Chapter 26

As soon as Mrs. Gardiner had her first chance to speak with Elizabeth alone, she gave her the gentle advice she had promised. She spoke her mind honestly, then added this.

"Lizzy, you are not foolish enough to fall in love just because someone tells you not to. So I am not afraid to speak honestly with you. I am serious, and I want you to be careful. Do not let yourself fall into a love that would be reckless without money, and do not lead him into it either. I don't mean to speak badly of him. He is a very charming young man. If he had the fortune he deserves, I would think no one better for you. But as things stand now, you must not let your imagination run away with you. You have good sense, and we all trust you to use it. Your father surely trusts your judgment and good conduct too. You must not disappoint him."

"My dear aunt, that is very serious indeed."

"Yes. I want you to think about it seriously too."

"Then you don't need to worry. I will take care of myself, and I will take care of Mr. Wickham too. If I can help it, I won't let him fall in love with me."

"Elizabeth, you are not being serious now."

"I'm sorry. Let me try again. Right now I do not love Mr. Wickham. No, I am sure I don't. But he is, without question, the most pleasant man I have ever seen. And if he truly came to love me... it would be better if he didn't. I know that would be careless of me. Oh, that terrible Mr. Darcy! It means everything to me that Father sees me the way he does. I would be miserable if I lost his trust. But Father likes Mr. Wickham too. So, dear aunt, it would trouble me deeply if I made any of you unhappy. But we see every day that young people in love rarely give up an engagement just because they lack money right now. If I were tempted myself, how could I promise to act more wisely than so many others? How could I be sure that resisting would even be the wiser choice? So all I can promise is that I won't be in a hurry. I won't rush to believe that I matter most to him. And I won't let myself hope for things when I am with him. I will simply try my best."

"It might be best if he did not come here quite so often. At the very least, you should not remind your mother to invite him."

"As I did a few days ago," said Elizabeth, laughing as though she had been caught. "You are right. It would be wise to stop doing that. But please don't think he comes this often all the time. He has been invited so often this week because of you and my uncle. You know Mother's idea that friends must always be invited to keep them entertained. But I promise, on my honor, to try to act as wisely as I can. I hope that satisfies you now."

Her aunt assured her that she was satisfied. Elizabeth thanked her for the kind advice, and the two of them parted. It was a rare case of advice being given on such a matter without anyone feeling offended.

Not long after Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner and Jane left Hertfordshire, Mr. Collins returned. But he stayed with the Lucas family, so he did not trouble Mrs. Bennet much. The wedding day was fast approaching. Mrs. Bennet finally gave up, deciding she could not avoid it. She even said, in a sour tone, that she hoped they would "be happy," more than once. The wedding was on Thursday, and Miss Lucas came to say goodbye on Wednesday. When she stood up to leave, Elizabeth followed Charlotte out of the room. She was ashamed of her mother's grudging, cold blessing, and she herself felt truly moved. As they walked down the stairs together, Charlotte said,

"Eliza, I trust you will write to me often."

"I certainly will."

"I have one more favor to ask. Will you come to see me?"

"I hope we will meet often here in Hertfordshire."

"I don't think I will be leaving Kent for a while. So please promise me you will come to Hunsford."

Elizabeth could not refuse, even though she did not expect the visit to be very enjoyable.

Charlotte added, "My father and Maria are coming to see me in March. I would love it if you came with them. Truly, Eliza, you will be as welcome as they are."

The wedding took place. The bride and groom left for Kent straight from the church door. As always, everyone had much to say and much to hear about it. Elizabeth soon received a letter from her friend. The two of them wrote to each other often and regularly, just as before. But they could no longer share everything as freely as before. Every time Elizabeth wrote to Charlotte, she could not shake the feeling that all the comfort of close friendship had ended. She was determined not to neglect the letters, but this was more for the sake of their old friendship than their present one. She received Charlotte's first letter with great curiosity. She could not help wondering how Charlotte would describe her new home, how much she would like Lady Catherine, and how much happiness she would dare to claim. But when she read the letter, Charlotte wrote about everything exactly as Elizabeth had expected. Her tone was cheerful, and she seemed to be living surrounded by comfort. She did not mention a single thing she could not praise. She liked the house, the furniture, the neighborhood, and the roads, all of it. She said Lady Catherine was very kind and friendly too. It was a reasonable, toned-down version of the picture Mr. Collins had painted of Hunsford and Rosings, with the most absurd parts softened. Elizabeth realized she would have to wait until she visited herself to learn the rest.

Jane had already sent her sister a few lines to say she had arrived safely in London. Elizabeth hoped that the next letter would have news of the Bingleys.

The impatience with which she waited for the second letter was met with the same answer that impatience usually gets. A week had passed since Jane arrived in London, and she had neither seen Caroline nor heard from her. Jane explained this by supposing that her last letter to her friend from Longbourn must have gone missing by chance.

Jane went on, "My aunt is going to that part of London tomorrow, so I plan to take the chance to call at Grosvenor Street."

