At five o’clock, Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst went upstairs to change for dinner.
At half past six, Elizabeth was invited to join them.
As soon as she came downstairs, everyone asked about Jane.
Unfortunately, Elizabeth could not give them any good news.
Jane was still very sick.
Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst expressed their concern several times.
“That’s terrible.”
“I’m so sorry she’s feeling so ill.”
“I hate being sick myself.”
But once the conversation moved on, they quickly forgot about Jane.
Elizabeth was reminded once again why she had never liked them.
Mr. Bingley was the only person in the house she genuinely liked.
He was clearly worried about Jane, and he treated Elizabeth with such kindness that she did not feel quite as unwelcome as she had expected.
The others paid very little attention to her.
Miss Bingley was completely focused on Mr. Darcy, and Mrs. Hurst was nearly as interested in him.
Mr. Hurst happened to sit beside Elizabeth, but he was a lazy man who cared mostly about food, drink, and cards.
When he discovered that Elizabeth preferred simple food to fancy dishes, he had absolutely nothing to say to her.
As soon as dinner ended, Elizabeth went straight back upstairs to Jane.
The moment she had left the dining room, Miss Bingley began criticizing her.
“She really has terrible manners.”
“She’s so proud and so rude.”
“She has nothing interesting to say.”
“She has no sense of style or taste.”
“And she isn’t even particularly beautiful.”
Mrs. Hurst agreed.
“The only thing she has going for her is that she can walk very well.”
“I’ll never forget how she looked this morning.”
“She looked almost wild.”
“She certainly did, Louisa.”
“I could hardly stop myself from laughing.”
“Who walks three miles through the countryside just because her sister has a cold?”
“And look at her hair!”
“It was completely untidy.”
“And did you notice her dress?”
“I’m sure the bottom of her skirt was covered in mud.”
“The mud was at least several inches deep.”
“She had clearly tried to pull her dress down to hide it, but it didn’t help at all.”
Bingley looked surprised.
“You may be right about her clothes, Louisa, but I didn’t notice any of that.”
“I thought Miss Elizabeth looked extremely well when she came in this morning.”
“I didn’t even notice that her skirt was dirty.”
Miss Bingley turned toward Darcy.
“You noticed it, I’m sure, Mr. Darcy.”
“I imagine you wouldn’t want your own sister to appear in such a state.”
“Certainly not.”
“To walk several miles through mud, completely alone!”
“What could possibly make her do such a thing?”
“To me, it shows a rather ridiculous kind of independence.”
“She seems to have very little concern for proper behavior.”
Bingley disagreed.
“I think it shows how much she cares about her sister.”
Miss Bingley lowered her voice and looked at Darcy.
“I’m afraid this little adventure may have damaged your opinion of her beautiful eyes.”
“Not at all,” Darcy replied.
“If anything, the exercise made them look brighter.”
There was a brief silence.
Mrs. Hurst soon changed the subject.
“I have always liked Jane Bennet.”
“She’s a very sweet girl, and I sincerely hope she makes a good marriage.”
“But with parents like hers and relatives from such ordinary families, I’m afraid her chances are not very good.”
Darcy looked at her.
“I believe you once told me that one of her uncles is a lawyer in Meryton?”
“Yes.”
“And she has another uncle who lives somewhere near Cheapside.”
Mrs. Hurst smiled.
“How wonderful.”
She and Miss Bingley laughed together.
Bingley was not amused.
“Even if Jane had enough uncles to fill every shop in Cheapside, it wouldn’t make her any less pleasant.”
Darcy remained calm.
“No, but it would certainly make it harder for her to marry a man from a highly respected family.”
Bingley said nothing.
His sisters, however, clearly agreed with Darcy and continued laughing at Jane’s relatives.
A short while later, they went upstairs to Jane’s room.
Their attitude toward Jane changed completely when they were in front of her.
They became warm and caring, and they stayed with her until it was time for coffee.
Jane was still very unwell.
Elizabeth refused to leave her side.
She stayed with Jane late into the evening, until she finally saw that her sister had fallen asleep.
Only then did Elizabeth feel that she should go downstairs for a while.
When she entered the drawing room, everyone was playing cards.
“Miss Bennet, come and join us.”
Elizabeth looked at the game.
She suspected they were playing for fairly high stakes.
“No, thank you.”
“I’d rather sit and read for a little while.”
Mr. Hurst looked genuinely surprised.
“You prefer reading to cards?”
“That’s unusual.”
Miss Bingley smiled.
“Eliza hates cards.”
“She’s a great reader and doesn’t enjoy much else.”
Elizabeth laughed.
“I don’t deserve either that much praise or that much criticism.”
“I’m not a great reader.”
“And I enjoy plenty of other things.”
Bingley smiled.
“I’m sure you enjoy taking care of your sister.”
“I hope that pleasure will soon be even greater when you see her completely recovered.”
“Thank you, Mr. Bingley.”
Elizabeth sincerely appreciated his kindness.
She walked over to a nearby table where several books were lying.
