{"id":"01KJRRE0MCC78ZV4HCEDT697TT","cid":"bafkreig6vtv7j4mfha4rzsn2wzajool5j52slpsa5aezeujkkbqzc4otxy","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":79320,"char_start":71383,"chunk_index":10,"chunk_total":108,"estimated_tokens":1985,"label":"ever so similar beforehand, it does not advance th","source_file_key":"pride-and-prejudice","text":"ever so similar beforehand, it does not advance their felicity in the\r\nleast. They always continue to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to\r\nhave their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as\r\npossible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your\r\nlife.”\r\n\r\n“You make me laugh, Charlotte; but it is not sound. You know it is not\r\nsound, and that you would never act in this way yourself.”\r\n\r\nOccupied in observing Mr. Bingley’s attention to her sister, Elizabeth\r\nwas far from suspecting that she was herself becoming an object of some\r\ninterest in the eyes of his friend. Mr. Darcy had at first scarcely\r\nallowed her to be pretty: he had looked at her without admiration at the\r\nball; and when they next met, he looked at her only to criticise. But no\r\nsooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she had\r\nhardly a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered\r\nuncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To\r\nthis discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying. Though he had\r\ndetected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry\r\nin her form, he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and\r\npleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those\r\nof the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness. Of\r\nthis she was perfectly unaware: to her he was only the man who made\r\nhimself agreeable nowhere, and who had not thought her handsome enough\r\nto dance with.\r\n\r\nHe began to wish to know more of her; and, as a step towards conversing\r\nwith her himself, attended to her conversation with others. His doing so\r\ndrew her notice. It was at Sir William Lucas’s, where a large party were\r\nassembled.\r\n\r\n“What does Mr. Darcy mean,” said she to Charlotte, “by listening to my\r\nconversation with Colonel Forster?”\r\n\r\n“That is a question which Mr. Darcy only can answer.”\r\n\r\n“But if he does it any more, I shall certainly let him know that I see\r\nwhat he is about. He has a very satirical eye, and if I do not begin by\r\nbeing impertinent myself, I shall soon grow afraid of him.”\r\n\r\n[Illustration: “The entreaties of several” [_Copyright 1894 by George\r\nAllen._]]\r\n\r\nOn his approaching them soon afterwards, though without seeming to have\r\nany intention of speaking, Miss Lucas defied her friend to mention such\r\na subject to him, which immediately provoking Elizabeth to do it, she\r\nturned to him and said,--\r\n\r\n“Did not you think, Mr. Darcy, that I expressed myself uncommonly well\r\njust now, when I was teasing Colonel Forster to give us a ball at\r\nMeryton?”\r\n\r\n“With great energy; but it is a subject which always makes a lady\r\nenergetic.”\r\n\r\n“You are severe on us.”\r\n\r\n“It will be _her_ turn soon to be teased,” said Miss Lucas. “I am going\r\nto open the instrument, Eliza, and you know what follows.”\r\n\r\n“You are a very strange creature by way of a friend!--always wanting me\r\nto play and sing before anybody and everybody! If my vanity had taken a\r\nmusical turn, you would have been invaluable; but as it is, I would\r\nreally rather not sit down before those who must be in the habit of\r\nhearing the very best performers.” On Miss Lucas’s persevering, however,\r\nshe added, “Very well; if it must be so, it must.” And gravely glancing\r\nat Mr. Darcy, “There is a very fine old saying, which everybody here is\r\nof course familiar with--‘Keep your breath to cool your porridge,’--and\r\nI shall keep mine to swell my song.”\r\n\r\nHer performance was pleasing, though by no means capital. After a song\r\nor two, and before she could reply to the entreaties of several that she\r\nwould sing again, she was eagerly succeeded at the instrument by her\r\nsister Mary, who having, in consequence of being the only plain one in\r\nthe family, worked hard for knowledge and accomplishments, was always\r\nimpatient for display.\r\n\r\nMary had neither genius nor taste; and though vanity had given her\r\napplication, it had given her likewise a pedantic air and conceited\r\nmanner, which would have injured a higher degree of excellence than she\r\nhad reached. Elizabeth, easy and unaffected, had been listened to with\r\nmuch more pleasure, though not playing half so well; and Mary, at the\r\nend of a long concerto, was glad to purchase praise and gratitude by\r\nScotch and Irish airs, at the request of her younger sisters, who with\r\nsome of the Lucases, and two or three officers, joined eagerly in\r\ndancing at one end of the room.\r\n\r\nMr. Darcy stood near them in silent indignation at such a mode of\r\npassing the evening, to the exclusion of all conversation, and was too\r\nmuch engrossed by his own thoughts to perceive that Sir William Lucas\r\nwas his neighbour, till Sir William thus began:--\r\n\r\n“What a charming amusement for young people this is, Mr. Darcy! There is\r\nnothing like dancing, after all. I consider it as one of the first\r\nrefinements of polished societies.”\r\n\r\n“Certainly, sir; and it has the advantage also of being in vogue amongst\r\nthe less polished societies of the world: every savage can dance.”\r\n\r\nSir William only smiled. “Your friend performs delightfully,” he\r\ncontinued, after a pause, on seeing Bingley join the group; “and I doubt\r\nnot that you are an adept in the science yourself, Mr. Darcy.”\r\n\r\n“You saw me dance at Meryton, I believe, sir.”\r\n\r\n“Yes, indeed, and received no inconsiderable pleasure from the sight. Do\r\nyou often dance at St. James’s?”\r\n\r\n“Never, sir.”\r\n\r\n“Do you not think it would be a proper compliment to the place?”