pride and prejudice by jane austen chapter i it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife however little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters my "'My dear Mr. Bennet,'said his lady to him one day,"'have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last? 'Mr. Bennet replied that he had not."'But it is,'returned she,"'for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it.'Mr.
Bennet made no answer."'Do you not want to know who has taken it?'cried his wife impatiently."'You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.' This was invitation enough. Why, my dear, you must know Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England, that he came down on Monday in a chaise-en-four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it, that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately, that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week. What is his name?
Bingley. Is he married or single? oh single my dear to be sure a single man of large fortune four or five thousand a year what a fine thing for our girls how so how can it affect them my dear mr bennet replied his wife how can you be so tiresome you must know that i am thinking of his marrying one of them is that his design in settling here design nonsense how can you talk so but it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes i see no occasion for that you and the girls may go or you may send them by themselves which perhaps will be still better for as you are as handsome as any of them mr bingley may like you the best of the party my dear you flatter me i certainly have had my share of beauty but i do not pretend to be anything extraordinary now when a woman has five grown-up daughters she ought to give over thinking of her own beauty in such cases a woman has not often much beauty to think of but my dear you must indeed go and see mr bingley when he comes into the neighbourhood it is more than i engage for i assure you but consider your daughters only think what an establishment it would be for one of them Sir William and Lady Lucas are determined to go, merely on that account, for in general, you know, they visit no new-comers.
Indeed, you must go, for it will be impossible for us to visit him if you do not. You are over-scrupulous, surely? I dare say Mr. Bingley will be very glad to see you, and I will send a few lines by you to assure him of my very hearty consent to his marrying whichever he chooses of the girls, though I must throw in a good word for my little Lizzy." i desire you will do no such thing lizzy is not a bit better than the others and i am sure she is not half so handsome as jane nor half so good-humoured as lydia but you are always giving her the preference they have none of them much to recommend them replied he they are all silly and ignorant like other girls but lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters mr bennet how can you abuse your own children in such a way "'You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion for my poor nerves.
You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends.
I have heard you mention them with consideration these last twenty years at least. You do not know what I suffer, but I hope you'll get over it, and live to see many young men of four thousand a year come into the neighbourhood.' it will be no use to us if twenty such should come since you will not visit them depend upon it my dear that when there are twenty i will visit them all mr bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts sarcastic humour reserve and caprice that the experience of three-and-twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character her mind was less difficult to develop she was a woman of mean understanding little information and uncertain temper when she was discontented she fancied herself nervous the business of her life was to get her daughters married its solace was visiting and news chapter two mister bennet was among the earliest of those who waited on mr bingley he had always intended to visit him though to the last always assuring his wife that he should not go until the evening after the visit was paid she had no knowledge of it it was then disclosed in the following manner observing his second daughter employed in trimming a hat he suddenly addressed her with i hope mr bingley will like it lizzie we are not in a way to know what mr bingley likes said her mother resentfully since we are not to visit but you forget mamma said elizabeth that we shall meet him at the assemblies and that mrs long promised to introduce him i do not believe mrs long will do any such thing she has two nieces of her own she is a selfish hypocritical woman and i have no opinion of her no more of i said mr bennet and i am glad to find that you do not depend upon her serving you mrs bennet deigned not to make any reply but unable to contain herself began scolding one of her daughters don't keep coughing so kitty for heaven's sake have a little compassion on my nerves you tear them to pieces kitty has no discretion in her coughs said her father she times them ill i do not cough for my own amusement replied kitty fretfully when is your next ball to be lizzie to-morrow fortnight ay so it is cried her mother and mrs long does not come back till the day before so it will be impossible for her to introduce him for she will not know him herself then my dear you may have the advantage of your friend and introduce mr bingley to her impossible mr bennet impossible when i am not acquainted with him myself "'How can you be so teasing? I honour your circumspection. A fortnight's acquaintance is certainly very little. One cannot know what a man really is by the end of a fortnight. But if we do not venture, somebody