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1In the afternoon, the two elder Miss Bennets were able to be for half an hour by themselves; and Elizabeth instantly
2availed herself of the opportunity of making any inquiries which Jane was equally eager to satisfy. After joining in
3general lamentations over the dreadful sequel of this event, which Elizabeth considered as all but certain, and Miss
4Bennet could not assert to be wholly impossible, the former continued the subject by saying, "But tell me all and
5everything about it which I have not already heard. Give me further particulars. What did Colonel Forster say? Had they
6no apprehension of anything before the elopement took place? They must have seen them together for ever." "Colonel
7Forster did own that he had often suspected some partiality, especially on Lydia's side, but nothing to give him any
8alarm. I am so grieved for him. His behaviour was attentive and kind to the utmost. He was coming to us, in order to
9assure us of his concern, before he had any idea of their not being gone to Scotland: when that apprehension first got
10abroad, it hastened his journey." "And was Denny convinced that Wickham would not marry? Did he know of their intending
11to go off? Had Colonel Forster seen Denny himself?" "Yes; but when questioned by him, Denny denied knowing anything of
12their plan, and would not give his real opinion about it. He did not repeat his persuasion of their not marrying, and
13from that I am inclined to hope he might have been misunderstood before." "And till Colonel Forster came himself, not
14one of you entertained a doubt, I suppose, of their being really married?" "How was it possible that such an idea should
15enter our brains? I felt a little uneasy--a little fearful of my sister's happiness with him in marriage, because I knew
16that his conduct had not been always quite right. My father and mother knew nothing of that; they only felt how
17imprudent a match it must be. Kitty then owned, with a very natural triumph on knowing more than the rest of us, that in
18Lydia's last letter she had prepared her for such a step. She had known, it seems, of their being in love with each
19other many weeks." "But not before they went to Brighton?" "No, I believe not." "And did Colonel Forster appear to think
20ill of Wickham himself? Does he know his real character?" "I must confess that he did not speak so well of Wickham as he
21formerly did. He believed him to be imprudent and extravagant; and since this sad affair has taken place, it is said
22that he left Meryton greatly in debt: but I hope this may be false." "Oh, Jane, had we been less secret, had we told
23what we knew of him, this could not have happened!" "Perhaps it would have been better," replied her sister. "But to
24expose the former faults of any person, without knowing what their present feelings were, seemed unjustifiable." "We
25acted with the best intentions." "Could Colonel Forster repeat the particulars of Lydia's note to his wife?" "He brought
26it with him for us to see." Jane then took it from her pocket-book, and gave it to Elizabeth. These were the contents:--
27/ NIND "My dear Harriet, */ "You will laugh when you know where I am gone, and I cannot help laughing myself at your
28surprise to-morrow morning, as soon as I am missed. I am going to Gretna Green, and if you cannot guess with who, I
29shall think you a simpleton, for there is but one man in the world I love, and he is an angel. I should never be happy
30without him, so think it no harm to be off. You need not send them word at Longbourn of my going, if you do not like it,
31for it will make the surprise the greater when I write to them, and sign my name Lydia Wickham. What a good joke it will
32be! I can hardly write for laughing. Pray make my excuses to Pratt for not keeping my engagement, and dancing with him
33to-night. Tell him I hope he will excuse me when he knows all, and tell him I will dance with him at the next ball we
34meet with great pleasure. I shall send for my clothes when I get to Longbourn; but I wish you would tell Sally to mend a
35great slit in my worked muslin gown before they are packed up. Good-bye. Give my love to Colonel Forster. I hope you
36will drink to our good journey. "Your affectionate friend, "LYDIA BENNET." "Oh, thoughtless, thoughtless Lydia!" cried
37Elizabeth when she had finished it. "What a letter is this, to be written at such a moment! But at least it shows that
38she was serious in the object of her journey. Whatever he might afterwards persuade her to, it was not on her side a
39scheme of infamy. My poor father! how he must have felt it!" "I never saw anyone so shocked. He could not speak a word
40for full ten minutes. My mother was taken ill immediately, and the whole house in such confusion!" "Oh, Jane," cried
41Elizabeth, "was there a servant belonging to it who did not know the whole story before the end of the day?" "I do not
42know: I hope there was. But to be guarded at such a time is very difficult. My mother was in hysterics; and though I
43endeavoured to give her every assistance in my power, I am afraid I did not do so much as I might have done. But the
44horror of what might possibly happen almost took from me my faculties." "Your attendance upon her has been too much for
45you. You do not look well. Oh that I had been with you! you have had every care and anxiety upon yourself alone." "Mary
46and Kitty have been very kind, and would have shared in every fatigue, I am sure, but I did not think it right for
47either of them. Kitty is slight and delicate, and Mary studies so much that her hours of repose should not be broken in
48on. My aunt Philips came to Longbourn on Tuesday, after my father went away; and was so good as to stay till Thursday
49with me. She was of great use and comfort to us all, and Lady Lucas has been very kind: she walked here on Wednesday
50morning to condole with us, and offered her services, or any of her daughters, if they could be of use to us." "She had
51better have stayed at home," cried Elizabeth: "perhaps she meant well, but, under such a misfortune as this, one cannot
52see too little of one's neighbours. Assistance is impossible; condolence, insufferable. Let them triumph over us at a
53distance, and be satisfied." She then proceeded to inquire into the measures which her father had intended to pursue,
54while in town, for the recovery of his daughter. "He meant, I believe," replied Jane, "to go to Epsom, the place where
55they last changed horses, see the postilions, and try if anything could be made out from them. His principal object must
56be to discover the number of the hackney coach which took them from Clapham. It had come with a fare from London; and as
57he thought the circumstance of a gentleman and lady's removing from one carriage into another might be remarked, he
58meant to make inquiries at Clapham. If he could anyhow discover at what house the coachman had before set down his fare,
59he determined to make inquiries there, and hoped it might not be impossible to find out the stand and number of the
60coach. I do not know of any other designs that he had formed; but he was in such a hurry to be gone, and his spirits so
61greatly discomposed, that I had difficulty in finding out even so much as this." [Illustration: The Post ] CHAPTER
62XLVIII. [Illustration] The whole party were in hopes of a letter from Mr. Bennet the next morning, but the post came in
63without bringing a single line from him. His family knew him to be, on all common occasions, a most negligent and
64dilatory correspondent; but at such a time they had hoped for exertion. They were forced to conclude, that he had no
65pleasing intelligence to send; but even of that they would have been glad to be certain. Mr. Gardiner had waited only
66for the letters before he set off. When he was gone, they were certain at least of receiving constant information of
67what was going on; and their uncle promised, at parting, to prevail on Mr. Bennet to return to Longbourn as soon as he
68could, to the great consolation of his sister, who considered it as the only security for her husband's not being killed
69in a duel.
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