\r\n\r\n“It is a compliment which I never pay to any place if I can avoid it.”\r\n\r\n“You have a house in town, I conclude?”\r\n\r\nMr. Darcy bowed.\r\n\r\n“I had once some thoughts of fixing in town myself, for I am fond of\r\nsuperior society; but I did not feel quite certain that the air of\r\nLondon would agree with Lady Lucas.”\r\n\r\nHe paused in hopes of an answer: but his companion was not disposed to\r\nmake any; and Elizabeth at that instant moving towards them, he was\r\nstruck with the notion of doing a very gallant thing, and called out to\r\nher,--\r\n\r\n“My dear Miss Eliza, why are not you dancing? Mr. Darcy, you must allow\r\nme to present this young lady to you as a very desirable partner. You\r\ncannot refuse to dance, I am sure, when so much beauty is before you.”\r\nAnd, taking her hand, he would have given it to Mr. Darcy, who, though\r\nextremely surprised, was not unwilling to receive it, when she instantly\r\ndrew back, and said with some discomposure to Sir William,--\r\n\r\n“Indeed, sir, I have not the least intention of dancing. I entreat you\r\nnot to suppose that I moved this way in order to beg for a partner.”\r\n\r\nMr. Darcy, with grave propriety, requested to be allowed the honour of\r\nher hand, but in vain. Elizabeth was determined; nor did Sir William at\r\nall shake her purpose by his attempt at persuasion.\r\n\r\n“You excel so much in the dance, Miss Eliza, that it is cruel to deny me\r\nthe happiness of seeing you; and though this gentleman dislikes the\r\namusement in general, he can have no objection, I am sure, to oblige us\r\nfor one half hour.”\r\n\r\n“Mr. Darcy is all politeness,” said Elizabeth, smiling.\r\n\r\n“He is, indeed: but considering the inducement, my dear Miss Eliza, we\r\ncannot wonder at his complaisance; for who would object to such a\r\npartner?”\r\n\r\nElizabeth looked archly, and turned away. Her resistance had not injured\r\nher with the gentleman, and he was thinking of her with some\r\ncomplacency, when thus accosted by Miss Bingley,--\r\n\r\n“I can guess the subject of your reverie.”\r\n\r\n“I should imagine not.”\r\n\r\n“You are considering how insupportable it would be to pass many\r\nevenings in this manner,--in such society; and, indeed, I am quite of\r\nyour opinion. I was never more annoyed! The insipidity, and yet the\r\nnoise--the nothingness, and yet the self-importance, of all these\r\npeople! What would I give to hear your strictures on them!”\r\n\r\n“Your conjecture is totally wrong, I assure you. My mind was more\r\nagreeably engaged."},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KJRRD3TNE5A6AKAVXSRFT9RC","peer_label":"pride-and-prejudice","peer_type":"text","predicate":"derived_from"},{"peer":"01KJRRC2C7K6XERRJES8143XGV","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KJRREZJBEM6MWHW485H9DS9F","peer_label":"mr darcy","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.286Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZFDNHD81TMSJQPDWV69","peer_label":"charlotte lucas","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.286Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY5SSJCQ67QYG0XTG9A8","peer_label":"mr bingley","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.286Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZKG263C7SQSDV3TZ5MX","peer_label":"elizabeth bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.286Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF0YV9NV5WVK4WWSM736Q","peer_label":"meryton","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"place","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.286Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY63WYEJRTN7FS2QXC2P","peer_label":"mary bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.286Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF7V69NB58H106CVY82PE","peer_label":"colonel forster","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.286Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFSP8QX3YBSHXJZ7CHXKW","peer_label":"st jamess","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"place","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.286Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYSX336MNFYYQ2MPNB60","peer_label":"lady lucas","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.286Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF06V9ABE1JZWJHE56BCY","peer_label":"miss bingley","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.286Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF7HVCDF1H7B2RWG54Q0T","peer_label":"london","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"place","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.286Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYTMYM5H9026MPV0AJMX","peer_label":"sir william lucas","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.286Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFWSB10F84HQZTD9HJF05","peer_label":"ball at meryton","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"event","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.286Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFX4P51B3E4DAEP64AVJG","peer_label":"elizabeth bennets sister","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.286Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFX623ETWPC1XH9EFQCQV","peer_label":"musical instrument","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"object","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.286Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFX56JD5VAE6JM83TNS2T","peer_label":"sir william lucass residence","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"place","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.286Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFX7AVA8STWZAK4XQ6YE7","peer_label":"party","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"event","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:05.286Z"}}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:01.196Z","ts":"2026-03-03T02:30:06.080Z","edited_by":{"method":"system","user_id":"01KJ60XQBHJ0GBGTP9X8HXAPPM"}}