{"id":"01KJRRE0M7G73XCC0WKEFDW5Q1","cid":"bafkreicdd76bhzmdtdouy5ag4jzsgkps32cxezp3tqamzdqxqt2gowzx5e","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":64943,"char_start":56971,"chunk_index":8,"chunk_total":108,"estimated_tokens":1993,"label":"good of everybody’s character and make it still be","source_file_key":"pride-and-prejudice","text":"good of everybody’s character and make it still better, and say nothing\r\nof the bad,--belongs to you alone. And so, you like this man’s sisters,\r\ntoo, do you? Their manners are not equal to his.”\r\n\r\n“Certainly not, at first; but they are very pleasing women when you\r\nconverse with them. Miss Bingley is to live with her brother, and keep\r\nhis house; and I am much mistaken if we shall not find a very charming\r\nneighbour in her.”\r\n\r\nElizabeth listened in silence, but was not convinced: their behaviour at\r\nthe assembly had not been calculated to please in general; and with more\r\nquickness of observation and less pliancy of temper than her sister, and\r\nwith a judgment, too, unassailed by any attention to herself, she was\r\nvery little disposed to approve them. They were, in fact, very fine\r\nladies; not deficient in good-humour when they were pleased, nor in the\r\npower of being agreeable where they chose it; but proud and conceited.\r\nThey were rather handsome; had been educated in one of the first private\r\nseminaries in town; had a fortune of twenty thousand pounds; were in the\r\nhabit of spending more than they ought, and of associating with people\r\nof rank; and were, therefore, in every respect entitled to think well of\r\nthemselves and meanly of others. They were of a respectable family in\r\nthe north of England; a circumstance more deeply impressed on their\r\nmemories than that their brother’s fortune and their own had been\r\nacquired by trade.\r\n\r\nMr. Bingley inherited property to the amount of nearly a hundred\r\nthousand pounds from his father, who had intended to purchase an estate,\r\nbut did not live to do it. Mr. Bingley intended it likewise, and\r\nsometimes made choice of his county; but, as he was now provided with a\r\ngood house and the liberty of a manor, it was doubtful to many of those\r\nwho best knew the easiness of his temper, whether he might not spend the\r\nremainder of his days at Netherfield, and leave the next generation to\r\npurchase.\r\n\r\nHis sisters were very anxious for his having an estate of his own; but\r\nthough he was now established only as a tenant, Miss Bingley was by no\r\nmeans unwilling to preside at his table; nor was Mrs. Hurst, who had\r\nmarried a man of more fashion than fortune, less disposed to consider\r\nhis house as her home when it suited her. Mr. Bingley had not been of\r\nage two years when he was tempted, by an accidental recommendation, to\r\nlook at Netherfield House. He did look at it, and into it, for half an\r\nhour; was pleased with the situation and the principal rooms, satisfied\r\nwith what the owner said in its praise, and took it immediately.\r\n\r\nBetween him and Darcy there was a very steady friendship, in spite of a\r\ngreat opposition of character. Bingley was endeared to Darcy by the\r\neasiness, openness, and ductility of his temper, though no disposition\r\ncould offer a greater contrast to his own, and though with his own he\r\nnever appeared dissatisfied. On the strength of Darcy’s regard, Bingley\r\nhad the firmest reliance, and of his judgment the highest opinion. In\r\nunderstanding, Darcy was the superior. Bingley was by no means\r\ndeficient; but Darcy was clever. He was at the same time haughty,\r\nreserved, and fastidious; and his manners, though well bred, were not\r\ninviting. In that respect his friend had greatly the advantage. Bingley\r\nwas sure of being liked wherever he appeared; Darcy was continually\r\ngiving offence.\r\n\r\nThe manner in which they spoke of the Meryton assembly was sufficiently\r\ncharacteristic. Bingley had never met with pleasanter people or prettier\r\ngirls in his life; everybody had been most kind and attentive to him;\r\nthere had been no formality, no stiffness; he had soon felt acquainted\r\nwith all the room; and as to Miss Bennet, he could not conceive an angel\r\nmore beautiful. Darcy, on the contrary, had seen a collection of people\r\nin whom there was little beauty and no fashion, for none of whom he had\r\nfelt the smallest interest, and from none received either attention or\r\npleasure. Miss Bennet he acknowledged to be pretty; but she smiled too\r\nmuch.\r\n\r\nMrs. Hurst and her sister allowed it to be so; but still they admired\r\nher and liked her, and pronounced her to be a sweet girl, and one whom\r\nthey should not object to know more of. Miss Bennet was therefore\r\nestablished as a sweet girl; and their brother felt authorized by such\r\ncommendation to think of her as he chose.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n[Illustration: [_Copyright 1894 by George Allen._]]\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER V.\r\n\r\n\r\n[Illustration]\r\n\r\nWithin a short walk of Longbourn lived a family with whom the Bennets\r\nwere particularly intimate. Sir William Lucas had been formerly in trade\r\nin Meryton, where he had made a tolerable fortune, and risen to the\r\nhonour of knighthood by an address to the king during his mayoralty. The\r\ndistinction had, perhaps, been felt too strongly. It had given him a\r\ndisgust to his business and to his residence in a small market town;\r\nand, quitting them both, he had removed with his family to a house about\r\na mile from Meryton, denominated from that period Lucas Lodge; where he\r\ncould think with pleasure of his own importance, and, unshackled by\r\nbusiness, occupy himself solely in being civil to all the world. For,\r\nthough elated by his rank, it did not render him supercilious; on the\r\ncontrary, he was all attention to everybody. By nature inoffensive,\r\nfriendly, and obliging, his presentation at St. James’s had made him\r\ncourteous.