else will. And after all, Mrs. Long and her daughters must stand their chance. And therefore, as she will think it an act of kindness, if you decline the office, I will take it on myself.'The girls stared at their father. Mrs. Bennet said only, nonsense nonsense what can be the meaning of that emphatic exclamation cried he do you consider the forms of introduction and the stress that is laid on them as nonsense i cannot quite agree with you there what say you mary for you are a young lady of deep reflection i know and read great books and make extracts mary wished to say something sensible but knew not how while mary is adjusting her ideas he continued let us return to mr bingley i am sick of mr bingley cried his wife i am sorry to hear that but why did you not tell me that before if i had known as much this morning i certainly would not have called on him it is very unlucky but as i have actually paid the visit we cannot escape the acquaintance now the astonishment of the ladies was just what he wished that of mrs bennet perhaps surpassing the rest though when the first tumult of joy was over she began to declare that it was what she had expected all the while how good it was in you my dear mr bennet but i knew i should persuade you at last i was sure you loved your girls too well to neglect such an acquaintance well how pleased i am and it is such a good joke too that you should have gone this morning and never said a word about it till now now kitty you may cough as much as you choose said mr bennet and as he spoke he left the room fatigued with the raptures of his wife what an excellent father you have girls said she when the door was shut i do not know how you will ever make him amends for his kindness or me either for that matter at our time of life it is not so pleasant i can tell you to be making new acquaintances every day but for your sakes we would do anything lydia my love though you are the youngest i dare say mr bingley will dance with you at the next ball oh said lydia stoutly i am not afraid for though i am the youngest i'm the tallest the rest of the evening was spent in conjecturing how soon he would return mr bennet's visit and determining when they should ask him to dinner chapter three not all that mrs bennet however with the assistance of her five daughters could ask on the subject was sufficient to draw from her husband any satisfactory description of mr bingley they attacked him in various ways with barefaced questions ingenious suppositions and distant surmises but he eluded the skill of them all and they were at last obliged to accept the second-hand intelligence of their neighbour lady lucas her report was highly favourable sir william had been delighted with him he was quite young wonderfully handsome extremely agreeable and to crown the whole he meant to be at the next assembly with a large party nothing could be more delightful to be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love and very lively hopes of mr bingley's heart were entertained if i can but see one of my daughters happily settled at netherfield said mrs bennet to her husband "'And all the others equally well married. I shall have nothing to wish for.'In a few days Mr. Bingley returned Mr. Bennet's visit, and sat about ten minutes with him in his library. He had entertained hopes of being admitted to a sight of the young ladies, of whose beauty he had heard much, but he saw only the father.
The ladies were somewhat more fortunate, for they had the advantage of ascertaining from an upper window, that he wore a blue coat and rode a black horse. an invitation to dinner was soon afterwards despatched and already had mrs bennet planned the courses that were to do credit to her housekeeping when an answer arrived which deferred it all mr bingley was obliged to be in town the following day and consequently unable to accept the honour of their invitation c mrs bennet was quite disconcerted she could not imagine what business he could have in town so soon after his arrival in hertfordshire and she began to fear that he might be always flying about from one place to another and never settled at netherfield as he ought to be lady lucas quieted her fears a little by starting the idea of his being gone to london only to get a large party for the ball and a report soon followed that mr bingley was to bring twelve ladies and seven gentlemen with him to the assembly the girls grieved over such a number of ladies but were comforted the day before the ball by hearing that instead of twelve he brought only six with him from london his five sisters and a cousin and when the party entered the assembly-room it consisted of only five altogether mr bingley his two sisters the husband of the eldest and another young man mr bingley was good-looking and gentlemanlike he had a pleasant countenance and easy unaffected manners his sisters were fine women with an air of decided fashion his brother-in-law mr hurst merely looked the gentleman but his friend mr darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine tall person handsome features noble mien and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance of his having ten thousand a year the gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man the ladies declared he was much handsomer than mr bingley and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity for he was discovered to be proud to be above his company and above being pleased and not all his large estate in derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding disagreeable countenance and being unworthy to be compared with his friend mr bingley had soon made himself acquainted with all the principal people in the room he was lively and unreserved danced every dance was angry that the ball closed