{"id":"01KJRRE0S5GM9E1H26HYRJAQEY","cid":"bafkreif36giu6duv64gxb6mm3cqwxgrt7o3x777qvilasvsf7l7elwcrca","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":598592,"char_start":590799,"chunk_index":83,"chunk_total":108,"estimated_tokens":1949,"label":"ever had anything from him except a few presents.","source_file_key":"pride-and-prejudice","text":"ever had anything from him except a few presents. Well! I am so happy.\r\nIn a short time, I shall have a daughter married. Mrs. Wickham! How well\r\nit sounds! And she was only sixteen last June. My dear Jane, I am in\r\nsuch a flutter, that I am sure I can’t write; so I will dictate, and you\r\nwrite for me. We will settle with your father about the money\r\nafterwards; but the things should be ordered immediately.”\r\n\r\nShe was then proceeding to all the particulars of calico, muslin, and\r\ncambric, and would shortly have dictated some very plentiful orders, had\r\nnot Jane, though with some difficulty, persuaded her to wait till her\r\nfather was at leisure to be consulted. One day’s delay, she observed,\r\nwould be of small importance; and her mother was too happy to be quite\r\nso obstinate as usual. Other schemes, too, came into her head.\r\n\r\n“I will go to Meryton,” said she, “as soon as I am dressed, and tell the\r\ngood, good news to my sister Philips. And as I come back, I can call on\r\nLady Lucas and Mrs. Long. Kitty, run down and order the carriage. An\r\nairing would do me a great deal of good, I am sure. Girls, can I do\r\nanything for you in Meryton? Oh! here comes Hill. My dear Hill, have you\r\nheard the good news? Miss Lydia is going to be married; and you shall\r\nall have a bowl of punch to make merry at her wedding.”\r\n\r\nMrs. Hill began instantly to express her joy. Elizabeth received her\r\ncongratulations amongst the rest, and then, sick of this folly, took\r\nrefuge in her own room, that she might think with freedom. Poor Lydia’s\r\nsituation must, at best, be bad enough; but that it was no worse, she\r\nhad need to be thankful. She felt it so; and though, in looking forward,\r\nneither rational happiness, nor worldly prosperity could be justly\r\nexpected for her sister, in looking back to what they had feared, only\r\ntwo hours ago, she felt all the advantages of what they had gained.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n[Illustration:\r\n\r\n“The spiteful old ladies”\r\n\r\n[_Copyright 1894 by George Allen._]]\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER L.\r\n\r\n\r\n[Illustration]\r\n\r\nMr. Bennet had very often wished, before this period of his life, that,\r\ninstead of spending his whole income, he had laid by an annual sum, for\r\nthe better provision of his children, and of his wife, if she survived\r\nhim. He now wished it more than ever. Had he done his duty in that\r\nrespect, Lydia need not have been indebted to her uncle for whatever of\r\nhonour or credit could now be purchased for her. The satisfaction of\r\nprevailing on one of the most worthless young men in Great Britain to\r\nbe her husband might then have rested in its proper place.\r\n\r\nHe was seriously concerned that a cause of so little advantage to anyone\r\nshould be forwarded at the sole expense of his brother-in-law; and he\r\nwas determined, if possible, to find out the extent of his assistance,\r\nand to discharge the obligation as soon as he could.\r\n\r\nWhen first Mr. Bennet had married, economy was held to be perfectly\r\nuseless; for, of course, they were to have a son. This son was to join\r\nin cutting off the entail, as soon as he should be of age, and the widow\r\nand younger children would by that means be provided for. Five daughters\r\nsuccessively entered the world, but yet the son was to come; and Mrs.\r\nBennet, for many years after Lydia’s birth, had been certain that he\r\nwould. This event had at last been despaired of, but it was then too\r\nlate to be saving. Mrs. Bennet had no turn for economy; and her\r\nhusband’s love of independence had alone prevented their exceeding their\r\nincome.\r\n\r\nFive thousand pounds was settled by marriage articles on Mrs. Bennet and\r\nthe children. But in what proportions it should be divided amongst the\r\nlatter depended on the will of the parents. This was one point, with\r\nregard to Lydia at least, which was now to be settled, and Mr. Bennet\r\ncould have no hesitation in acceding to the proposal before him. In\r\nterms of grateful acknowledgment for the kindness of his brother, though\r\nexpressed most concisely, he then delivered on paper his perfect\r\napprobation of all that was done, and his willingness to fulfil the\r\nengagements that had been made for him. He had never before supposed\r\nthat, could Wickham be prevailed on to marry his daughter, it would be\r\ndone with so little inconvenience to himself as by the present\r\narrangement. He would scarcely be ten pounds a year the loser, by the\r\nhundred that was to be paid them; for, what with her board and pocket\r\nallowance, and the continual presents in money which passed to her\r\nthrough her mother’s hands, Lydia’s expenses had been very little within\r\nthat sum.\r\n\r\nThat it would be done with such trifling exertion on his side, too, was\r\nanother very welcome surprise; for his chief wish at present was to have\r\nas little trouble in the business as possible. When the first transports\r\nof rage which had produced his activity in seeking her were over, he\r\nnaturally returned to all his former indolence. His letter was soon\r\ndespatched; for though dilatory in undertaking business, he was quick in\r\nits execution. He begged to know further particulars of what he was\r\nindebted to his brother; but was too angry with Lydia to send any\r\nmessage to her.