Chapter 8
Colonel Fitzwilliam’s manners were very much
admired at the Parsonage, and the ladies all felt that he must add
considerably to the pleasure of their engagements at Rosings. It
was some days, however, before they received any invitation
thither, for while there were visitors in the house they could not
be necessary; and it was not till Easter-day, almost a week after
the gentlemen’s arrival, that they were honoured by such an
attention, and then they were merely asked on leaving church to
come there in the evening. For the last week they had seen very
little of either Lady Catherine or her daughter. Colonel
Fitzwilliam had called at the Parsonage more than once during the
time, but Mr. Darcy they had only seen at church.
The invitation was accepted, of course, and at a
proper hour they joined the party in Lady Catherine’s drawingroom.
Her Ladyship received them civilly, but it was plain that their
company was by no means so acceptable as when she could get nobody
else; and she was, in fact, almost engrossed by her nephews,
speaking to them, especially to Darcy, much more than to any other
person in the room.
Colonel Fitzwilliam seemed really glad to see them:
any thing was a welcome relief to him at Rosings; and Mrs.
Collins’s pretty friend had, moreover, caught his fancy very much.
He now seated himself by her, and talked so agreeably of Kent and
Hertfordshire, of travelling and staying at home, of new books and
music, that Elizabeth had never been half so well entertained in
that room before; and they conversed with so much spirit and flow
as to draw the attention of Lady Catherine herself, as well as of
Mr. Darcy. His eyes had been soon and repeatedly turned
towards them with a look of curiosity; and that her Ladyship, after
a while, shared the feeling, was more openly acknowledged, for she
did not scruple to call out,—
“What is that you are saying, Fitzwilliam? What is
it you are talking of? What are you telling Miss Bennet? Let me
hear what it is.”
“We are speaking of music, madam,” said he, when no
longer able to avoid a reply.
“Of music! Then pray speak aloud. It is of all
subjects my delight. I must have my share in the conversation, if
you are speaking of music. There are few people in England, I
suppose, who have more true enjoyment of music than myself, or a
better natural taste. If I had ever learnt, I should have been a
great proficient. And so would Anne, if her health had allowed her
to apply. I am confident that she would have performed
delightfully. How does Georgiana get on, Darcy?”
Mr. Darcy spoke with affectionate praise of his
sister’s proficiency.
“I am very glad to hear such a good account of
her,” said Lady Catherine; “and pray tell her from me, that she
cannot expect to excel, if she does not practise a great
deal.”
“I assure you, madam,” he replied, “that she does
not need such advice. She practises very constantly.”
“So much the better. It cannot be done too much;
and when I next write to her, I shall charge her not to neglect it
on any account. I often tell young ladies, that no excellence in
music is to be acquired without constant practice. I have told Miss
Bennet several times, that she will never play really well, unless
she practises more; and though Mrs. Collins has no instrument, she
is very welcome, as I have often told her, to come to Rosings every
day, and play on the piano-forte in Mrs. Jenkinson’s room. She
would be in nobody’s way, you know, in that part of the
house.”
Mr. Darcy looked a little ashamed of his aunt’s ill
breeding, and made no answer.
When coffee was over, Colonel Fitzwilliam reminded
Elizabeth of having promised to play to him; and she sat down
directly to the instrument. He drew a chair near her. Lady
Catherine listened to half a song, and then talked, as before, to
her other nephew; till the latter walked away from her, and moving
with his usual deliberation towards the piano-forte, stationed
himself so as to command a full view of the fair performer’s
countenance. Elizabeth saw what he was doing, and at the first
convenient pause turned to him with an arch smile, and said,—
“You mean to frighten me, Mr. Darcy, by coming in
all this state to hear me. But I will not be alarmed though your
sister does play so well. There is a stubbornness about me
that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My
courage always rises with every attempt to intimidate me.”
“I shall not say that you are mistaken,” he
replied, “because you could not really believe me to entertain any
design of alarming you; and I have had the pleasure of your
acquaintance long enough to know, that you find great enjoyment in
occasionally professing opinions which, in fact, are not your
own.”
Elizabeth laughed heartily at this picture of
herself, and said to Colonel Fitzwilliam, “Your cousin will give
you a very pretty notion of me, and teach you not to believe a word
I say. I am particularly unlucky in meeting with a person so well
able to expose my real character, in a part of the world where I
had hoped to pass myself off with some degree of credit. Indeed,
Mr. Darcy, it is very ungenerous in you to mention all that you
knew to my disadvantage in Hertfordshire—and, give me leave to say,
very impolitic too—for it is provoking me to retaliate, and such
things may come out as will shock your relations to hear.”
“I am not afraid of you,” said he, smilingly.
“Pray let me hear what you have to accuse him of,”
cried Colonel Fitzwilliam. “I should like to know how he behaves
among strangers.”
“You shall hear then—but prepare for something very
dreadful. The first time of my ever seeing him in Hertfordshire,
you must know, was at a ball—and at this ball, what do you think he
did? He danced only four dances! I am sorry to pain you, but so it
was. He danced only four dances, though gentlemen were scarce; and,
to my certain knowledge, more than one young lady was sitting down
in want of a partner. Mr. Darcy, you cannot deny the fact.”
“I had not at that time the honour of knowing any
lady in the assembly beyond my own party.”
“True; and nobody can ever be introduced in a ball
room. Well, Colonel Fitzwilliam, what do I play next? My fingers
wait your orders.”
“Perhaps,” said Darcy, “I should have judged better
had I sought an introduction, but I am ill qualified to recommend
myself to strangers.”
“Shall we ask your cousin the reason of this?” said
Elizabeth, still addressing Colonel Fitzwilliam. “Shall we ask him
why a man of sense and education, and who has lived in the world,
is ill qualified to recommend himself to strangers?”
“I can answer your question,” said Fitzwilliam,
“without applying to him. It is because he will not give himself
the trouble.”
“I certainly have not the talent which some people
possess,” said Darcy, “of conversing easily with those I have never
seen before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear
interested in their concerns, as I often see done.”
“My fingers,” said Elizabeth, “do not move over
this instrument in the masterly manner which I see so many women’s
do. They have not the same force or rapidity, and do not produce
the same expression. But then I have always supposed it to be my
own fault—because I would not take the trouble of practising. It is
not that I do not believe my fingers as capable as any other
woman’s of superior execution.”
Darcy smiled and said, “You are perfectly right.
You have employed your time much better. No one admitted to the
privilege of hearing you can think any thing wanting. We neither of
us perform to strangers.”
Here they were interrupted by Lady Catherine, who
called out to know what they were talking of. Elizabeth immediately
began playing again. Lady Catherine approached, and, after
listening for a few minutes, said to Darcy,—
“Miss Bennet would not play at all amiss if she
practised more, and could have the advantage of a London master.
She has a very good notion of fingering, though her taste is not
equal to Anne’s. Anne would have been a delightful performer, had
her health allowed her to learn.”
Elizabeth looked at Darcy to see how cordially he
assented to his cousin’s praise: but neither at that moment nor at
any other could she discern any symptom of love; and from the whole
of his behaviour to Miss De Bourgh she derived this comfort for
Miss Bingley, that he might have been just as likely to marry
her, had she been his relation.
Lady Catherine continued her remarks on Elizabeth’s
performance, mixing with them many instructions on execution and
taste. Elizabeth received them with all the forbearance of
civility; and at the request of the gentlemen remained at the
instrument till her Ladyship’s carriage was ready to take them all
home.