{"id":"01KJRRE0MFPJ15WZA2KFYF0QY3","cid":"bafkreihsl7shikgwce57lejgqlbd4dz25du4kfdbdp46xnfngfdvlknojy","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":107951,"char_start":100045,"chunk_index":14,"chunk_total":108,"estimated_tokens":1977,"label":"being informed that she was very accomplished.”","source_file_key":"pride-and-prejudice","text":"being informed that she was very accomplished.”\r\n\r\n“Your list of the common extent of accomplishments,” said Darcy, “has\r\ntoo much truth. The word is applied to many a woman who deserves it no\r\notherwise than by netting a purse or covering a screen; but I am very\r\nfar from agreeing with you in your estimation of ladies in general. I\r\ncannot boast of knowing more than half-a-dozen in the whole range of my\r\nacquaintance that are really accomplished.”\r\n\r\n“Nor I, I am sure,” said Miss Bingley.\r\n\r\n“Then,” observed Elizabeth, “you must comprehend a great deal in your\r\nidea of an accomplished woman.”\r\n\r\n“Yes; I do comprehend a great deal in it.”\r\n\r\n“Oh, certainly,” cried his faithful assistant, “no one can be really\r\nesteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met\r\nwith. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing,\r\ndancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and, besides all\r\nthis, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of\r\nwalking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word\r\nwill be but half deserved.”\r\n\r\n“All this she must possess,” added Darcy; “and to all she must yet add\r\nsomething more substantial in the improvement of her mind by extensive\r\nreading.”\r\n\r\n“I am no longer surprised at your knowing _only_ six accomplished women.\r\nI rather wonder now at your knowing _any_.”\r\n\r\n“Are you so severe upon your own sex as to doubt the possibility of all\r\nthis?”\r\n\r\n“_I_ never saw such a woman. _I_ never saw such capacity, and taste, and\r\napplication, and elegance, as you describe, united.”\r\n\r\nMrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley both cried out against the injustice of her\r\nimplied doubt, and were both protesting that they knew many women who\r\nanswered this description, when Mr. Hurst called them to order, with\r\nbitter complaints of their inattention to what was going forward. As all\r\nconversation was thereby at an end, Elizabeth soon afterwards left the\r\nroom.\r\n\r\n“Eliza Bennet,” said Miss Bingley, when the door was closed on her, “is\r\none of those young ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other\r\nsex by undervaluing their own; and with many men, I daresay, it\r\nsucceeds; but, in my opinion, it is a paltry device, a very mean art.”\r\n\r\n“Undoubtedly,” replied Darcy, to whom this remark was chiefly addressed,\r\n“there is meanness in _all_ the arts which ladies sometimes condescend\r\nto employ for captivation. Whatever bears affinity to cunning is\r\ndespicable.”\r\n\r\nMiss Bingley was not so entirely satisfied with this reply as to\r\ncontinue the subject.\r\n\r\nElizabeth joined them again only to say that her sister was worse, and\r\nthat she could not leave her. Bingley urged Mr. Jones’s being sent for\r\nimmediately; while his sisters, convinced that no country advice could\r\nbe of any service, recommended an express to town for one of the most\r\neminent physicians. This she would not hear of; but she was not so\r\nunwilling to comply with their brother’s proposal; and it was settled\r\nthat Mr. Jones should be sent for early in the morning, if Miss Bennet\r\nwere not decidedly better. Bingley was quite uncomfortable; his sisters\r\ndeclared that they were miserable. They solaced their wretchedness,\r\nhowever, by duets after supper; while he could find no better relief to\r\nhis feelings than by giving his housekeeper directions that every\r\npossible attention might be paid to the sick lady and her sister.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n[Illustration:\r\n\r\nM^{rs} Bennet and her two youngest girls\r\n\r\n[_Copyright 1894 by George Allen._]]\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER IX.\r\n\r\n\r\n[Illustration]\r\n\r\nElizabeth passed the chief of the night in her sister’s room, and in the\r\nmorning had the pleasure of being able to send a tolerable answer to the\r\ninquiries which she very early received from Mr. Bingley by a housemaid,\r\nand some time afterwards from the two elegant ladies who waited on his\r\nsisters. In spite of this amendment, however, she requested to have a\r\nnote sent to Longbourn, desiring her mother to visit Jane, and form her\r\nown judgment of her situation. The note was immediately despatched, and\r\nits contents as quickly complied with. Mrs. Bennet, accompanied by her\r\ntwo youngest girls, reached Netherfield soon after the family breakfast.\r\n\r\nHad she found Jane in any apparent danger, Mrs. Bennet would have been\r\nvery miserable; but being satisfied on seeing her that her illness was\r\nnot alarming, she had no wish of her recovering immediately, as her\r\nrestoration to health would probably remove her from Netherfield. She\r\nwould not listen, therefore, to her daughter’s proposal of being carried\r\nhome; neither did the apothecary, who arrived about the same time, think\r\nit at all advisable. After sitting a little while with Jane, on Miss\r\nBingley’s appearance and invitation, the mother and three daughters all\r\nattended her into the breakfast parlour. Bingley met them with hopes\r\nthat Mrs. Bennet had not found Miss Bennet worse than she expected.