Pride and Prejudice. Адаптированная книга для чтения на английском языке. Intermediate

«I am astonished at his intimacy with Mr. Bingley! How can Mr. Bingley, who is good humor itself, be in friendship with such a man? Do you know Mr. Bingley?» Elizabeth asked.

«Not at all».

«He is a friendly, charming man. He cannot know what Mr. Darcy is».

«Probably not, but Mr. Darcy can please where he chooses. He can be a real conversationalist if he thinks it worth his while. Among those who are his equals in social importance, he is a very different man from what he is to the less prosperous. His pride never leaves him; but with the rich he is liberal-minded, just, sincere, honourable, and perhaps pleasant».

The whist party soon afterwards broke up, and the players gathered round the other table. Mr. Collins sat down between his cousin Elizabeth and Mrs. Phillips. Mrs. Phillips asked him about his success at whist. He said he had lost, but asked her not to feel uneasy about it.

«I know very well, madam», said he, «that when persons sit down to a card-table, they must take their chances of these things, and happily my circumstances allow me to lose five shillings without much regret. There are undoubtedly many who could not say the same, but thanks to Lady Catherine de Bourgh, I am far beyond the necessity of paying attention to little matters».

Mr. Wickham got interested, and after watching Mr. Collins for a few moments, he asked Elizabeth in a low voice whether her relative was very intimately acquainted with the family of de Bourgh.

«Lady Catherine de Bourgh», she replied, «has recently given him a living. I don't know how she first noticed Mr. Collins, but he certainly has not known her long».

«You know of course that Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Lady Anne Darcy were sisters; consequently that she is aunt to the present Mr. Darcy».

«No, indeed, I did not. I knew nothing at all of Lady Catherine's connections. I never heard of her existence till the day before yesterday».

«Her daughter, Miss de Bourgh, will have a very large fortune, and it is expected that she and her cousin Mr. Darcy will unite the two estates».

This information made Elizabeth smile, as she thought of poor Miss Bingley. All her attentions, her affection for his sister and her praise of himself must be in vain and useless if he was already destined for another.

«Mr. Collins», said she, «speaks highly both of Lady Catherine and her daughter. But from some details in his stories about her ladyship, I suspect his gratitude misleads him, and that in spite of her being his patroness, she is an arrogant, conceited woman».

«I think she is both in a great degree», replied Wickham. «I have not seen her for many years, but I very well remember that I never liked her, and that her manners were dictatorial and offensive. She has the reputation of being remarkably sensible and clever, but I think she gets this reputation partly from her rank and fortune, partly from her authoritative manner, and the rest from the pride for her nephew, who chooses that everyone connected with him should have an intelligence of the first class».

Elizabeth thought that he had given a very reasonable description of it, and they continued talking together, with mutual satisfaction till supper put an end to cards, and gave the rest of the ladies their share of Mr. Wickham's attentions. There could be no conversation in the noise of Mrs. Phillips's supper party, but his manners recommended him to everybody. Whatever he said, was said well; and whatever he did, done gracefully. Elizabeth went away with her head full of him. She thought of Mr. Wickham and of what he had told her all the way home. But she wasn't able even to mention his name as they went, for neither Lydia nor Mr. Collins were silent for a moment. Lydia talked of lottery tickets, of what she had lost and what she had won; and Mr. Collins described the politeness of Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, repeated again and again that he did not in the least regret his losses at whist, enumerated all the dishes at supper, and had more to say than he could manage before the carriage stopped at Longbourn House.

Chapter 16

The next day, Elizabeth told Jane about her conversation with Mr. Wickham. Jane was astonished and worried; it was difficult for her to believe that Mr. Darcy could be so unworthy of Mr. Bingley's respect; and yet, it was not in her nature to question the honesty of a young man of such pleasant appearance as Wickham.

«They have both», said she, «been deceived, perhaps, in some way or other, of which we can form no idea. Interested people have perhaps misrepresented each to the other. It is, in short, impossible for us to guess the causes or circumstances which had set them against each other, without factual blame on either side».

«Very true, indeed; and now, my dear Jane, what have you got to say about those interested people? Defend them too, or we shall be obliged to think badly of somebody».

«Laugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my opinion. My dearest Lizzy, just think in what shameful light it places Mr. Darcy, to be treating his father's favourite in such a manner, one whom his father had promised to provide for. It is impossible. No respectable man, no man who cared for his good reputation, could be capable of it. Can his most intimate friends be so greatly deceived in him? Oh, no!»

«I can much more easily believe that this friendship has been imposed on Mr. Bingley, than that Mr. Wickham has invented such history of himself as he gave me last night; names, facts, everything. If it is not so, let Mr. Darcy contradict it. Besides, there was truth in his looks».

«It is difficult indeed, it is upsetting. One does not know what to think».

«I beg your pardon; one knows exactly what to think».

The sisters were called from the shrubbery, where this conversation passed, by the arrival of the very persons of whom they had been speaking; Mr. Bingley and his sisters came to give their personal invitation for the long-expected ball at Netherfield, which was fixed for the following Tuesday. Mr. Bingley's sisters were delighted to see their dear friend Jane again, called it an age since they had met, and repeatedly asked what she had been doing with herself since their separation. To the rest of the family they paid little attention, avoiding Mrs. Bennet as much as possible, saying not much to Elizabeth, and nothing at all to the others. They soon hurried to leave Longbourn as if eager to escape from Mrs. Bennet's polite exclamations.

The prospect of the Netherfield ball was extremely pleasant to every female of the family. Mrs. Bennet was flattered by receiving the invitation from Mr. Bingley himself, instead of a ceremonious card. Jane pictured to herself a happy evening in the society of her two friends, and the attentions of their brother; and Elizabeth thought with pleasure of dancing a great deal with Mr. Wickham, and of seeing a confirmation of everything in Mr. Darcy's behaviour. Though Catherine and Lydia, like Elizabeth, meant to dance half the evening with Mr. Wickham, he was by no means the only partner who could satisfy them. And even Mary could assure her family that she hadn't anything against a ball.

«While I can have my mornings to myself», said she, «I think it is no sacrifice to join occasionally in evening amusements».

Mr. Collins surprised Elizabeth when he said that he saw nothing improper in his joining in the evening's amusement.

«I am by no means of the opinion, I assure you», said he, «that a ball of this kind, given by a young man of good reputation, to respectable people, can have any evil tendency; I am so far from objecting to dancing myself, that I will hope to be honoured with the hands of all my fair cousins in the course of the evening, and I take this opportunity of asking yours, Miss Elizabeth, for the two first dances especially».

Though Elizabeth hoped to be engaged by Mr. Wickham for those very dances, she saw now that Mr. Wickham's happiness and her own were perforce delayed a little longer, and accepted Mr. Collins's proposal with as good a grace as she could. His gallantry pleased her even less because of the suspicion that she was selected from among her sisters as worthy of being mistress of Hunsford Parsonage. The suspicion soon became conviction, as she noticed his increasing politeness toward herself, and heard his frequent attempt at a compliment on her wit and vivacity. She understood by her mother's behavior that their marriage would please her extremely. Elizabeth, however, did not choose to take the hint. Mr. Collins might never make the offer, and till he did, it was useless to quarrel about him.

Chapter 17

Elizabeth was sure Mr. Wickham would be among the officers at Netherfield ball. She had dressed with more than usual care, and prepared in the highest spirits for the conquest of all that remained unconquered of his heart. But she looked in vain for him among the group of red coats assembled in the drawing room at Netherfield. In an instant arose the suspicion that Mr. Wickham hadn't been included in the Bingleys' invitation to the officers for Mr. Darcy's pleasure. Though this was not exactly the case, his friend Denny confirmed the absolute fact of his absence when Lydia asked him. He told them that Wickham had to go to town on business the day before, and hadn't yet returned, adding, with a meaningful smile, «I do not imagine his business would have called him away just now, if he had not wanted to avoid a certain gentleman here».

