Chapter 8

AT five o'clock the two ladies retired to dress, and at half past
six Elizabeth was summoned to dinner.  To the civil enquiries
which then poured in, and amongst which she had the pleasure
of distinguishing the much superior solicitude of Mr. Bingley's,
she could not make a very favourable answer.  Jane was by no
means better.  The sisters, on hearing this, repeated three or
four times how much they were grieved, how shocking it was to
have a bad cold, and how excessively they disliked being ill
themselves; and then thought no more of the matter: and their
indifference towards Jane when not immediately before them,
restored Elizabeth to the enjoyment of all her original dislike.
 Their brother, indeed, was the only one of the party whom
she could regard with any complacency.  His anxiety for Jane
 was evident, and his attentions to herself most pleasing, and
they prevented her feeling herself so much an intruder as she
believed she was considered by the others.  She had very little
notice from any but him.  Miss Bingley was engrossed by Mr,
Darcy, her sister scarcely less so; and as for Mr. Hurst, by
whom Elizabeth sat, he was an indolent man, who lived only
 to eat, drink, and play at cards, who when he found her prefer
a plain dish to a ragout, had nothing to say to her.
 When dinner was over, she returned directly to Jane, and
Miss Bingley began abusing her as soon as she was out of the
room.  Her manners were pronounced to be very bad indeed,
a mixture of pride and impertinence; she had no conversation, 
no style, no taste, no beauty.  Mrs. Hurst thought the
same, and added,
"She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being an
excellent walker.  I shall never forget her appearance this
morning.  She really looked almost wild."
"She did indeed, Louisa.  I could hardly keep my countenance.  
Very nonsensical to come at all!  Why must she be
scampering about the country, because her sister had a cold?
" Her hair so untidy, so blowsy!"
"Yes, and her petticoat; I hope you saw her petticoat, six
inches deep in mud, I am absolutely certain; and the gown
which had been let down to hide it, not doing its office."
"Your picture may be very exact, Louisa," said Bingley;
"but this was all lost upon me.  I thought Miss Elizabeth
Bennet looked remarkably well, when she came into the
room this morning.  Her dirty petticoat quite escaped my
notice."
" You observed it, Mr. Darcy, I am sure," said Miss Bingley,
"and I am inclined to think that you would not wish to see
your sister make such an exhibition."
"Certainly not."
"To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it is, above her ancles in dirt, and alone, quite alone!
what could she mean by it?  It seems to me to shew an abominable sort of conceited independence a most country town
indifference to decorum."
"It shews an affection for her sister that is very pleasing "
said Bingley.
"I am afraid, Mr. Darcy," observed Miss Bingley in a half
whisper, "that this adventure has rather affected your admiration of her fine eyes "
"Not at all," he replied; "they were brightened by the
exercise." -- A short pause followed this speech, and Mrs. 
Hurst began again.
"I have an excessive regard for Jane Bennet, she is reaIly
at very sweet girl, and I wish with all my heart she were well
settled.  But with such a father and mother, and such low connections, I am afraid there is no chance of it."
"I think I have heard you say, that their uncle is an attorney
in Meryton."
"Yes; and they have another, who lives somewhere near
Cheapside."
"That is capital," added her sister, and they both laughed
heartily.
"If they had uncles enough to fill all Cheapside," cried
Bingley, "it would not make them one jot less agreeable."
"But it must very materially lessen their chance of marrying 
men of any consideration in the world," replied Darcy.
To this speech Bingley made no answer; but his sisiers
gave it their hearty assent, and indulged their mirth for some
time at the expense of their dear friend's vulgar relations.
With a renewal of tenderness, however, they repaired to
her room on leaving the dining-parlour, and sat with her till
su moned to coffee.  She was still very poorly, and Elizabeth
would not quit her at all, till late in the evening, when she
had the comfort of seeing her asleep, and when it appeared
to her rather right than pleasant that she should go down
stairs herself.  On entering the drawing-room she found the
whole party at loo, and was immediately invited to join them--
but suspecting them to be playing high she declined it, and
making her sister the excuse, said she would amuse herself for
the short time she could stay below with a book.  Mr. Hurst
looked at her with astonishment.
"Do you prefer reading to cards?" said he; "that is rather
singular."
"Miss Eliza Bennet," said Miss Bingley, "despises cards
She is a great reader and has no pleasure in anything else."
"I deserve neither such praise nor such censure," cried
Elizabeth; "I am not a great reader, and I have pleasure in
many things."
"In nursing your sister I am sure you have pleasure," said
Bingley; "and I hope it will soon be increased by seeing her
quite well."
Elizabeth thanked him from her heart, and then walked
towards a table where a few books were lying.  He immediately offered to fetch her others; all that his library afforded.
