Mr Darcy attended to Miss Bennet at the Hunsford parsonage and being unable restrain himself any longer, he declared his love for her.
He spoke well; but there were feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed; and he was not more eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride. His sense of her inferiority—of its being a degradation—of the family obstacles which had always opposed to inclination, were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the consequence he was wounding but was very unlikely to recommend his suit.
In response, perhaps Miss Bennet was more outspoken than strictly prudent, but her feelings of outrage at Darcy's continued insults could not be suppressed.
Having delivered her rebuttal of his slights, she finally said, 'I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.'
Darcy's countenance turned pale before the onslaught of her words, although by the end of her speech bewilderment had given way to a speculative look.
'Miss Bennet, one of the reasons I fell in love with you was my impression that you were intelligent. Since you have fallen for the blatant lies of that scoundrel Wickham, you just demonstrated to me that I was mistaken. I must thank you for rejecting my proposal. It would have been sheer torture to be tied to a stupid woman for life.'
He bowed punctiliously. 'I wish you well for the future. Goodbye.'
As he quit the room, Elizabeth stared after him in open-mouthed shock. The nerve of the man, insulting her yet again, she thought in disgust.
She was too prejudiced to consider that Darcy could have been correct.