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PrideandPrejudice
byJaneAusten
Chapter1
Itisatruthuniversallyacknowledged,thatasinglemaninposses-
sionofagoodfortune,mustbeinwantofawife.
Howeverlittleknownthefeelingsorviewsofsuchamanmaybe
onhisfirstenteringaneighbourhood,thistruthissowellfixedinthe
mindsofthesurroundingfamilies,thatheisconsideredtherightful
propertyofsomeoneorotheroftheirdaughters.
“MydearMr.Bennet,”saidhisladytohimoneday,“haveyou
heardthatNetherfieldParkisletatlast?”
Mr.Bennetrepliedthathehadnot.
“Butitis,”returnedshe;“forMrs.Longhasjustbeenhere,andshe
toldmeallaboutit.”
Mr.Bennetmadenoanswer.
“Doyounotwanttoknowwhohastakenit?”criedhiswifeimpa-
tiently.
“Youwanttotellme,andIhavenoobjectiontohearingit.”
Thiswasinvitationenough.
“Why,mydear,youmustknow,Mrs.LongsaysthatNetherfieldis
takenbyayoungmanoflargefortunefromthenorthofEngland;that
hecamedownonMondayinachaiseandfourtoseetheplace,and
wassomuchdelightedwithit,thatheagreedwithMr.Morrisimme-
diately;thatheistotakepossessionbeforeMichaelmas,andsomeof
hisservantsaretobeinthehousebytheendofnextweek.”
“Whatishisname?”
“Bingley.”
“Ishemarriedorsingle?”
“Oh!Single,mydear,tobesure!Asinglemanoflargefortune;
fourorfivethousandayear.Whatafinethingforourgirls!”
“Howso?Howcanitaffectthem?”
“MydearMr.Bennet,”repliedhiswife,“howcanyoubesotire-
some!YoumustknowthatIamthinkingofhismarryingoneofthem.”
1
“Isthathisdesigninsettlinghere?”
“Design!Nonsense,howcanyoutalkso!Butitisverylikelythat
hemayfallinlovewithoneofthem,andthereforeyoumustvisithim
assoonashecomes.”
“Iseenooccasionforthat.Youandthegirlsmaygo,oryoumay
sendthembythemselves,whichperhapswillbestillbetter,forasyou
areashandsomeasanyofthem,Mr.Bingleymaylikeyouthebestof
theparty.”
“Mydear,youflatterme.Icertainlyhavehadmyshareofbeauty,
butIdonotpretendtobeanythingextraordinarynow.Whenawoman
hasfivegrown-updaughters,sheoughttogiveoverthinkingofher
ownbeauty.”
“Insuchcases,awomanhasnotoftenmuchbeautytothinkof.”
“But,mydear,youmustindeedgoandseeMr.Bingleywhenhe
comesintotheneighbourhood.”
“ItismorethanIengagefor,Iassureyou.”
“Butconsideryourdaughters.Onlythinkwhatanestablishmentit
wouldbeforoneofthem.SirWilliamandLadyLucasaredetermined
togo,merelyonthataccount,foringeneral,youknow,theyvisitno
newcomers.Indeedyoumustgo,foritwillbeimpossibleforustovisit
himifyoudonot.”
“Youareover-scrupulous,surely.IdaresayMr.Bingleywillbe
verygladtoseeyou;andIwillsendafewlinesbyyoutoassurehim
ofmyheartyconsenttohismarryingwhicheverhechoosesofthegirls;
thoughImustthrowinagoodwordformylittleLizzy.”
“Idesireyouwilldonosuchthing.Lizzyisnotabitbetterthan
theothers;andIamsuresheisnothalfsohandsomeasJane,norhalf
sogood-humouredasLydia.Butyouarealwaysgivinghertheprefer-
ence.”
“Theyhavenoneofthemmuchtorecommendthem,”repliedhe;
“theyareallsillyandignorantlikeothergirls;butLizzyhassomething
moreofquicknessthanhersisters.”
“Mr.Bennet,howcanyouabuseyourownchildreninsuchaway?
Youtakedelightinvexingme.Youhavenocompassionformypoor
nerves.”