so early and talked of giving one himself at netherfield such amiable qualities must speak for themselves what a contrast between him and his friend mr darcy danced only once with mrs hurst and once with miss bingley declined being introduced to any other lady and spent the rest of the evening in walking about the room speaking occasionally to one of his own party his character was decided he was the proudest most disagreeable man in the world and everybody hoped that he would never come there again amongst the most violent against him was mrs bennet whose dislike of his general behaviour was sharpened into particular resentment by his having slighted one of her daughters elizabeth bennet had been obliged by the scarcity of gentlemen to sit down for two dances and during part of that time mr darcy had been standing near enough for her to hear a conversation between him and mr bingley who came from the dance for a few minutes to press his friend to join it come darcy said he i must have you dance i hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner you had much better dance i certainly shall not you know how i detest it unless i am particularly acquainted with my partner at such an assembly as this it would be insupportable "'Your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with.'"'I would not be so fastidious as you are,'cried Mr. Bingley,"'for a kingdom. Upon my honour, I never met with so many pleasant girls in my life as I have this evening, and there are several of them you see uncommonly pretty.'"'You are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room,'said Mr. Darcy, looking at the eldest Miss Bennet. oh she is the most beautiful creature i ever beheld but there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you who is very pretty and i dare say very agreeable do let me ask my partner to introduce you which do you mean and turning round he looked for a moment at elizabeth till catching her eye he withdrew his own and coldly said she is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me i am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men you had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles for you are wasting your time with me mr bingley followed his advice mr darcy walked off and elizabeth remained with no very cordial feelings towards him she told the story however with great spirit among her friends for she had a lively playful disposition which delighted in anything ridiculous the evening altogether passed off pleasantly to the whole family. Mrs. Bennet had seen her eldest daughter much admired by the Netherfield party. Mr. Bingley had danced with her twice, and she had been distinguished by his sisters.
Jane was as much gratified by this as her mother could be, though in a quieter way. Elizabeth felt Jane's pleasure. Mary had heard herself mentioned to Miss Bingley as the most accomplished girl in the neighbourhood, and Catherine and Lydia had been fortunate enough never to be without partners, which was all that they had yet learnt to care for at a ball. they returned therefore in good spirits to longbourn the village where they lived and of which they were the principal inhabitants they found mr bennet still up with a book he was regardless of time and on the present occasion he had a good deal of curiosity as to the events of an evening which had raised such splendid expectations he had rather hoped that his wife's views on the stranger would be disappointed but he soon found out that he had a different story to hear oh my dear mr bennet as she entered the room we have had a most delightful evening a most excellent ball i wish you had been there jane was so admired nothing could be like it everybody said how well she looked and mr de bingley thought her quite beautiful and danced with her twice only think of that my dear he actually danced with her twice and she was the only creature in the rom that he asked a second time first of all he asked miss lucas i was so vexed to see him stand up with her but however he did not admire her at all indeed nobody can you know and he seemed quite struck with jane as she was going down the dance so he inquired who she was and got introduced and asked her for the next two then the two-third he danced with miss king and the two-fourth with maria lucas and the two-fifth with jane again and the two-sixth with lizzy and the boulanger if he had any compassion for me cried her husband impatiently he would not have danced half so much god's sake say no more of his partners oh that he had sprained his ankle in the first dance oh my dear i am quite delighted with him he is so excessively handsome and his sisters are charming women i never in my life saw anything more elegant than their dresses i dare say the lace upon mrs hurst's gown here she was interrupted again mr bennet protested against any description of finery she was therefore obliged to seek another branch of the subject and related with much bitterness of spirit and some exaggeration the shocking rudeness of mr darcy but i can assure you she added that lizzy does not lose much by not suiting his fancy for he is a most disagreeable horrid man not at all worth pleasing so high and so conceited that there was no enduring him he walked here and he walked there fancying himself so very great not handsome enough to dance with i wish you had been there my dear to have given him one of your set-downs i quite detest the man chapter four when jane and elizabeth were alone the former who had been cautious in her praise of mr bingley before expressed to her sister just how very much she admired him he is just what a young man ought to be said she sensible good-humoured lively and i never saw such happy manners so much ease with such perfect good-breeding.