Another letter came after Jane had visited and seen Miss Bingley. "Caroline did not seem in good spirits. Still, she was very glad to see me, and she scolded me for not telling her I was coming to London. So I was right — she never got my last letter. Of course I asked about her brother. He is well, but he is so busy with Mr. Darcy that they hardly see him themselves. I learned that Miss Darcy is coming to dinner. I wish I could see her too. Caroline and Mrs. Hurst were about to go out, so I did not stay long. I expect the two of them will come to see me here soon."

Elizabeth shook her head at this letter. She felt only more certain that it was purely by chance if Mr. Bingley ever learned her sister was in London.

Four weeks passed, but Jane did not see him. She tried to convince herself that she did not mind. But she could no longer ignore Miss Bingley's indifference. For two weeks, she waited at home every morning, and every evening she made up a new excuse for her friend, until at last the guest appeared. But she stayed only a short while, and her manner had changed even more than that. Jane could no longer deceive herself. The letter she wrote to her sister after this will show what was in Jane's heart.

"My dear Lizzy, even if I admit that I was completely wrong to think Miss Bingley was fond of me, I am sure you are not the kind of person to feel proud of being right at my expense. But my dear sister, even though it turned out you were right in the end, please don't think me stubborn for saying that, given how she acted, my believing her was just as natural as your doubting her. I still cannot understand at all why she wanted to grow close to me. But if the same thing happened again, I am sure I would be deceived once more. Caroline did not return my visit until yesterday. In all that time, I did not receive so much as a single line, let alone a note. And when she finally did come, it was very clear that she took no pleasure in it at all. She apologized briefly and formally for not coming sooner, and did not say a single word about wanting to see me again. She had become so different in every way that, by the time she left, I had firmly decided not to continue this friendship any further. I cannot help blaming her, but I also feel sorry for her. It was very wrong of her to single me out and grow close to me the way she did. I can say with confidence that it was always she who made the first move toward friendship. But I feel sorry for her, because she must surely feel that she is in the wrong, and because I am sure her worry for her brother is the cause of it. I need not explain any further. We know there is no need for such worry at all, but if she does worry, it easily explains how she has treated me. And since her brother means so much to his sister, whatever worry she feels on his behalf must come from a natural and loving heart. But it does seem strange that she would still hold such a fear even now. Because if he had cared for me at all, we should have met again a very, very long time ago. From what Caroline said herself, it is certain that he knows I am in London. And yet, from the way Caroline spoke, it seemed she was trying to convince herself that her brother truly has feelings for Miss Darcy. I cannot understand it. If I were not afraid of judging too harshly, I would almost say that this whole affair looks thick with false intentions. I am trying to push away all painful thoughts and think only of what makes me happy. Your affection, and the constant kindness of my dear aunt and uncle. Write back very soon. Miss Bingley said something about her brother never returning to Netherfield and giving up the house, but she did not say it for certain. It would be better not to speak of it. I am so glad to hear that our friends at Hunsford are enjoying themselves. Please do go and visit them with Sir William and Maria. I am sure you will be very comfortable there.

"With love."

This letter gave Elizabeth some pain. But she took heart, at least, in the thought that Jane would no longer be deceived by the sister. All hope in the brother was now completely gone. She did not even wish for his interest to return. The more she thought about Bingley's character, the lower her opinion of him fell. As a punishment for him, and perhaps also a benefit for Jane, she seriously hoped that he would soon marry Mr. Darcy's sister. If Wickham's account was true, that lady would make Bingley regret quite enough what he had lost.

Around this time, Mrs. Gardiner reminded Elizabeth of her promise about that gentleman and asked for news. What Elizabeth had to tell was news that would satisfy her aunt more than herself. Wickham's fondness for her had cooled, and his attentions had ended. He was now paying court to someone else. Elizabeth was sharp enough to notice all of it. Even so, she could watch it happen and write about it without much pain. Her heart was only slightly touched. Her vanity was satisfied by the belief that, if her situation had allowed it, she would have been his only choice. The most striking charm of the young lady Wickham was now trying to please was the sudden fortune of ten thousand pounds she had just inherited. But Elizabeth was perhaps less sharp-eyed about this matter than she had been about Charlotte's case. He wanted to become financially independent, but Elizabeth did not blame him for it. Nothing, in fact, could be more natural. Since she could imagine that giving her up had cost him some struggle, she was willing to admit that it was a wise and desirable thing for them both. She could even wish him happiness with a sincere heart.

She told all of this to Mrs. Gardiner. After explaining the situation, Elizabeth went on, "My dear aunt, I am now sure that I was never very deeply in love. If I had truly felt that pure, noble passion, I would by now hate the very sound of his name and wish him every misfortune. But I feel not only kindness toward him — I also feel fairness toward Miss King. I cannot find any proof that I dislike that young lady even a little, or that I am unwilling to think her a good girl in any way. All of this shows it could not have been love. My caution has paid off. If I had loved him madly, I would have been a far more interesting subject to everyone who knows me, but I cannot say I regret my rather unremarkable position now. Being noticed sometimes costs too much. Kitty and Lydia take his change of heart far more to heart than I do. Those two still do not know how the world works. They have not yet accepted the humbling truth that a handsome young man needs something to live on, just as much as a plain one does."