“Youmistakeme,mydear.Ihaveahighrespectforyournerves.
Theyaremyoldfriends.Ihaveheardyoumentionthemwithconsid-
erationtheselasttwentyyearsatleast.”
“Ah,youdonotknowwhatIsuffer.”
“ButIhopeyouwillgetoverit,andlivetoseemanyyoungmenof
fourthousandayearcomeintotheneighbourhood.”
2
“Itwillbenousetous,iftwentysuchshouldcome,sinceyouwill
notvisitthem.”
“Dependuponit,mydear,thatwhentherearetwenty,Iwillvisit
themall.”
Mr.Bennetwassooddamixtureofquickparts,sarcastichumour,
reserve,andcaprice,thattheexperienceofthree-and-twentyyearshad
beeninsufficienttomakehiswifeunderstandhischaracter.Hermind
waslessdifficulttodevelop.Shewasawomanofmeanunderstand-
ing,littleinformation,anduncertaintemper.Whenshewasdiscon-
tented,shefanciedherselfnervous.Thebusinessofherlifewastoget
herdaughtersmarried;itssolacewasvisitingandnews.
Chapter2
Mr.BennetwasamongtheearliestofthosewhowaitedonMr.Bin-
gley.Hehadalwaysintendedtovisithim,thoughtothelastalways
assuringhiswifethatheshouldnotgo;andtilltheeveningafterthe
visitwaspaidshehadnoknowledgeofit.Itwasthendisclosedinthe
followingmanner.Observinghisseconddaughteremployedintrim-
mingahat,hesuddenlyaddressedherwith:
“IhopeMr.Bingleywilllikeit,Lizzy.”
“WearenotinawaytoknowwhatMr.Bingleylikes,”saidher
motherresentfully,“sincewearenottovisit.”
“Butyouforget,mamma,”saidElizabeth,“thatweshallmeethim
attheassemblies,andthatMrs.Longpromisedtointroducehim.”
“IdonotbelieveMrs.Longwilldoanysuchthing.Shehastwo
niecesofherown.Sheisaselfish,hypocriticalwoman,andIhaveno
opinionofher.”
“NomorehaveI,”saidMr.Bennet;“andIamgladtofindthatyou
donotdependonherservingyou.”
Mrs.Bennetdeignednottomakeanyreply,but,unabletocontain
herself,beganscoldingoneofherdaughters.
“Don’tkeepcoughingso,Kitty,forHeaven’ssake!Havealittle
compassiononmynerves.Youtearthemtopieces.”
“Kittyhasnodiscretioninhercoughs,”saidherfather;“shetimes
themill.”
“Idonotcoughformyownamusement,”repliedKittyfretfully.
“Whenisyournextballtobe,Lizzy?”
“To-morrowfortnight.”
“Aye,soitis,”criedhermother,“andMrs.Longdoesnotcome
3
backtillthedaybefore;soitwillbeimpossibleforhertointroduce
him,forshewillnotknowhimherself.”
“Then,mydear,youmayhavetheadvantageofyourfriend,and
introduceMr.Bingleytoher.”
“Impossible,Mr.Bennet,impossible,whenIamnotacquainted
withhimmyself;howcanyoubesoteasing?”
“Ihonouryourcircumspection.Afortnight’sacquaintanceiscer-
tainlyverylittle.Onecannotknowwhatamanreallyisbytheendof
afortnight.Butifwedonotventuresomebodyelsewill;andafterall,
Mrs.Longandherdaughtersmuststandtheirchance;and,therefore,
asshewillthinkitanactofkindness,ifyoudeclinetheoffice,Iwill
takeitonmyself.”
Thegirlsstaredattheirfather.Mrs.Bennetsaidonly,“Nonsense,
nonsense!”
“Whatcanbethemeaningofthatemphaticexclamation?”criedhe.
“Doyouconsidertheformsofintroduction,andthestressthatislaid
onthem,asnonsense?Icannotquiteagreewithyouthere.Whatsay
you,Mary?Foryouareayoungladyofdeepreflection,Iknow,and
readgreatbooksandmakeextracts.”