He is also handsome,"replied Elizabeth, which a young man ought likewise to be if he possibly can. His character is thereby complete." I was very much flattered by his asking me to dance a second time. I did not expect such a compliment. Did not you? I did for you.
But that is one great difference between us. Compliments always take you by surprise, and me never. What could be more natural than his asking you again? He could not help seeing that you were about five times as pretty as every other woman in the room. No thanks to his gallantry for that.
Well, he certainly is very agreeable. and i give you leave to like him you've liked many a stupider person dear lizzy oh you are a great deal too apt you know to like people in general you never see a fault with anybody all the world are good and agreeable in your eyes i never heard you speak ill of a human being in your life i would not wish to be hasty in censuring any one but i always speak what i think i know you do and it is that which makes the wonder with your good sense to be so honestly blind to the follies and nonsense of others affectation of candour is common enough one meets with it everywhere but to be candid without ostentation or design to take the good of everybody's character and make it still better and to say nothing of the bad belongs to you alone and so you like this man's sisters too do you their manners are not equal to his certainly not at first but they are very pleasing women when you converse with them miss bingley is to live with her brother and keep his house and i am much mistaken if we shall not find a very charming neighbour in her elizabeth listened in silence but was not convinced their behaviour at the assembly had not been calculated to please in general and with more quickness of observation and less pliancy of temper than her sister and with a judgment too unassailed by any attention to herself she was very little disposed to approve them they were in fact very fine ladies not deficient in good-humour when they were pleased nor in the power of making themselves agreeable when they chose it but proud and conceited they were rather handsome had been educated in one of the first private seminaries in town had a fortune of twenty thousand pounds were in the habit of spending more than they ought and of associating with people of rank and were therefore in every respect entitled to think well of themselves and meanly of others they were of a respectable family in the north of england a circumstance more deeply impressed on their memories than that their brother's fortune and their own had been acquired by trade mr bingley inherited property to the amount of nearly a hundred thousand pounds from his father who had intended to purchase an estate but did not live to do it mr bingley intended it likewise and sometimes made choice of his county but as he now was provided with a good house and the liberty of a manor it was doubtful to many of those who best knew the easiness of his temper whether he might not spend the remainder of his days at netherfield and leave the next generation to purchase his sisters were anxious for his having an estate of his own but though he was now only established as a tenant miss bingley was by no means unwilling to preside at his table nor was mrs hurst who had married a man of more fashion than fortune less disposed to consider his house as her home when it suited her mr bingley had not been of age two years when he was tempted by an accidental recommendation to look at netherfield house he did look at it and into it for half an hour was pleased with the situation and the principal rooms satisfied with what the owner said in its praise and took it immediately between him and darcy there was a very steady friendship in spite of great opposition of character bingley was endeared to darcy by the easiness openness and ductility of his temper though no disposition could offer a greater contrast to his own and though with his own he never appeared dissatisfied on the strength of darcy's regard bingley had the firmest reliance and of his judgment the highest opinion in understanding darcy was the superior bingley was by no means deficient but darcy was clever he was at the same time haughty reserved and fastidious and his manners though well-bred were not inviting in that respect his friend had greatly the advantage bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared darcy was continually giving offence the manner in which they spoke of the meryton assembly was sufficiently characteristic bingley had never met with more pleasant people or prettier girls in his life everybody had been most kind and attentive to him there had been no formality no stiffness he had soon felt acquainted with all the room and as to miss bennet he could not conceive an angel more beautiful darcy on the contrary had seen a collection of people in whom there was little beauty and no fashion for none of whom he had felt the smallest interest and from none received either attention or pleasure miss bennet he acknowledged to be pretty but she smiled too much mrs hurst and her sister