{"id":"01KJRRE3KZ6J2948MRPZFGDC6K","cid":"bafkreiftm2wzdsv5wif5yzszgxz2ku7ed34cshmq7s2f4u7qqvs4igtcqe","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":719857,"char_start":711978,"chunk_index":100,"chunk_total":108,"estimated_tokens":1970,"label":"to him; and as I could easily perceive that his at","source_file_key":"pride-and-prejudice","text":"to him; and as I could easily perceive that his attachment to her was\r\nunabated, I felt no doubt of their happiness together.”\r\n\r\nElizabeth could not help smiling at his easy manner of directing his\r\nfriend.\r\n\r\n“Did you speak from your own observation,” said she, “when you told him\r\nthat my sister loved him, or merely from my information last spring?”\r\n\r\n“From the former. I had narrowly observed her, during the two visits\r\nwhich I had lately made her here; and I was convinced of her affection.”\r\n\r\n“And your assurance of it, I suppose, carried immediate conviction to\r\nhim.”\r\n\r\n“It did. Bingley is most unaffectedly modest. His diffidence had\r\nprevented his depending on his own judgment in so anxious a case, but\r\nhis reliance on mine made everything easy. I was obliged to confess one\r\nthing, which for a time, and not unjustly, offended him. I could not\r\nallow myself to conceal that your sister had been in town three months\r\nlast winter, that I had known it, and purposely kept it from him. He was\r\nangry. But his anger, I am persuaded, lasted no longer than he remained\r\nin any doubt of your sister’s sentiments. He has heartily forgiven me\r\nnow.”\r\n\r\nElizabeth longed to observe that Mr. Bingley had been a most delightful\r\nfriend; so easily guided that his worth was invaluable; but she checked\r\nherself. She remembered that he had yet to learn to be laughed at, and\r\nit was rather too early to begin. In anticipating the happiness of\r\nBingley, which of course was to be inferior only to his own, he\r\ncontinued the conversation till they reached the house. In the hall they\r\nparted.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n[Illustration:\r\n\r\n     “Unable to utter a syllable”\r\n\r\n[_Copyright 1894 by George Allen._]]\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER LIX.\r\n\r\n\r\n[Illustration]\r\n\r\n“My dear Lizzy, where can you have been walking to?” was a question\r\nwhich Elizabeth received from Jane as soon as she entered the room, and\r\nfrom all the others when they sat down to table. She had only to say in\r\nreply, that they had wandered about till she was beyond her own\r\nknowledge. She coloured as she spoke; but neither that, nor anything\r\nelse, awakened a suspicion of the truth.\r\n\r\nThe evening passed quietly, unmarked by anything extraordinary. The\r\nacknowledged lovers talked and laughed; the unacknowledged were silent.\r\nDarcy was not of a disposition in which happiness overflows in mirth;\r\nand Elizabeth, agitated and confused, rather _knew_ that she was happy\r\nthan _felt_ herself to be so; for, besides the immediate embarrassment,\r\nthere were other evils before her. She anticipated what would be felt in\r\nthe family when her situation became known: she was aware that no one\r\nliked him but Jane; and even feared that with the others it was a\r\n_dislike_ which not all his fortune and consequence might do away.\r\n\r\nAt night she opened her heart to Jane. Though suspicion was very far\r\nfrom Miss Bennet’s general habits, she was absolutely incredulous here.\r\n\r\n“You are joking, Lizzy. This cannot be! Engaged to Mr. Darcy! No, no,\r\nyou shall not deceive me: I know it to be impossible.”\r\n\r\n“This is a wretched beginning, indeed! My sole dependence was on you;\r\nand I am sure nobody else will believe me, if you do not. Yet, indeed, I\r\nam in earnest. I speak nothing but the truth. He still loves me, and we\r\nare engaged.”\r\n\r\nJane looked at her doubtingly. “Oh, Lizzy! it cannot be. I know how much\r\nyou dislike him.”\r\n\r\n“You know nothing of the matter. _That_ is all to be forgot. Perhaps I\r\ndid not always love him so well as I do now; but in such cases as these\r\na good memory is unpardonable. This is the last time I shall ever\r\nremember it myself.”\r\n\r\nMiss Bennet still looked all amazement. Elizabeth again, and more\r\nseriously, assured her of its truth.\r\n\r\n“Good heaven! can it be really so? Yet now I must believe you,” cried\r\nJane. “My dear, dear Lizzy, I would, I do congratulate you; but are you\r\ncertain--forgive the question--are you quite certain that you can be\r\nhappy with him?”\r\n\r\n“There can be no doubt of that. It is settled between us already that we\r\nare to be the happiest couple in the world. But are you pleased, Jane?\r\nShall you like to have such a brother?”\r\n\r\n“Very, very much. Nothing could give either Bingley or myself more\r\ndelight. But we considered it, we talked of it as impossible. And do you\r\nreally love him quite well enough? Oh, Lizzy! do anything rather than\r\nmarry without affection. Are you quite sure that you feel what you ought\r\nto do?”\r\n\r\n“Oh, yes! You will only think I feel _more_ than I ought to do when I\r\ntell you all.”\r\n\r\n“What do you mean?”\r\n\r\n“Why, I must confess that I love him better than I do Bingley. I am\r\nafraid you will be angry.”\r\n\r\n“My dearest sister, now be, _be_ serious. I want to talk very seriously.\r\nLet me know everything that I am to know without delay. Will you tell me\r\nhow long you have loved him?”\r\n\r\n“It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began;\r\nbut I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds\r\nat Pemberley.”