreed on.
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The latter was much more agreeable than his companion expected.
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There was nothing of presumption or folly in Bingley that could provoke his ridicule,
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or disgust him into silence;
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and he was more communicative,
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and less eccentric,
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than the other had ever seen him.
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Bingley of course returned with him to dinner;
126
and in the evening Mrs. Bennet’s invention was again at work to get every body away from him and her daughter.
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Elizabeth,
128
who had a letter to write,
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went into the breakfast room for that purpose soon after tea;
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for as the others were all going to sit down to cards,
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she could not be wanted to counteract her mother’s schemes.
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But on returning to the drawing-room,
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when her letter was finished,
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she saw,
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to her infinite surprise,
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there was reason to fear that her mother had been too ingenious for her.
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On opening the door,
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she perceived her sister and Bingley standing together over the hearth,
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as if engaged in earnest conversation;
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and had this led to no suspicion,
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the faces of both,
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as they hastily turned round and moved away from each other,
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would have told it all.
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Their situation was awkward enough;
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but hers she thought was still worse.
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Not a syllable was uttered by either;
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and Elizabeth was on the point of going away again,
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when Bingley,
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who as well as the other had sat down,
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suddenly rose,
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and whispering a few words to her sister,
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ran out of the room.
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Jane could have no reserves from Elizabeth,
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where confidence would give pleasure;
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and instantly embracing her,
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acknowledged,
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with the liveliest emotion,
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that she was the happiest creature in the world.
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“’Tis too much!”
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she added,
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“by far too much.
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I do not deserve it.
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Oh!
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why is not everybody as happy?”
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Elizabeth’s congratulations were given with a sincerity,
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a warmth,
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a delight,
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which words could but poorly express.
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Every sentence of kindness was a fresh source of happiness to Jane.
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But she would not allow herself to stay with her sister,
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or say half that remained to be said for the present.
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“I must go instantly to my mother;”
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she cried.
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“I would not on any account trifle with her affectionate solicitude;
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or allow her to hear it from anyone but myself.
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He is gone to my father already.
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Oh!
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Lizzy,
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to know that what I have to relate will give such pleasure to all my dear family!
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how shall I bear so much happiness!”
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She then hastened away to her mother,
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who had purposely broken up the card party,
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and was sitting up stairs with Kitty.
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