After the assembly, Bingley, Caroline, and Darcy gathered in the library to discuss their impressions of the assembly and the prominent families of Meryton. As was to be expected, Charles Bingley was the most enthusiastic among them.
"It has been a long time since I have seen such a large gathering of pleasant and pretty young women. The Misses Bennet are particularly pretty, especially Jane Bennet." He smiled, "she is one of the most beautiful women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting."
Caroline found her brother's predictable behaviour tiresome. She sighed dramatically before responding, "She is similar in appearance to Miss Tell, but the difference is that she does not have a large dowry or connections with nobility."
Bingley nodded slightly, as he had been interested in courting Miss Tell until she became engaged to the son of a wealthy baronet. "Yes, she resembles Miss Tell, but unlike her, Miss Bennet is not engaged." Turning to Darcy, he asked, "What is your opinion of Miss Bennet, Darce? Isn't she beautiful?"
Darcy sighed and replied, "Yes, she is indeed pretty, with delicate features and a graceful figure. However, she smiles too much. Furthermore, her aunt is one of the most vulgar and mercenary women I have ever met."
Bingley shook his head and replied, "Only you can say that smiling too much is a defect," he smiled lightly, "Mrs. Phillips is not as bad as you describe her, although I admit she lacks refinement."
Darcy hesitated but ultimately decided to confide in his friend about what he had overheard. As a man who had known his fair share of mercenary women like Mrs. Phillips, he did not want Bingley to fall prey to their schemes. While Miss Bennet had expressed her preference for Bingley over him, perhaps it was simply because he did not show her any attention. So, he said, "Bingley, Mrs. Phillips is exactly as I described her. I happened to overhear her advising Miss Bennet not to waste her time on you since you only have £5,000 a year, whereas I have £10,000." He sighed, "I advise you to be cautious around those two women. It would be a shame if they were to compromise you in any way."
Caroline nodded vigorously, but Bingley seemed sceptical, "Are you sure Mrs. Phillips said that? Perhaps you misunderstood her. Mrs. Phillips informed me that Miss Bennet is her younger sister's daughter and Mr. Bennet's eldest daughter. She also informed me that she is the heiress of Longbourn…"
They proceeded to discuss the remaining members of the Bennet family and the Lucases. All three of them seemed to believe that Mrs. Bennet was a pleasant and well-educated lady, as were Miss Elizabeth and Miss Mary. Bingley even went as far as to say that Miss Elizabeth was the second most beautiful woman at the assembly and that she was also a brilliant conversationalist.
PPP
As Jane lay in bed that night, she pondered over her Aunt Phillips' advice. Specifically, she thought about Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. Jane always took her counsel seriously as she knew her aunt genuinely loved her. However, in this case, she found herself liking Mr. Bingley more than Mr. Darcy.
Jane recognized that Mr. Darcy was a very handsome gentleman. He was even more handsome than Mr. Bingley and he was wealthier. In addition to that, he had connections with the nobility. Jane noticed how distinguished and refined he looked. However, he appeared very serious and did not even ask her for a dance. Furthermore, he barely acknowledged her presence the entire night.
In contrast, Mr. Bingley was a very amiable and pleasant gentleman who had shown a keen interest in her. She found him charming and was drawn to his friendly nature. In her opinion, he was just what a young man ought to be, and she wanted the opportunity to get to know him better.