Austen Said:

the gradual change which her estimation of him had undergone,

her absolute certainty that his affection was not the work of a day, but had stood the test of many months' suspense,

what Mr. Darcy had voluntarily done for Lydia.

Every thing was too recent for gaiety,

there was no longer anything material to be dreaded, and the comfort of ease and familiarity would come in time.

such an effusion was heard only by herself,

though in the certain possession of his warmest affection, and secure of her relations' consent, there was still something to be wished for.

“How could you begin?”

“I can comprehend your going on charmingly, when you had once made a beginning; but what could set you off in the first place?”

“My beauty you had early withstood, and as for my manners — my behaviour to you was at least always bordering on the uncivil, and I never spoke to you without rather wishing to give you pain than not. Now be sincere; did you admire me for my impertinence?”

“You may as well call it impertinence at once. It was very little less. The fact is, that you were sick of civility, of deference, of officious attention. You were disgusted with the women who were always speaking, and looking, and thinking for your approbation alone. I roused, and interested you, because I was so unlike them . Had you not been really amiable, you would have hated me for it; but in spite of the pains you took to disguise yourself, your feelings were always noble and just; and in your heart, you thoroughly despised the persons who so assiduously courted you. There — I have saved you the trouble of accounting for it; and really, all things considered, I begin to think it perfectly reasonable. To be sure, you knew no actual good of me — but nobody thinks of that when they fall in love.”

“Dearest Jane! who could have done less for her? But make a virtue of it by all means. My good qualities are under your protection, and you are to exaggerate them as much as possible; and, in return, it belongs to me to find occasions for teasing and quarrelling with you as often as may be; and I shall begin directly by asking you what made you so unwilling to come to the point at last. What made you so shy of me, when you first called, and afterwards dined here? Why, especially, when you called, did you look as if you did not care about me?”

“But I was embarrassed.”

“You might have talked to me more when you came to dinner.”

“How unlucky that you should have a reasonable answer to give, and that I should be so reasonable as to admit it! But I wonder how long you would have gone on, if you had been left to yourself. I wonder when you would have spoken, if I had not asked you! My resolution of thanking you for your kindness to Lydia had certainly great effect. Too much, I am afraid; for what becomes of the moral, if our comfort springs from a breach of promise? for I ought not to have mentioned the subject. This will never do.”

“Lady Catherine has been of infinite use, which ought to make her happy, for she loves to be of use. But tell me, what did you come down to Netherfield for? Was it merely to ride to Longbourn and be embarrassed? or had you intended any more serious consequence?”

“Shall you ever have courage to announce to Lady Catherine what is to befall her?”

“And if I had not a letter to write myself, I might sit by you and admire the evenness of your writing, as another young lady once did. But I have an aunt, too, who must not be longer neglected.”

“I would have thanked you before, my dear aunt, as I ought to have done, for your long, kind, satisfactory, detail of particulars; but to say the truth, I was too cross to write. You supposed more than really existed. But now suppose as much as you choose; give a loose rein to your fancy, indulge your imagination in every possible flight which the subject will afford, and unless you believe me actually married, you cannot greatly err. You must write again very soon, and praise him a great deal more than you did in your last. I thank you, again and again, for not going to the Lakes. How could I be so silly as to wish it! Your idea of the ponies is delightful. We will go round the Park every day. I am the happiest creature in the world. Perhaps other people have said so before, but not one with such justice. I am happier even than Jane; she only smiles, I laugh. Mr. Darcy sends you all the love in the world that he can spare from me. You are all to come to Pemberley at Christmas. Yours, etc.”

they should be removed from society so little pleasing to either, to all the comfort and elegance of their family party at Pemberley.

Elizabeth had much rather not,

by the practice of what might be called economy in her own private expences,

such an income as theirs, under the direction of two persons so extravagant in their wants, and heedless of the future, must be very insufficient to their support;

as an act of indispensable duty to clear away the claims of creditors with all the expedition which the most comprehensive retrenchments could secure,

saw no dignity in anything short of it.

it to be prescribed, and felt as a duty.

there might be little more difficulty in persuading them to a complete, than to half a reformation.

the sacrifice of one pair of horses would be hardly less painful than of both,

A small house in their own neighbourhood, where they might still have Lady Russell's society, still be near Mary, and still have the pleasure of sometimes seeing the lawns and groves of Kellynch,

it agreed with her;

"The navy, I think, who have done so much for us, have at least an equal claim with any other set of men, for all the comforts and all the privileges which any home can give. Sailors work hard enough for their comforts, we must all allow."

"He is a rear admiral of the white. He was in the Trafalgar action, and has been in the East Indies since; he was stationed there, I believe, several years."

"You mean Mr Wentworth, I suppose?"

"A few months more, and he, perhaps, may be walking here."

She did not blame Lady Russell, she did not blame herself for having been guided by her;

were any young person, in similar circumstances, to apply to her for counsel, they would never receive any of such certain immediate wretchedness, such uncertain future good.

under every disadvantage of disapprobation at home, and every anxiety attending his profession, all their probable fears, delays, and disappointments, she should yet have been a happier woman in maintaining the engagement, than she had been in the sacrifice of it;

this,

had the usual share, had even more than the usual share of all such solicitudes and suspense been theirs,

it was folly,

of the past being known to those three only among her connexions, by whom no syllable,

would ever be whispered, and in the trust that among his, the brother only with whom he had been residing, had received any information of their short-lived engagement.

she hoped that the acquaintance between herself and the Crofts,

need not involve any particular awkwardness.

to be sorry that she had missed the opportunity of seeing them.

everything considered, she wished to remain.

It would be most right, and most wise, and, therefore must involve least suffering to go with the others.

results the most serious to his family from the intimacy were more than possible.

her father had at present an idea of the kind. Mrs Clay had freckles, and a projecting tooth, and a clumsy wrist, which he was continually making severe remarks upon, in her absence; but she was young, and certainly altogether well-looking, and possessed, in an acute mind and assiduous pleasing manners, infinitely more dangerous attractions than any merely personal might have been.

but Elizabeth, who in the event of such a reverse would be so much more to be pitied than herself, should never,