Marywishedtosaysomethingsensible,butknewnothow.
“WhileMaryisadjustingherideas,”hecontinued,“letusreturnto
Mr.Bingley.”
“IamsickofMr.Bingley,”criedhiswife.
“Iamsorrytohearthat;butwhydidnotyoutellmethatbefore?IfI
hadknownasmuchthismorningIcertainlywouldnothavecalledon
him.Itisveryunlucky;butasIhaveactuallypaidthevisit,wecannot
escapetheacquaintancenow.”
Theastonishmentoftheladieswasjustwhathewished;thatof
Mrs.Bennetperhapssurpassingtherest;though,whenthefirsttumult
ofjoywasover,shebegantodeclarethatitwaswhatshehadexpected
allthewhile.
“Howgooditwasinyou,mydearMr.Bennet!ButIknewIshould
persuadeyouatlast.Iwassureyoulovedyourgirlstoowelltoneglect
suchanacquaintance.Well,howpleasedIam!anditissuchagood
joke,too,thatyoushouldhavegonethismorningandneversaida
wordaboutittillnow.”
“Now,Kitty,youmaycoughasmuchasyouchoose,”saidMr.Ben-
net;and,ashespoke,helefttheroom,fatiguedwiththerapturesofhis
wife.
“Whatanexcellentfatheryouhave,girls!”saidshe,whenthedoor
wasshut.“Idonotknowhowyouwillevermakehimamendsforhis
4
kindness;orme,either,forthatmatter.Atourtimeoflifeitisnotso
pleasant,Icantellyou,tobemakingnewacquaintanceseveryday;but
foryoursakes,wewoulddoanything.Lydia,mylove,thoughyouare
theyoungest,IdaresayMr.Bingleywilldancewithyouatthenext
ball.”
“Oh!”saidLydiastoutly,“Iamnotafraid;forthoughIamthe
youngest,I’mthetallest.”
Therestoftheeveningwasspentinconjecturinghowsoonhe
wouldreturnMr.Bennet’svisit,anddeterminingwhentheyshould
askhimtodinner.
Chapter3
NotallthatMrs.Bennet,however,withtheassistanceofherfive
daughters,couldaskonthesubject,wassufficienttodrawfromher
husbandanysatisfactorydescriptionofMr.Bingley.Theyattacked
himinvariousways—withbarefacedquestions,ingenioussupposi-
tions,anddistantsurmises;butheeludedtheskillofthemall,and
theywereatlastobligedtoacceptthesecond-handintelligenceoftheir
neighbour,LadyLucas.Herreportwashighlyfavourable.SirWilliam
hadbeendelightedwithhim.Hewasquiteyoung,wonderfullyhand-
some,extremelyagreeable,and,tocrownthewhole,hemeanttobeat
thenextassemblywithalargeparty.Nothingcouldbemoredelight-
ful!Tobefondofdancingwasacertainsteptowardsfallinginlove;
andverylivelyhopesofMr.Bingley’sheartwereentertained.
“IfIcanbutseeoneofmydaughtershappilysettledatNether-
field,”saidMrs.Bennettoherhusband,“andalltheothersequally
wellmarried,Ishallhavenothingtowishfor.”
InafewdaysMr.BingleyreturnedMr.Bennet’svisit,andsatabout
tenminuteswithhiminhislibrary.Hehadentertainedhopesofbeing
admittedtoasightoftheyoungladies,ofwhosebeautyhehadheard
much;buthesawonlythefather.Theladiesweresomewhatmore
fortunate,fortheyhadtheadvantageofascertainingfromanupper
windowthatheworeabluecoat,androdeablackhorse.
Aninvitationtodinnerwassoonafterwardsdispatched;andal-
readyhadMrs.Bennetplannedthecoursesthatweretodocredittoher
housekeeping,whenananswerarrivedwhichdeferreditall.Mr.Bing-
leywasobligedtobeintownthefollowingday,and,consequently,un-
abletoacceptthehonouroftheirinvitation,etc.Mrs.Bennetwasquite
disconcerted.Shecouldnotimaginewhatbusinesshecouldhavein
5
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PrideandPrejudice
byJaneAusten
Chapter1
Itisatruthuniversallyacknowledged,thatasinglemaninposses-
sionofagoodfortune,mustbeinwantofawife.
