{"id":"01KJRRE0RD4FENHBCT6DTCYTFT","cid":"bafkreifss76osjbpv7tdpg53zuixtq6p4x6rmjfknbo2vcjj7s3e4dshne","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":513443,"char_start":505502,"chunk_index":71,"chunk_total":108,"estimated_tokens":1986,"label":"inquired in a friendly, though general, way, after","source_file_key":"pride-and-prejudice","text":"inquired in a friendly, though general, way, after her family, and\r\nlooked and spoke with the same good-humoured ease that he had ever done.\r\n\r\nTo Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner he was scarcely a less interesting personage\r\nthan to herself. They had long wished to see him. The whole party before\r\nthem, indeed, excited a lively attention. The suspicions which had just\r\narisen of Mr. Darcy and their niece, directed their observation towards\r\neach with an earnest, though guarded, inquiry; and they soon drew from\r\nthose inquiries the full conviction that one of them at least knew what\r\nit was to love. Of the lady’s sensations they remained a little in\r\ndoubt; but that the gentleman was overflowing with admiration was\r\nevident enough.\r\n\r\nElizabeth, on her side, had much to do. She wanted to ascertain the\r\nfeelings of each of her visitors, she wanted to compose her own, and to\r\nmake herself agreeable to all; and in the latter object, where she\r\nfeared most to fail, she was most sure of success, for those to whom\r\nshe endeavoured to give pleasure were pre-possessed in her favour.\r\nBingley was ready, Georgiana was eager, and Darcy determined, to be\r\npleased.\r\n\r\n[Illustration:\r\n\r\n     “To make herself agreeable to all”\r\n\r\n[_Copyright 1894 by George Allen._]]\r\n\r\nIn seeing Bingley, her thoughts naturally flew to her sister; and oh!\r\nhow ardently did she long to know whether any of his were directed in a\r\nlike manner. Sometimes she could fancy that he talked less than on\r\nformer occasions, and once or twice pleased herself with the notion\r\nthat, as he looked at her, he was trying to trace a resemblance. But,\r\nthough this might be imaginary, she could not be deceived as to his\r\nbehaviour to Miss Darcy, who had been set up as a rival to Jane. No\r\nlook appeared on either side that spoke particular regard. Nothing\r\noccurred between them that could justify the hopes of his sister. On\r\nthis point she was soon satisfied; and two or three little circumstances\r\noccurred ere they parted, which, in her anxious interpretation, denoted\r\na recollection of Jane, not untinctured by tenderness, and a wish of\r\nsaying more that might lead to the mention of her, had he dared. He\r\nobserved to her, at a moment when the others were talking together, and\r\nin a tone which had something of real regret, that it “was a very long\r\ntime since he had had the pleasure of seeing her;” and, before she could\r\nreply, he added, “It is above eight months. We have not met since the\r\n26th of November, when we were all dancing together at Netherfield.”\r\n\r\nElizabeth was pleased to find his memory so exact; and he afterwards\r\ntook occasion to ask her, when unattended to by any of the rest, whether\r\n_all_ her sisters were at Longbourn. There was not much in the question,\r\nnor in the preceding remark; but there was a look and a manner which\r\ngave them meaning.\r\n\r\nIt was not often that she could turn her eyes on Mr. Darcy himself; but\r\nwhenever she did catch a glimpse she saw an expression of general\r\ncomplaisance, and in all that he said, she heard an accent so far\r\nremoved from _hauteur_ or disdain of his companions, as convinced her\r\nthat the improvement of manners which she had yesterday witnessed,\r\nhowever temporary its existence might prove, had at least outlived one\r\nday. When she saw him thus seeking the acquaintance, and courting the\r\ngood opinion of people with whom any intercourse a few months ago would\r\nhave been a disgrace; when she saw him thus civil, not only to herself,\r\nbut to the very relations whom he had openly disdained, and recollected\r\ntheir last lively scene in Hunsford Parsonage, the difference, the\r\nchange was so great, and struck so forcibly on her mind, that she could\r\nhardly restrain her astonishment from being visible. Never, even in the\r\ncompany of his dear friends at Netherfield, or his dignified relations\r\nat Rosings, had she seen him so desirous to please, so free from\r\nself-consequence or unbending reserve, as now, when no importance could\r\nresult from the success of his endeavours, and when even the\r\nacquaintance of those to whom his attentions were addressed, would draw\r\ndown the ridicule and censure of the ladies both of Netherfield and\r\nRosings.\r\n\r\nTheir visitors stayed with them above half an hour; and when they arose\r\nto depart, Mr. Darcy called on his sister to join him in expressing\r\ntheir wish of seeing Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, and Miss Bennet, to dinner\r\nat Pemberley, before they left the country. Miss Darcy, though with a\r\ndiffidence which marked her little in the habit of giving invitations,\r\nreadily obeyed. Mrs. Gardiner looked at her niece, desirous of knowing\r\nhow _she_, whom the invitation most concerned, felt disposed as to its\r\nacceptance, but Elizabeth had turned away her head. Presuming, however,\r\nthat this studied avoidance spoke rather a momentary embarrassment than\r\nany dislike of the proposal, and seeing in her husband, who was fond of\r\nsociety, a perfect willingness to accept it, she ventured to engage for\r\nher attendance, and the day after the next was fixed on.