第127章

“Oh!hang Kitty!what has she to do with it?Come be quick,be quick!Where is your sash,my dear?”

Mrs. Bennet's schemes for this day were ineffectual. Bingley was every thing that was charming, except the professed lover of her daughter.His ease and cheerfulness rendered him a most agreeable addition to their evening party;and he bore with the ill-judged officiousness of the mother,and heard all her silly remarks with a forbearance and command of countenance particularly grateful to the daughter.

“We may as well leave them by themselves you know;”said her mother, as soon as she was in the hall.“Kitty and I are going upstairs to sit in my dressing-room.”

The same anxiety to get them by themselves was visible again in the evening.After tea, Mr. Bennet retired to the library, as was his custom,and Mary went up stairs to her instrument.Two obstacles of the five being thus removed,Mrs.Bennet sat looking and winking at Elizabeth and Catherine for a considerable time, without making any impression on them. Elizabeth would not observe her;and when at last Kitty did,she very innocently said,“What is the matter mamma?What do you keep winking at me for?What am I to do?”

“We will be down as soon as we can,”said Jane;“but I dare say Kitty is forwarder than either of us,for she went upstairs half an hour ago.”

But on returning to the drawing-room, when her letter was finished,she saw,to her infinite surprise,there was reason to fear that her mother had been too ingenious for her.On opening the door,she perceived her sister and Bingley standing together over the hearth,as if engaged in earnest conversation;and had this led to no suspicion, the faces of both, as they hastily turned round and moved away from each other, would have told it all. Their situation was awkward enough; but hers she thought was still worse.Not a syllable was uttered by either;and Elizabeth was on the point of going away again,when Bingley,who as well as the other had sat down,suddenly rose,and whispering a few words to her sister,ran out of the room.

“Nothing child,nothing.I did not wink at you.”She then sat still five minutes longer; but unable to waste such a precious occasion,she suddenly got up,and saying to Kitty,“Come here, my love,I want to speak to you,”took her out of the room.Jane instantly gave a look at Elizabeth which spoke her distress at such premeditation,and her entreaty that she would not give in to it. In a few minutes,Mrs.Bennet half-opened the door and called out:

“Next time you call,”said she,“I hope we shall be more lucky.”He should be particularly happy at any time,etc.etc.;and if she would give him leave,would take an early opportunity of waiting on them.

“My dear Jane,make haste and hurry down.He is come―Mr. Bingley is come. He is, indeed. Make haste, make haste. Here, Sarah,come to Miss Bennet this moment,and help her on with her gown.Never mind Miss Lizzy's hair.”

Bingley was punctual to his appointment; and he and Mr. Bennet spent the morning together,as had been agreed on.The latter was much more agreeable than his companion expected. There was nothing of presumption or folly in Bingley that could provoke his ridicule,or disgust him into silence;and he was more communicative,and less eccentric,than the other had ever seen him. Bingley of course returned with him to dinner; and in the evening Mrs.Bennet's invention was again at work to get every body away from him and her daughter.Elizabeth,who had a letter to write,went into the breakfast room for that purpose soon after tea;for as the others were all going to sit down to cards,she could not be wanted to counteract her mother's schemes.

After this day,Jane said no more of her indifference.Not a word passed between the sisters concerning Bingley;but Elizabeth went to bed in the happy belief that all must speedily be concluded, unless Mr. Darcy returned within the stated time. Seriously, however,she felt tolerably persuaded that all this must have taken place with that gentleman's concurrence.

Elizabeth's congratulations were given with a sincerity, a warmth,a delight,which words could but poorly express.Every sentence of kindness was a fresh source of happiness to Jane.But she would not allow herself to stay with her sister,or say half that remained to be said for the present.

A few days after this visit,Mr.Bingley called again,and alone. His friend had left him that morning for London, but was to return home in ten days time.He sat with them above an hour, and was in remarkably good spirits. Mrs. Bennet invited him to dine with them; but, with many expressions of concern, he confessed himself engaged elsewhere.

He scarcely needed an invitation to stay supper;and before he went away,an engagement was formed,chiefly through his own and Mrs.Bennet's means,for his coming next morning to shoot with her husband.

Yes, he had no engagement at all for to-morrow; and her invitation was accepted with alacrity.

“Tis too much!”she added,“by far too much.I do not deserve it.Oh!why is not everybody as happy?”

“Can you come to-morrow?”

Elizabeth was forced to go.

Jane could have no reserves from Elizabeth,where confidence would give pleasure;and instantly embracing her,acknowledged, with the liveliest emotion,that she was the happiest creature in the world.

“Lizzy,my dear,I want to speak with you.”

He came,and in such very good time that the ladies were none of them dressed.In ran Mrs.Bennet to her daughter's room,in her dressing gown,and with her hair half finished,crying out:

But when her mother was gone,Jane would not be prevailed on to go down without one of her sisters.

Elizabeth made no attempt to reason with her mother, but remained quietly in the hall,till she and Kitty were out of sight, then returned into the drawing-room.