"And I wish my collection were larger for your benefit and
my own credit; but I am an idle fellow, and though I have not
many, I have more than I ever look into."
Elizabeth assured him that she could suit herself perfectly
with those in the room.
 "I am astonished," said Miss Bingley, "that my father should
have left so small a collection of books. -- What a delightful
"library you have at Pemberley, Mr. Darcy!"
"It ought to be good," he replied, "it has been the work of
many generations."
"And then you have added so much to it yourself, you are
always buying books."
"I cannot comprehend the neglect of a family library in
such days as these,"
"Neglect!  I am sure you neglect nothing that can add to the
beauties of that noble place.  Charles, when you build your
house, I wish it may be half as delightful as Pemberley."
I wish it may."
"But I would really advise you to make your purchase in
that neighbourhood, and take Pemberley for a kind of model.
There is not a finer county in England than Derbyshire."
"With all my heart; I will buy Pemberley itself if Darcy
will sell it."
"I am talking of possibilities, Charles."
"Upon my word, Caroline, I should think it more possible
to get Pemberley by purchase than by imitation "
Elizabeth was so much caught by what passed, as to leave
her very little attention for her book- and soon laying it
wholly aside, she drew near the card-table, and stationed herself between Mr. Bingley and his eldest sister to observe
the game.
"Is Miss Darcy much grown since the spring?" said Miss
Bingley; "will she be as tall as I am?"
"I think she will.  She is now about Miss Elizabeth Bennet's
height or rather taller "
"How I long to see her again!  I never met with anybody
who delighted me so much.  Such a countenance, such manners.  
And so extremely accomplished for her age!  Her performance 
on the piano-forte is exquisite."
"It is amazing to me," said Bingley, "how young ladies can
have patience to be so very accomplished, as they all are."
"All young ladies accomplished!  My dear Charles, what do
you mean?"
"Yes all of them, I think.  They all paint tables, cover
skreens and net purses.  I scarcely know any one who cannot
do all this, and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken
of for the first time, without being informed that she was very
accomplished."
"Your list of the common extent of accomplishments," said
Darcy, "has too much truth.  The word is applied to many a
woman who deserves it no otherwise than by netting a purse,
or covering a skreen.  But I am very far from agreeing with
you in your estimation of ladies in general.  I cannot boast of
knowing more than half a dozen, in the whole range of my
acquaintance, that are really accomplished."
"Nor I, I am sure," said Miss Bingley.
"Then," observed Elizabeth, "you must comprehend a great
deal in your idea of an accomplished women."
"Yes; I do comprehend a great deal in it."
"Oh!  certainly," cried his faithful assistant, "no one can be
really esteemed accomplished, who does not greatly surpass
what is usually met with.  A woman must have a thorough
knowledgc of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the
modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this,
she must possess a certain something in her air and manner
of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions,
or the word will be but half deserved."
"All this she must possess," added Darcy, "and to all this
she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement 
of her mind by extensive reading."
 "I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six
accomplished women.  I rather wonder now at your knowing any."
"Are you so severe upon your own sex, as to doubt the
possibility of all this?"
"I never saw such a woman, I never saw such capacity, and
taste, and application, and elegance, as you describe, united."
Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley both cried out against the
injustice of her implied doubt, and were both protesting that
they knew many women who answered this description, when
Mr. Hurst called them to order, with bitter complaints of their
inattention to what was going forward.  As all conversation was
thereby at an end, Elizabeth soon afterwards left the room.
"Eliza Bennet," said Miss Bingley, when the door was
closed on her, "is one of those young ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex, by undervaluing their own,
and with many men, I dare say, it succeeds.  But, in my
opinion, it is a paltry device, a very mean art."
"Undoubtedly," replied Darcy, to whom this remark was
chiefly addressed, "there is meanness in all the arts which
ladies sometimes condescend to employ for captivation.  Whatever bears affinity to cunning is despicable."
Miss Bingley was not so entirely satisfied with this reply as
to continue the subject.
Elizabeth joined them again only to say that her sister was
worse, and that she could not leave her.  Bingley urged Mr. 
Jones's being sent for immediately; while his sisters convinced 
that no country advice could be ofany service, recommended an express to town for one of the most eminent
physicians.  This, she would not hear of; but she was not so
unwilling to comply with thiers brothers proposal; and it was
settled that Mr. Jones should be sent for early in the morning
if Miss Bennet were not decidedly better.  Bingley was quite
They solaced their wretchedness, however, by duets after
supper, while he could find no better reliefto his feelings than
by giving his housekeeper directions that every possible attention might be paid to the sick lady and her sister.