\r\n\r\nLady Lucas was a very good kind of woman, not too clever to be a\r\nvaluable neighbour to Mrs. Bennet. They had several children. The eldest\r\nof them, a sensible, intelligent young woman, about twenty-seven, was\r\nElizabeth’s intimate friend.\r\n\r\nThat the Miss Lucases and the Miss Bennets should meet to talk over a\r\nball was absolutely necessary; and the morning after the assembly\r\nbrought the former to Longbourn to hear and to communicate.\r\n\r\n“_You_ began the evening well, Charlotte,” said Mrs. Bennet, with civil\r\nself-command, to Miss Lucas. “_You_ were Mr. Bingley’s first choice.”\r\n\r\n“Yes; but he seemed to like his second better.”\r\n\r\n“Oh, you mean Jane, I suppose, because he danced with her twice. To be\r\nsure that _did_ seem as if he admired her--indeed, I rather believe he\r\n_did_--I heard something about it--but I hardly know what--something\r\nabout Mr. Robinson.”\r\n\r\n“Perhaps you mean what I overheard between him and Mr. Robinson: did not\r\nI mention it to you? Mr. Robinson’s asking him how he liked our Meryton\r\nassemblies, and whether he did not think there were a great many pretty\r\nwomen in the room, and _which_ he thought the prettiest? and his\r\nanswering immediately to the last question, ‘Oh, the eldest Miss Bennet,\r\nbeyond a doubt: there cannot be two opinions on that point.’”\r\n\r\n“Upon my word! Well, that was very decided, indeed--that does seem as\r\nif--but, however, it may all come to nothing, you know.”\r\n\r\n“_My_ overhearings were more to the purpose than _yours_, Eliza,” said\r\nCharlotte. “Mr. Darcy is not so well worth listening to as his friend,\r\nis he? Poor Eliza! to be only just _tolerable_.”\r\n\r\n“I beg you will not put it into Lizzy’s head to be vexed by his\r\nill-treatment, for he is such a disagreeable man that it would be quite\r\na misfortune to be liked by him. Mrs. Long told me last night that he\r\nsat close to her for half an hour without once opening his lips.”\r\n\r\n[Illustration: “Without once opening his lips”\r\n\r\n[_Copyright 1894 by George Allen._]]\r\n\r\n“Are you quite sure, ma’am? Is not there a little mistake?” said Jane.\r\n“I certainly saw Mr. Darcy speaking to her.”\r\n\r\n“Ay, because she asked him at last how he liked Netherfield, and he\r\ncould not help answering her; but she said he seemed very angry at being\r\nspoke to.”\r\n\r\n“Miss Bingley told me,” said Jane, “that he never speaks much unless\r\namong his intimate acquaintance. With _them_ he is remarkably\r\nagreeable.”\r\n\r\n“I do not believe a word of it, my dear. If he had been so very\r\nagreeable, he would have talked to Mrs. Long."},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KJRRD3TNE5A6AKAVXSRFT9RC","peer_label":"pride-and-prejudice","peer_type":"text","predicate":"derived_from"},{"peer":"01KJRRC2C7K6XERRJES8143XGV","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KJRREZE4MTY540KMV82YTDGM","peer_label":"mrs hurst","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF06V9ABE1JZWJHE56BCY","peer_label":"miss bingley","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZJBEM6MWHW485H9DS9F","peer_label":"mr darcy","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY5SSJCQ67QYG0XTG9A8","peer_label":"mr bingley","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZKG263C7SQSDV3TZ5MX","peer_label":"elizabeth bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGM87R12EADFF6YZZG3","peer_label":"jane bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF0QZTC5KJ63MKYZHD3F9","peer_label":"meryton","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"town","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF7KZJ4HY099E682KTSPW","peer_label":"lucas lodge","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"place","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYSX336MNFYYQ2MPNB60","peer_label":"lady lucas","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYTMYM5H9026MPV0AJMX","peer_label":"sir william lucas","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYT564P5405ZE4Q76ZF5","peer_label":"mrs bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZFDNHD81TMSJQPDWV69","peer_label":"charlotte lucas","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFC6R2K9F9ZSJXPFZP7GQ","peer_label":"mrs long","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFXK078BSBD5MYJ14AXVN","peer_label":"meryton assembly","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"event","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFXEAZJKX8Z5H28NF386X","peer_label":"netherfield house","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFXP88ETT9ZBT9T9Q1Z8E","peer_label":"hundred thousand pounds","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"financial_value","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFXKYM3E9SBD920N7Q5KF","peer_label":"mr robinson","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFXTFCQ678KD6R0751SMF","peer_label":"twenty thousand pounds","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"financial_value","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFXWTQ6BJ744621GS2YJA","peer_label":"chapter v","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"document_structure","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.836Z"}}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:01.191Z","ts":"2026-03-03T02:30:06.682Z","edited_by":{"method":"system","user_id":"01KJ60XQBHJ0GBGTP9X8HXAPPM"}}