\r\n\r\n“Indeed I have, sir,” was her answer. “She is a great deal too ill to be\r\nmoved. Mr. Jones says we must not think of moving her. We must trespass\r\na little longer on your kindness.”\r\n\r\n“Removed!” cried Bingley. “It must not be thought of. My sister, I am\r\nsure, will not hear of her removal.”\r\n\r\n“You may depend upon it, madam,” said Miss Bingley, with cold civility,\r\n“that Miss Bennet shall receive every possible attention while she\r\nremains with us.”\r\n\r\nMrs. Bennet was profuse in her acknowledgments.\r\n\r\n“I am sure,” she added, “if it was not for such good friends, I do not\r\nknow what would become of her, for she is very ill indeed, and suffers a\r\nvast deal, though with the greatest patience in the world, which is\r\nalways the way with her, for she has, without exception, the sweetest\r\ntemper I ever met with. I often tell my other girls they are nothing to\r\n_her_. You have a sweet room here, Mr. Bingley, and a charming prospect\r\nover that gravel walk. I do not know a place in the country that is\r\nequal to Netherfield. You will not think of quitting it in a hurry, I\r\nhope, though you have but a short lease.”\r\n\r\n“Whatever I do is done in a hurry,” replied he; “and therefore if I\r\nshould resolve to quit Netherfield, I should probably be off in five\r\nminutes. At present, however, I consider myself as quite fixed here.”\r\n\r\n“That is exactly what I should have supposed of you,” said Elizabeth.\r\n\r\n“You begin to comprehend me, do you?” cried he, turning towards her.\r\n\r\n“Oh yes--I understand you perfectly.”\r\n\r\n“I wish I might take this for a compliment; but to be so easily seen\r\nthrough, I am afraid, is pitiful.”\r\n\r\n“That is as it happens. It does not necessarily follow that a deep,\r\nintricate character is more or less estimable than such a one as yours.”\r\n\r\n“Lizzy,” cried her mother, “remember where you are, and do not run on in\r\nthe wild manner that you are suffered to do at home.”\r\n\r\n“I did not know before,” continued Bingley, immediately, “that you were\r\na studier of character. It must be an amusing study.”\r\n\r\n“Yes; but intricate characters are the _most_ amusing. They have at\r\nleast that advantage.”\r\n\r\n“The country,” said Darcy, “can in general supply but few subjects for\r\nsuch a study. In a country neighbourhood you move in a very confined and\r\nunvarying society.”\r\n\r\n“But people themselves alter so much, that there is something new to be\r\nobserved in them for ever.”\r\n\r\n“Yes, indeed,” cried Mrs. Bennet, offended by his manner of mentioning a\r\ncountry neighbourhood. “I assure you there is quite as much of _that_\r\ngoing on in the country as in town.”\r\n\r\nEverybody was surprised; and Darcy, after looking at her for a moment,\r\nturned silently away. Mrs. Bennet, who fancied she had gained a complete\r\nvictory over him, continued her triumph,--\r\n\r\n“I cannot see that London has any great advantage over the country, for\r\nmy part, except the shops and public places. The country is a vast deal\r\npleasanter, is not it, Mr."},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KJRRD3TNE5A6AKAVXSRFT9RC","peer_label":"pride-and-prejudice","peer_type":"text","predicate":"derived_from"},{"peer":"01KJRRC2C7K6XERRJES8143XGV","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KJRRFA09NE4B0H592GFW4GC8","peer_label":"louisa hurst","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF7M6PWKTFGVY5GSW3MFX","peer_label":"caroline bingley","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF9YT9F8Z9BAXYRC3SHK6","peer_label":"fitzwilliam darcy","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZ9ES6JCT32MXQCVR11Y","peer_label":"mr hurst","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZKG263C7SQSDV3TZ5MX","peer_label":"elizabeth bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGM87R12EADFF6YZZG3","peer_label":"jane bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFAQ9T084WHVXPETFFQQD","peer_label":"mr jones","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF0886HKAEXJPHPK5R594","peer_label":"charles bingley","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGXA5G45WS8FVH5R7BE","peer_label":"netherfield","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYZ36C2F9Z4KP5F6ANMZ","peer_label":"london","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"city","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYT564P5405ZE4Q76ZF5","peer_label":"mrs bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF7VA665FKK6CM48CN8K0","peer_label":"longbourn","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFEEVK405RBNWK034HR39","peer_label":"accomplished woman concept","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFEKQGQPX9E3WPNMRKX9S","peer_label":"illustration 1894 george allen","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"illustration","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFFP02XTW74P4FD03H8CK","peer_label":"country neighbourhood concept","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFFW56KRJPPGBED87EXAJ","peer_label":"chapter ix pride and prejudice","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"document_section","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFG2FW6NJ35NKAQYH4VSB","peer_label":"conversation","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.864Z"}}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:01.199Z","ts":"2026-03-03T02:29:52.716Z","edited_by":{"method":"system","user_id":"01KJ60XQBHJ0GBGTP9X8HXAPPM"}}