allowed it to be so but still they admired her and liked her and pronounced her to be a sweet girl and one whom they would not object to know more of miss bennet was therefore established as a sweet girl and their brother felt authorized by such commendation to think of her as he chose chapter v within a short walk of longbourn lived a family with whom the bennets were particularly intimate sir william lucas had been formerly in trade in meryton where he had made a tolerable fortune and risen to the honour of knighthood by an address to the king during his mayoralty the distinction had perhaps been felt too strongly it had given him a disgust to his business and to his residence in a small market-town and in quitting them both he had removed with his family to a house about a mile from meryton denominated from that period lucas lodge where he could think with pleasure of his own importance and unshackled by business occupy himself solely in being civil to all the world for though elated by his rank it did not render him supercilious on the contrary he was all attention to everybody by nature inoffensive friendly and obliging his presentation at st james's had made him courteous lady lucas was a very good kind of woman not too clever to be a valuable neighbour to mrs bennet they had several children the eldest of them a sensible intelligent young woman about twenty-seven was elizabeth's intimate friend that the miss lucases and the miss bennets should meet to talk over a ball was absolutely necessary and the morning after the assembly brought the former to longbourn to hear and to communicate you began the evening well charlotte said mrs bennet with civil self-command to miss lucas you were mr bigley's first choice yes but he seemed to like his second better oh you mean jane i suppose because he danced with her twice to be sure that it did seem as if he admired her indeed i rather believe he did i heard something about it but i hardly know what something about mr robinson perhaps you mean what i overheard between him and mr robinson did not i mention it to you mr robinson's asking him how he liked our meryton assemblies and whether he did not think there were a great many pretty women in the room and which he thought the prettiest and his answering immediately to the last question oh the eldest miss bennet beyond a doubt there cannot be two opinions on that point upon my word well that is very decided indeed that does seem as if but however it may all come to nothing you know my overhearings are more to the purpose than yours eliza said charlotte mr darcy is not so well worth listening to as his friend is he poor eliza to be only just tolerable I beg you would not put into Lizzy's head to be vexed by his ill-treatment, for he is such a disagreeable man, that it would be quite a misfortune to be liked by him. Mrs. Long told me last night that he sat close to her for half an hour without once opening his lips.""'Are you quite sure, ma'am? '"'Is not there a little mistake?'said Jane."'I certainly saw Mr. Darcy speaking to her.'"'Aye, because she asked him at last how he liked Netherfield, and he could not help answering her. but she said he seemed quite angry at being spoken to miss bingley told me said jane that he never speaks much unless among his intimate acquaintances with them he is remarkably agreeable i do not believe a word of it my dear if he had been so very agreeable he would have talked to mrs long but i can guess how it was everybody says that he is et up with pride and i dare say he had heard somehow that mrs long does not keep a carriage and had come to the ball in a hack's chaise i do not mind his not talking to mrs long said miss lucas but i wish he had danced with eliza another time lizzy said her mother i would not dance with him if i were you i believe ma'am i may safely promise you never to dance with him his pride said miss lucas does not offend me so much as pride often does because there is an excuse for it one cannot wonder that so very fine a young man with family fortune every thing in his favour should think very highly of himself if i may so express it he has a right to be proud that is very true replied elizabeth and i could easily forgive his pride if he had not mortified mine pride observed mary who piqued herself upon the solidity of her reflections is a very common failing i believe By all that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed, that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us who do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency on the score of some quality or other, real or imaginary. Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us. "'If I were as rich as Mr. Darcy,'cried a young Lucas, who came with his sisters,"'I should not care how proud I was. I would keep a pack of foxhounds and drink a bottle of wine a day.'"'Then you would drink a great deal more than you ought,'said Mrs. Bennet."'And if I were to see you at it, I should take away your bottle directly.'The boy protested that she should not. She continued to declare that she would, and the argument ended only with the visit.