第141章[第1頁/共5頁]

“Dearest Jane! who could have done less for her? But make a virtue of it by all means. My good qualities are under your protection,and you are to exaggerate them as much as possible;and,in return,it belongs to me to find occasions for teasing and quarrelling with you as often as may be;and I shall begin directly by asking you what made you so unwilling to come to the point at last?What made you so shy of me,when you first called,and afterwards dined here?Why,especially,when you called,did you look as if you did not care about me?”

From an unwillingness to confess how much her intimacy with Mr.Darcy had been over-rated,Elizabeth had never yet answered Mrs.Gardiner's long letter;but now,having that to communicate which she knew would be most welcome,she was almost ashamed to find that her uncle and aunt had already lost three days of happiness,and immediately wrote as follows:

“And if I had not a letter to write myself,I might sit by you and admire the evenness of your writing,as another young lady once did.But I have an aunt,too,who must not be longer neglected.”

“You may as well call it impertinence at once.It was very little less.The fact is, that you were sick of civility, of deference, of officious attention.You were disgusted with the women who were always speaking,and looking,and thinking for your approbation alone. I roused, and interested you, because I was so unlike them. Had you not been really amiable, you would have hated me for it;but in spite of the pains you took to disguise yourself, your feelings were always noble and just;and in your heart,you thoroughly despised the persons who so assiduously courted you.There―I have saved you the trouble of accounting for it;and really, all things considered, I begin to think it perfectly reasonable.To be sure, you knew no actual good of me―but nobody thinks of that when they fall in love.”