Howeverlittleknownthefeelingsorviewsofsuchamanmaybe
onhisfirstenteringaneighbourhood,thistruthissowellfixedinthe
mindsofthesurroundingfamilies,thatheisconsideredtherightful
propertyofsomeoneorotheroftheirdaughters.
“MydearMr.Bennet,”saidhisladytohimoneday,“haveyou
heardthatNetherfieldParkisletatlast?”
Mr.Bennetrepliedthathehadnot.
“Butitis,”returnedshe;“forMrs.Longhasjustbeenhere,andshe
toldmeallaboutit.”
Mr.Bennetmadenoanswer.
“Doyounotwanttoknowwhohastakenit?”criedhiswifeimpa-
tiently.
“Youwanttotellme,andIhavenoobjectiontohearingit.”
Thiswasinvitationenough.
“Why,mydear,youmustknow,Mrs.LongsaysthatNetherfieldis
takenbyayoungmanoflargefortunefromthenorthofEngland;that
hecamedownonMondayinachaiseandfourtoseetheplace,and
wassomuchdelightedwithit,thatheagreedwithMr.Morrisimme-
diately;thatheistotakepossessionbeforeMichaelmas,andsomeof
hisservantsaretobeinthehousebytheendofnextweek.”
“Whatishisname?”
“Bingley.”
“Ishemarriedorsingle?”
“Oh!Single,mydear,tobesure!Asinglemanoflargefortune;
fourorfivethousandayear.Whatafinethingforourgirls!”
“Howso?Howcanitaffectthem?”
“MydearMr.Bennet,”repliedhiswife,“howcanyoubesotire-
some!YoumustknowthatIamthinkingofhismarryingoneofthem.”
1
“Isthathisdesigninsettlinghere?”
“Design!Nonsense,howcanyoutalkso!Butitisverylikelythat
hemayfallinlovewithoneofthem,andthereforeyoumustvisithim
assoonashecomes.”
“Iseenooccasionforthat.Youandthegirlsmaygo,oryoumay
sendthembythemselves,whichperhapswillbestillbetter,forasyou
areashandsomeasanyofthem,Mr.Bingleymaylikeyouthebestof
theparty.”
“Mydear,youflatterme.Icertainlyhavehadmyshareofbeauty,
butIdonotpretendtobeanythingextraordinarynow.Whenawoman
hasfivegrown-updaughters,sheoughttogiveoverthinkingofher
ownbeauty.”
“Insuchcases,awomanhasnotoftenmuchbeautytothinkof.”
“But,mydear,youmustindeedgoandseeMr.Bingleywhenhe
comesintotheneighbourhood.”
“ItismorethanIengagefor,Iassureyou.”
“Butconsideryourdaughters.Onlythinkwhatanestablishmentit
wouldbeforoneofthem.SirWilliamandLadyLucasaredetermined
togo,merelyonthataccount,foringeneral,youknow,theyvisitno
newcomers.Indeedyoumustgo,foritwillbeimpossibleforustovisit
himifyoudonot.”
“Youareover-scrupulous,surely.IdaresayMr.Bingleywillbe
verygladtoseeyou;andIwillsendafewlinesbyyoutoassurehim
ofmyheartyconsenttohismarryingwhicheverhechoosesofthegirls;
thoughImustthrowinagoodwordformylittleLizzy.”
“Idesireyouwilldonosuchthing.Lizzyisnotabitbetterthan
theothers;andIamsuresheisnothalfsohandsomeasJane,norhalf
sogood-humouredasLydia.Butyouarealwaysgivinghertheprefer-
ence.”
“Theyhavenoneofthemmuchtorecommendthem,”repliedhe;
“theyareallsillyandignorantlikeothergirls;butLizzyhassomething
moreofquicknessthanhersisters.”
“Mr.Bennet,howcanyouabuseyourownchildreninsuchaway?
Youtakedelightinvexingme.Youhavenocompassionformypoor
nerves.”
