Pride and Prejudice

ng manners grew on the goodwill of Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley; and though the mother was found to be intolerable, and the

nfluence of their brother's admiration. It was generally evident whenever they met, that he did admire her and to her it was equally evident that Jane was yielding to the preference which she had begun to entertain for him from the first, and was in a way to be very much in love; but she consider

g him; and it will then be but poor consolation to believe the world equally in the dark. There is so much of gratitude or vanity in almost every attachment, that it is not safe to leave any to itself. We can all begin freely-a slight preference is natural enough; but ther

ll allow. If I can perceive her regard for him, he

he does not know Jane's

man, and does not endeavour to c

e each other in large mixed parties, it is impossible that every moment should be employed in conversing together. Jane should therefore make the most of

pt it. But these are not Jane's feelings; she is not acting by design. As yet, she cannot even be certain of the degree of her own regard nor of its reasonableness. She has known him only a fortnight.

discovered whether he had a good appetite; but you must remember that four

th like Vingt-un better than Commerce; but with respect to any other

elvemonth. Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other or ever so similar beforehand, it does not advance their felicity in the l

t sound. You know it is not sound, and that

ooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she hardly had a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying. Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in he

her himself, attended to her conversation with others. His doing so drew h

e to Charlotte, "by listening to my

on which Mr. Darc

ee what he is about. He has a very satirical eye, and if I do not b

ention of speaking, Miss Lucas defied her friend to mention such a subject to h

myself uncommonly well just now, when I was teas

t is always a subject whi

e sever

aid Miss Lucas. "I am going to open the in

is, I would really rather not sit down before those who must be in the habit of hearing the very best performers." On Miss Lucas's persevering, however, she added, "Very well, if it must be so, it mu

f several that she would sing again, she was eagerly succeeded at the instrument by her sister Mary, who having, in consequen

ce than she had reached. Elizabeth, easy and unaffected, had been listened to with much more pleasure, though not playing half so well; and Mary, at the end of a long concerto, was glad to purcha

ng, to the exclusion of all conversation, and was too much engrossed by his thought

Darcy! There is nothing like dancing after all. I conside

of being in vogue amongst the less polished s

ontinued after a pause, on seeing Bingley join the group; "and I d

ce at Meryton,

siderable pleasure from the sight.

er,

would be a proper com

ch I never pay to any p

ouse in town,

arcy

I am fond of superior society; but I did not feel quite ce

make any; and Elizabeth at that instant moving towards them, he was str

You cannot refuse to dance, I am sure when so much beauty is before you." And, taking her hand, he would have given it to Mr. Darcy who,

f dancing. I entreat you not to suppose that I

our of her hand, but in vain. Elizabeth was determined; nor did

happiness of seeing you; and though this gentleman dislikes the amusement in

politeness," said

my dear Miss Eliza, we cannot wonder at his com

not injured her with the gentleman, and he was thinking of

he subject of

ld imag

d indeed I am quite of your opinion. I was never more annoyed! The insipidity, and yet the noise-the nothin

greeably engaged. I have been meditating on the very great pleasure

ired he would tell her what lady had the credit of inspiring

izabeth

I am all astonishment. How long has she been such

imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from

absolutely settled. You will be having a charming mother-in-law,

ose to entertain herself in this manner; and as his compo