Kitabı oku: «Гордость и предубеждение / Pride and Prejudice», sayfa 7

“Nor I, I am sure,” said Miss Bingley.

“Then,” observed Elizabeth, “in your opinion, who is an educated woman?”

“Oh! No one can be really educated who does not know necessary things. A woman must know music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possessa certain something in her air¹⁹ and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions.”

“All this she must possess,” added Darcy, “and the most important thing, she must read a lot.”

The conversation was over, and Elizabeth soon afterwards left the room.

“Elizabeth Bennet,” said Miss Bingley, when the door was closed, “is one of those young ladies who try recommend themselves to the men; and with many men it succeeds.”

Elizabeth joined them again only to say that her sister was worse, and that she could not leave her. Bingley was quite uncomfortable; his sisters declared that they were miserable.

Chapter 9

Elizabeth passed the night in her sister’s room. Suddenly Mrs. Bennet, accompanied by her two youngest girls, came to Netherfield soon after the family breakfast.

If she found Jane in a danger, Mrs. Bennet would have been very miserable. But she was satisfied that her illness was not dangerous. She would not listen, therefore, to her daughter’s proposal of coming home. After sitting a little while with Jane, the mother and three daughters came into the breakfast parlour. Bingley met them with hopes that Mrs. Bennet had not found Miss Bennet worse than she expected.

“Indeed I have, sir,” was her answer. “She is too ill to be moved. We must use your kindness a little longer. You have a sweet room here, Mr. Bingley. I do not know a place in the country that is equal to Netherfield. You will not think of quitting it in a hurry.”

“Whatever I do is done in a hurry,” replied he; “But at present, however,I consider myself as quite fixed here.²⁰”

“That is exactly what I should have supposed of you,” said Elizabeth.

“You begin to comprehend me, do you?” cried he.

“Oh! yes—I understand you perfectly.”

“Lizzy,” cried her mother, “remember where you are, and do not continue in the wild manner that you use at home.”

“I did not know before,” continued Bingley immediately, “that you were a studier of character. It must be an amusing study.”

“The country,” said Darcy, “can in general supply a few subjects for such a study.”

“Yes, indeed,” cried Mrs. Bennet, offended by his manner of mentioning a country neighbourhood. “I cannot see that London has any great advantage over the country, except the shops and public places. The country is far more pleasant, is it not, Mr. Bingley?”

“When I am in the country,” he replied, “I never wish to leave it; and when I am in town it is the same. They have each their advantages.”

“That is because you have the right disposition. But that gentleman,” looking at Darcy, “seemed to think the country was nothing at all.”

“Indeed, Mamma, you are mistaken,” said Elizabeth, blushing for her mother. “You quite mistook Mr. Darcy. He only meant that there was not such a variety of people to be met with in the country as in the town.”

“Certainly, my dear, but we dine with twenty-four families.”

Elizabeth asked her mother if Charlotte Lucas had been at Longbourn.

“Yes, she came yesterday with her father. What an agreeable man Sir William is, Mr. Bingley, is not he? He has always something to say to everybody.”