Chapter 2

AFTER a week spent in professions of love and schemes of
felicity, Mr. Collins was called from his amiable Charlotte by
the arrival of Saturday.  The pain of separation, however,
might be alleviated on his side, by preparations for the reception 
of his bride, as he had reason to hope, that shortly after
his next return into Hertfordshire, the day would be fixed that
was to make him the happiest of men.  He took leave of his
relations at Longbourn with as much solemnity as before;
wished his fair cousins health and happiness again, and promised their father another letter of thanks.
On the following Monday, Mrs. Bennet had the pleasure
of receiving her brother and his wife, who came as usual to
spend the Christmas at Longbourn.  Mr. Gardiner was a
sensible, gentlemanlike man, greatly superior to his sister as
well by nature as education.  The Netherfield ladies would
have had difficulty in believing that a man who lived by trade,
and within view of his own warehouses, could have been so
well bred and agreeable.  Mrs. Gardiner, who was several
years younger than Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Philips, was an
amiable, intelligent, elegant woman, and a great favourite
with all her Longbourn nieces.  Between the two eldest and
herself especially, there subsisted a very particular regard.
They had frequently been staying with her in town.
The first part of Mrs. Gardiner's business on her arrival, was
to distribute her presents and describe the newest fashions.
When this was done, she had a less active part to play.  It
became her turn to listen.  Mrs. Bennet had many grievances
to relate, and much to complain of.  They had all been very
ill-used since she last saw her sister.  Two of her girls had been
on the point of marriage, and after all there was nothing in it.
"I do not blame Jane," she continued, "for Jane would have
got Mr. Bingley, if she could.  But, Lizzy!  Oh, sister!  it is very
hard to think that she might have been Mr. Collins's wife by
this time, had not it been for her own perverseness.  He made
her an offer in this very room, and she refused him.  The
consequence of it is, that Lady Lucas will have a daughter
married before I have, and that Longbourn estate is just as
much entailed as ever.  The Lucases are very artful people
indeed, sister.  They are all for what they can get.  I am sorry
to say it of them, but so it is.  It makes me very nervous and
poorly, to be thwarted so in my own family, and to have neighbours who think of themselves before anybody else.  However,
your coming just at this time is the greatest of comforts, and
I am very glad to hear what you tell us, of long sleeves."
Mrs. Gardiner, to whom the chief of this news had been
given before, in the course of Jane and Elizabeth's correspondence with her, made her sister a slight answer, and in
compassion to her nieces turned the conversation.
When alone with Elizabeth afterwards, she spoke more on
the subject.  "It seems likely to have been a desirable match
for Jane," said she.  "I am sorry it went off.  But these things
happen so often!  A young man, such as you describe Mr. 
Bingley, so easily falls in love with a pretty girl for a few weeks,
and when accident separates them, so easily forgets her, that
these sort of inconstancies are very frequent."
"An excellent consolation in its way," said Elizabeth, "but
it will not do for us.  We do not suffer by accident.  It does not
often happen that the interference of friends will persuade a
young man of independent fortune to think no more of a girl,
whom he was violently in love with only a few days before."
"But that expression of ""violently in love'' is so hackneyed,
so doubtful, so indefinite, that it gives me very little idea.  It
is as often applied to feelings which arise from an half-hour's
acquaintance, as to a real, strong attachment.  Pray, how
violent was Mr. Bingley's love?"
"I never saw a more promising inclination.  He was growing
quite inattentive to other people, and wholly engrossed by
her.  Every time they met, it was more decided and remarkable.
At his own ball he offended two or three young ladies, by not
asking them to dance, and I spoke to him twice myself, without receiving an answer.  Could there be finer symptoms?
Is not general incivility the very essence of love?"
"Oh, yes! -- of that kind of love which I suppose him to have
felt.  Poor Jane!  I am sorry for her, because, with her disposition, 
she may not get over it immediately.  It had better
have happened to you, Lizzy; you would have laughed yourself
out of it sooner.  But do you think she would be prevailed
on to go back with us?  Change of scene might be of service --
and perhaps a little relief from home, may be as useful as
anything."
Elizabeth was exceedingly pleased with this proposal, and
felt persuaded of her sister's ready acquiescence.
"I hope," added Mrs. Gardiner, "that no consideration with
regard to this young man will influence her.  We live in so different 
a part of town, all our connections are so different, and,
as you well know, we go out so little, that it is very improbable
they should meet at all, unless he really comes to see her."
"And that is quite impossible; for he is now in the custody
of his friend, and Mr. Darcy would no more suffer him to call
on Jane in such a part of London!  My dear aunt, how could
you think of it?  Mr. Darcy may perhaps have heard of such
a place as Gracechurch-Street, but he would hardly think
a month's ablution enough to cleanse him from its impurities,
were he once to enter it; and depend upon it, Mr. Bingley
never stirs without him."
"So much the better.  I hope they will not meet at all.  But
does not Jane correspond with the sister?  She will not be able
to help calling."
"She will drop the acquaintance entirely."
But in spite of the certainty in which Elizabeth affected to
place this point, as well as the still more interesting one of
Bingley's being withheld from seeing Jane, she felt a solicitude
on the subject which convinced her, on examination that she
did not consider it entirely hopeless.  It was possible, and sometimes she thought it probable, that his affection might be
re-animated, and the influence of his friends successfully
combated by the more natural influence of Jane's attractions.
Miss Bennet accepted her aunt's invitation with pleasure;
and the Bingleys were no otherwise in her thoughts at the
time, than as she hoped that, by Caroline's not living in the
same house with her brother, she might occasionally spend a
morning with her, without any danger of seeing him.
The Gardiners staid a week at Longbourn; and what with
the Philipses, the Lucases, and the officers, there was not a
day without its engagement.  Mrs. Bennet had so carefully
provided for the entertainment of her brother and sister, that
they did not once sit down to a family dinner.  When the
engagement was for home, some of the officers always made
part of it, of which officers Mr. Wickham was sure to be one;
and on these occasions, Mrs, Gardiner, rendered suspicious
by Elizabeth's warm commendation of him, narrowly observed
them both.  Without supposing them, from what she saw,
to be very seriously in love, their preference of each other
was plain enough to make her a little uneasy; and she resolved
to speak to Elizabeth on the subject before she left Hertfordshire 
and represent to her the imprudence of encouraging
such an attachment.
To Mrs. Gardiner Wickham had one means of affording
pleasure, unconnected with his general powers.  About ten
or a dozen years ago, before her marriage, she had spent a
considerable time in that very part of Derbyshire, to which he
belonged.  They had, therefore, many acquaintance in common; 
and, though Wickham had been little there since the
death of Darcy's father, five years before, it was yet in his
power to give her fresher intelligence of her former friends,
than she had been in the way of procuring.
Mrs. Gardiner had seen Pemberley, and known the late
Mr. Darcy by character perfectly well.  Here consequently
was an inexhaustible subject of discourse.  In comparing her
recollection of Pemberley, with the minute description which
Wickham could give, and in bestowing her tribute of praise
on the character ofits late possessor, she was delighting both
him and herself.  On being made acquainted with the present
Mr. Darcy's treatment of him, she tried to remember something 
of that gentleman's reputed disposition when quite a
lad, which might agree with it, and was confident at last, that
she recollected having heard Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy formerly
spoken of as a very proud, ill-natured boy.