Chapter 26 Chapter Twenty-Five

After a week of making love and making plans, Mr. Collins was obliged to say goodbye to his beloved Charlotte on Saturday.But being ready for his bride, the sorrow of parting was lessened, and he waited only for his next visit to Hertfordshire, to fix a date which would make him the happiest man in the world.He took good-bye to his relations at Longbourn with the same solemnity as before, congratulated the sisters on their health and happiness, and promised to send their father another letter of thanks. Next Monday, Mrs. Bennet's brother and sister-in-law came to Longbourn as usual for Christmas, and Mrs. Bennet was very happy.Mr. Gardiner was a reasonable and gentlemanly man, much superior to his sister in character and education.He was from the business world, and he had never seen, outside of a warehouse or a warehouse, that he could be so well-bred and so agreeable that the ladies of Netherfield would have hardly believed it.Mrs. Gardiner, who was several years younger than Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Philips, was also a kindly, intelligent, and very refined woman, and the Longbourne niece was especially fond of her.They often went into town to stay with her for a while.

The first thing Mrs. Gardiner did when she arrived was give out presents and talk about the latest fashions.After this was done, she sat aside and listened to what Mrs. Bennet had to say to her.Mrs. Bennet had as many whinings and bitternesses to complain about.Since her brother-in-law left last year, her family has been bullied by others.The two daughters were about to get married, but in the end it was nothing. I don't blame Jane, she went on, because if Jane could have married Mr. Bingley, she would have done so long ago.But Liz, my sister-in-law!If she hadn't been so stubborn herself, she might have become Mrs. Collins' wife.He proposed to her in this very room, but she refused him.It turned out that one of Mrs. Lucas's daughters was married off before mine, and the Longbourn estate had to be inherited from then on.Indeed, the Lucas family is very clever, sister-in-law.They are all for this fortune.I couldn't bear to arrange them like this, but it is true.Since I had such an unsatisfactory life at home, and I happened to meet these neighbors who only cared about themselves and ignored others, it really made me nervous and sick.It was a great comfort to me that you came at the right time, and I enjoyed hearing your long-sleeved stories very much.

When Mrs. Gardiner corresponded with Jane and Elizabeth, she was generally aware of these recent events in their family. In order to be considerate of her nieces, she only perfunctory Mrs. Bennet a few words, and put The topic went off the rails. Elizabeth spoke of it again later, when she was with them both.She said: This may be a happy marriage for Ji Ying, but it's a pity that it was blown up.But this situation is often inevitable!A young man like Mr. Bingley, as you say, often falls in love with a pretty girl in a few weeks, and when some accident separates them, he easily forgets her. Yes, there are many things like this.

Your reassurance is purely kind, said Elizabeth.It's a pity that it can't comfort us.Our losses are not due to accidental things.It was not very often that an independent young man who, just a few days before, had had a flirty affair with a girl, lost her because of the interference of his own friends. However, the so-called hot fight is too trite, too general, and too unrealistic, and I can hardly grasp the concept.This kind of words is usually used to describe the scene of love at first sight between a man and a woman, and it is also used to describe a real passionate feeling.Pray, how passionate is Mr. Bingley's love?

I've never seen such devotion as he did; he became more and more indifferent to others, giving his whole heart to her.Every time the two of them saw each other, things became clearer and more explicit.At one of his own balls he offended two or three young ladies by not asking them to dance; I spoke to him twice, but he ignored me.Can't this be considered a dedication?Would rather offend everyone for one person, isn't this the most precious place in the love field? Oh, I see!From this point of view, he did have a deep affection for her.Poor Jane!I'm sorry for her, for it's not in her nature to get over it all at once.Liz, it would be better if it were you, you would laugh it off, or forget it in a short time.But do you think we can persuade her to come to us for a while?A change of surroundings might do the trick; besides, the relief of being away from home might be better than anything else.

Elizabeth was very much in favor of this suggestion, and believed that her sister would also. Mrs. Gardiner added: I hope she won't be made up for fear of seeing the young lad.Though we lived in the same town as Mr. Bingley, we did not live in the same district, and had different relations and acquaintances, and, as you well know, we seldom went out, so that, unless he came to see her, It is unlikely that the two of them will ever meet. That was absolutely impossible, for he was now under house arrest by his friends, and Mr. Darcy could not tolerate him going to see Jane in such a part of London!Dear aunt, how did you think of it?Mr. Darcy may have heard of such a place as Tenon Temple Street, but if he did go there he would think a month's work would not clean him of his dirt; please rest assured. , he would never let Mr. Bingley act alone.

That's even better.I hope the two of them never see each other again.But isn't Jane still writing to his sister?A visit from Miss Bingley may be inevitable. She will never be with her again. Although Elizabeth said so decisively that Mr. Bingley must be held hostage by his sisters and friends to prevent him from seeing Jane, it was ridiculous, but after thinking about it in her heart, she still felt that the matter was not necessarily complete. despair.She even thought sometimes that Mr. Bingley's old affection for Jane was very likely to be revived, and that the influence of his friends might not be equal to the natural influence upon him of Jane's affection.

Miss Bennet accepted her aunt's invitation gladly. She didn't think much of the Bingleys in her heart, but she only hoped that Caroline would not live in the same house with his brother, so that she could visit Caroline's occasionally. Last morning, without bumping into his brother. The Gardiners were at Longbourn for a week, and there was not a single day without a party, sometimes at Philip's, sometimes at Lucas's, sometimes at the officer's.Mrs. Bennet took such good care to make such a scene for her brother and sister-in-law that they never had a light meal at her house.When there was a banquet at home, several officers were bound to be present, and Wickham was always indispensable.Elizabeth's ardent praise of Mr. Wickham on such occasions aroused Mrs. Gardiner's suspicions, and gave them both careful attention, which, from what she had seen, she did not think they were really but she was so disturbed by the apparent mutual affection that she resolved to talk it over with Elizabeth, and explain it to her, before leaving Hertfordshire. It would be too reckless to let such a relationship develop.

But Wickham had another way of ingratiating himself to Mrs. Gardiner, quite different from his ability to attract people.Mrs. Gardiner had lived for some time in the part of Derbyshire where he was born, more than ten years ago, before she was married, so she had many friends in common with him, although Mrs. Wickham did not go there much after his death, but he was able to report to Mrs. Gardiner newer news of her former friends than she could find out herself. Mrs. Gardiner had seen Pemberley herself, and was well known to old Mr. Darcy, and there was much to talk about about that alone.She compared the Pemberley, so well described by Mr. Wickham, with the Pemberley of her own memory, and praised Pemberley's master's virtues, to the amusement of all who talked and listened.When she heard him talk about the mistreatment of him by the present Mr. Darcy, she tried to recall how the gentleman's personality was when he was a child, and whether it was in line with the present, and at last she remembered with confidence that she had indeed heard it said before, Fitz William.Mr. Darcy is a very bad-tempered and very proud boy.