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1They were of course all intending to be surprised: but their astonishment was beyond their expectation; and on the part
2of Mrs. Bennet and Kitty, though she was perfectly unknown to them, even inferior to what Elizabeth felt. She entered
3the room with an air more than usually ungracious, made no other reply to Elizabeth's salutation than a slight
4inclination of the head, and sat down without saying a word. Elizabeth had mentioned her name to her mother on her
5Ladyship's entrance, though no request of introduction had been made. Mrs. Bennet, all amazement, though flattered by
6having a guest of such high importance, received her with the utmost politeness. After sitting for a moment in silence,
7she said, very stiffly, to Elizabeth,-- "I hope you are well, Miss Bennet. That lady, I suppose, is your mother?"
8Elizabeth replied very concisely that she was. "And that, I suppose, is one of your sisters?" "Yes, madam," said Mrs.
9Bennet, delighted to speak to a Lady Catherine. "She is my youngest girl but one. My youngest of all is lately married,
10and my eldest is somewhere about the ground, walking with a young man, who, I believe, will soon become a part of the
11family." "You have a very small park here," returned Lady Catherine, after a short silence. "It is nothing in comparison
12of Rosings, my Lady, I dare say; but, I assure you, it is much larger than Sir William Lucas's." "This must be a most
13inconvenient sitting-room for the evening in summer: the windows are full west." Mrs. Bennet assured her that they never
14sat there after dinner; and then added,-- "May I take the liberty of asking your Ladyship whether you left Mr. and Mrs.
15Collins well?" "Yes, very well. I saw them the night before last." Elizabeth now expected that she would produce a
16letter for her from Charlotte, as it seemed the only probable motive for her calling. But no letter appeared, and she
17was completely puzzled. Mrs. Bennet, with great civility, begged her Ladyship to take some refreshment: but Lady
18Catherine very resolutely, and not very politely, declined eating anything; and then, rising up, said to Elizabeth,--
19"Miss Bennet, there seemed to be a prettyish kind of a little wilderness on one side of your lawn. I should be glad to
20take a turn in it, if you will favour me with your company." "Go, my dear," cried her mother, "and show her Ladyship
21about the different walks. I think she will be pleased with the hermitage." Elizabeth obeyed; and, running into her own
22room for her parasol, attended her noble guest downstairs. As they passed through the hall, Lady Catherine opened the
23doors into the dining-parlour and drawing-room, and pronouncing them, after a short survey, to be decent-looking rooms,
24walked on. Her carriage remained at the door, and Elizabeth saw that her waiting-woman was in it. They proceeded in
25silence along the gravel walk that led to the copse; Elizabeth was determined to make no effort for conversation with a
26woman who was now more than usually insolent and disagreeable. [Illustration: "After a short survey" [Copyright 1894 by
27George Allen.]] "How could I ever think her like her nephew?" said she, as she looked in her face. As soon as they
28entered the copse, Lady Catherine began in the following manner:-- "You can be at no loss, Miss Bennet, to understand
29the reason of my journey hither. Your own heart, your own conscience, must tell you why I come." Elizabeth looked with
30unaffected astonishment. "Indeed, you are mistaken, madam; I have not been at all able to account for the honour of
31seeing you here." "Miss Bennet," replied her Ladyship, in an angry tone, "you ought to know that I am not to be trifled
32with. But however insincere you may choose to be, you shall not find me so. My character has ever been celebrated for
33its sincerity and frankness; and in a cause of such moment as this, I shall certainly not depart from it. A report of a
34most alarming nature reached me two days ago. I was told, that not only your sister was on the point of being most
35advantageously married, but that you--that Miss Elizabeth Bennet would, in all likelihood, be soon afterwards united to
36my nephew--my own nephew, Mr. Darcy. Though I know it must be a scandalous falsehood, though I would not injure him so
37much as to suppose the truth of it possible, I instantly resolved on setting off for this place, that I might make my
38sentiments known to you." "If you believed it impossible to be true," said Elizabeth, colouring with astonishment and
39disdain, "I wonder you took the trouble of coming so far. What could your Ladyship propose by it?" "At once to insist
40upon having such a report universally contradicted." "Your coming to Longbourn, to see me and my family," said Elizabeth
41coolly, "will be rather a confirmation of it--if, indeed, such a report is in existence." "If! do you then pretend to be
42ignorant of it? Has it not been industriously circulated by yourselves? Do you not know that such a report is spread
43abroad?" "I never heard that it was." "And can you likewise declare, that there is no foundation for it?" "I do not
44pretend to possess equal frankness with your Ladyship. You may ask questions which I shall not choose to answer." "This
45is not to be borne. Miss Bennet, I insist on being satisfied. Has he, has my nephew, made you an offer of marriage?"
46"Your Ladyship has declared it to be impossible." "It ought to be so; it must be so, while he retains the use of his
47reason. But your arts and allurements may, in a moment of infatuation, have made him forget what he owes to himself and
48to all his family. You may have drawn him in." "If I have, I shall be the last person to confess it." "Miss Bennet, do
49you know who I am? I have not been accustomed to such language as this. I am almost the nearest relation he has in the
50world, and am entitled to know all his dearest concerns." "But you are not entitled to know mine; nor will such
51behaviour as this ever induce me to be explicit." "Let me be rightly understood. This match, to which you have the
52presumption to aspire, can never take place. No, never. Mr. Darcy is engaged to my daughter. Now, what have you to say?"
53"Only this,--that if he is so, you can have no reason to suppose he will make an offer to me." Lady Catherine hesitated
54for a moment, and then replied,-- "The engagement between them is of a peculiar kind. From their infancy, they have been
55intended for each other. It was the favourite wish of his mother, as well as of hers. While in their cradles we planned
56the union; and now, at the moment when the wishes of both sisters would be accomplished, is their marriage to be
57prevented by a young woman of inferior birth, of no importance in the world, and wholly unallied to the family? Do you
58pay no regard to the wishes of his friends--to his tacit engagement with Miss de Bourgh? Are you lost to every feeling
59of propriety and delicacy? Have you not heard me say, that from his earliest hours he was destined for his cousin?"
60"Yes; and I had heard it before. But what is that to me? If there is no other objection to my marrying your nephew, I
61shall certainly not be kept from it by knowing that his mother and aunt wished him to marry Miss de Bourgh. You both did
62as much as you could in planning the marriage. Its completion depended on others. If Mr. Darcy is neither by honour nor
63inclination confined to his cousin, why is not he to make another choice? And if I am that choice, why may not I accept
64him?" "Because honour, decorum, prudence--nay, interest--forbid it. Yes, Miss Bennet, interest; for do not expect to be
65noticed by his family or friends, if you wilfully act against the inclinations of all. You will be censured, slighted,
66and despised, by everyone connected with him. Your alliance will be a disgrace; your name will never even be mentioned
67by any of us." "These are heavy misfortunes," replied Elizabeth. "But the wife of Mr. Darcy must have such extraordinary
68sources of happiness necessarily attached to her situation, that she could, upon the whole, have no cause to repine."
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