{"id":"01KJRRE0N2MS58XCQN6PX3XCZ1","cid":"bafkreihhxyrwgdi4aq464o4ctmclkw56kmisgmr6qkojhdvwcq43llz3jy","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":200803,"char_start":192821,"chunk_index":27,"chunk_total":108,"estimated_tokens":1996,"label":"younger Miss Bennets would have been in a pitiable","source_file_key":"pride-and-prejudice","text":"younger Miss Bennets would have been in a pitiable state at this time;\r\nfor, from the day of the invitation to the day of the ball, there was\r\nsuch a succession of rain as prevented their walking to Meryton once. No\r\naunt, no officers, no news could be sought after; the very shoe-roses\r\nfor Netherfield were got by proxy. Even Elizabeth might have found some\r\ntrial of her patience in weather which totally suspended the improvement\r\nof her acquaintance with Mr. Wickham; and nothing less than a dance on\r\nTuesday could have made such a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday\r\nendurable to Kitty and Lydia.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n[Illustration]\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER XVIII.\r\n\r\n\r\n[Illustration]\r\n\r\nTill Elizabeth entered the drawing-room at Netherfield, and looked in\r\nvain for Mr. Wickham among the cluster of red coats there assembled, a\r\ndoubt of his being present had never occurred to her. The certainty of\r\nmeeting him had not been checked by any of those recollections that\r\nmight not unreasonably have alarmed her. She had dressed with more than\r\nusual care, and prepared in the highest spirits for the conquest of all\r\nthat remained unsubdued of his heart, trusting that it was not more than\r\nmight be won in the course of the evening. But in an instant arose the\r\ndreadful suspicion of his being purposely omitted, for Mr. Darcy’s\r\npleasure, in the Bingleys’ invitation to the officers; and though this\r\nwas not exactly the case, the absolute fact of his absence was\r\npronounced by his friend Mr. Denny, to whom Lydia eagerly applied, and\r\nwho told them that Wickham had been obliged to go to town on business\r\nthe day before, and was not yet returned; adding, with a significant\r\nsmile,--\r\n\r\n“I do not imagine his business would have called him away just now, if\r\nhe had not wished to avoid a certain gentleman here.”\r\n\r\nThis part of his intelligence, though unheard by Lydia, was caught by\r\nElizabeth; and, as it assured her that Darcy was not less answerable for\r\nWickham’s absence than if her first surmise had been just, every feeling\r\nof displeasure against the former was so sharpened by immediate\r\ndisappointment, that she could hardly reply with tolerable civility to\r\nthe polite inquiries which he directly afterwards approached to make.\r\nAttention, forbearance, patience with Darcy, was injury to Wickham. She\r\nwas resolved against any sort of conversation with him, and turned away\r\nwith a degree of ill-humour which she could not wholly surmount even in\r\nspeaking to Mr. Bingley, whose blind partiality provoked her.\r\n\r\nBut Elizabeth was not formed for ill-humour; and though every prospect\r\nof her own was destroyed for the evening, it could not dwell long on her\r\nspirits; and, having told all her griefs to Charlotte Lucas, whom she\r\nhad not seen for a week, she was soon able to make a voluntary\r\ntransition to the oddities of her cousin, and to point him out to her\r\nparticular notice. The two first dances, however, brought a return of\r\ndistress: they were dances of mortification. Mr. Collins, awkward and\r\nsolemn, apologizing instead of attending, and often moving wrong\r\nwithout being aware of it, gave her all the shame and misery which a\r\ndisagreeable partner for a couple of dances can give. The moment of her\r\nrelease from him was ecstasy.\r\n\r\nShe danced next with an officer, and had the refreshment of talking of\r\nWickham, and of hearing that he was universally liked. When those dances\r\nwere over, she returned to Charlotte Lucas, and was in conversation with\r\nher, when she found herself suddenly addressed by Mr. Darcy, who took\r\nher so much by surprise in his application for her hand, that, without\r\nknowing what she did, she accepted him. He walked away again\r\nimmediately, and she was left to fret over her own want of presence of\r\nmind: Charlotte tried to console her.\r\n\r\n“I dare say you will find him very agreeable.”\r\n\r\n“Heaven forbid! _That_ would be the greatest misfortune of all! To find\r\na man agreeable whom one is determined to hate! Do not wish me such an\r\nevil.”\r\n\r\nWhen the dancing recommenced, however, and Darcy approached to claim her\r\nhand, Charlotte could not help cautioning her, in a whisper, not to be a\r\nsimpleton, and allow her fancy for Wickham to make her appear unpleasant\r\nin the eyes of a man often times his consequence. Elizabeth made no\r\nanswer, and took her place in the set, amazed at the dignity to which\r\nshe was arrived in being allowed to stand opposite to Mr. Darcy, and\r\nreading in her neighbours’ looks their equal amazement in beholding it.\r\nThey stood for some time without speaking a word; and she began to\r\nimagine that their silence was to last through the two dances, and, at\r\nfirst, was resolved not to break it; till suddenly fancying that it\r\nwould be the greater punishment to her partner to oblige him to talk,\r\nshe made some slight observation on the dance. He replied, and was again\r\nsilent. After a pause of some minutes, she addressed him a second time,\r\nwith--\r\n\r\n“It is _your_ turn to say something now, Mr. Darcy. _I_ talked about the\r\ndance, and _you_ ought to make some kind of remark on the size of the\r\nroom, or the number of couples.”\r\n\r\nHe smiled, and assured her that whatever she wished him to say should be\r\nsaid.\r\n\r\n“Very well; that reply will do for the present. Perhaps, by-and-by, I\r\nmay observe that private balls are much pleasanter than public ones; but\r\n_now_ we may be silent.”