“Youmistakeme,mydear.Ihaveahighrespectforyournerves.
Theyaremyoldfriends.Ihaveheardyoumentionthemwithconsid-
erationtheselasttwentyyearsatleast.”
“Ah,youdonotknowwhatIsuffer.”
“ButIhopeyouwillgetoverit,andlivetoseemanyyoungmenof
fourthousandayearcomeintotheneighbourhood.”
2
“Itwillbenousetous,iftwentysuchshouldcome,sinceyouwill
notvisitthem.”
“Dependuponit,mydear,thatwhentherearetwenty,Iwillvisit
themall.”
Mr.Bennetwassooddamixtureofquickparts,sarcastichumour,
reserve,andcaprice,thattheexperienceofthree-and-twentyyearshad
beeninsufficienttomakehiswifeunderstandhischaracter.Hermind
waslessdifficulttodevelop.Shewasawomanofmeanunderstand-
ing,littleinformation,anduncertaintemper.Whenshewasdiscon-
tented,shefanciedherselfnervous.Thebusinessofherlifewastoget
herdaughtersmarried;itssolacewasvisitingandnews.
Chapter2
Mr.BennetwasamongtheearliestofthosewhowaitedonMr.Bin-
gley.Hehadalwaysintendedtovisithim,thoughtothelastalways
assuringhiswifethatheshouldnotgo;andtilltheeveningafterthe
visitwaspaidshehadnoknowledgeofit.Itwasthendisclosedinthe
followingmanner.Observinghisseconddaughteremployedintrim-
mingahat,hesuddenlyaddressedherwith:
“IhopeMr.Bingleywilllikeit,Lizzy.”
“WearenotinawaytoknowwhatMr.Bingleylikes,”saidher
motherresentfully,“sincewearenottovisit.”
“Butyouforget,mamma,”saidElizabeth,“thatweshallmeethim
attheassemblies,andthatMrs.Longpromisedtointroducehim.”
“IdonotbelieveMrs.Longwilldoanysuchthing.Shehastwo
niecesofherown.Sheisaselfish,hypocriticalwoman,andIhaveno
opinionofher.”
“NomorehaveI,”saidMr.Bennet;“andIamgladtofindthatyou
donotdependonherservingyou.”
Mrs.Bennetdeignednottomakeanyreply,but,unabletocontain
herself,beganscoldingoneofherdaughters.
“Don’tkeepcoughingso,Kitty,forHeaven’ssake!Havealittle
compassiononmynerves.Youtearthemtopieces.”
“Kittyhasnodiscretioninhercoughs,”saidherfather;“shetimes
themill.”
“Idonotcoughformyownamusement,”repliedKittyfretfully.
“Whenisyournextballtobe,Lizzy?”
“To-morrowfortnight.”
“Aye,soitis,”criedhermother,“andMrs.Longdoesnotcome
3
backtillthedaybefore;soitwillbeimpossibleforhertointroduce
him,forshewillnotknowhimherself.”
“Then,mydear,youmayhavetheadvantageofyourfriend,and
introduceMr.Bingleytoher.”
“Impossible,Mr.Bennet,impossible,whenIamnotacquainted
withhimmyself;howcanyoubesoteasing?”
“Ihonouryourcircumspection.Afortnight’sacquaintanceiscer-
tainlyverylittle.Onecannotknowwhatamanreallyisbytheendof
afortnight.Butifwedonotventuresomebodyelsewill;andafterall,
Mrs.Longandherdaughtersmuststandtheirchance;and,therefore,
asshewillthinkitanactofkindness,ifyoudeclinetheoffice,Iwill
takeitonmyself.”
Thegirlsstaredattheirfather.Mrs.Bennetsaidonly,“Nonsense,
nonsense!”
“Whatcanbethemeaningofthatemphaticexclamation?”criedhe.
“Doyouconsidertheformsofintroduction,andthestressthatislaid
onthem,asnonsense?Icannotquiteagreewithyouthere.Whatsay
you,Mary?Foryouareayoungladyofdeepreflection,Iknow,and
readgreatbooksandmakeextracts.”
