Chapter 41 Chapter Forty

Elizabeth was bound to tell Jane the matter, and could bear it no longer.So she resolved not to mention anything involving her sister, and next morning she related the scene of Mr. Darcy's proposal of marriage to her, in such a way that she expected Jane to be astonished. Miss Bennet's brotherly love for Elizabeth took it for granted that her sister should be loved by anyone, and so, though surprised at first, was not surprised afterwards.She felt sorry for Mr. Darcy, and felt that he should not have expressed his heart in that unseemly manner; but she was still more sorry for the embarrassment which her sister's refusal had caused him.

She said: His attitude of being sure of success is really bad, at least he should never let you see this attitude, but think about it, how disappointed he will be in this way. Elizabeth replied, I am very sorry for him, indeed; but, as he still has such scruples, his affection for me may soon be entirely gone.You don't blame me for rejecting him, do you? blame you!Oh no. But I helped Wickham so much, would you blame me? It's not your fault; I don't see anything wrong with you saying that. When I tell you what happened next day, you'll be sure to see that there's a mistake.

So she started talking about the letter, telling about George.Wickham's part was told bit by bit.How surprised poor Jane heard!Even if she traveled all over the world, she would never believe that there are so many crimes in the world, and now these many crimes are concentrated on such a person.Although Darcy's confession satisfied her.But since she found out that there was such a secret in it, she didn't feel comforted anymore.She sincerely wanted to explain that this matter might be different from the truth, and she tried her best to clear up the one wrong, but she did not want to make the other wronged.

Elizabeth said: How can this work, you absolutely can't have the best of both worlds.You can only pick one of the two.The two of them have only so many advantages, barely enough to meet the standard of a good person. Recently, these advantages have moved back and forth between the two of them, and they have moved very violently.As far as I am concerned, I am more inclined to Mr. Darcy. I think these advantages are all his, and you can do whatever you want. It took a while before Jiying forced a smile on his face. She said: The most surprising thing in my life is that Wickham is so bad!It's almost impossible.Believe me, poor Mr. Darcy!Just imagine, dear Liz, how much he must suffer.Such a disappointment had he suffered!And he knows you look down on him again!And he had to tell all about his own sister's private affairs!It really hurt him, and I think you will feel the same way.

No matter; seeing you feel so sorry and sympathetic for him, I feel at ease.I know you'll try to speak for him, so I'm taking it less and less seriously.Your magnanimity has made mine stingy; if you pity him any more, I'll fly with light and joy. Poor Wickham!His face was so kind, his manner so refined. Those two young men must have been very lacking in their upbringing.The benefits of one are all hidden inside, and the benefits of one are all exposed outside. You think Mr. Darcy is only defective in appearance, I never think so. But I think you hate him so deeply, although there is no reason for it, it is very clever.Such disgust is enough to inspire human genius and inspire human wisdom.For example, if you constantly scold people, of course you can't say a good word; if you often make fun of people, you are likely to think of a good word by chance.

Liz, when you first read that letter, I'm sure you looked at the matter differently than you do now. Of course it was different, I was very uncomfortable at the time.I was very sad, you could say very unhappy.I have many feelings in my heart, but there is no one to whom I can confide, no Jane to comfort me, that I am not so cowardly, vain, and absurd as I think I am!Oh, I can't do without you! How unfortunate it is that you speak of Wickham with such force in the presence of Mr. Darcy!Now it seems that those words are really not very appropriate. It is true, and I should not have said it so harshly, but since I have a prejudice in advance, it is inevitable.I have something to ask you.Do you think I should tell my friends about Wickham's character?

Miss Bennet thought for a while before saying: Of course there is no need to embarrass him too much.What do you think? I also don't think so.Mr. Darcy did not allow me to make his statement public.He bade me instead, that all matters involving his sister should be kept as secret as possible; and who would believe me if I should tell the truth about Wickham's conduct in other respects?The general prejudice against Mr. Darcy is so deep that half the people in Meryton would not die if you tried to make others like him.I really can't help it.Fortunately, Wickham is leaving soon, and his true face has nothing to do with anyone.Someday the truth will come out, and then we can laugh at people for being so stupid for not knowing sooner.I will not mention it at present.

You are absolutely right.It would have cost him his life to expose his mistake.Maybe he has regretted it now and made up his mind to be a new man.We mustn't leave him cornered. After this conversation, Elizabeth's troubled mind calmed down a little.These two secret thoughts, which had been oppressing her mind for a fortnight, were at last relieved, and she was sure that if they were ever brought up again, Jane would listen to either of them.But there is still something strange in it, for the sake of prudence, she dare not say it.She dared not speak of the other half of Mr. Darcy's letter, nor of explaining to her sister how wholeheartedly his friend valued her.No one should know about this matter, and she felt that this last bit of secret should not be revealed until all aspects of the situation were clarified inside and out.So, she thought, if the improbable should ever come to pass, I shall be able to tell the secret, though then Mr. Bingley himself may speak more eloquently.If you want to tell this hidden story, it won't be my turn until the situation has passed!

Now that she is home, she has free time to observe her sister's real mood.Jane was not happy.She still couldn't forget her love for Bingley.She had not even imagined that she would love him before, so her tenderness was as passionate as first love, and because of her age and character, she was more steadfast than first loves.She hoped infatuatedly that he would remember her, and she regarded him as superior to any man in the world. Fortunately, she was very knowledgeable about current affairs and saw the thoughts of his friends, so she didn't have too much sorrow or hatred, otherwise It must have ruined her health and disturbed her peace of mind.

Mrs. Bennet said this one day: Well, Liz, what do you think of Jane's sad business now?I've made up my mind not to mention it in front of anyone again.I told my sister the other day, I knew that Jane hadn't even seen him in London, well, he's a young man not worth loving, and I don't think she'll ever marry him.Nor was there any mention of his return to Netherfield in the summer, and I asked anyone who might know. I don't think he will live at Netherfield any more. Ouch, listen to him.Nobody asked him to come; I just think he's so sorry for my daughter that I couldn't bear it if I were Jane.Well, I finally have a consolation: I believe that Jiying will be so sad that he will die. At that time, he will regret that he should not have been so cruel in the first place.

Elizabeth made no answer, for she was not comforted by such wild hopes. It didn't take long before her mother went on: "So, Liz, the Collinses have a pretty comfortable life, don't they?"Great, great, may they last forever.How is their daily meal?Charlotte must have been a wonderful housekeeper.She had only to be half as shrewd as her mother to be thrifty enough.Nothing is wasted in their daily life. Of course, nothing is wasted. They must have been stewards well.Not bad.They are careful not to let their expenses exceed their incomes, and they are never without money.Well, may God bless them!They must have often talked, I suppose, of coming to Longbourn after your father's death.When that day comes, I think they'll really consider it their own property. Of course, it is inconvenient for them to mention this matter in front of me. Of course it's inconvenient, but it would be strange if I mentioned it.But I am sure they will often talk about it themselves.Well, it'd be nice if they could have a peace of mind with this illegal fortune.I would be ashamed if I were asked to accept the property that the court had imposed on him.