\r\n\r\n“Do you talk by rule, then, while you are dancing?”\r\n\r\n“Sometimes. One must speak a little, you know. It would look odd to be\r\nentirely silent for half an hour together; and yet, for the advantage of\r\n_some_, conversation ought to be so arranged as that they may have the\r\ntrouble of saying as little as possible.”\r\n\r\n“Are you consulting your own feelings in the present case, or do you\r\nimagine that you are gratifying mine?”\r\n\r\n“Both,” replied Elizabeth archly; “for I have always seen a great\r\nsimilarity in the turn of our minds. We are each of an unsocial,\r\ntaciturn disposition, unwilling to speak, unless we expect to say\r\nsomething that will amaze the whole room, and be handed down to\r\nposterity with all the _éclat_ of a proverb.”\r\n\r\n“This is no very striking resemblance of your own character, I am sure,”\r\nsaid he. “How near it may be to _mine_, I cannot pretend to say. _You_\r\nthink it a faithful portrait, undoubtedly.”\r\n\r\n“I must not decide on my own performance.”\r\n\r\nHe made no answer; and they were again silent till they had gone down\r\nthe dance, when he asked her if she and her sisters did not very often\r\nwalk to Meryton. She answered in the affirmative; and, unable to resist\r\nthe temptation, added, “When you met us there the other day, we had just\r\nbeen forming a new acquaintance.”\r\n\r\nThe effect was immediate. A deeper shade of _hauteur_ overspread his\r\nfeatures, but he said not a word; and Elizabeth, though blaming herself\r\nfor her own weakness, could not go on. At length Darcy spoke, and in a\r\nconstrained manner said,--\r\n\r\n“Mr. Wickham is blessed with such happy manners as may insure his\r\n_making_ friends; whether he may be equally capable of _retaining_ them,\r\nis less certain.”\r\n\r\n“He has been so unlucky as to lose your friendship,” replied Elizabeth,\r\nwith emphasis, “and in a manner which he is likely to suffer from all\r\nhis life.”\r\n\r\nDarcy made no answer, and seemed desirous of changing the subject. At\r\nthat moment Sir William Lucas appeared close to them, meaning to pass\r\nthrough the set to the other side of the room; but, on perceiving Mr.\r\nDarcy, he stopped, with a bow of superior courtesy, to compliment him on\r\nhis dancing and his partner.\r\n\r\n“I have been most highly gratified, indeed, my dear sir; such very\r\nsuperior dancing is not often seen. It is evident that you belong to the\r\nfirst circles. Allow me to say, however, that your fair partner does not\r\ndisgrace you: and that I must hope to have this pleasure often repeated,\r\nespecially when a certain desirable event, my dear Miss Eliza (glancing\r\nat her sister and Bingley), shall take place."},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KJRRD3TNE5A6AKAVXSRFT9RC","peer_label":"pride-and-prejudice","peer_type":"text","predicate":"derived_from"},{"peer":"01KJRRC2C7K6XERRJES8143XGV","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KJRRF19AD63KEEZZWPG3X2KQ","peer_label":"mr wickham","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.050Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF0QZTC5KJ63MKYZHD3F9","peer_label":"meryton","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"town","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.050Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZKG263C7SQSDV3TZ5MX","peer_label":"elizabeth bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.050Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY4KCKYKYTFBWSNR6EZ0","peer_label":"kitty bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.050Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGXA5G45WS8FVH5R7BE","peer_label":"netherfield","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.050Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY6RHWPTVXJ7SHB3NE6F","peer_label":"lydia bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.050Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZJBEM6MWHW485H9DS9F","peer_label":"mr darcy","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.050Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF11967A9GY7P7SYXF2RC","peer_label":"mr denny","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.050Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY5SSJCQ67QYG0XTG9A8","peer_label":"mr bingley","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.050Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZFDNHD81TMSJQPDWV69","peer_label":"charlotte lucas","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.050Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY6ZWGAT4FYVDEM6VE2E","peer_label":"mr collins","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.050Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYTMYM5H9026MPV0AJMX","peer_label":"sir william lucas","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.050Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFAQYPRX4PD90T94PCYDA","peer_label":"bingley family","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"family","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.050Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFAVN8NS5H1BJNR1406Y2","peer_label":"chapter xviii","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"document_section","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.050Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFAWJVR73G6TEVPCSKMRG","peer_label":"friends","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.050Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFAV8KG7XJZ7Y2ET46Q91","peer_label":"rain","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.050Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFAV76RGBRGPY718SFB7Z","peer_label":"ball at netherfield","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"social_event","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.050Z"}}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:01.218Z","ts":"2026-03-03T02:29:46.763Z","edited_by":{"method":"system","user_id":"01KJ60XQBHJ0GBGTP9X8HXAPPM"}}