Marywishedtosaysomethingsensible,butknewnothow.
“WhileMaryisadjustingherideas,”hecontinued,“letusreturnto
Mr.Bingley.”
“IamsickofMr.Bingley,”criedhiswife.
“Iamsorrytohearthat;butwhydidnotyoutellmethatbefore?IfI
hadknownasmuchthismorningIcertainlywouldnothavecalledon
him.Itisveryunlucky;butasIhaveactuallypaidthevisit,wecannot
escapetheacquaintancenow.”
Theastonishmentoftheladieswasjustwhathewished;thatof
Mrs.Bennetperhapssurpassingtherest;though,whenthefirsttumult
ofjoywasover,shebegantodeclarethatitwaswhatshehadexpected
allthewhile.
“Howgooditwasinyou,mydearMr.Bennet!ButIknewIshould
persuadeyouatlast.Iwassureyoulovedyourgirlstoowelltoneglect
suchanacquaintance.Well,howpleasedIam!anditissuchagood
joke,too,thatyoushouldhavegonethismorningandneversaida
wordaboutittillnow.”
“Now,Kitty,youmaycoughasmuchasyouchoose,”saidMr.Ben-
net;and,ashespoke,helefttheroom,fatiguedwiththerapturesofhis
wife.
“Whatanexcellentfatheryouhave,girls!”saidshe,whenthedoor
wasshut.“Idonotknowhowyouwillevermakehimamendsforhis
4
kindness;orme,either,forthatmatter.Atourtimeoflifeitisnotso
pleasant,Icantellyou,tobemakingnewacquaintanceseveryday;but
foryoursakes,wewoulddoanything.Lydia,mylove,thoughyouare
theyoungest,IdaresayMr.Bingleywilldancewithyouatthenext
ball.”
“Oh!”saidLydiastoutly,“Iamnotafraid;forthoughIamthe
youngest,I’mthetallest.”
Therestoftheeveningwasspentinconjecturinghowsoonhe
wouldreturnMr.Bennet’svisit,anddeterminingwhentheyshould
askhimtodinner.
Chapter3
NotallthatMrs.Bennet,however,withtheassistanceofherfive
daughters,couldaskonthesubject,wassufficienttodrawfromher
husbandanysatisfactorydescriptionofMr.Bingley.Theyattacked
himinvariousways—withbarefacedquestions,ingenioussupposi-
tions,anddistantsurmises;butheeludedtheskillofthemall,and
theywereatlastobligedtoacceptthesecond-handintelligenceoftheir
neighbour,LadyLucas.Herreportwashighlyfavourable.SirWilliam
hadbeendelightedwithhim.Hewasquiteyoung,wonderfullyhand-
some,extremelyagreeable,and,tocrownthewhole,hemeanttobeat
thenextassemblywithalargeparty.Nothingcouldbemoredelight-
ful!Tobefondofdancingwasacertainsteptowardsfallinginlove;
andverylivelyhopesofMr.Bingley’sheartwereentertained.
“IfIcanbutseeoneofmydaughtershappilysettledatNether-
field,”saidMrs.Bennettoherhusband,“andalltheothersequally
wellmarried,Ishallhavenothingtowishfor.”
InafewdaysMr.BingleyreturnedMr.Bennet’svisit,andsatabout
tenminuteswithhiminhislibrary.Hehadentertainedhopesofbeing
admittedtoasightoftheyoungladies,ofwhosebeautyhehadheard
much;buthesawonlythefather.Theladiesweresomewhatmore
fortunate,fortheyhadtheadvantageofascertainingfromanupper
windowthatheworeabluecoat,androdeablackhorse.
Aninvitationtodinnerwassoonafterwardsdispatched;andal-
readyhadMrs.Bennetplannedthecoursesthatweretodocredittoher
housekeeping,whenananswerarrivedwhichdeferreditall.Mr.Bing-
leywasobligedtobeintownthefollowingday,and,consequently,un-
abletoacceptthehonouroftheirinvitation,etc.Mrs.Bennetwasquite
disconcerted.Shecouldnotimaginewhatbusinesshecouldhavein
5
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