AN ACCOMPLISHED MAN
"Do you prefer reading to cards?" said he; "that is rather singular."
"Miss Eliza Bennet," said Miss Bingley, "despises cards. She is a great reader, and has no pleasure in anything else."
"I deserve neither such praise nor such censure," cried Elizabeth; "I am not a great reader, and I have pleasure in many things."
"In nursing your sister I am sure you have pleasure," said Bingley; "and I hope it will soon be increased by seeing her quite well."
Elizabeth thanked him from her heart, and then walked towards a table where a few books were lying. He 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; but I am an idle fellow; and though I have not many, I have more than I ever looked into."
Elizabeth assured him that she could suit herself perfectly with those in the room.
"I am astonished," said Miss Bingley, "that my father should have left so small a collection of books."
"Why is that astonishing, Caroline?" Mr. Bingley asked. "I would only be shocked if he had had a large library, considering our father never read anything that was not business related and never bought anything useless for show."
"Hence, Accounting in Theory and Practice, Vol 4., and An Illustrated Directory of the Fine Points of Dovetail Joinery? Elizabeth asked.
"Yes, family heirlooms, the lot of them," Mr. Bingley said. "Nobody reads them but Caroline and Louisa wanted to bring them so the bookshelves look less empty and forlorn. Darcy loves a library but ours is pitiful. The few novels and poetry books that we have here were forgotten by the previous tenants I think."
"Once upon a time there must have been some great readers in this house," Mr. Darcy said. "I could lend you a book from the ones I brought, Miss Elizabeth."
"Oh, thank you," Elizabeth said.
"What a delightful library you have at Pemberley, Mr. Darcy!" Miss Bingley interjected.
"It ought to be good," he replied: "it has been the work of many generations."
"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."
"Family library? So are you buying books for your descendants to read, rather than yourself?" Elizabeth asked.
"Oh no," said Mr. Darcy. "Of course I hope that some day there might be children and grandchildren learning to appreciate good literature. But I am a selfish being so I want to read them first."
"If anyone is a great reader it is Darcy," said Mr. Bingley. "He can discuss books even in a ballroom."
"Fie! This is shocking news indeed," Elizabeth said. "There are rules, sir! Books are not to be spoken of while dancing."
"See, Miss Elizabeth agrees with me. You are meant to compliment your partner's beauty," Mr. Bingley said, "and not the thematic variation and symbolism of the Bard's comedy pieces."
Mr. Darcy investigated Mr. Bingley's book collection. "I dare say you would have better luck discussing books in a ballroom, or anywhere else for that matter, if you had read something besides A Primer on Furniture Upholstery - Methods and Materials."
"That is terrible slander, Darcy!" Mr. Bingley exclaimed. "You must apologise immediately, so we need not meet at dawn."
"What?" Miss Bingley was alarmed.
"I would have you all know that I have not actually read A Primer on Furniture Upholstery - Methods and Materials."
"We believe you, Mr. Bingley," Elizabeth said.
"I apologise," Mr. Darcy said. "For inadvertently implying that you would stoop as low as to read a book. This manual is not even illustrated, so it was very misguided of me."
"Thank you, my friend," Mr. Bingley said. "I must guard my reputation."
"How long have you been friends?" inquired Elizabeth.
"Oh, almost ten years now," Mr. Bingley said. "Darcy was a great comfort to me at Cambridge."
"It is an interesting camaraderie because you seem to have somewhat divergent interests," said Elizabeth.
"Brava, Miss Elizabeth, that is a very polite way of asking how a man with such a deathly aversion to reading managed to grow close to Mister Book Collector." Mr. Hurst chortled. "But the thing is, nobody knows. I think Bingley may have helped Darcy to bury a body."
"I thank you to leave our murderous past out of it," said Darcy. "There are ladies in the room."
Only one of them was appalled by Mr. Hurst's jest. "Mr. Darcy is not a barbarian, and anyone would be privileged to have him as a friend," Miss Bingley said.
"Well, you never know," said Mr. Bingley. "Some day having a literate friend might turn out to be useful. And Darcy has a fine estate that is very lovely in the summer."
"Pemberley is such a joy to visit. Mr. Darcy neglects nothing that can add to the beauties of that noble place," Miss Bingley said. "Charles, when you build your house, I wish it may be half as delightful as Pemberley."
"Assuming that I build a house," Mr. Bingley said. "I am considering whether I should buy Netherfield."
This did not seem to be to Miss Bingley's liking. "Buy Netherfield! Surely this is just a temporary situation for us. I would really advise 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."
"Just this morning you complained that Hertfordshire is too far from town," Mr. Hurst said. "Not sure if you have noticed but Derbyshire is much farther."
"Oh! But the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, I am sure Mr. Darcy would agree."
"I am satisfied with my home county," he said, "Although when travelling in bad weather, the distance between London and Derbyshire certainly seems inconvenient."
"But travelling is not such a hardship when one can afford the finest horses and the finest carriages," Miss Bingley said.
"Certainly," Mr. Darcy said. "If the roads are good I would not say that Pemberley is too far from London at all."
"Perhaps it is the other way around," said Elizabeth. "Perhaps it is London that is too far from Pemberley."