\r\n\r\nThe good news quickly spread through the house; and with proportionate\r\nspeed through the neighbourhood. It was borne in the latter with decent\r\nphilosophy. To be sure, it would have been more for the advantage of\r\nconversation, had Miss Lydia Bennet come upon the town; or, as the\r\nhappiest alternative, been secluded from the world in some distant\r\nfarm-house. But there was much to be talked of, in marrying her; and the\r\ngood-natured wishes for her well-doing, which had proceeded before from\r\nall the spiteful old ladies in Meryton, lost but little of their spirit\r\nin this change of circumstances, because with such a husband her misery\r\nwas considered certain.\r\n\r\nIt was a fortnight since Mrs. Bennet had been down stairs, but on this\r\nhappy day she again took her seat at the head of her table, and in\r\nspirits oppressively high. No sentiment of shame gave a damp to her\r\ntriumph. The marriage of a daughter, which had been the first object of\r\nher wishes since Jane was sixteen, was now on the point of\r\naccomplishment, and her thoughts and her words ran wholly on those\r\nattendants of elegant nuptials, fine muslins, new carriages, and\r\nservants. She was busily searching through the neighbourhood for a\r\nproper situation for her daughter; and, without knowing or considering\r\nwhat their income might be, rejected many as deficient in size and\r\nimportance.\r\n\r\n“Haye Park might do,” said she, “if the Gouldings would quit it, or the\r\ngreat house at Stoke, if the drawing-room were larger; but Ashworth is\r\ntoo far off. I could not bear to have her ten miles from me; and as for\r\nPurvis Lodge, the attics are dreadful.”\r\n\r\nHer husband allowed her to talk on without interruption while the\r\nservants remained. But when they had withdrawn, he said to her, “Mrs.\r\nBennet, before you take any, or all of these houses, for your son and\r\ndaughter, let us come to a right understanding. Into _one_ house in this\r\nneighbourhood they shall never have admittance. I will not encourage the\r\nimprudence of either, by receiving them at Longbourn.”\r\n\r\nA long dispute followed this declaration; but Mr. Bennet was firm: it\r\nsoon led to another; and Mrs. Bennet found, with amazement and horror,\r\nthat her husband would not advance a guinea to buy clothes for his\r\ndaughter. He protested that she should receive from him no mark of\r\naffection whatever on the occasion. Mrs. Bennet could hardly comprehend\r\nit. That his anger could be carried to such a point of inconceivable\r\nresentment as to refuse his daughter a privilege, without which her\r\nmarriage would scarcely seem valid, exceeded all that she could believe\r\npossible."},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KJRRD3TNE5A6AKAVXSRFT9RC","peer_label":"pride-and-prejudice","peer_type":"text","predicate":"derived_from"},{"peer":"01KJRRC2C7K6XERRJES8143XGV","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KJRREYT564P5405ZE4Q76ZF5","peer_label":"mrs bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF19AD63KEEZZWPG3X2KQ","peer_label":"mr wickham","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGM87R12EADFF6YZZG3","peer_label":"jane bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYW2V9QH9GNRQRJT67GK","peer_label":"mr bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY6RHWPTVXJ7SHB3NE6F","peer_label":"lydia bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYSZYA9P29KKXYZVTJ15","peer_label":"mr gardiner","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF0YV9NV5WVK4WWSM736Q","peer_label":"meryton","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"place","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF1A42FY2HZTFF6WCFG11","peer_label":"mrs philips","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY4KCKYKYTFBWSNR6EZ0","peer_label":"kitty bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYSX336MNFYYQ2MPNB60","peer_label":"lady lucas","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZKG263C7SQSDV3TZ5MX","peer_label":"elizabeth bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYRAPBAR593DJKHRVWY2","peer_label":"george allen","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"organization","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF7VA665FKK6CM48CN8K0","peer_label":"longbourn","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFC6M15GX3WTRGNMYMXYD","peer_label":"mrs hill","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFCAR9JQS38D3M3BECA37","peer_label":"chapter l","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"document_section","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFCACZ03FK037VHZ1X6FQ","peer_label":"illustration the spiteful old ladies","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"artwork","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFC6R2K9F9ZSJXPFZP7GQ","peer_label":"mrs long","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFCC23BSQHZ78ZVV5Q55X","peer_label":"marriage articles","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"legal_document","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFCCPC8KWNNW6P5R7984X","peer_label":"stoke","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFCXD0EE6EGNY134S8B3J","peer_label":"ashworth","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFCXM1DEKZTE6CZ9542JC","peer_label":"haye park","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFCXPTWHDK64K89Z8PQJW","peer_label":"purvis lodge","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:49.412Z"}}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:01.349Z","ts":"2026-03-03T02:29:51.720Z","edited_by":{"method":"system","user_id":"01KJ60XQBHJ0GBGTP9X8HXAPPM"}}