Chapter 21

THE discussion of Mr. Collins's offer was now nearly at an
end, and Elizabeth had only to suffer from the uncomfortable
feelings necessarily attending it, and occasionally from some
peevish allusion of her mother.  As for the gentleman himself,
his feelings were chiefly expressed, not by embarrassment or
dejection, or by trying to avoid her, but by stiffness of manner
and resentful silence.  He scarcely ever spoke to her, and the
assiduous attentions which he had been so sensible of himself,
were transferred for the rest of the day to Miss Lucas, whose
civility in listening to him, was a seasonable relief to them all,
and especially to her friend.
The morrow produced no abatement of Mrs. Bennet's ill
humour or ill health.  Mr. Collins was also in the same state
of angry pride.  Elizabeth had hoped that his resentment might
shorten his visit, but his plan did not appear in the least
affected by it.  He was always to have gone on Saturday, and to
Saturday he still meant to stay.
After breakfast, the girls walked to Meryton to inquire if
Mr. Wickham were returned, and to lament over his absence
from the Netherfield ball.  He joined them on their entering
the town and attended them to their aunt's, where his regret
and vexation, and the concern of every body was well talked
over. -- To Elizabeth, however, he voluntarily acknowledged
that the necessity of his absence had been self imposed.
"I found," said he, "as the time drew near, that I had better
not meet Mr. Darcy; -- that to be in the same room, the same
party with him for so many hours together, might be more than
I could bear, and that scenes might arise unpleasant to more
than myself."
She highly approved his forbearance, and they had leisure
for a full discussion of it, and for all the commendation which
they civilly bestowed on each other, as Wickham and another
officer walked back with them to Longbourn, and during the
walk, he particularly attended to her.  His accompanying them
was a double advantage; she felt all the compliment it offered
to herself, and it was most acceptable as an occasion of introducing him to her father and mother.
Soon after their return, a letter was delivered to Miss
Bennet; it came from Netherfield, and was opened immediately.  
The envelope contained a sheet of elegant, little, hot
pressed paper, well covered with a lady's fair, flowing hand;
and Elizabeth saw her sister's countenance change as she read
it, and saw her dwelling intently on some particular passages.
Jane recollected herself soon, and putting the letter away, tried
to join with her usual cheerfulness in the general conversation;
but Elizabeth felt an anxiety on the subject which drew off
her attention even from Wickham; and no sooner had he and
his companion taken leave, than a glance from Jane invited
her to follow her up stairs.  When they had gained their own
room, Jane taking out the letter, said,
"This is from Caroline Bingley; what it contains, has surprised 
me a good deal.  The whole party have left Netherfield
by this time, and are on their way to town; and without any
intention of coming back again.  You shall hear what she says."
She then read the first sentence aloud, which comprised the
information of their having just resolved to follow their
brother to town directly, and of their meaning to dine that
day in Grosvenor street, where Mr. Hurst had a house.  The
next was in these words.  "I do not pretend to regret any thing
I shall leave in Hertfordshire, except your society, my dearest
friend; but we will hope at some future period, to enjoy many
returns of the delightful intercourse we have known, and in
the mean while may lessen the pain of separation by a very
frequent and most unreserved correspondence.  I depend on
you for that."  To these high flown expressions, Elizabeth
listened with all the insensibility of distrust; and though the
suddenness of their removal surprised her, she saw nothing
in it really to lament; it was not to be supposed that their
absence from Netherfield would prevent Mr. Bingley's being
there; and as to the loss of their society, she was persuaded
that Jane must soon cease to regard it, in the enjoyment
of his.
"It is unlucky," said she, after a short pause, "that you should
not be able to see your friends before they leave the country.
But may we not hope that the period of future hapiness to
which Miss Bingley looks forward, may arrive earlier than she
is aware, and that the delightful intercourse you have known
as friends, will be renewed with yet greater satisfaction as
sisters? -- Mr. Bingley will not be detained in London by
them."
"Caroline decidedly says that none of the party will return
into Hertfordshire this winter.  I will read it to you --
 "When my brother left us yesterday, he imagined that the
business which took Him to London, might be concluded in
three or four days, but as we are certain it cannot be so, and
at the same time convinced that when Charles gets to town,
he will be in no hurry to leave it again, we have determined on
following him thither, that he may not be obliged to spend his
vacant hours in a comfortless hotel.  Many of my acquaintance
are already there for the winter; I wish I could hear that you,
my dearest friend, had any intention of making one in the
croud, but of that I despair.  I sincerely hope your Christmas
in Hertfordshire may abound in the gaieties which that season
generally brings, and that your beaux will be so numerous as
to prevent your feeling the loss of the three, of whom we shall
deprive you."
"It is evident by this," added Jane, "that he comes back no
more this winter."
"It is only evident that Miss Bingley does not mean he
should."
