Pride and Prejudice Volume 3, Chapter 7

Mr. Bennet gets a letter from Mr. Gardiner the next day letting him know that Lydia and Wickham have been found and agreed to get married. Mr. Gardiner has arranged to pay off Wickham's debts and give him a small allowance each year as incentive to marry Lydia whose reputation would never recover otherwise. Mr. Bennet feels indebted to his brother-in-law because he can't afford to give Wickham that kind of money, and he is angry at Lydia for putting them in such a situation. Elizabeth is relieved to know that they're marrying, but she's disgusted with Lydia's behavior. Jane hopes that they'll be happy together, and Mrs. Bennet is so ecstatic that she acts as if Lydia has done nothing wrong.