{"id":"01KJRRE0T8X2W1DW2Q7RYAM5RZ","cid":"bafkreibx47vpvvp7p62poogpjnyfx65bstthkf5kkhy2kkf67fahgkq2zm","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":676943,"char_start":669138,"chunk_index":94,"chunk_total":108,"estimated_tokens":1952,"label":"turned to his daughter and said,--\r \r “Jane, I con","source_file_key":"pride-and-prejudice","text":"turned to his daughter and said,--\r\n\r\n“Jane, I congratulate you. You will be a very happy woman.”\r\n\r\nJane went to him instantly, kissed him, and thanked him for his\r\ngoodness.\r\n\r\n“You are a good girl,” he replied, “and I have great pleasure in\r\nthinking you will be so happily settled. I have not a doubt of your\r\ndoing very well together. Your tempers are by no means unlike. You are\r\neach of you so complying, that nothing will ever be resolved on; so\r\neasy, that every servant will cheat you; and so generous, that you will\r\nalways exceed your income.”\r\n\r\n“I hope not so. Imprudence or thoughtlessness in money matters would be\r\nunpardonable in _me_.”\r\n\r\n“Exceed their income! My dear Mr. Bennet,” cried his wife, “what are you\r\ntalking of? Why, he has four or five thousand a year, and very likely\r\nmore.” Then addressing her daughter, “Oh, my dear, dear Jane, I am so\r\nhappy! I am sure I shan’t get a wink of sleep all night. I knew how it\r\nwould be. I always said it must be so, at last. I was sure you could not\r\nbe so beautiful for nothing! I remember, as soon as ever I saw him, when\r\nhe first came into Hertfordshire last year, I thought how likely it was\r\nthat you should come together. Oh, he is the handsomest young man that\r\never was seen!”\r\n\r\nWickham, Lydia, were all forgotten. Jane was beyond competition her\r\nfavourite child. At that moment she cared for no other. Her younger\r\nsisters soon began to make interest with her for objects of happiness\r\nwhich she might in future be able to dispense.\r\n\r\nMary petitioned for the use of the library at Netherfield; and Kitty\r\nbegged very hard for a few balls there every winter.\r\n\r\nBingley, from this time, was of course a daily visitor at Longbourn;\r\ncoming frequently before breakfast, and always remaining till after\r\nsupper; unless when some barbarous neighbour, who could not be enough\r\ndetested, had given him an invitation to dinner, which he thought\r\nhimself obliged to accept.\r\n\r\nElizabeth had now but little time for conversation with her sister; for\r\nwhile he was present Jane had no attention to bestow on anyone else: but\r\nshe found herself considerably useful to both of them, in those hours of\r\nseparation that must sometimes occur. In the absence of Jane, he always\r\nattached himself to Elizabeth for the pleasure of talking of her; and\r\nwhen Bingley was gone, Jane constantly sought the same means of relief.\r\n\r\n“He has made me so happy,” said she, one evening, “by telling me that he\r\nwas totally ignorant of my being in town last spring! I had not believed\r\nit possible.”\r\n\r\n“I suspected as much,” replied Elizabeth. “But how did he account for\r\nit?”\r\n\r\n“It must have been his sisters’ doing. They were certainly no friends to\r\nhis acquaintance with me, which I cannot wonder at, since he might have\r\nchosen so much more advantageously in many respects. But when they see,\r\nas I trust they will, that their brother is happy with me, they will\r\nlearn to be contented, and we shall be on good terms again: though we\r\ncan never be what we once were to each other.”\r\n\r\n“That is the most unforgiving speech,” said Elizabeth, “that I ever\r\nheard you utter. Good girl! It would vex me, indeed, to see you again\r\nthe dupe of Miss Bingley’s pretended regard.”\r\n\r\n“Would you believe it, Lizzy, that when he went to town last November he\r\nreally loved me, and nothing but a persuasion of _my_ being indifferent\r\nwould have prevented his coming down again?”\r\n\r\n“He made a little mistake, to be sure; but it is to the credit of his\r\nmodesty.”\r\n\r\nThis naturally introduced a panegyric from Jane on his diffidence, and\r\nthe little value he put on his own good qualities.\r\n\r\nElizabeth was pleased to find that he had not betrayed the interference\r\nof his friend; for, though Jane had the most generous and forgiving\r\nheart in the world, she knew it was a circumstance which must prejudice\r\nher against him.\r\n\r\n“I am certainly the most fortunate creature that ever existed!” cried\r\nJane. “Oh, Lizzy, why am I thus singled from my family, and blessed\r\nabove them all? If I could but see you as happy! If there were but such\r\nanother man for you!”\r\n\r\n“If you were to give me forty such men I never could be so happy as you.\r\nTill I have your disposition, your goodness, I never can have your\r\nhappiness. No, no, let me shift for myself; and, perhaps, if I have very\r\ngood luck, I may meet with another Mr. Collins in time.”\r\n\r\nThe situation of affairs in the Longbourn family could not be long a\r\nsecret. Mrs. Bennet was privileged to whisper it to Mrs. Philips, and\r\nshe ventured, without any permission, to do the same by all her\r\nneighbours in Meryton.\r\n\r\nThe Bennets were speedily pronounced to be the luckiest family in the\r\nworld; though only a few weeks before, when Lydia had first run away,\r\nthey had been generally proved to be marked out for misfortune.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n[Illustration]\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER LVI.