Chapter-1
Everyone knows that a single man with a large fortune needs a wife.
As soon as such a man enters a neighbourhood, therefore, he is at once considered as the future husband of one of his neighbours’ daughters.
“My dear Mr. Bennet,” said his wife to him one day, “have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?”
Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.
“But it is,” she said, “Mrs. Long has just told me all about it.”
Mr. Bennet made no answer.
“Do you not want to know who is going to live there?” asked his wife impatiently.
“You want to tell me. I have no objection to hearing it.”
“Well, my dear, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield has been let to a young man with a large fortune from the north of England. He came down on Monday in a carriage with four horses to see the place, and he was so delighted with it that he agreed immediately. He is to come here himself in September and some of his servants will move in next week.
“What is his name?”
“Bingley.”
“Is he married or single?”
“Oh, single, my dear, of course! A single man, with a large fortune—four or five thousand pounds a year.”
“What a good thing for our girls!”
“Why? How can it affect them?”
“My dear Mr. Bennet,” replied his wife, “how can you be so tiresome? You know that I am thinking that he will marry one of them.”
“Is that his intention in coming here?”
“Nonsense! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes.”
“I see no reason for that. You and your girls may go, or you may send them by themselves. Perhaps that will be better, because you are as pretty as any of them and Mr. Bingley might like you best.”
“My dear, you flatter me! I certainly have had a share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be extraordinary now. When a woman has five grown-up daughters, she ought to give up thinking of her own beauty.”
“Anyway, I do not promise to go and see Mr. Bingley.”
“But think of your daughters! Think what an excellent marriage it would be for one of them! Sir William and Lady Lucas are going for that reason, although they do not usually visit newcomers. Of course you must go. It will be impossible for me to take the girls unless you do.”
“I am sure Mr. Bingley will be very glad to see you; and I will send a letter with you, promising consent to his marriage with any of the girls whom he likes. I must add a special word of praise for my little Elizabeth, however.”
“What nonsense! Elizabeth is not a bit better than the others. She is not half so pretty as Jane, nor so good-tempered as Lydia. But you always prefer her.”
They are all silly and ignorant, like other girls,” said he. “But Elizabeth is more intelligent than her sisters.”
“Mr. Bennet, why do you speak of your own children like that? You enjoy worrying me. You have no pity on my poor nerves for her feelings.”
“You are wrong, my dear. I have great respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard about them for at least twenty years. But I hope that in spite of them, you will live to see many young men with four thousand pounds a year come to this neighbourhood.”
“It will be no use to us if twenty of them come, since you will not visit them.”
“When there are twenty, my dear, I promise to visit them all.”
Mr. Bennet was one of the first to visit Mr. Bingley. He had always intended to visit him, though he told his wife every day that he would not go. On the evening after the visit she still did not know that he had gone. Then, watching his second daughter who was busy trimming a hat, Mr. Bennet suddenly said, “I hope Mr. Bingley will like it, Elizabeth.”
“We shall never know what Mr. Bingley likes,” her mother said angrily, “We are not going to visit him.”
“But you forget, Mamma,” said Elizabeth, “that we shall meet him at the assembly balls. Mrs. Long has promised to introduce him.”
“When is your next ball at Meryton, Lizzy?” asked Kitty.
“In a fortnight.”
“That’s right!” cried her mother, “And Mrs. Long will be away until the day before the ball. So she will not know Mr. Bingley herself by then, and she will not be able to introduce him.”
“Then, my dear, you may be able to introduce Mr. Bingley to her.”
“Impossible, Mr. Bennet, impossible! I shall not know him myself. Why do you tease so? I am tired of Mr. Bingley.”
“I am sorry to hear that. Why didn’t you tell me before? If I had known that this morning I certainly would not have visited him. It is very unlucky. But as I have actually been to his house we shall have to know him now.”
The astonishment of the ladies was just what he wanted. Mrs. Bennet was probably more surprised than any of them, though she soon began to say that she had expected this all the time.
“How good it was of you, my dear Mr. Bennet! But I knew I should persuade you to do it. I was sure you loved the girls too much to miss such a chance. Well, how pleased I am! What an excellent father you have, girls. I don’t know how you will ever repay him for his kindness; or me, either. At our age it is not very pleasant making new friends every day; but we would do anything to help you. Lydia, my love, I am sure Mr. Bingley will dance with you at the next ball, although you are the youngest.”
“I am sure of it,” said Lydia boldly, “because I am the tallest, although I am the youngest.”
All the questions of Mrs. Bennet and her five daughters could not persuade Mr. Bennet to describe Mr. Bingley to them. He refused to give any information at all. At last they had to ask their neighbour, Lady Lucas.
Her news was excellent. Sir William had been delighted with Mr. Bingley. Mr. Bingley was quite young, very handsome, extremely pleasant and, best of all, he intended to come to the next ball with a large party of friends. Nothing could be more delightful. Enjoyment of dancing was a step towards falling in love.
In a few days, Mr. Bingley came to visit Mr. Bennet and sat in the library with him for about ten minutes. The ladies were lucky. They saw from an upstairs window that he wore a blue coat and rode a black horse.
