{"id":"01KJRRE0NRP4SZHJCTREZ0VNQV","cid":"bafkreichxeuystv6q57xqv74p5r3y7x7t7woa7dbmjvb4fcx7u7yncqzsq","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":285901,"char_start":277974,"chunk_index":39,"chunk_total":108,"estimated_tokens":1982,"label":"Elizabeth; but at last, on Mrs. Bennet’s leaving t","source_file_key":"pride-and-prejudice","text":"Elizabeth; but at last, on Mrs. Bennet’s leaving them together, after a\r\nlonger irritation than usual about Netherfield and its master, she could\r\nnot help saying,--\r\n\r\n“O that my dear mother had more command over herself! she can have no\r\nidea of the pain she gives me by her continual reflections on him. But I\r\nwill not repine. It cannot last long. He will be forgot, and we shall\r\nall be as we were before.”\r\n\r\nElizabeth looked at her sister with incredulous solicitude, but said\r\nnothing.\r\n\r\n“You doubt me,” cried Jane, slightly colouring; “indeed, you have no\r\nreason. He may live in my memory as the most amiable man of my\r\nacquaintance but that is all. I have nothing either to hope or fear, and\r\nnothing to reproach him with. Thank God I have not _that_ pain. A little\r\ntime, therefore--I shall certainly try to get the better----”\r\n\r\nWith a stronger voice she soon added, “I have this comfort immediately,\r\nthat it has not been more than an error of fancy on my side, and that it\r\nhas done no harm to anyone but myself.”\r\n\r\n“My dear Jane,” exclaimed Elizabeth, “you are too good. Your sweetness\r\nand disinterestedness are really angelic; I do not know what to say to\r\nyou. I feel as if I had never done you justice, or loved you as you\r\ndeserve.”\r\n\r\nMiss Bennet eagerly disclaimed all extraordinary merit, and threw back\r\nthe praise on her sister’s warm affection.\r\n\r\n“Nay,” said Elizabeth, “this is not fair. _You_ wish to think all the\r\nworld respectable, and are hurt if I speak ill of anybody. _I_ only want\r\nto think _you_ perfect, and you set yourself against it. Do not be\r\nafraid of my running into any excess, of my encroaching on your\r\nprivilege of universal good-will. You need not. There are few people\r\nwhom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see\r\nof the world the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms\r\nmy belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the\r\nlittle dependence that can be placed on the appearance of either merit\r\nor sense. I have met with two instances lately: one I will not mention,\r\nthe other is Charlotte’s marriage. It is unaccountable! in every view it\r\nis unaccountable!”\r\n\r\n“My dear Lizzy, do not give way to such feelings as these. They will\r\nruin your happiness. You do not make allowance enough for difference of\r\nsituation and temper. Consider Mr. Collins’s respectability, and\r\nCharlotte’s prudent, steady character. Remember that she is one of a\r\nlarge family; that as to fortune it is a most eligible match; and be\r\nready to believe, for everybody’s sake, that she may feel something like\r\nregard and esteem for our cousin.”\r\n\r\n“To oblige you, I would try to believe almost anything, but no one else\r\ncould be benefited by such a belief as this; for were I persuaded that\r\nCharlotte had any regard for him, I should only think worse of her\r\nunderstanding than I now do of her heart. My dear Jane, Mr. Collins is a\r\nconceited, pompous, narrow-minded, silly man: you know he is, as well as\r\nI do; and you must feel, as well as I do, that the woman who marries him\r\ncannot have a proper way of thinking. You shall not defend her, though\r\nit is Charlotte Lucas. You shall not, for the sake of one individual,\r\nchange the meaning of principle and integrity, nor endeavour to persuade\r\nyourself or me, that selfishness is prudence, and insensibility of\r\ndanger security for happiness.”\r\n\r\n“I must think your language too strong in speaking of both,” replied\r\nJane; “and I hope you will be convinced of it, by seeing them happy\r\ntogether. But enough of this. You alluded to something else. You\r\nmentioned _two_ instances. I cannot misunderstand you, but I entreat\r\nyou, dear Lizzy, not to pain me by thinking _that person_ to blame, and\r\nsaying your opinion of him is sunk. We must not be so ready to fancy\r\nourselves intentionally injured. We must not expect a lively young man\r\nto be always so guarded and circumspect. It is very often nothing but\r\nour own vanity that deceives us. Women fancy admiration means more than\r\nit does.”\r\n\r\n“And men take care that they should.”\r\n\r\n“If it is designedly done, they cannot be justified; but I have no idea\r\nof there being so much design in the world as some persons imagine.”\r\n\r\n“I am far from attributing any part of Mr. Bingley’s conduct to design,”\r\nsaid Elizabeth; “but, without scheming to do wrong, or to make others\r\nunhappy, there may be error and there may be misery. Thoughtlessness,\r\nwant of attention to other people’s feelings, and want of resolution,\r\nwill do the business.”\r\n\r\n“And do you impute it to either of those?”\r\n\r\n“Yes; to the last. But if I go on I shall displease you by saying what I\r\nthink of persons you esteem. Stop me, whilst you can.”\r\n\r\n“You persist, then, in supposing his sisters influence him?”\r\n\r\n“Yes, in conjunction with his friend.”\r\n\r\n“I cannot believe it. Why should they try to influence him? They can\r\nonly wish his happiness; and if he is attached to me no other woman can\r\nsecure it.”\r\n\r\n“Your first position is false. They may wish many things besides his\r\nhappiness: they may wish his increase of wealth and consequence; they\r\nmay wish him to marry a girl who has all the importance of money, great\r\nconnections, and pride.”