{"id":"01KJRRE0RQHBC8F1ZAXNGY6SGY","cid":"bafkreicuqnzbulwzus6qbcdj2eikfgqctneqv7k7xz4byytv7p7lkky5je","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":563518,"char_start":555729,"chunk_index":78,"chunk_total":108,"estimated_tokens":1948,"label":"may gain some news of them; and till we know that","source_file_key":"pride-and-prejudice","text":"may gain some news of them; and till we know that they are not married,\r\nand have no design of marrying, do not let us give the matter over as\r\nlost. As soon as I get to town, I shall go to my brother, and make him\r\ncome home with me to Gracechurch Street, and then we may consult\r\ntogether as to what is to be done.”\r\n\r\n“Oh, my dear brother,” replied Mrs. Bennet, “that is exactly what I\r\ncould most wish for. And now do, when you get to town, find them out,\r\nwherever they may be; and if they are not married already, _make_ them\r\nmarry. And as for wedding clothes, do not let them wait for that, but\r\ntell Lydia she shall have as much money as she chooses to buy them,\r\nafter they are married. And, above all things, keep Mr. Bennet from\r\nfighting. Tell him what a dreadful state I am in--that I am frightened\r\nout of my wits; and have such tremblings, such flutterings all over me,\r\nsuch spasms in my side, and pains in my head, and such beatings at my\r\nheart, that I can get no rest by night nor by day. And tell my dear\r\nLydia not to give any directions about her clothes till she has seen me,\r\nfor she does not know which are the best warehouses. Oh, brother, how\r\nkind you are! I know you will contrive it all.”\r\n\r\nBut Mr. Gardiner, though he assured her again of his earnest endeavours\r\nin the cause, could not avoid recommending moderation to her, as well in\r\nher hopes as her fears; and after talking with her in this manner till\r\ndinner was on table, they left her to vent all her feelings on the\r\nhousekeeper, who attended in the absence of her daughters.\r\n\r\nThough her brother and sister were persuaded that there was no real\r\noccasion for such a seclusion from the family, they did not attempt to\r\noppose it; for they knew that she had not prudence enough to hold her\r\ntongue before the servants, while they waited at table, and judged it\r\nbetter that _one_ only of the household, and the one whom they could\r\nmost trust, should comprehend all her fears and solicitude on the\r\nsubject.\r\n\r\nIn the dining-room they were soon joined by Mary and Kitty, who had been\r\ntoo busily engaged in their separate apartments to make their appearance\r\nbefore. One came from her books, and the other from her toilette. The\r\nfaces of both, however, were tolerably calm; and no change was visible\r\nin either, except that the loss of her favourite sister, or the anger\r\nwhich she had herself incurred in the business, had given something more\r\nof fretfulness than usual to the accents of Kitty. As for Mary, she was\r\nmistress enough of herself to whisper to Elizabeth, with a countenance\r\nof grave reflection, soon after they were seated at table,--\r\n\r\n“This is a most unfortunate affair, and will probably be much talked of.\r\nBut we must stem the tide of malice, and pour into the wounded bosoms of\r\neach other the balm of sisterly consolation.”\r\n\r\nThen perceiving in Elizabeth no inclination of replying, she added,\r\n“Unhappy as the event must be for Lydia, we may draw from it this useful\r\nlesson:--that loss of virtue in a female is irretrievable, that one\r\nfalse step involves her in endless ruin, that her reputation is no less\r\nbrittle than it is beautiful, and that she cannot be too much guarded in\r\nher behaviour towards the undeserving of the other sex.”\r\n\r\nElizabeth lifted up her eyes in amazement, but was too much oppressed to\r\nmake any reply. Mary, however, continued to console herself with such\r\nkind of moral extractions from the evil before them.\r\n\r\nIn the afternoon, the two elder Miss Bennets were able to be for half an\r\nhour by themselves; and Elizabeth instantly availed herself of the\r\nopportunity of making any inquiries which Jane was equally eager to\r\nsatisfy. After joining in general lamentations over the dreadful sequel\r\nof this event, which Elizabeth considered as all but certain, and Miss\r\nBennet could not assert to be wholly impossible, the former continued\r\nthe subject by saying, “But tell me all and everything about it which I\r\nhave not already heard. Give me further particulars. What did Colonel\r\nForster say? Had they no apprehension of anything before the elopement\r\ntook place? They must have seen them together for ever.”\r\n\r\n“Colonel Forster did own that he had often suspected some partiality,\r\nespecially on Lydia’s side, but nothing to give him any alarm. I am so\r\ngrieved for him. His behaviour was attentive and kind to the utmost. He\r\n_was_ coming to us, in order to assure us of his concern, before he had\r\nany idea of their not being gone to Scotland: when that apprehension\r\nfirst got abroad, it hastened his journey.”\r\n\r\n“And was Denny convinced that Wickham would not marry? Did he know of\r\ntheir intending to go off? Had Colonel Forster seen Denny himself?”\r\n\r\n“Yes; but when questioned by _him_, Denny denied knowing anything of\r\ntheir plan, and would not give his real opinion about it. He did not\r\nrepeat his persuasion of their not marrying, and from _that_ I am\r\ninclined to hope he might have been misunderstood before.”\r\n\r\n“And till Colonel Forster came himself, not one of you entertained a\r\ndoubt, I suppose, of their being really married?”