On hearing this, Elizabeth felt that Darcy was no less answerable for Wickham's absence than if her first guess had been just, and every feeling of displeasure against Mr. Darcy was so sharpened by her disappointment, that she could hardly reply with tolerable politeness to the well-mannered questions which he soon afterwards approached to make. Attention, patience with Darcy was offence to Wickham. She was determined against any sort of conversation with him, and turned away with a degree of bad temper which she could not wholly win even in speaking to Mr. Bingley, whose blind affection for Darcy irritated her.

But Elizabeth was not formed for bad temper, and though her own plans for the evening were destroyed, she could not be low-spirited long. Having told all her sorrows to Charlotte Lucas, whom she had not seen for a week, she was soon able to draw her friend's attention to her cousin Mr. Collins and make witty remarks as to the oddities of the young man. The first two dances, however, brought a return of disappointment; they were dances of shame and misery. Mr. Collins was awkward and apologized instead of making right movements. The moment of her release from him was ecstasy.

She danced next with an officer, and had the refreshment of talking of Wickham, and of hearing that he was universally liked. When those dances were over, she returned to Charlotte Lucas, and was in conversation with her, when she found herself suddenly addressed by Mr. Darcy who took her so much by surprise asking her for the next dance, that, without knowing what she did, she accepted him. He walked away again immediately, and she was left to worry over her own absence of mind; Charlotte tried to console her:

«You may find him a very pleasant partner».

«Heaven forbid! That would be the greatest misfortune of all! To find a man pleasant whom one is determined to hate! Do not wish me such evil».

When the dancing began, however, and Darcy came up to claim her hand, Charlotte advised her in a whisper, not to be a fool, and allow her fancy for Wickham to make her appear unpleasant in the eyes of a man ten times his social importance. Elizabeth made no answer, and took her place on the dance floor, amazed at the status to which she was raised by being allowed to stand opposite to Mr. Darcy, and reading in her neighbours' eyes their equal amazement. They danced for some time without speaking a word, and at first she was determined not to break silence; then suddenly she was struck by the idea that it would be a greater punishment to her partner to make him talk, and she made some remark on the dance. He replied, and was again silent. After a pause of some minutes, she addressed him a second time with: «It is your turn to say something now, Mr. Darcy. I talked about the dance, and you ought to make some sort of remark on the size of the room, or the number of couples».

He smiled, and assured her that whatever she wished him to say should be said.

«Very well. That reply will do for the present. Perhaps after a while, I may say that private balls are much pleasanter than public ones. But now we may be silent».

«Do you talk by rule, then, while you are dancing?»

«Sometimes. One must speak a little, you know. It would look odd to be silent for half an hour together; and yet for the advantage of some, conversation ought to be so organized, that they may have the trouble of saying as little as possible».

«Are you consulting your own feelings now, or do you imagine that you are satisfying mine?»

«Both», replied Elizabeth playfully. «I have always seen a great similarity in the turn of our minds. We are each of an unsocial, reserved nature, unwilling to speak, unless we expect to say something that will amaze the whole room, and be handed down to future generations with all the popularity of a proverb».

«This isn't very much like your own character, I am sure», said he. «How near it may be to mine, I cannot pretend to say. You think it a true portrait undoubtedly».

«I must not decide on my own behaviour».

He made no answer, and they were again silent for a while. Then he asked her whether she and her sisters often walked to Meryton. She answered in the affirmative, and, unable to resist the temptation, added, «When you met us there the other day, we had just been forming a new acquaintance».

The effect was immediate. His features became even more conceited, but he didn't say a word. At length Darcy spoke, and in a reserved manner said, «Mr. Wickham's happy manners help him to make friends easily; whether he may be equally capable of keeping them, is less certain».

«He has been so unlucky as to lose your friendship», replied Elizabeth, «and in such manner that he is going to suffer from it all his life».

Darcy didn't say anything; it seemed he wanted to change the subject. At that moment, Sir William Lucas, passing to the other side of the room, came near them. He stopped with a polite bow to compliment Darcy on his dancing and his partner.

«Such very excellent dancing is not often seen, and I hope to have this pleasure often repeated, especially when a certain desirable event, my dear Eliza (looking at her sister and Bingley), takes place. What congratulations will then follow! But let me not interrupt you, Mr. Darcy, you will not thank me for stopping the enchanting conversation of that young lady, whose bright eyes are also displeased with me».

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