Chapter 9

ELIZABETH was sitting by herself the next morning, and
writing to Jane, while Mrs. Collins and Maria were gone on
business into the village, when she was startled by a ring
at the door, the certain signal of a visitor.  As she had heard
no carriage, she thought it not unlikely to be Lady
Catherine, and under that apprehension was putting away
her half-finished letter that she might escape all impertinent questions, when the door opened, and to her very
great surprise, Mr. Darcy, and Mr. Darcy only, entered
the room.
He seemed astonished too on finding her alone, and
apologised for his intrusion, by letting her know that he had
understood all the ladies to be within.
They then sat down, and when her enquiries after Rosings
were made, seemed in danger of sinking into total silence.  It
was absolutely necessary, therefore, to think of something,
and in this emergence recollecting when she had seen him last
in Hertfordshire, and feeling curious to know what he would
say on the subject of their hasty departure, she observed,
"How very suddenly you all quitted Netherfield last November, 
Mr. Darcy!  It must have been a most agreeable surprise
to Mr. Bingley to see you all after him so soon; for, if I recollect 
right, he went but the day before.  He and his sisters were
well, I hope, when you left London."
"Perfectly so -- I thank you."
She found that she was to receive no other answer -- and,
after a short pause, added,
"I think I have understood that Mr. Bingley has not much
idea of ever returning to Netherfield again?"
"I have never heard him say so; but it is probable that he
may spend very little of his time there in future.  He has many
friends, and he is at a time of life when friends and engagements 
are continually increasing."
 "If he means to be but little at Netherfield, it would be
better for the neighbourhood that he should give up the place
entirely, for then we might possibly get a settled family there.
But perhaps Mr. Bingley did not take the house so much for
the convenience of the neighbourhood as for his own, and
we must expect him to keep or quit it on the same principle."
"I should not be surprised," said Darcy, "if he were to give it
up, as soon as any eligible purchase offers."
Elizabeth made no answer.  She was afraid of talking longer
of his friend; and, having nothing else to say, was now determined 
to leave the trouble of finding a subject to him.
He took the hint, and soon began with, "This seems
a very comfortable house.  Lady Catherine, I believe,
did a great deal to it when Mr. Collins first came to
Hunsford."
"I believe she did -- and I am sure she could not have
bestowed her kindness on a more grateful object."
"Mr. Collins appears very fortunate in his choice of a wife."
"Yes, indeed; his friends may well rejoice in his having met
with one of the very few sensible women who would have
accepted him, or have made him happy if they had.  My friend
has an excellent understanding -- though I am not certain that
I consider her marrying Mr. Collins as the wisest thing she
ever did.  She seems perfectly happy, however, and in a
prudential light, it is certainly a very good match for her."
"It must be very agreeable to her to be settled within so easy
a distance of her own family and friends."
"An easy distance do you call it?  It is nearly fifty miles."
"And what is fifty miles of good road?  Little more than half
a day's journey.  Yes, I call it a very easy distance."
"I should never have considered the distance as one of the
advantages of the match," cried Elizabeth.  "I should never
have said Mrs. Collins was settled near her family."
"It is a proof of your own attachment to Hertfordshire.
Any thing beyond the very neighbourhood of Longbourn,
I suppose, would appear far."
As he spoke there was a sort of smile, which Elizabeth
fancied she understood; he must be supposing her to be
thinking of Jane and Netherfield, and she blushed as she
answered,
"I do not mean to say that a woman may not be settled too
near her family.  The far and the near must be relative, and
depend on many varying circumstances.  Where there is
fortune to make the expence of travelling unimportant, distance becomes no evil.  But that is not the case here.  Mr. and
Mrs. Collins have a comfortable income, but not such a one
s will allow of frequent journeys -- and I am persuaded my
friend would not call herself near her family under less than
half the present distance."
Mr. Darcy drew his chair a little towards her, and said
You cannot have a right to such very strong local attachment.
You cannot have been always at Longbourn."
Elizabeth looked surprised.  The gentleman experienced
some change of feeling; he drew back his chair, took a newspaper from the table, and, glancing over it, said, in a colder
voice,
"Are you pleased with Kent?"
A short dialogue on the subject of the country ensued, on
either side calm and concise -- and soon put an end to by the
entrance of Charlotte and her sister, just returned from their
walk.  The tete a tete surprised them.  Mr. Darcy related the
mistake which had occasioned his intruding on Miss Bennet,
and after sitting a few minutes longer without saying much
to any body, went away.
"What can be the meaning of this!" said Charlotte, as soon
as he was gone.  "My dear Eliza he must be in love with you,
or he would never have called on us in this familiar way."
But when Elizabeth told of his silence, it did not seem very
likely, even to Charlotte's wishes, to be the case; and after
various conjectures, they could at last only suppose his visit
to proceed from the difficulty of finding any thing to do, which
was the more probable from the time of year.  All field sports
were over.  Within doors there was Lady Catherine, books,
and a billiard table, but gentlemen cannot be always within
doors; and in the nearness of the recommaage, or the pleasantness 
of the walk to it, or of the people who lived in it, the two
cousins found a temptation from this period of walking
thither almost every day.  They called at various times of the
morning, sometimes separately, sometimes together, and now
and then accompanied by their aunt.  It was plain to them all
that Colonel Fitzwilliam came because he had pleasure in
their society, a persuasion which of course recommended him
still more; and Elizabeth was reminded by her own satisfaction 
in being with him, as well as by his evident admiration
of her, of her former favourite George Wickham; and though,
in comparing them, she saw there was less captivating softness
in Colonel Fitzwilliam's manners, she believed he might have
the best informed mind.
But why Mr. Darcy came so often to the recommaage, it was
more difficult to understand.  It could not be for society, as he
frequently sat there ten minutes together without opening his
lips; and when he did speak, it seemed the effect of necessity
rather than of choice -- a sacrifice to propriety, not a pleasure
to himself.  He seldom appeared really animated.  Mrs. Collins
knew not what to make of him.  Colonel Fitzwilliam's occasionally laughing at his stupidity, proved that he was generally
different, which her own knowledge of him could not have
told her; and as she would have liked to believe this change
the effect of love, and the object of that love, her friend Eliza,
she sat herself seriously to work to find it out. -- She watched
him whenever they were at Rosings, and whenever he came
to Hunsford; but without much success.  He certainly looked
at her friend a great deal, but the expression of that look was
disputable.  It was an earnest, steadfast gaze, but she often
doubted whether there were much admiration in it, and sometimes 
it seemed nothing but absence of mind.
She had once or twice suggested to Elizabeth the possibility of 
his being partial to her, but Elizabeth always laughed
at the idea; and Mrs. Collins did not think it right to press the
subject, from the danger of raising expectations which might
only end in disappointment; for in her opinion it admitted
not of a doubt, that all her friend's dislike would vanish, if she
could suppose him to be in her power.
In her kind schemes for Elizabeth, she sometimes planned
her marrying Colonel Fitzwilliam.  He was beyond comparison 
the pleasantest man; he certainly admired her, and his
situation in life was most eligible; but, to counterbalance these
advantages, Mr. Darcy had considerable patronage in the
church, and his cousin could have none at all.