|
Chapter 22 Mr Bennet Returns
All Meryton now seemed eager to speak badly of the man who, only three months before, had been considered to be the perfect gentleman. He was said to be in debt to every shopkeeper in the place, and to have made love to most of their daughters. Everybody spoke of him as the worst young man in the world, and everybody began to find out that they had always distrusted the appearance of his goodness.
Mrs Philips visited the Bennets frequently with the intention, she said, of cheering them up, but as she never came without reporting some fresh example of his wrongdoings, she rarely went away without leaving them in lower spirits than she had found them.
Every day at Longbourn was now a day of anxiety, but the most anxious part of each was when the post was expected. Still no news of any importance came from London, but a letter arrived for their father from a different direction, from Mr Collins. As Jane had been told by Mr Bennet to open everything that came for him in his absence, she read it, and Elizabeth, who knew how strange Mr Collins's letters always were, looked over her shoulder and read it too.
My dear Sir,
I feel it is my duty, as a relative of yours, and because of my situation in life, to sympathize with you in your present misfortune, which must be of the bitterest kind, since it stems from a cause that no time can remove. The death of your daughter would have been a relief in comparison with this. It is all the worse, because I understand there is reason to suppose that this behaviour of your daughter was caused by a lack of rules at home, though at the same time I suspect that her character must be naturally bad. In any case, you are greatly to be pitied, in
which opinion I am joined not only by my wife, but also by Lady Catherine and her daughter. They agree with me that this foolish act will harm the fortunes of all your other daughters, for who will connect themselves with such a family? This consideration leads me to think with increased satisfaction of a certain event of last November, for if it had been otherwise, I should have shared all your sorrow and shame. Let me advise you, my dear sir, to
throw off your ungrateful child for ever, and leave her to the fruits of her wrongdoings.
I am, dear sir, etc.
At last, after the failure of all attempts to find his daughter, Mr Bennet agreed to Mr Gardiner's request that he should return to his family and leave it to him to do whatever seemed advisable. When Mrs Bennet was told of this, she did not express as much satisfaction as her children expected.
'What! Is he coming home, and without poor Lydia? Who is to fight Wickham and make him marry her, if he comes away?'
As Mrs Gardiner began to wish to be at home, she and her children left in the carriage that would bring Mr Bennet back to Longbourn. She went away still as confused as ever about Elizabeth and her Derbyshire friend.
When Mr Bennet arrived, he had all the appearance of his usual calmness. He said as little as ever, and made no mention of the business that had taken him away, and it was some time before his daughters had the courage to speak of it.
It was not until the afternoon, when he joined them at tea, that Elizabeth dared to introduce the subject, and in answer to her expressions of sympathy, he said, 'Say nothing of that. It is right that I should suffer. It has been my own doing, and I ought to feel it.'
Then he continued, 'Lizzy, I have no bad feelings towards you for being right in your advice to me last May'
94
They were interrupted by Jane, who came to collect her mother's tea.
'This is a ceremony,' he cried, 'which does me good! Another day I will behave as your mother does. I will sit in the library, and give as much trouble as I can — or perhaps I can delay it until Kitty runs away.'
'I am not going to run away, Father,' said Kitty. 'If I should ever go to Brighton, I would behave better than Lydia.'
You go to Brighton! I will not trust you anywhere near it, not for fifty pounds! No, Kitty, I have at least learnt to be careful, and you will feel the effects of it. No officer is ever to enter this house again, or even to pass through the village. Balls are completely forbidden, unless you dance with one of your sisters. And you are never to go out of doors until you can prove that you have spent ten minutes of every day in a sensible manner.'
Kitty, who took all these threats seriously, began to cry.
'Well, well,' he said,'do not make yourself unhappy. If you are a good girl for the next ten years, I will take you to the theatre at the end of them.'
Chapter 23 Lydia and Wickham Are Found
Two days after Mr Bennet's return, as Jane and Elizabeth were walking in the garden behind the house, they saw the housekeeper coming towards them.
'I beg your pardon, madam, for interrupting you,' she said to Jane, 'but I was hoping that you might have had good news from town, and I dared to come and ask.'
'What do you mean? We have heard nothing from town.' 'Dear madam,' cried the housekeeper,'don't you know that an
urgent letter came from Mr Gardiner half an hour ago?'
The girls ran away, too eager to reach the house to have time
95
for speech. They ran through the hall into the breakfast room, and from there to the library. Their father was in neither. They were on the point of looking for him upstairs with their mother, when they were met by a manservant, who said:
'If you are looking for my master, madam, he is walking towards the little wood.'
They immediately left the house again, and ran across the grass after their father. Jane, who was not so light as Elizabeth, soon slowed down, while her sister, out of breath, reached him and eagerly cried out:
'Oh, Father, what news? Good or bad?'
'What good is to be expected?' he said, taking the letter from his pocket. 'But perhaps you would like to read it.'
Elizabeth impatiently caught it from his hand. Jane now came up and joined them.
'Read it out loud,' said their father.
Elizabeth read:
GRACECHURCH STREET
Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