\r\n\r\n“Beyond a doubt they do wish him to choose Miss Darcy,” replied Jane;\r\n“but this may be from better feelings than you are supposing. They have\r\nknown her much longer than they have known me; no wonder if they love\r\nher better. But, whatever may be their own wishes, it is very unlikely\r\nthey should have opposed their brother’s. What sister would think\r\nherself at liberty to do it, unless there were something very\r\nobjectionable? If they believed him attached to me they would not try to\r\npart us; if he were so, they could not succeed. By supposing such an\r\naffection, you make everybody acting unnaturally and wrong, and me most\r\nunhappy. Do not distress me by the idea. I am not ashamed of having been\r\nmistaken--or, at least, it is slight, it is nothing in comparison of\r\nwhat I should feel in thinking ill of him or his sisters. Let me take it\r\nin the best light, in the light in which it may be understood.”\r\n\r\nElizabeth could not oppose such a wish; and from this time Mr. Bingley’s\r\nname was scarcely ever mentioned between them.\r\n\r\nMrs. Bennet still continued to wonder and repine at his returning no\r\nmore; and though a day seldom passed in which Elizabeth did not account\r\nfor it clearly, there seemed little chance of her ever considering it\r\nwith less perplexity. Her daughter endeavoured to convince her of what\r\nshe did not believe herself, that his attentions to Jane had been merely\r\nthe effect of a common and transient liking, which ceased when he saw\r\nher no more; but though the probability of the statement was admitted at\r\nthe time, she had the same story to repeat every day. Mrs. Bennet’s best\r\ncomfort was, that Mr. Bingley must be down again in the summer.\r\n\r\nMr. Bennet treated the matter differently. “So, Lizzy,” said he, one\r\nday, “your sister is crossed in love, I find. I congratulate her. Next\r\nto being married, a girl likes to be crossed in love a little now and\r\nthen. It is something to think of, and gives her a sort of distinction\r\namong her companions. When is your turn to come? You will hardly bear to\r\nbe long outdone by Jane. Now is your time. Here are officers enough at\r\nMeryton to disappoint all the young ladies in the country. Let Wickham\r\nbe your man. He is a pleasant fellow, and would jilt you creditably.”\r\n\r\n“Thank you, sir, but a less agreeable man would satisfy me. We must not\r\nall expect Jane’s good fortune.”\r\n\r\n“True,” said Mr. Bennet; “but it is a comfort to think that, whatever of\r\nthat kind may befall you, you have an affectionate mother who will\r\nalways make the most of it.”\r\n\r\nMr. Wickham’s society was of material service in dispelling the gloom\r\nwhich the late perverse occurrences had thrown on many of the Longbourn\r\nfamily."},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KJRRD3TNE5A6AKAVXSRFT9RC","peer_label":"pride-and-prejudice","peer_type":"text","predicate":"derived_from"},{"peer":"01KJRRC2C7K6XERRJES8143XGV","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KJRREY5SSJCQ67QYG0XTG9A8","peer_label":"mr bingley","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:35.186Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY6J1B27DVQGPM70W7C2","peer_label":"mrs bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:35.186Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYR904AXTHAV3R1KQ0JM","peer_label":"elizabeth bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:35.186Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY6ZWGAT4FYVDEM6VE2E","peer_label":"mr collins","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:35.186Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYW2V9QH9GNRQRJT67GK","peer_label":"mr bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:35.186Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYV208WKH1DBMN82KS8F","peer_label":"netherfield","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:35.186Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZFDNHD81TMSJQPDWV69","peer_label":"charlotte lucas","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:35.186Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZW59S54F0QEWG8N8QNG","peer_label":"miss darcy","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:35.186Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGW3PXQPPKKABSZNKM3","peer_label":"mr bingleys friend","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:35.186Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGM87R12EADFF6YZZG3","peer_label":"jane bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:35.186Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZJWPA40KEKGJK6JPST5","peer_label":"mr bingleys sisters","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"group","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:35.186Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF03HV8WK7S25SR34XZ4G","peer_label":"meryton","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"town","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:35.186Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF03VR7RBD6BQVJXPDN3D","peer_label":"longbourn family","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"family","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:35.186Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF03EKPCZWK39EPRV4X1Y","peer_label":"mr wickham","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:35.186Z"}}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:01.240Z","ts":"2026-03-03T02:29:35.925Z","edited_by":{"method":"system","user_id":"01KJ60XQBHJ0GBGTP9X8HXAPPM"}}