II—­The Bennet Girls and their Lovers

Despite its rather unpromising commencement the course of a few days placed the acquaintance of the Bennets with the Bingleys on a footing approaching friendship; and soon matters began to stand somewhat as follow.  It was obvious that Charles Bingley and Jane Bennet were mutually attracted, and this despite the latter’s outward composure, which, like her amiability of manner and charity of view, was apt to mislead the superficial observer.  On the other hand, while the Bingley ladies expressed themselves as willing to know the two elder Miss Bennets and pronounced Jane “a sweet girl,” they found the other females of the family impossible.  Mrs. Bennet was intolerably stupid and tedious; Mary, who, being the only plain member of her family, piqued herself on the extent of her reading and the solidity of her reflections, was a platitudinous moralist; while Lydia and Kitty were loud, silly, giggling girls, who spent all their time in running after men.  As for Mr. Darcy, the indifference he at first felt to Elizabeth Bennet was gradually converted into a sort of guarded interest.  Originally he had scarcely allowed her to be pretty, but now he admired the beautiful expression of her dark eyes.  To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying.  Though he had detected 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.  He began to wish to know more of her, and, as a step towards conversing with her himself, attended to her conversation with others, while, since both he and she were of a satirical turn, they soon began to exchange little rallying, challenging speeches, so that Caroline Bingley, who was openly angling for Darcy herself, said to him one night:  “How long has Miss Elizabeth Bennet been such a favourite?  And pray when am I to wish you joy?” To which remarks he merely replied:  “That is exactly the question which I expected you to ask.  A lady’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment.  I knew you would be wishing me joy.”

Meantime, the friendship subsisting between the two families was advanced by a visit of some days paid by the two Bennet sisters to the Bingleys, at whose house Jane, thanks to her mother’s scheming, was laid up with a bad cold.  On this occasion Jane was coddled and made much of by her dear friends Caroline and Mrs. Hurst; but Elizabeth was now reckoned too attractive by one sister, and condemned as too sharp-tongued by both.

“Eliza Bennet,” said Miss Bingley, when the door was closed on her, “is one of those young ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex by undervaluing their own; and with many men, I dare say, it succeeds.  But in my opinion it is a very mean art.”