\r\n\r\n“How was it possible that such an idea should enter our brains? I felt a\r\nlittle uneasy--a little fearful of my sister’s happiness with him in\r\nmarriage, because I knew that his conduct had not been always quite\r\nright. My father and mother knew nothing of that; they only felt how\r\nimprudent a match it must be. Kitty then owned, with a very natural\r\ntriumph on knowing more than the rest of us, that in Lydia’s last letter\r\nshe had prepared her for such a step. She had known, it seems, of their\r\nbeing in love with each other many weeks.”\r\n\r\n“But not before they went to Brighton?”\r\n\r\n“No, I believe not.”\r\n\r\n“And did Colonel Forster appear to think ill of Wickham himself? Does he\r\nknow his real character?”\r\n\r\n“I must confess that he did not speak so well of Wickham as he formerly\r\ndid. He believed him to be imprudent and extravagant; and since this sad\r\naffair has taken place, it is said that he left Meryton greatly in debt:\r\nbut I hope this may be false.”\r\n\r\n“Oh, Jane, had we been less secret, had we told what we knew of him,\r\nthis could not have happened!”\r\n\r\n“Perhaps it would have been better,” replied her sister.\r\n\r\n“But to expose the former faults of any person, without knowing what\r\ntheir present feelings were, seemed unjustifiable.”\r\n\r\n“We acted with the best intentions.”\r\n\r\n“Could Colonel Forster repeat the particulars of Lydia’s note to his\r\nwife?”\r\n\r\n“He brought it with him for us to see.”\r\n\r\nJane then took it from her pocket-book, and gave it to Elizabeth. These\r\nwere the contents:--\r\n\r\n     /* NIND “My dear Harriet, */\r\n\r\n     “You will laugh when you know where I am gone, and I cannot help\r\n     laughing myself at your surprise to-morrow morning, as soon as I am\r\n     missed. I am going to Gretna Green, and if you cannot guess with\r\n     who, I shall think you a simpleton, for there is but one man in the\r\n     world I love, and he is an angel. I should never be happy without\r\n     him, so think it no harm to be off. You need not send them word at\r\n     Longbourn of my going, if you do not like it, for it will make the\r\n     surprise the greater when I write to them, and sign my name Lydia\r\n     Wickham. What a good joke it will be! I can hardly write for\r\n     laughing. Pray make my excuses to Pratt for not keeping my\r\n     engagement, and dancing with him to-night. Tell him I hope he will\r\n     excuse me when he knows all, and tell him I will dance with him at\r\n     the next ball we meet with great pleasure. I shall send for my\r\n     clothes when I get to Longbourn; but I wish you would tell Sally to\r\n     mend a great slit in my worked muslin gown before they are packed\r\n     up. Good-bye. Give my love to Colonel Forster."},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KJRRD3TNE5A6AKAVXSRFT9RC","peer_label":"pride-and-prejudice","peer_type":"text","predicate":"derived_from"},{"peer":"01KJRRC2C7K6XERRJES8143XGV","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KJRREYW2V9QH9GNRQRJT67GK","peer_label":"mr bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYT564P5405ZE4Q76ZF5","peer_label":"mrs bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYSZYA9P29KKXYZVTJ15","peer_label":"mr gardiner","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFDD6T25GFFN0NAKQ20QP","peer_label":"gracechurch street","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"location","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY6RHWPTVXJ7SHB3NE6F","peer_label":"lydia bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY4KCKYKYTFBWSNR6EZ0","peer_label":"kitty bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY63WYEJRTN7FS2QXC2P","peer_label":"mary bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZKG263C7SQSDV3TZ5MX","peer_label":"elizabeth bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYS51T78NJZ45CYXSXS9","peer_label":"george wickham","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGM87R12EADFF6YZZG3","peer_label":"jane bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF7V69NB58H106CVY82PE","peer_label":"colonel forster","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFJFADYEV5VRQKQ64ZWG9","peer_label":"denny","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFCVTZJ0Q72Y50D55Z7FJ","peer_label":"brighton","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"location","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFDAE34CYQC4ZX39CQWPG","peer_label":"longbourn","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"location","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGCBQJ8MGK05CXX1D01EK","peer_label":"housekeeper bennet family","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person_role","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGCFKJ521DAJXFVGN5TNF","peer_label":"meryton","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"location","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGCE816WC1TGX4QSY5Z00","peer_label":"elopement of lydia bennet and george wickham","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"event","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGCERM15T8XSKZWC6PHTN","peer_label":"scotland","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"location","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGCFN5B960V1T3V5WRJ2Q","peer_label":"lydias letter to harriet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"document","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGCHBARYNMAZEKCMJTE32","peer_label":"harriet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGCZM5R5BJ0FFV9K4JT7D","peer_label":"sally","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGCZKBXEPYJYA3R1EBHAZ","peer_label":"pratt","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGCWT95PE7VXT3Z66JTWT","peer_label":"gretna green","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"location","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:20.755Z"}}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:01.335Z","ts":"2026-03-03T02:30:21.636Z","edited_by":{"method":"system","user_id":"01KJ60XQBHJ0GBGTP9X8HXAPPM"}}