In consequence of an
agreement between the sisters, Elizabeth wrote the next morning to
their mother, to beg that the carriage might be sent for them in the
course of the day. But Mrs. Bennet, who had calculated on her
daughters remaining at Netherfield till the following Tuesday, which
would exactly finish Jane's week, could not bring herself to receive
them with pleasure before. Her answer, therefore, was not propitious,
at least not to Elizabeth's wishes, for she was impatient to get
home. Mrs. Bennet sent them word that they could not possibly have
the carriage before Tuesday; and in her postscript it was added, that
if Mr. Bingley and his sister pressed them to stay longer, she could
spare them very well. Against staying longer, however, Elizabeth was
positively resolved—nor did she much expect it would be asked; and
fearful, on the contrary, as being considered as intruding themselves
needlessly long, she urged Jane to borrow Mr. Bingley's carriage
immediately, and at length it was settled that their original design
of leaving Netherfield that morning should be mentioned, and the
request made.
The communication excited many professions of
concern; and enough was said of wishing them to stay at least till
the following day to work on Jane; and till the morrow their going
was deferred. Miss Bingley was then sorry that she had proposed the
delay, for her jealousy and dislike of one sister much exceeded her
affection for the other.
The master of the house heard with real sorrow that
they were to go so soon, and repeatedly tried to persuade Miss Bennet
that it would not be safe for her—that she was not enough
recovered; but Jane was firm where she felt herself to be right.
To Mr. Darcy it was welcome
intelligence—Elizabeth had been at Netherfield long enough. She
attracted him more than he liked—and Miss Bingley was uncivil to
her, and more teasing than usual to himself. He wisely
resolved to be particularly careful that no sign of admiration should
now escape him, nothing that could elevate her with the hope
of influencing his felicity; sensible that if such an idea had been
suggested, his behaviour during the last day must have material
weight in confirming or crushing it. Steady to his purpose, he
scarcely spoke ten words to her through the whole of Saturday, and
though they were at one time left by themselves for half-an-hour, he
adhered most conscientiously to his book, and would not even look at
her.
On Sunday, after morning service, the separation, so
agreeable to almost all, took place. Miss Bingley's civility to
Elizabeth increased at last very rapidly, as well as her affection
for Jane; and when they parted, after assuring the latter of the
pleasure it would always give her to see her either at Longbourn or
Netherfield, and embracing her most tenderly, she even shook hands
with the former. Elizabeth took leave of the whole party in the
liveliest of spirits.
They were not welcomed home very cordially by their
mother. Mrs. Bennet wondered at their coming, and thought them very
wrong to give so much trouble, and was sure Jane would have caught
cold again. But their father, though very laconic in his expressions
of pleasure, was really glad to see them; he had felt their
importance in the family circle. The evening conversation, when they
were all assembled, had lost much of its animation, and almost all
its sense by the absence of Jane and Elizabeth.
They found Mary, as usual, deep in
the study of thorough-bass and human nature; and had some extracts to
admire, and some new observations of threadbare morality to listen
to. Catherine and Lydia had information for them of a different sort.
Much had been done and much had been said in the regiment since the
preceding Wednesday; several of the officers had dined lately with
their uncle, a private had been flogged, and it had actually been
hinted that Colonel Forster was going to be married.
Reino
Unido, T. Egerton, Whitehall, 1813
traducido ao galego por José Díaz Lage
e
publicado como
Orgullo
e prexuízo
Santiago de Compostela, Sotelo Blanco Edicións, 2005
Como consecuencia dun
acordo entre as irmás, Elizabeth escribiulle á mañá seguinte á
súa nai para rogarlle que nalgún momento do día enviasen a
carruaxe; máis a señora Bennet calculara que as súas fillas
quedasen en Netherfield ata o seguinte martes, que faría unha semana
para Jane, e non estaba preparada para recibilas de bo grado antes
desa data. Polo tanto, a súa resposta non foi propicia, polo menos
para os desexos de Elizabeth, que devecía por chegar á casa: a
señora Bennet mandoulles recado de que antes do martes non poderían
dispoñer da carruaxe, e engadía nunha posdata que se o señor
Bingley e a súa irmá insistían en que quedasen máis tempo, ela
podía pasar moi ben sen elas. Porén, Elizabeth estaba decidida a
non quedar máis tempo, aínda que non esperaba que llo pedisen; e
como, pola contra tiña medo de que considerasen que ficaban
demasiado, pediulle a Jane que tomasen de inmediato a carruaxe do
señor Bingley. Ao cabo acordaron que cumpría mencionar o seu plan
de deixar Netherfield esa mañá e facer a petición. A noticia que
produciu moitas mostras de preocupación, e tanto se falou de que
quedasen polo menos un día máis que tivo efecto sobre Jane, e a súa
partida foi adiada ata a mañá seguinte. A señorita Bingley
arrepentiuse entón de ter proposto o atraso, pois os seus celos e
fastío dunha irmá excedían con moito o seu afecto pola outra.
O señor da casa escoitou
con verdadeira mágoa que ían partir pronto, e tentou repetidamente
convencer á señorita Bennet de que non era seguro para ela e de que
non estaba recuperada de abondo; máis Jane era firme cando sabía
que tiña razón. O señor Darcy recibiu esa información con agrado:
Elizabeth xa estivera tempo bastante en Netherfield. Atraíao máis
do que a el lle gustaría, e a señorita Bingley era descortés con
ela e máis brincadora do habitual con el. Decidiu sabiamente ter
máis coidado de que se lle escapara ningún signo de admiración,
nada que puidese darlle a ela a impresión de influír no seu
benestar, ao decatarse de que, se esa idea se manifestase, o seu
comportamento durante o derradeiro día tería un peso crucial á
hora de confirmala ou suprimila. Con este fin, apenas lle dirixiu dez
palabras en todo o sábado e, malia estar sós os dous durante media
hora, centrouse con determinación no seu libro e nin sequera a
mirou.
O domingo, tras o
servizo, tivo lugar a separación, tan agradábel para case todos: a
cortesía da, señorita Bingley con Elizabeth incrementouse moi
rápido no último momento, así como o seu afecto por Jane; cando se
separaron, tras insistirlle esta última no pracer que lle daría
vela, ben en Longbourn, ben en Netherfield, e abrazala con agarimo,
mesmo lle deu a man á primeira. Elizabeth deixou todo o grupo do
mellor dos humores.
Ao chegar á casa non
foron moi ben recibidas pola súa nai: a señora Bennet sorprendeuse
do seu regreso, díxolles que estaba moi mal que desen tantos
problemas e que estaba segura de que Jane collera frío outra vez.
Pero o seu pai, aínda que moi lacónico na expresión da súa
delicia, estaba verdadeiramente contento de velas. Notara a súa
importancia no círculo familiar: a conversación das veladas, cando
estaban todos xuntos, perdera moita da súa animación e case todo o
seu sentido na ausencia de Jane e Elizabeth.
Atoparon a Mary, como era
habitual embebida no estudo da harmonía e da natureza humana; tiña
algúns novos extractos para que admirasen e algunhas novas
observacións de moralidade de saldo para que escoitasen. Catherine e
Lydia tiñan outro tipo de información para elas: no rexemento
dixérase e fixérase moito dende o martes anterior; algúns oficiais
xantaran co seu tío, un soldado fora azoutado e insinuábase que o
coronel Foster ía casar.