\r\n\r\nBingley expressed great pleasure in the certainty of seeing Elizabeth\r\nagain, having still a great deal to say to her, and many inquiries to\r\nmake after all their Hertfordshire friends. Elizabeth, construing all\r\nthis into a wish of hearing her speak of her sister, was pleased; and\r\non this account, as well as some others, found herself, when their\r\nvisitors left them, capable of considering the last half hour with some\r\nsatisfaction, though while it was passing the enjoyment of it had been\r\nlittle. Eager to be alone, and fearful of inquiries or hints from her\r\nuncle and aunt, she stayed with them only long enough to hear their\r\nfavourable opinion of Bingley, and then hurried away to dress.\r\n\r\nBut she had no reason to fear Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner’s curiosity; it was\r\nnot their wish to force her communication. It was evident that she was\r\nmuch better acquainted with Mr. Darcy than they had before any idea of;\r\nit was evident that he was very much in love with her. They saw much to\r\ninterest, but nothing to justify inquiry.\r\n\r\nOf Mr. Darcy it was now a matter of anxiety to think well; and, as far\r\nas their acquaintance reached, there was no fault to find. They could\r\nnot be untouched by his politeness; and had they drawn his character\r\nfrom their own feelings and his servant’s report, without any reference\r\nto any other account, the circle in Hertfordshire to which he was known\r\nwould not have recognized it for Mr. Darcy. There was now an interest,\r\nhowever, in believing the housekeeper; and they soon became sensible\r\nthat the authority of a servant, who had known him since he was four\r\nyears old, and whose own manners indicated respectability, was not to be\r\nhastily rejected. Neither had anything occurred in the intelligence of\r\ntheir Lambton friends that could materially lessen its weight. They had\r\nnothing to accuse him of but pride; pride he probably had, and if not,\r\nit would certainly be imputed by the inhabitants of a small market town\r\nwhere the family did not visit. It was acknowledged, however, that he\r\nwas a liberal man, and did much good among the poor.\r\n\r\nWith respect to Wickham, the travellers soon found that he was not held\r\nthere in much estimation; for though the chief of his concerns with the\r\nson of his patron were imperfectly understood, it was yet a well-known\r\nfact that, on his quitting Derbyshire, he had left many debts behind\r\nhim, which Mr. Darcy afterwards discharged.\r\n\r\nAs for Elizabeth, her thoughts were at Pemberley this evening more than\r\nthe last; and the evening, though as it passed it seemed long, was not\r\nlong enough to determine her feelings towards _one_ in that mansion; and\r\nshe lay awake two whole hours, endeavouring to make them out. She\r\ncertainly did not hate him. No; hatred had vanished long ago, and she\r\nhad almost as long been ashamed of ever feeling a dislike against him,\r\nthat could be so called."},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KJRRD3TNE5A6AKAVXSRFT9RC","peer_label":"pride-and-prejudice","peer_type":"text","predicate":"derived_from"},{"peer":"01KJRRC2C7K6XERRJES8143XGV","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KJRREZKG263C7SQSDV3TZ5MX","peer_label":"elizabeth bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYSZYA9P29KKXYZVTJ15","peer_label":"mr gardiner","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZJBEM6MWHW485H9DS9F","peer_label":"mr darcy","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF0886HKAEXJPHPK5R594","peer_label":"charles bingley","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYSAZT646RSHT9C5XPKR","peer_label":"mrs gardiner","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF9M2538MHHJ98FNAFJA7","peer_label":"georgiana darcy","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGM87R12EADFF6YZZG3","peer_label":"jane bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGXA5G45WS8FVH5R7BE","peer_label":"netherfield","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF826ZSJSKKBWG7SK2KSN","peer_label":"rosings","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF7VA665FKK6CM48CN8K0","peer_label":"longbourn","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZJ8A0QJK2TXKT8DT57S","peer_label":"pemberley","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYS51T78NJZ45CYXSXS9","peer_label":"george wickham","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFA76Z48PKAT35WMD1QWR","peer_label":"lambton","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"town","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZH1WA49EQP66J0ZHR6G","peer_label":"derbyshire","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"county","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFATB4JV3Z1254SYY4Q5T","peer_label":"mr and mrs gardiner","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFDSG8NRVAG61A0QRBGZ1","peer_label":"lambton friends","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFDSDQE57HZPYR6K1R0N7","peer_label":"hertfordshire","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"region","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFDQJ3KCMSKSYC6THZCY0","peer_label":"hunsford parsonage","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"parsonage","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFDPQ01PQ532XZTP8D6HR","peer_label":"george allen","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"publisher","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFDQW2WS4SVZ2Z9FBPK2P","peer_label":"darcys housekeeper","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFDVPTAZ4VH0W9ENQRKAC","peer_label":"liberal man","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:50.423Z"}}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:01.325Z","ts":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.315Z","edited_by":{"method":"system","user_id":"01KJ60XQBHJ0GBGTP9X8HXAPPM"}}