Bingley immediately offered to find her more.
“I can bring you anything you want from my library.”
“I only wish I had a larger collection, both for your sake and for my own reputation.”
“I’m rather lazy, though.”
“I have more books than I’ve actually read.”
Elizabeth smiled.
“I’m sure I can find something to read here.”
Miss Bingley suddenly turned to Darcy.
“I’m surprised my father left such a small collection of books.”
“You have a wonderful library at Pemberley, Mr. Darcy.”
Darcy nodded.
“It should be a good library.”
“It has been built up over many generations.”
“And you’ve added many books yourself.”
“You’re always buying more.”
“I can’t understand how anyone could neglect a family library these days.”
“Neglect it?”
Miss Bingley smiled.
“I can’t imagine you neglecting anything that makes such a beautiful place even better.”
“Charles, when you build your own house, I hope it will be at least half as beautiful as Pemberley.”
“So do I.”
“Then I strongly recommend that you buy a house in that area.”
“Use Pemberley as your model.”
“There’s no better county in England than Derbyshire.”
“With pleasure.”
“I’d buy Pemberley itself if Darcy were willing to sell it.”
“I’m talking about possibilities, Charles.”
Bingley laughed.
“Honestly, Caroline, I think buying Pemberley would be easier than trying to build something that looks like it.”
Elizabeth had been listening to the conversation with interest.
She completely forgot about her book.
After a moment, she put it aside and walked over to the card table.
She sat between Bingley and his eldest sister and watched them play.
Miss Bingley turned to Darcy.
“Has Miss Darcy grown much since spring?”
“Do you think she’ll become as tall as I am?”
“I believe she will.”
“She’s already about as tall as Miss Elizabeth, perhaps a little taller.”
“I can’t wait to see her again.”
“I’ve never met a girl I enjoyed more.”
“She has such a lovely face and such good manners.”
“And she’s remarkably talented for her age.”
“She plays the piano beautifully.”
Bingley looked amused.
“I’ve always wondered how young women have the patience to become so ‘accomplished.’”
Miss Bingley stared at him.
“All young women?”
“What do you mean?”
“Yes, pretty much all of them.”
“They paint tables, decorate screens, make purses, and do all sorts of similar things.”
“I hardly know a young woman who can’t do at least some of that.”
“And whenever I meet someone new, I’m always told that she is extremely accomplished.”
Darcy spoke calmly.
“There is some truth in what you say.”
“People often call a woman accomplished simply because she can decorate something or make a purse.”
“But I disagree with your opinion of women in general.”
“I can think of only about six women I know who are truly accomplished.”
Miss Bingley immediately agreed.
“Neither can I think of many.”
Elizabeth looked at Darcy.
“Then you must have very high standards for an accomplished woman.”
“I do.”
“What exactly do you expect from her?”
Miss Bingley eagerly answered for him.
“A truly accomplished woman must be highly skilled at music, singing, drawing, dancing, and modern languages.”
“She must also have perfect manners.”
“The way she speaks, walks, and carries herself must all be elegant.”
“Without those qualities, she is only partly accomplished.”
Darcy added another requirement.
“She must also have a well-developed mind.”
“She should improve herself through serious and extensive reading.”
Elizabeth smiled.
“Then I’m no longer surprised that you know only six accomplished women.”
“I’m actually surprised that you know even that many.”
Darcy looked at her.
“Are you really so doubtful about women that you think such a person cannot exist?”
“I’ve never met one.”
“I’ve never seen anyone combine that much intelligence, talent, dedication, and elegance in one person.”
Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley immediately protested.
“That’s ridiculous!”
“Of course women like that exist.”
“We know many of them.”
Before they could continue, Mr. Hurst complained from the card table.
“Are you going to keep talking?”
“You’re completely ignoring the game.”
The conversation ended.
A little later, Elizabeth left the room.
As soon as the door closed behind her, Miss Bingley spoke again.
“Eliza Bennet is one of those women who try to impress men by making fun of other women.”
“I suppose some men like it.”
“But I think it’s a cheap trick.”
Darcy agreed.
“I think any attempt to attract someone through clever manipulation is beneath a respectable woman.”
“Anything that depends on cunning is unpleasant.”
Miss Bingley was not entirely satisfied with his answer, so she dropped the subject.
Elizabeth soon returned.
“My sister is worse.”
“I can’t leave her.”
Bingley immediately became concerned.
“Mr. Jones should be called at once.”
His sisters had a different idea.
“I don’t think a local doctor can do much.”
“We should send someone to London and bring back one of the best doctors.”
Elizabeth shook her head.
“No, that isn’t necessary.”
She was willing, however, to follow Bingley’s suggestion.
They agreed to send for Mr. Jones first thing in the morning if Jane was not clearly better by then.
Bingley was deeply worried.
His sisters also claimed to be extremely distressed.
But after dinner, they found a way to comfort themselves.
They sat together and played music.
Bingley could think of nothing that would make him feel better except making sure that the housekeeper gave Jane and Elizabeth every possible care and attention.