Jane told Elizabeth the next morning everything that had happened between her and Mr. Wickham.
Jane listened with a mixture of surprise and concern. She found it hard to believe that Mr. Darcy could treat someone as badly as Wickham had described. But Wickham seemed so pleasant and sincere that Jane could not bring herself to doubt his story.
If he had truly been treated so unfairly, Jane felt sorry for him. She therefore tried to believe that both men might have been telling the truth from their own point of view.
“They must both have been misled somehow,” Jane said. “There must be something about the whole situation that we don’t know. Perhaps other people have told each of them things that made them misunderstand the other. Without knowing all the facts, we can’t really decide who is to blame.”
“I agree,” Elizabeth said. “But what about the people who may have caused all this trouble? Surely you don’t think they are completely innocent too.”
“You can laugh at me if you want, but I still believe what I believe. Lizzy, just think about what it would mean if Mr. Darcy really treated his father’s favorite so badly. His father cared deeply about Mr. Wickham and had even promised to make sure he was provided for.
“I simply can’t believe that Mr. Darcy would do such a thing. A decent and honorable man could not behave that way. And surely his closest friends cannot all be completely mistaken about his character. No, I can’t believe it.”
“I find it much easier to believe that Mr. Bingley has been misled than to believe that Mr. Wickham invented the whole story,” Elizabeth replied. “He gave me names, details, and facts as if he had nothing to hide. If his story is false, then Mr. Darcy can simply deny it.
“And besides, I could see the truth in Wickham’s face.”
“It really is difficult,” Jane said. “I don’t know what to think.”
“I do,” Elizabeth said. “I know exactly what to think.”
There was only one thing Jane felt certain about. If Mr. Bingley had been deceived about Mr. Darcy, he would suffer terribly once the truth became known.
The two sisters were still talking in the garden when the very people they had been discussing arrived.
Mr. Bingley and his sisters had come to personally invite the Bennet family to the long-awaited ball at Netherfield. The ball was to be held the following Tuesday.
Jane was delighted to see them again.
“It feels like we’ve been apart for ages,” Miss Bingley said warmly. “What have you been doing all this time?”
The sisters paid very little attention to the rest of the Bennet family. They tried to avoid Mrs. Bennet whenever possible, said very little to Elizabeth, and barely spoke to the other sisters.
Before long, they hurried away.
Their sudden departure surprised Mr. Bingley. They seemed almost eager to escape from Mrs. Bennet’s endless friendliness.
Everyone in the Bennet family was excited about the Netherfield ball.
Mrs. Bennet immediately decided that the ball was really being held as a special compliment to Jane. She was especially pleased that Mr. Bingley himself had brought the invitation instead of simply sending a formal card.
Jane was already imagining a wonderful evening with her two friends and, most importantly, plenty of attention from Mr. Bingley.
Elizabeth was looking forward to dancing with Mr. Wickham as much as possible. She also wanted to watch Mr. Darcy carefully and see whether his behavior would support Wickham’s story.
Kitty and Lydia were just as excited.
They both planned to dance with Mr. Wickham for much of the evening, but they were not as particular as Elizabeth. There were plenty of other young men they could dance with.
After all, a ball was a ball.
Even Mary admitted that she was quite willing to attend.
“As long as I can keep my mornings free,” Mary said, “I have no objection to spending an occasional evening in company. We all have some responsibility to take part in society. And I believe everyone needs a little time for recreation and amusement.”
Elizabeth was in such a good mood that she even found herself speaking to Mr. Collins, whom she usually avoided unless necessary.
“Are you going to accept Mr. Bingley’s invitation?” she asked.
“And if you do go, will you actually dance?”
Elizabeth was surprised by his answer. Mr. Collins had absolutely no hesitation about dancing.
He did not seem at all worried that the Archbishop or Lady Catherine de Bourgh might disapprove.
“Certainly,” Mr. Collins said. “I see no reason why a respectable ball, given by a gentleman of good character for respectable people, should cause any trouble.
“In fact, I have no objection to dancing at all. I hope I shall have the honor of dancing with all my lovely cousins during the evening.
“And, Miss Elizabeth, I would especially like to ask you to dance the first two dances with me.
“I hope Jane will understand why I am giving you this preference and will not think that I mean any disrespect to her.”
Elizabeth was completely caught off guard.
She had already planned to dance those first two dances with Mr. Wickham.
And now Mr. Collins wanted them.
She immediately regretted ever encouraging him by being so cheerful and friendly.
There was nothing she could do about it, however.
Her chance to dance with Wickham would simply have to wait. She accepted Mr. Collins’s request as politely as she could.
But his flattering words did not make her happy.
She was beginning to suspect that he had another reason for paying her so much attention.
It suddenly occurred to Elizabeth that Mr. Collins might have chosen her as the future mistress of Hunsford Parsonage. Perhaps he imagined her joining him at Rosings and helping entertain guests whenever more suitable young women were not available.
At first, the idea seemed ridiculous.
But Mr. Collins’s increasing attention soon made Elizabeth take it seriously.
He kept trying to compliment her intelligence, her sense of humor, and her lively personality.
Elizabeth was more surprised than pleased by the effect she seemed to have on him.
Before long, Mrs. Bennet made her own feelings perfectly clear.
She was extremely pleased by the possibility that Elizabeth might marry Mr. Collins.
Elizabeth pretended not to understand what her mother was suggesting.
She knew that if she openly objected, an argument with her mother would be unavoidable.
Besides, Mr. Collins had not actually proposed.
Until he did, there was no reason to start a fight over him.
The younger Bennet sisters would have been miserable during these days if they had not had the Netherfield ball to look forward to.
From the day they received the invitation until the day of the ball, it rained constantly.
They could not walk to Meryton even once.
That meant no visits to their aunt, no chance to see the officers, and no new gossip.
Even the little decorations they needed for their shoes at Netherfield had to be bought through someone else.
Elizabeth was beginning to feel the same frustration.
The terrible weather had completely stopped her from seeing Mr. Wickham and getting to know him better.
For Kitty and Lydia, however, the endless rain was almost unbearable.
Only the thought of dancing at Netherfield on Tuesday could make them tolerate the miserable Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday that came before it.