{"id":"01KJRRE0T8JK1YWVD6326RBCBP","cid":"bafkreif2ooebntsiigarivdnqqvwrqbzwindgdi4lmjedd4osmf22fbeee","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":655802,"char_start":647872,"chunk_index":91,"chunk_total":108,"estimated_tokens":1983,"label":"Bingley replied that he did, and made his congra","source_file_key":"pride-and-prejudice","text":"\r\nBingley replied that he did, and made his congratulations. Elizabeth\r\ndared not lift up her eyes. How Mr. Darcy looked, therefore, she could\r\nnot tell.\r\n\r\n“It is a delightful thing, to be sure, to have a daughter well married,”\r\ncontinued her mother; “but at the same time, Mr. Bingley, it is very\r\nhard to have her taken away from me. They are gone down to Newcastle, a\r\nplace quite northward it seems, and there they are to stay, I do not\r\nknow how long. His regiment is there; for I suppose you have heard of\r\nhis leaving the ----shire, and of his being gone into the Regulars.\r\nThank heaven! he has _some_ friends, though, perhaps, not so many as he\r\ndeserves.”\r\n\r\nElizabeth, who knew this to be levelled at Mr. Darcy, was in such misery\r\nof shame that she could hardly keep her seat. It drew from her, however,\r\nthe exertion of speaking, which nothing else had so effectually done\r\nbefore; and she asked Bingley whether he meant to make any stay in the\r\ncountry at present. A few weeks, he believed.\r\n\r\n“When you have killed all your own birds, Mr. Bingley,” said her mother,\r\n“I beg you will come here and shoot as many as you please on Mr.\r\nBennet’s manor. I am sure he will be vastly happy to oblige you, and\r\nwill save all the best of the coveys for you.”\r\n\r\nElizabeth’s misery increased at such unnecessary, such officious\r\nattention! Were the same fair prospect to arise at present, as had\r\nflattered them a year ago, everything, she was persuaded, would be\r\nhastening to the same vexatious conclusion. At that instant she felt,\r\nthat years of happiness could not make Jane or herself amends for\r\nmoments of such painful confusion.\r\n\r\n“The first wish of my heart,” said she to herself, “is never more to be\r\nin company with either of them. Their society can afford no pleasure\r\nthat will atone for such wretchedness as this! Let me never see either\r\none or the other again!”\r\n\r\nYet the misery, for which years of happiness were to offer no\r\ncompensation, received soon afterwards material relief, from observing\r\nhow much the beauty of her sister rekindled the admiration of her former\r\nlover. When first he came in, he had spoken to her but little, but every\r\nfive minutes seemed to be giving her more of his attention. He found her\r\nas handsome as she had been last year; as good-natured, and as\r\nunaffected, though not quite so chatty. Jane was anxious that no\r\ndifference should be perceived in her at all, and was really persuaded\r\nthat she talked as much as ever; but her mind was so busily engaged,\r\nthat she did not always know when she was silent.\r\n\r\nWhen the gentlemen rose to go away, Mrs. Bennet was mindful of her\r\nintended civility, and they were invited and engaged to dine at\r\nLongbourn in a few days’ time.\r\n\r\n“You are quite a visit in my debt, Mr. Bingley,” she added; “for when\r\nyou went to town last winter, you promised to take a family dinner with\r\nus as soon as you returned. I have not forgot, you see; and I assure you\r\nI was very much disappointed that you did not come back and keep your\r\nengagement.”\r\n\r\nBingley looked a little silly at this reflection, and said something of\r\nhis concern at having been prevented by business. They then went away.\r\n\r\nMrs. Bennet had been strongly inclined to ask them to stay and dine\r\nthere that day; but, though she always kept a very good table, she did\r\nnot think anything less than two courses could be good enough for a man\r\non whom she had such anxious designs, or satisfy the appetite and pride\r\nof one who had ten thousand a year.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n[Illustration:\r\n\r\n     “Jane happened to look round”\r\n]\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER LIV.\r\n\r\n\r\n[Illustration]\r\n\r\nAs soon as they were gone, Elizabeth walked out to recover her spirits;\r\nor, in other words, to dwell without interruption on those subjects\r\nwhich must deaden them more. Mr. Darcy’s behaviour astonished and vexed\r\nher.\r\n\r\n“Why, if he came only to be silent, grave, and indifferent,” said she,\r\n“did he come at all?”\r\n\r\nShe could settle it in no way that gave her pleasure.\r\n\r\n“He could be still amiable, still pleasing to my uncle and aunt, when he\r\nwas in town; and why not to me? If he fears me, why come hither? If he\r\nno longer cares for me, why silent? Teasing, teasing man! I will think\r\nno more about him.”\r\n\r\nHer resolution was for a short time involuntarily kept by the approach\r\nof her sister, who joined her with a cheerful look which showed her\r\nbetter satisfied with their visitors than Elizabeth.\r\n\r\n“Now,” said she, “that this first meeting is over, I feel perfectly\r\neasy. I know my own strength, and I shall never be embarrassed again by\r\nhis coming. I am glad he dines here on Tuesday. It will then be publicly\r\nseen, that on both sides we meet only as common and indifferent\r\nacquaintance.”\r\n\r\n“Yes, very indifferent, indeed,” said Elizabeth, laughingly. “Oh, Jane!\r\ntake care.”\r\n\r\n“My dear Lizzy, you cannot think me so weak as to be in danger now.”\r\n\r\n“I think you are in very great danger of making him as much in love with\r\nyou as ever.”\r\n\r\nThey did not see the gentlemen again till Tuesday; and Mrs. Bennet, in\r\nthe meanwhile, was giving way to all the happy schemes which the\r\ngood-humour and common politeness of Bingley, in half an hour’s visit,\r\nhad revived.