Chapter 18E

‘His guilt and his descent appear by your account to be thesame,’ said Elizabeth angrily; ‘for I have heard you accuse him ofnothing worse than of being the son of Mr. Darcy’s steward, and ofthat, I can assure you, he informed me himself.’ ‘I beg your pardon,’ replied Miss Bingley, turning away with asneer. ‘Excuse my interference.—It was kindly meant.’‘Insolent girl!’ said Elizabeth to herself.—‘You are muchmistaken if you expect to influence me by such a paltry attack asthis. I see nothing in it but your own wilful ignorance and themalice of Mr. Darcy.’ She then sought her eldest sister, who hadundertaken to make inquiries on the same subject of Bingley. Janemet her with a smile of such sweet complacency, a glow of suchhappy expression, as sufficiently marked how well she wassatisfied with the occurrences of the evening.Elizabeth instantly read her feelings, and at that momentsolicitude for Wickham, resentment against his enemies, and everything else gave way before the hope of Jane’s being in the fairestway for happiness.‘I want to know,’ said she, with a countenance no less smilingthan her sister’s, ‘what you have learnt about Mr. Wickham. Butperhaps you have been too pleasantly engaged to think of any thirdperson; in which case you may be sure of my pardon.’‘No,’ replied Jane, ‘I have not forgotten him; but I have nothingsatisfactory to tell you. Mr. Bingley does not know the whole of hishistory, and is quite ignorant of the circumstances which haveprincipally offended Mr. Darcy; but he will vouch for the goodconduct, the probity and honour of his friend, and is perfectlyconvinced that Mr. Wickham has deserved much less attentionfrom Mr. Darcy than he has received; and I am sorry to say that byhis account as well as his sister’s, Mr. Wickham is by no means arespectable young man. I am afraid he has been very imprudent,and has deserved to lose Mr. Darcy’s regard.’‘Mr. Bingley does not know Mr. Wickham himself?’ ‘No; he never saw him till the other morning at Meryton.’‘This account then is what he has received from Mr. Darcy. I amperfectly satisfied. But what does he say of the living?’‘He does not exactly recollect the circumstances, though he hasheard them from Mr. Darcy more than once, but he believes that itwas left to him conditionally only.’‘I have not a doubt of Mr. Bingley’s sincerity,’ said Elizabethwarmly; ‘but you must excuse my not being convinced byassurances only. Mr. Bingley’s defence of his friend was a very ableone I dare say, but since he is unacquainted with several parts ofthe story, and has learnt the rest from that friend himself, I shallventure still to think of both gentlemen as I did before.’