"You have convinced me," said Mr. Bingley. "Derbyshire is the epicentre of everything, and I will buy Pemberley itself, if Darcy will sell it. Then we can campaign to relocate London."
"I am talking of possibilities, Charles," Miss Bingley said.
"Upon my word, Caroline, I should think it more possible to get Pemberley by purchase than by imitation."
"You might wish to settle into a house that you love on its own merits," said Mr. Darcy. "Preferably somewhat less drafty than Pemberley."
"Your house is very drafty?" Elizabeth asked.
"Let me put it this way," Mr. Darcy said. "There is not a place in all England that I love more. But you definitely want your woollen socks in the winter, and Mrs. Annesley is furiously knitting shawls in every colour."
Mrs. Annesley was his sister's companion, he explained.
"Is Miss Darcy much grown since the spring?" said 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."
"Congratulations, Miss Elizabeth! You have just become the yardstick on which Darcy measures any other women?" said Mr. Hurst who must have thought it was hilarious, judging from the raucous laughter.
"What nonsense!" Miss Bingley said, irritated.
Mr. Darcy seemed embarrassed. "Well, why not? I should think one woman can be compared to any other woman."
"And be found wanting," said Miss Bingley delicately. "How I long to see Miss Darcy again! I never met with anybody who delighted me so much. Such a countenance, such manners, and so extremely accomplished for her age! Her performance on the pianoforte is exquisite."
"It is amazing to me," said Bingley, "how young ladies can have patience to be so very accomplished as they all are. They all paint tables, cover screens, and net purses. I scarcely know any one who cannot do all this; and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time, without being informed that she was very accomplished."
"It is due to boredom, Charles," Mr. Hurst said. "If gentlemen are bored they can go shooting and boxing, visit their club and see horse races. But what options are there for young ladies like Miss Darcy who are not even out? What else is there for her to do but to play the pianoforte and decorate furniture?"
"She also plays the harp," Mrs. Hurst said.
"Hurst, how can you speak so despicably?" Miss Bingley exclaimed. "I am sure Miss Darcy is not bored."
"I dare say she often is," Mr. Darcy said. "Pemberley is not a very exciting place when we are alone, especially in the winter."
"Every woman who ever painted a table did it because they were bored," Mr. Hurst said.
¨I have never painted a table in my life," said Elizabeth.
"It goes to show," said Mr. Hurst vaguely.
"Never mind, Miss Elizabeth, not everyone can be equally accomplished," said Miss Bingley comfortingly.
"And do you know many accomplished young women?"
"Oh, we move in very refined circles in London," said Miss Bingley. "There is plenty of culture and education."
"I cannot boast of knowing more than half-a-dozen in the whole range of my acquaintance that are really accomplished," said Mr. Darcy.
"If Darcy knows half-a-dozen young ladies altogether it is news to me," said Mr. Bingley. "When we are in London and attend events together he frequently makes a point of avoiding the introductions."
"I am in good company then," Elizabeth said. "I do not think Mr. Darcy and I have ever been introduced."
"In my view, Mr. Darcy is very wise to avoid introductions. It is a very useful skill, and it is a shame it does not get practised more often," Miss Bingley opined, her glance shifting between Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth. "Dodging undesirable acquaintances would be much easier if one was never forced to acknowledge those people to begin with."
"I certainly agree but sometimes I am sadly deficient in judging people's character until I have spoken with them," Elizabeth said. "And it is too late by then. Mr. Darcy is to be commended for his ability to see everyone's worthlessness at a glance from across the room."
"Perhaps," said Darcy, "I should have judged better had I sought an introduction, but I am ill-qualified to recommend myself to strangers."
Miss Bingley was unable to accept that Mr. Darcy was ill-qualified to do anything so she began to expostulate that he was perfectly able to recommend himself to anyone he chose, and offered as proof her certainty that Mr. Darcy sought introductions to any manner of worthy persons all the time in London and had no difficulty whatsoever in earning their respect and regard.
Elizabeth noted that he seemed relatively at ease in the company of his friends and at her prompting, Mr. Darcy was forced to admit that five minutes of friendly discourse with a stranger might be achievable if he just took the trouble.
"We might make an accomplished man out of you yet," said Mr. Hurst.
"Although not by feminine standards," said Mr. Darcy. "I am useless at sewing."
"Then," observed Elizabeth, "you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an accomplished woman."
"Yes; I do comprehend a great deal in it."
"Oh, certainly," cried his Miss Bingley, "no one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and, besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved."
"One wonders what manner of paragon Darcy will marry," Mr. Hurst said.
"Does one?" Mr. Darcy said.
"One does not need to wonder that the least bit," Miss Bingley declared. "The future Mrs. Darcy will be exemplary in all matters of style and deportment, and able to exhibit her proficiency in things like foreign languages, table painting and embroidery whenever called upon to do so."
"Well, my ideal woman would be capable of learning anything she deemed important but I imagine that I would chiefly communicate with her in English so being a polyglot is not a priority," said Mr. Darcy. "First and foremost I am looking for a witty, well-informed companion who would make a caring mother for my children and a conscientious mistress for my estate."
"You can buy painted tables, after all," Mr. Hurst said.
"Yes," Mr. Darcy said. "I appreciate nimble fingers and artistic skills as much as any other man, I am sure, but I have not been brought up to consider marriage to be a giant craft fair."