\r\n\r\nOn Tuesday there was a large party assembled at Longbourn; and the two\r\nwho were most anxiously expected, to the credit of their punctuality as\r\nsportsmen, were in very good time. When they repaired to the\r\ndining-room, Elizabeth eagerly watched to see whether Bingley would take\r\nthe place which, in all their former parties, had belonged to him, by\r\nher sister. Her prudent mother, occupied by the same ideas, forbore to\r\ninvite him to sit by herself. On entering the room, he seemed to\r\nhesitate; but Jane happened to look round, and happened to smile: it was\r\ndecided. He placed himself by her.\r\n\r\nElizabeth, with a triumphant sensation, looked towards his friend. He\r\nbore it with noble indifference; and she would have imagined that\r\nBingley had received his sanction to be happy, had she not seen his eyes\r\nlikewise turned towards Mr. Darcy, with an expression of half-laughing\r\nalarm.\r\n\r\nHis behaviour to her sister was such during dinnertime as showed an\r\nadmiration of her, which, though more guarded than formerly, persuaded\r\nElizabeth, that, if left wholly to himself, Jane’s happiness, and his\r\nown, would be speedily secured. Though she dared not depend upon the\r\nconsequence, she yet received pleasure from observing his behaviour. It\r\ngave her all the animation that her spirits could boast; for she was in\r\nno cheerful humour. Mr. Darcy was almost as far from her as the table\r\ncould divide them. He was on one side of her mother. She knew how little\r\nsuch a situation would give pleasure to either, or make either appear to\r\nadvantage. She was not near enough to hear any of their discourse; but\r\nshe could see how seldom they spoke to each other, and how formal and\r\ncold was their manner whenever they did. Her mother’s ungraciousness\r\nmade the sense of what they owed him more painful to Elizabeth’s mind;\r\nand she would, at times, have given anything to be privileged to tell\r\nhim, that his kindness was neither unknown nor unfelt by the whole of\r\nthe family.\r\n\r\nShe was in hopes that the evening would afford some opportunity of\r\nbringing them together; that the whole of the visit would not pass away\r\nwithout enabling them to enter into something more of conversation,\r\nthan the mere ceremonious salutation attending his entrance. Anxious and\r\nuneasy, the period which passed in the drawing-room before the gentlemen\r\ncame, was wearisome and dull to a degree that almost made her uncivil.\r\nShe looked forward to their entrance as the point on which all her\r\nchance of pleasure for the evening must depend.\r\n\r\n“If he does not come to me, _then_,” said she, “I shall give him up for\r\never.”\r\n\r\nThe gentlemen came; and she thought he looked as if he would have\r\nanswered her hopes; but, alas!"},"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":"2026-03-03T02:30:18.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGM87R12EADFF6YZZG3","peer_label":"jane bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:18.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYW2V9QH9GNRQRJT67GK","peer_label":"mr bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:18.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZJBEM6MWHW485H9DS9F","peer_label":"mr darcy","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:18.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZKG263C7SQSDV3TZ5MX","peer_label":"elizabeth bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:18.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYT564P5405ZE4Q76ZF5","peer_label":"mrs bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:18.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY6RHWPTVXJ7SHB3NE6F","peer_label":"lydia bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:18.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF8ZJF4REG15P25YHB22C","peer_label":"newcastle","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"place","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:18.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRG7M6J0V3QTD1D8P98RB8","peer_label":"----shire regiment","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"military_unit","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:18.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF7VA665FKK6CM48CN8K0","peer_label":"longbourn","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:18.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGAM2B661DAHQN98RDQ7P","peer_label":"regulars","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"military_unit_type","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:18.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGAP1CF8EEVSQGF4QHZPR","peer_label":"business","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:18.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGAJ7JAH9Q3XQDDHWKRVT","peer_label":"lydia bennets husband","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:18.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGAP8H43BMQKR98SGW977","peer_label":"chapter liv","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"document_section","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:18.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGAQDB0JHHT5FMSMY8RWE","peer_label":"acquaintance","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:18.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGANK399J07CGACGM7PTX","peer_label":"mr bennets manor","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:18.864Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGB48Q1T53D8P8REB4HNF","peer_label":"mr darcys behavior","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:18.864Z"}}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:01.384Z","ts":"2026-03-03T02:30:19.683Z","edited_by":{"method":"system","user_id":"01KJ60XQBHJ0GBGTP9X8HXAPPM"}}