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At five o'clock the two sisters retired to dress, and at half-past six Elizabeth was summoned to dinner. Civil inquiries then poured in, and Elizabeth noticed a great deal of genuine concern from Mr. Bingley's. Unfortunately, she could not make a very favourable answer.
Jane was by no means better.
On hearing this, the Bingley sisters repeated three or four times how shocking it was to have a bad cold, and how excessively they disliked being ill themselves. But then they thought no more of the matter when Jane was not immediately before them. Their indifference restored Elizabeth's conviction that these were shallow, self-centred women who did not care much about Jane.
Mr Bingley, indeed, was the only one of the party whom she could regard with any sense of pleasure. His anxiety for Jane was evident, and his attention to her most pleasing. He prevented Elizabeth herself from feeling so much an intruder, which is how she believed she was considered by the others.
She had very little notice from any but him.
Miss Bingley was engrossed by Mr. Darcy, practically throwing herself at him. Mrs. Hurst scarcely less so even though her husband sat with them. As for Mr. Hurst, by whom Elizabeth sat, he was an indolent man, who lived only to eat, drink, and play at cards.
When dinner was over, Elizabeth returned to Jane, and she heard young Caroline Bingley begin to abuse her as soon as she walked out of the room.
"She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being an excellent walker. I shall never forget her appearance this morning. She really looked almost wild."
"She did, indeed, Louisa. I could hardly maintain impassive decorum so tempted was I to laugh. Very nonsensical to come at all! Why must she scamper about the country, because her sister had a cold? Her hair, so untidy, so blowsy!"
That was enough, Elizabeth did not dally to hear more, she knew the sort of thing they were about to say.
Jane was still very poorly, and Elizabeth would not leave her side until late in the evening, when she had the comfort of seeing her sleep.
Elizabeth returned to the others downstairs, not because she wanted to but because it seemed right rather than pleasant.
On entering the drawing-room, she found the whole group playing cards. She declined the invitation to join them. She gave the excuse that her sister might need her soon. She said she would amuse herself for a short time, with a book.
Mr. Hurst looked at her with astonishment. "Do you prefer reading to cards? That is rather singular."
"Miss Eliza Bennet despises cards. She is a great reader, and finds no pleasure in anything else," Caroline Bingley announced to the men.
"I deserve neither such praise nor such disapproval," cried Elizabeth. "I am not a great reader, and I take pleasure in many things."
"In nursing your sister I am sure you have found pleasure, which I hope it will be soon increased by seeing her quite well," said Mr. Bingley.
Elizabeth thanked him from her heart and then walked towards the table where there were a few books.
Mr. Bingley immediately offered to fetch her others—all that his library afforded. "And I wish my collection were larger for your benefit and my own credit. Though I have not many books, I am an idle fellow, and I have more than I have ever looked into."
Elizabeth assured him that she could suit herself with those in the room.
"I am astonished that my father should have left so small a collection of books. What a delightful library you have at Pemberley, Mr. Darcy!" said Miss Bingley.
What was the purpose of the comment? Elizabeth wondered. Did Miss Bingley hope such flattery would win her favourable attention from Mr. Darcy or was the purpose to stake her claim to the man? Was it her way of informing Elizabeth that she, Miss Bennet, was familiar with Mr. Darcy's home.
"It ought to be good, it has been the work of many generations," Mr. Darcy replied.
"And then you have added so much to it yourself; you are always buying books."
"I cannot comprehend the neglect of a family library in such days as these."
"Neglect! I am sure you neglect nothing that can add to the beauties of that noble place. Charles, when you build your house, I wish it may be half as delightful as Pemberley."
"I wish it may."
"But I would tell you to make your purchase in that neighbourhood and take Pemberley for a kind of model. There is not a finer county in England than Derbyshire."
"With all my heart; I will buy Pemberley itself if Darcy will sell it," Mr. Bingley said.
"I am talking about possibilities, Charles."
"Upon my word, Caroline, I should think it more possible to get Pemberley by purchase than by imitation."
Elizabeth was so much caught with what passed, to leave her very little attention for her book; she soon lay it wholly aside. She drew near the card-table and stationed herself between Mr. Bingley and his eldest sister, to observe the game and listen in on the conversation.
"Is Miss Darcy much grown since the spring?" asked Miss Bingley. "Will she be as tall as I am?"
"I think she will. She is now about Miss Elizabeth Bennet's height, or rather taller."
"How I long to see her again! I never met with anybody who delighted me so much. Such a pretty girl, such manners! And so extremely accomplished for her age! Her performance on the pianoforte is exquisite."
"It is amazing to me how young ladies can have the patience to be so very accomplished as they all are," said Bingley.
"All young ladies accomplished! My dear Charles, what do you mean?"
"Yes, all of them. They all paint tables, cover screens, and net purses. I scarcely know anyone who cannot do all this. And I am sure I never heard of a young lady for the first time, without being informed that she was very accomplished."
"Ha! So that is your list of accomplishments," said Darcy, he sat back in his chair looking more than usually conceited. "The word is applied to many a woman who only came by it because she did some commonplace women's thing. But I am very far from agreeing with your estimation of ladies in general. I cannot boast of knowing more than half-a-dozen that are accomplished. Not in the whole range of my acquaintance."
"Nor I, I am sure," said Miss Bingley.
Elizabeth could not help but feel annoyed at the turn of conversation and at the way Miss Bingley agreed with the arrogant Mr. Darcy.
"Then, Mr. Darcy, you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of what is an accomplished woman," observed Elizabeth.
"Yes, I do comprehend a great deal in it," Mr. Darcy agreed.
"Oh! Certainly," cried his faithful assistant, Miss Bingley. "No one can be really accomplished unless they greatly surpass the usual. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word. She must also have a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions. Without all this, the word will be but half-deserved."
Darcy nodded along in agreement. "All this she must own, and to all this, she must yet add something more substantial. She must improve her mind by extensive reading." His eyes flickered down to the book that Elizabeth had set down as she joined in their conversation.
Elizabeth chuckled. "I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any."
"Are you so severe upon your own sex as to doubt the possibility of all this?" Mr Hurst asked with surprise.
Elizabeth decided she could not bother to attempt to address Mr Hurst's level of stupid. Instead, she spoke to the intellect that she had noticed in Mr. Darcy. "I never saw such an accomplished woman. I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance, as you described."
Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley both cried out against the injustice of her implied doubt. They both protested that they knew many women who answered this description. In doing so, Miss Bingley contradicted what she'd said only minutes earlier in her eagerness to agree with every word uttered by Mr. Darcy.
Mr. Hurst called the sisters to order, with bitter complaints of their inattention to what he thought was going forward. As all conversation was thereby at an end, Elizabeth collected the book and left the room. Undoubtedly, leaving the women to discuss her in scathing terms.