Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange (books for students to read .txt) π
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- Author: Amanda Grange
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A M A N D A G R A N G E
before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear
interested in their concerns, as I often see done,β I agreed.
βMy fingers do not move over this instrument in the
masterly manner which I see so many womenβs do, but
then I had always supposed it to be my own fault β
because I would not take the trouble of practising.β
I smiled.
βYou are perfectly right.β
At this moment, Lady Catherine interrupted us.
βWhat are you talking about, Darcy?β
βOf music,β I said.
Lady Catherine joined us at the pianoforte.
βMiss Bennet would not play amiss, if she practised
more, and could have the advantage of a London master,β
declared my aunt.βShe has a very good notion of fingering, though her taste is not equal to Anneβs. Anne would
have been a delightful performer, had her health allowed
her to learn.β
I scarcely heard her. I was watching Elizabeth. She
bore with my auntβs comments with remarkable civility,
and at the request of Colonel Fitzwilliam and myself, she
remained at the instrument until the carriage was ready
to take the party home.
I thought I had rid myself of my admiration for her. I
thought I had forgotten her. But I was wrong.
Monday 14th April
I was taking a walk round the grounds this morning
when my steps led me unconsciously to the parsonage.
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M r . D a r c y β s D i a r y 1 4 3
Finding myself outside I could not, in all politeness, pass
by, and I called in to pay my respects. To my horror, I
found Elizabeth there alone. She seemed as surprised as I
was, but she was not, I think, displeased.Why should she
be? It must be satisfying for her to think that she has captivated me. She bid me take a seat, and I had no choice
but to sit down.
βI am sorry for this intrusion,β I said, feeling the awkwardness of the situation, and wanting to make sure she
knew it had not been by design. βI understood all the
ladies to be within.β
βMrs Collins and Maria have gone on business to the
village,β she replied.
βAh.β
βLady Catherine is well?β she said at last.
βYes, I thank you. She is.β
Silence fell.
βAnd Miss de Bourgh? She, too, is well?β
βYes, I thank you. She is.β
βAnd Colonel Fitzwilliam?β she asked.
βYes, he too is well.β
Another silence fell.
βHow very suddenly you all quitted Netherfield last
November, Mr Darcy!β she began at last. βIt must have
been a most agreeable surprise to Mr Bingley to see you
all after him so soon; for, if I recollect right, he went but
the day before. He and his sisters were well, I hope, when
you left London?β
βPerfectly so, I thank you.β
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A M A N D A G R A N G E
βI think I have understood that Mr Bingley has not
much idea of ever returning to Netherfield again?β
βI have never heard him say so; but it is probable that
he may spend very little of his time there in future. He
has many friends, and he is at a time of life when friends
and engagements are continually increasing.β
βIf he means to be but little at Netherfield, it would be
better for the neighbourhood that he should give up the
place entirely, for then we might possibly get a settled
family there. But perhaps Mr Bingley did not take the
house so much for the convenience of the neighbourhood as for his own, and we must expect him to keep it
or quit it on the same principle.β
I did not like the subject, but replied evenly enough.
βI should not be surprised if he were to give it up, as
soon as any eligible purchase offers.β
I should have left the parsonage then. I knew it. And
yet I could not tear myself away. There was something
about the shape of her face that invited my eye to follow
it, and something about the way her hair fell that made
me want to touch it.
She said nothing, and once more there was silence.
I could not say what was in my mind, and yet I found
I could not leave.
βThis seems a very comfortable house,β I said.
βYes, it is.β
βIt must be agreeable for Mrs Collins to be settled
within so easy a distance of her own family and
friends.β
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βAn easy distance do you call it?β she asked in surprise.
βIt is nearly fifty miles.β
βAnd what is fifty miles of good road? Little more than
half a dayβs journey.β
βI should never have considered the distance as one of
the advantages of the match,β cried Elizabeth.
βIt is a proof of your own attachment for Hertfordshire. Anything beyond the very neighbourhood of
Longbourn, I suppose, would appear far,β I said.
βI do not mean to say that a woman may not be settled too near her family.β
Ah. She knew the evils of her relations and would not
be sorry to escape them. When she married, she would
leave them behind.
βBut I am persuaded my friend would not call herself
near her family under less than half the present distance,β
she continued.
βYou cannot have a right to such very strong local
attachments,β I said, pulling my chair forward a little as I
spoke, for I felt an overwhelming urge to be near her.
βYou cannot have always been at Longbourn.β
She looked surprised, and I was halted. I had almost
been carried away by admiration and tempted into saying that she could have no objection to living at Pemberley, but I had gone too quickly and I was thankful for
it. Her look of surprise saved me from committing
myself to a course of action I would surely regret. I drew
my chair back, and picking up a newspaper, I glanced
over it.
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A M A N D A G R A N G E
βAre you pleased with Kent?β I asked, with enough
coolness to depress any hope she might have been entertaining from my ill-judged manner.
βIt is very pleasant,β she said, looking at me in perplexity.
I embarked on a discussion of its attractions, until we
were saved from the
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