\r\n\r\nAnother entreaty that she would be serious, however, produced the\r\ndesired effect; and she soon satisfied Jane by her solemn assurances of\r\nattachment. When convinced on that article, Miss Bennet had nothing\r\nfurther to wish.\r\n\r\n“Now I am quite happy,” said she, “for you will be as happy as myself. I\r\nalways had a value for him. Were it for nothing but his love of you, I\r\nmust always have esteemed him; but now, as Bingley’s friend and your\r\nhusband, there can be only Bingley and yourself more dear to me. But,\r\nLizzy, you have been very sly, very reserved with me. How little did you\r\ntell me of what passed at Pemberley and Lambton! I owe all that I know\r\nof it to another, not to you.”\r\n\r\nElizabeth told her the motives of her secrecy. She had been unwilling to\r\nmention Bingley; and the unsettled state of her own feelings had made\r\nher equally avoid the name of his friend: but now she would no longer\r\nconceal from her his share in Lydia’s marriage. All was acknowledged,\r\nand half the night spent in conversation.\r\n\r\n“Good gracious!” cried Mrs. Bennet, as she stood at a window the next\r\nmorning, “if that disagreeable Mr. Darcy is not coming here again with\r\nour dear Bingley! What can he mean by being so tiresome as to be always\r\ncoming here? I had no notion but he would go a-shooting, or something or\r\nother, and not disturb us with his company. What shall we do with him?\r\nLizzy, you must walk out with him again, that he may not be in Bingley’s\r\nway.”\r\n\r\nElizabeth could hardly help laughing at so convenient a proposal; yet\r\nwas really vexed that her mother should be always giving him such an\r\nepithet.\r\n\r\nAs soon as they entered, Bingley looked at her so expressively, and\r\nshook hands with such warmth, as left no doubt of his good information;\r\nand he soon afterwards said aloud, “Mrs. Bennet, have you no more lanes\r\nhereabouts in which Lizzy may lose her way again to-day?”\r\n\r\n“I advise Mr. Darcy, and Lizzy, and Kitty,” said Mrs. Bennet, “to walk\r\nto Oakham Mount this morning. It is a nice long walk, and Mr. Darcy has\r\nnever seen the view.”\r\n\r\n“It may do very well for the others,” replied Mr. Bingley; “but I am\r\nsure it will be too much for Kitty. Won’t it, Kitty?”\r\n\r\nKitty owned that she had rather stay at home. Darcy professed a great\r\ncuriosity to see the view from the Mount, and Elizabeth silently\r\nconsented. As she went upstairs to get ready, Mrs. Bennet followed her,\r\nsaying,--\r\n\r\n“I am quite sorry, Lizzy, that you should be forced to have that\r\ndisagreeable man all to yourself; but I hope you will not mind it. It is\r\nall for Jane’s sake, you know; and there is no occasion for talking to\r\nhim except just now and then; so do not put yourself to inconvenience.”\r\n\r\nDuring their walk, it was resolved that Mr. Bennet’s consent should be\r\nasked in the course of the evening: Elizabeth reserved to herself the\r\napplication for her mother’s."},"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":"2026-03-03T02:29:55.129Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY5SSJCQ67QYG0XTG9A8","peer_label":"mr bingley","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:55.129Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYT564P5405ZE4Q76ZF5","peer_label":"mrs bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:55.129Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGM87R12EADFF6YZZG3","peer_label":"jane bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:55.129Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZJBEM6MWHW485H9DS9F","peer_label":"mr darcy","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:55.129Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZJ8A0QJK2TXKT8DT57S","peer_label":"pemberley","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:55.129Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY4KCKYKYTFBWSNR6EZ0","peer_label":"kitty bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:55.129Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYRAPBAR593DJKHRVWY2","peer_label":"george allen","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"organization","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:55.129Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYW2V9QH9GNRQRJT67GK","peer_label":"mr bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:55.129Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFKJHY98VNYEYTF8JP666","peer_label":"chapter lix","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"document_section","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:55.129Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFKFW34X8X0SJ0WXMV42D","peer_label":"oakham mount","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"place","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:55.129Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFKF9S6GNFWZYQQF81HMA","peer_label":"lydia bennets marriage","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"event","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:55.129Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFKF4658ZXQV687REA3M2","peer_label":"lambton","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"place","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:55.129Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFKJNPZWKFZ8F0Q53AJT7","peer_label":"illustration unable to utter a syllable","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"artwork","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:55.129Z"}}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:04.255Z","ts":"2026-03-03T02:29:55.901Z","edited_by":{"method":"system","user_id":"01KJ60XQBHJ0GBGTP9X8HXAPPM"}}