\r\n\r\n\r\n[Illustration]\r\n\r\nOne morning, about a week after Bingley’s engagement with Jane had been\r\nformed, as he and the females of the family were sitting together in the\r\ndining-room, their attention was suddenly drawn to the window by the\r\nsound of a carriage; and they perceived a chaise and four driving up the\r\nlawn. It was too early in the morning for visitors; and besides, the\r\nequipage did not answer to that of any of their neighbours. The horses\r\nwere post; and neither the carriage, nor the livery of the servant who\r\npreceded it, were familiar to them. As it was certain, however, that\r\nsomebody was coming, Bingley instantly prevailed on Miss Bennet to avoid\r\nthe confinement of such an intrusion, and walk away with him into the\r\nshrubbery. They both set off; and the conjectures of the remaining three\r\ncontinued, though with little satisfaction, till the door was thrown\r\nopen, and their visitor entered. It was Lady Catherine de Bourgh.\r\n\r\nThey were of course all intending to be surprised: but their\r\nastonishment was beyond their expectation; and on the part of Mrs.\r\nBennet and Kitty, though she was perfectly unknown to them, even\r\ninferior to what Elizabeth felt.\r\n\r\nShe entered the room with an air more than usually ungracious, made no\r\nother reply to Elizabeth’s salutation than a slight inclination of the\r\nhead, and sat down without saying a word. Elizabeth had mentioned her\r\nname to her mother on her Ladyship’s entrance, though no request of\r\nintroduction had been made.\r\n\r\nMrs. Bennet, all amazement, though flattered by having a guest of such\r\nhigh importance, received her with the utmost politeness. After sitting\r\nfor a moment in silence, she said, very stiffly, to Elizabeth,--\r\n\r\n“I hope you are well, Miss Bennet. That lady, I suppose, is your\r\nmother?”\r\n\r\nElizabeth replied very concisely that she was.\r\n\r\n“And _that_, I suppose, is one of your sisters?”\r\n\r\n“Yes, madam,” said Mrs. Bennet, delighted to speak to a Lady Catherine.\r\n“She is my youngest girl but one. My youngest of all is lately married,\r\nand my eldest is somewhere about the ground, walking with a young man,\r\nwho, I believe, will soon become a part of the family.”\r\n\r\n“You have a very small park here,” returned Lady Catherine, after a\r\nshort silence.\r\n\r\n“It is nothing in comparison of Rosings, my Lady, I dare say; but, I\r\nassure you, it is much larger than Sir William Lucas’s.”\r\n\r\n“This must be a most inconvenient sitting-room for the evening in\r\nsummer: the windows are full west.”\r\n\r\nMrs. Bennet assured her that they never sat there after dinner; and then\r\nadded,--\r\n\r\n“May I take the liberty of asking your Ladyship whether you left Mr. and\r\nMrs. Collins well?”\r\n\r\n“Yes, very well. I saw them the night before last.”\r\n\r\nElizabeth now expected that she would produce a letter for her from\r\nCharlotte, as it seemed the only probable motive for her calling. But no\r\nletter appeared, and she was completely puzzled.\r\n\r\nMrs."},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KJRRD3TNE5A6AKAVXSRFT9RC","peer_label":"pride-and-prejudice","peer_type":"text","predicate":"derived_from"},{"peer":"01KJRRC2C7K6XERRJES8143XGV","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KJRREY6RHWPTVXJ7SHB3NE6F","peer_label":"lydia bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF2WSZTKE2V2YC4YMG4M4","peer_label":"bingley","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFA63SH24KA7N4R2W9MAJ","peer_label":"wickham","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGM87R12EADFF6YZZG3","peer_label":"jane bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYT564P5405ZE4Q76ZF5","peer_label":"mrs bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYW2V9QH9GNRQRJT67GK","peer_label":"mr bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGXA5G45WS8FVH5R7BE","peer_label":"netherfield","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY63WYEJRTN7FS2QXC2P","peer_label":"mary bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY4KCKYKYTFBWSNR6EZ0","peer_label":"kitty bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZKG263C7SQSDV3TZ5MX","peer_label":"elizabeth bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF7VA665FKK6CM48CN8K0","peer_label":"longbourn","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF06V9ABE1JZWJHE56BCY","peer_label":"miss bingley","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF0QZTC5KJ63MKYZHD3F9","peer_label":"meryton","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"town","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF1A42FY2HZTFF6WCFG11","peer_label":"mrs philips","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF0QSJRNCPVPFD64ZGBHP","peer_label":"bennet family","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"family","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY7G184NZ401P9V4JV87","peer_label":"lady catherine de bourgh","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF826ZSJSKKBWG7SK2KSN","peer_label":"rosings","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYTMYM5H9026MPV0AJMX","peer_label":"sir william lucas","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY6ZWGAT4FYVDEM6VE2E","peer_label":"mr collins","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFG0K5SREGAFMDG85V7D7","peer_label":"mrs collins","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF91TF3GBBE6ETQBF0DYP","peer_label":"charlotte collins","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRG20REPXWZATMVPSM5XJ4","peer_label":"bingleys sisters","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"group","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRG2266KA5CF999S3PATYX","peer_label":"bingleys friend","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRG23DYGQGD34ZC8YM5856","peer_label":"chapter lvi","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"document_section","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.023Z"}}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:01.384Z","ts":"2026-03-03T02:30:10.765Z","edited_by":{"method":"system","user_id":"01KJ60XQBHJ0GBGTP9X8HXAPPM"}}