Chapter 27

Nothing more important happened to the Longbourn family after that. January and February passed with no real change, except for trips to Meryton along muddy or cold roads. In March, Elizabeth was to go to Hunsford. At first she had not thought about it very seriously. But she soon found out how much Charlotte was looking forward to the visit. Then Elizabeth too began to think of it with a happier and more certain feeling. Being apart had made her want to see Charlotte again. Her dislike of Mr. Collins had lessened a little. The plan also had a new kind of fun in it. A house with such a mother and sisters who had so little to say to her could not be perfect. Just having a change was enough to make leaving for a while not unwelcome. Besides, she might see Jane for a moment on the way. As the time drew near, she looked forward to it so much that she would have been very sorry if anything had put the plan off. But everything went smoothly. In the end, the plan was settled just as Charlotte had first thought of it. Elizabeth was to go with Sir William and his second daughter. The improved plan of spending a night in London was added in, and it fit nicely. There could be no more perfect plan than this.

The only painful thing was leaving her father. He would surely miss her. When the time came to leave, he hated to see her go. He told her to be sure to write, and he almost promised to answer her letters.

She and Mr. Wickham said goodbye very warmly. Mr. Wickham's manner was even warmer than hers. He was now paying attention to another woman, but Elizabeth had been the first to draw his attention. She had also been the first who truly deserved it. She was the first to listen to his story with sympathy, and the first to make him feel admired. As he said goodbye, he wished Elizabeth every kind of pleasure. He told her again what to expect from Lady Catherine de Bourgh. He seemed to believe that their opinion of that lady would always agree, and indeed that their opinion of everyone would always agree. His manner showed real concern and interest. Because of this, Elizabeth felt she would always keep a true affection for Mr. Wickham. Whether he married or stayed single, she would always think of him as the model of a pleasant, agreeable man, and with that thought they parted.

The people who set out with her the next day were not the kind to make Mr. Wickham seem any less pleasant. Sir William Lucas and his daughter Maria had nothing worth hearing to say. Maria was cheerful in nature, but her head was as empty as her father's. Listening to them talk was not much more enjoyable than listening to the carriage rattle along. Elizabeth liked things that were funny. But she had watched Sir William be funny for far too long. He had nothing new to tell about the wonder of being presented at court and receiving his knighthood. His polite words were just as worn out as that story.

The journey was only twenty-four miles. Because they started very early, they reached Gracechurch Street by noon. As the carriage drove up to Mr. Gardiner's house, Jane was watching for them at a sitting-room window. When the party came into the front hall, Jane was there to welcome them. Elizabeth looked closely at her sister's face. She was glad to see Jane still healthy and lovely. On the stairs stood a group of little boys and girls. They were too eager to see their cousin to wait in the sitting room. But they had not seen her in a year, and their shyness kept them from coming any further down. Everything was joyful and warm. The day passed very pleasantly. In the morning they went shopping busily, and in the evening they saw a play at one of the theatres.

There, Elizabeth managed to arrange a seat beside her aunt. Their first subject was her sister. After asking many questions, she learned that Jane always tried to keep up her spirits, but that there were times when she grew low. This was more sad than surprising to hear. Still, it was right to hope that such times would not last long. Mrs. Gardiner also told her in detail about the time Miss Bingley had called at Gracechurch Street. She repeated several conversations she had had with Jane since then. These showed that Jane had truly given up that connection.

Mrs. Gardiner then teased Elizabeth about Mr. Wickham's desertion of her. But she also praised her for bearing it so well.

Her aunt added, "But my dear Elizabeth, what sort of girl is Miss King? I would be sorry to think our friend only cares about money."

"My dear aunt, please tell me the difference between caring about money and being sensible, when it comes to marriage. Where does wisdom end and greed begin? Last Christmas you worried that it would be reckless for Mr. Wickham to marry me. Now that he is trying to win a young lady with only ten thousand pounds, you want to think he only cares about money."

"If you would just tell me what kind of girl Miss King is, I would know what to think."

"I believe she is a very good sort of girl. I know nothing bad about her."

"But he never showed her the least bit of attention until her grandfather died and left her that fortune."

"No. Why should he have shown her any? If it was not allowed for him to win my love because I had no money, what reason would there be to court a girl he did not even like, and who was just as poor?"

"But it does not seem very proper of him to turn his attention to her so soon after all that happened."

"A man in difficult circumstances has no time to keep up all the fine manners that other people can afford. If she does not mind it, why should we?"

"Her not minding it does not make his behavior right. It only shows that something is lacking in her too — some good sense, or some feeling."

"Very well," cried Elizabeth. "Think as you like. He shall be a man who only cares about money, and she shall be a foolish girl."

"No, Lizzy. That is not what I want to think. You know I would be sorry to think badly of a young man who has lived so long in Derbyshire."

"Oh, if that is all, I think very poorly of young men who live in Derbyshire. And their close friends who live in Hertfordshire are not much better. I am sick of them all. Thank goodness! Tomorrow I am going to a place where there is a man with nothing pleasant about him, and no manners or sense worth recommending. After all, foolish men are the only ones worth knowing."

"Take care, Lizzy. Those words sound very much like disappointment."

Before the play ended and the two of them parted, Elizabeth received an invitation that pleased her greatly and took her by surprise. Her aunt and uncle were planning a pleasant trip that summer, and they invited her to come along.

"We have not quite decided how far we will go," said Mrs. Gardiner. "But we may perhaps go as far as the Lakes."

No plan could have pleased Elizabeth more. She accepted the invitation with great joy and gratitude. "My dear, dear aunt," cried Elizabeth in delight, "what pleasure, what happiness! You have given me new life and new energy. Goodbye, disappointment and gloom. What use are men next to rocks and mountains? Oh, what wonderful hours we shall spend! And when we come back, we shall not be like other travelers, unable to explain anything properly. We shall know exactly where we went, and remember exactly what we saw. Lakes, mountains, and rivers shall not get mixed up in our heads. And when we try to describe some view, we shall not start arguing over where everything was. Let our first impressions of the trip be less unbearable than those of ordinary travelers."