« It
is truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good
fortune, must be in want of a wife. »
« they
are silly and ignorant like other girls ; but Lizzy has something more of
quickness than her sisters. »
« ‘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 coldy said, ‘She is
tolerable ; but not handsome enough to tempt me ; and I am in no
humoiur at present to give conssequence to young ladies who are slighted by
other men. »
« Poor
Eliza ! – to be only just tolerable. »
« Occupied
in observing Mr. Binlgey’s attentions to her sister, Elizabeth was far from
suspecting that she was herself becoming an object of some interest in the eyes
of his friend. Mr. Darcy had at first scarcely allowed her to be pretty ;
he had looked at her without admiration
at the ball ; and when they next met, he looked at her only to criticise.
But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she had
hardly a good feature in her face, than he began to fin dit was rendered
uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this
discovery succeded som others equally mortifying. Though he had detected with a
critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was
forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing ; and in spite
of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he
was caught by their easy playfulness. Of this she was perfectly unaware ;
- to her he was only the man who made himself agreeable no where, and who had
not thought her handsome enough to dance with. »
« My
dear Miss Eliza, why are you not dancing ? – Mr. Darcy, you must allow me
to present this young lady to you as a very desirable partner. – 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, though extremely surprised, was
not unwilling to receive it, when she instantly drew back, and said with some
discomposure to Sir William,
‘Indeed,
Sir, I have not the least intention of dancing. – I entreat you not to suppose
that I moved this way in order to beg for a partner.’ »
« You
conjecture is totally wrong, I assure you. My mind was more agreeably engaged.
I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of eyes in the
face of a pretty woman can bestow.
Miss
Bingley immediately fixed her eyes on his face, and desired he would tell her
what lady had the credit of inspiring such reflections. Mr. Darcy replied with
great intrepidity,
‘Miss
Elizabeth Bennet.’ »
« «
‘Miss Eliza Bennet,’ said Miss Bingley, ‘despises cards. She is a great reader
and has no pleasure in any thing else. ‘ »
« All
this she must possess,’ added Darcy, ‘and to all this she must yet add
something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive
reading.’ »
« ‘I
have been used to consider poetry as the food of love,’ said Darcy. »
« Mrs
Hurst sang with her sister, and while they were thus employed Elizabeth could
not help observing as she turned over some music books that lay on the
instrument, how frequently Mr. Darcy’s eyes were fixed on her. She hardly knew
how to suppose that she could be an object of admiration to so great a
man ; and yet that he should look at her because he disliked her, was
still more strange. She could only imagine however at last, that she drew his
notice because there was a something about her more wrong and reprehensible,
according to his ideas of right, than in any other person present. The
supposition did not pain her. She liked him too little to care for his
approbation.
After
playing some Italian songs, Miss Bingley varied the charm by a lively Scotch
air ; and soon afterwards Mr. Darcy, drawing near Elizabeth, said to her-
‘Do
not you feel a great inclination, Miss Bennet, to seize such an opportunity of
dancing a reel ?’
She
smiled, but made no answer. He repeated the question, with some surprise at her
silence.
‘Oh !’
said she, « I heard you before ; but I could not immediately
determine what to say in reply. You wanted me, I know, to say ‘Yes,’ that you
might have the pleasure of despising my taste, but I always delight in
overthrowing those kind of schemes, and cheating a person of their premeditated
contempt. I have therefore made up my mind to tell you, that I do not want to
dance a reel at all – and now despise me if you dare.’
‘Indeed
I do not dare.’
Elizabeth,
having rather expected to affront him, was amazed at his gallantry ; but
there a mixture of sweetness and archnedd in her manner which made it difficult
for her to affront anybody ; and Darcy had never been so bewitched by any
woman as he was by her. He really believed, that were it not for the
inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger. »
« ‘How
pleasant it is to spend an evening in this way ! I declare after all there
is no enjoyment like reading ! How much sooner one tires of any thing of a
book ! – When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not
an excellent library.’ »
« ‘Yes,
vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride-where there is a real superiority of
mind, pride will be always under good regulation.’ »
« ‘And
your defect is a propensity to hate every body.’
‘And
yours,’ he replied with a smile, ‘is wilfully to misunderstand them.’ »
« He
began to feel the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention. »
« When
those dances were over she returned to
Charlotte Lucas, and was in conversation with her, when she found herself
suddenly addressed by Mr. Darcy, who took her so much by surprise in his
applicaiton for her hand, that, without knowing what shed id, she accepted
him. »
« ‘What
think you of books ?’ said he, smiling.
‘Books
– Oh ! no. – I am sure we never read the same, or not with the same
feelings.’
‘I
am sorry you think so ; but if that be the case, there can at least be no
want of subject. – We may compare our different opinions. »
« Almost
as soon as I entered the house I singled you out as the companion of my future
life. »
« Is
not general incivility the very essence of love ? »
« You
are too sensible a girl, Lizzy, to fall in love merely because you are warned
against it »
« I
am ill qualified to recommend myself to strangers. »
« ‘I
certainly have not the talent which some people possess,’ said Darcy, ‘of
conversing easily with those I have never seen before. I cannot catch their
tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see
done.’ »
« Elizabeth
was surprised, but said not a word. After a silence of several minutes he came
towards her in an agitated manner, and thus began,
‘In
vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You
must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.’ »
« He
spoke of apprehension and anxiety, but his countenance expressed real
security. »
« These
bitter accusations might have been suppressed, had I with greater policy
concealed my struggles, and flattered you into the belief of my being impelled
by unqualified, unalloyed inclination ; by reason, by reflection, by every
thing. But disguise of every sort is my abhorrence. Nor am I ashamed of the
feelings i related. They were natural and just. Could you expect me to rejoice
in the inferiority of your connections ? To congratulate myself on the
hope of relations, whose condition in life is so decidedly beneath my
own ?’ »
« From
the very beginning, from the very first moment I may almost say, of my
acquaintance with you, your manners impressing me with the fullest belief of
your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfich disdain of the feelings of
others, were such as to form that ground-work of disapprobation, on which
succeeding events have built so immoveable a dislike ; and I had not known
you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could
ever be prevailed on to marry. »
« Whether
he had felt more of pain or of pleasure in seeing her, she could not tell, but
he certainly had not seen her with composure. »
« His
wish of introducing his sister to her, was a compliment of the highest
kind. »
« Such
a change in a man of so much pride, excited not only astonishment but gratitude
– for to love, ardent love, it must be attributed ; and as such is
impression on her was of a sort to be encouraged, as by no means unpleasing,
though it could not be exactly defined. »
« She
began to comprehend that he was exactly the man, who, in disposition and
talents, would most suit her. His understanding and temper, though unlike her
own, would have answered all her wishes. It was an union that must have been to
the advantage of both ; by her ease and liveliness, his mind might have
been softened, his manners improved, and from his judgement, information, and
knowledge of the world, she must have received benefit of greater
importance. »
« Yes
– that is what maked it amusing. Had they fixed on any other man ot would have
been nothing ; but his perfect indifference, and your pointed dislike,
make it so delightfully absurd ! »
« Elizabeth
had never been more at a loss to make her feelings appear what they were not.It
was necessary to laugh, when she would rather have cried. »
« Your
reproof, so well applied, I shall never forget : ‘had you behaved in a
more gentleman like manner.’ Those were your words. You know not, you can
scarcely conceive, how they have tortured me ; - though it was some time,
I confess, before I was reasonable enough to allow their justice.’ »
« Think
only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure. »
« Your
lively talents would place you in the greatest danger in an unequal marriage. »
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