"Why will you think so?  It must be his own doing. -- He is
his own master.  But you do not know all.  I will read you the
passage which particularly hurts me.  I will have no reserves
from you." "Mr. Darcy is impatient to see his sister, and to
confess the truth, we are scarcely less eager to meet her again.
I really do not think Georgiana Darcy has her equal for beauty,
elegance, and accomplishments; and the affection she inspires
in Louisa and myself, is heightened into something still more
interesting, from the hope we dare to entertain of her being
hereafter our sister.  I do not know whether I ever before
mentioned to you my feelings on this subject, but I will not
leave the country without confiding them, and I trust you
will not esteem them unreasonable.  My brother admires her
greatly already, he will have frequent opportunity now of seeing 
her on the most intimate footing, her relations all wish the
connection as much as his own, and a sister's partiality is
not misleading me, I think, when I call Charles most capable
of engaging any woman's heart.  With all these circumstances
to favour an attachment and nothing to prevent it, am I
wrong, my dearest Jane, in indulging the hope of an event
which will secure the happiness of so many?"
"What think you of this sentence, my dear Lizzy?" -- said
Jane as she finished it.  "Is it not clear enough? -- Does it not
expressly declare that Caroline neither expects nor wishes me
to be her sister; that she is perfectly convinced ofher brother's
indifference, and that if she suspects the nature of my feelings
for him, she means (most kindly!) to put me on my guard?
Can there be any other opinion on the subject?"-
"Yes, there can; for mine is totally different. -- Will you
hear it?"
"Most willingly."
"You shall have it in few words.  Miss Bingley sees that her
brother is in love with you, and wants him to marry Miss
Darcy.  She follows him to town in the hope of keeping him
there, and tries to persuade you that he does not care about
you."
Jane shook her head.
"Indeed, Jane, you ought to believe me. -- No one who has
ever seen you together, can doubt his affection.  Miss Bingley
I am sure cannot.  She is not such a simpleton.  Could she have
seen half as much love in Mr. Darcy for herself, she would
have ordered her wedding clothes.  But the case is this.  We
are not rich enough, or grand enough for them; and she is the
more anxious to get Miss Darcy for her brother, from the
notion that when there has been one intermarriage, she may
have less trouble in achieving a second; in which there is
certainly some ingenuity, and I dare say it would succeed, if
Miss de Bourgh were out of the way.  But, my dearest Jane,
you cannot seriously imagine that because Miss Bingley tells
you her brother greatly admires Miss Darcy, he is in the
smallest degree less sensible of your merit than when he took
leave of you on Tuesday, or that it will be in her power to persuade him that instead of being in love with you, he is very
much in love with her friend."
"If we thought alike of Miss Bingley," replied Jane, "your
representation of all this, might make me quite easy.  But I
know the foundation is unjust.  Caroline is incapable of wilfully
deceiving any one; and all that I can hope in this case is, that
she is deceived herself."
"That is right. -- You could not have started a more happy
idea, since you will not take comfort in mine.  Believe her to
be deceived by all means.  You have now done your duty by
her, and must fret no longer."
"But, my dear sister, can I be happy, even supposing the
best, in accepting a man whose sisters and friends are all wishing him to marry elsewhere?"
"You must decide for yourself," said Elizabeth, "and if upon
mature deliberation, you find that the misery of disobliging
his two sisters is more than equivalent to the happiness of
being his wife, I advise you by all means to refuse him."
"How can you talk so?" -- said Jane faintly smiling, -- "You
must know that though I should be exceedingly grieved at
their disapprobation, I could not hesitate."
"I did not think you would; -- and that being the case, I cannot consider your situation with much compassion."
"But if he returns no more this winter, my choice will never
be required.  A thousand things may arise in six months!"
The idea of his returning no more Elizabeth treated with
the utmost contempt.  It appeared to her merely the suggestion
of Caroline's interested wishes, and she could not for a
moment suppose that those wishes, however openly or artfully spoken, could influence a young man so totally independent of 
every one.
She represented to her sister as forcibly as possible what
she felt on the subject, and had soon the pleasure of seeing its
happy effect.  Jane's temper was not desponding, and she was
gradually led to hope, though the diffidence of affection sometimes overcame the hope, that Bingley would return to Netherfield and answer every wish of her heart.
They agreed that Mrs. Bennet should only hear of the
departure of the family, without being alarmed on the score
of the gentleman's conduct; but even this partial communication 
gave her a great deal of concern, and she bewailed it as
exceedingly unlucky that the ladies should happen to go
away, just as they were all getting so intimate together.  After
lamenting it however at some length, she had the consolation
of thinking that Mr. Bingley would be soon down again and
soon dining at Longbourn, and the conclusion of all was the
comfortable declaration that, though he had been invited only
to a family dinner, she would take care to have two full courses.