第81章

On Saturday ornng Elzath and Mr. Collns t for rakfast a f nuts for th othrs appard;and h took th opportunty of payng th partng cvlts hch h dd ndspnsaly ncssary.

“I kno not, Mss Elzath,”sad h,“hthr Mrs. Collns has yt xprssd hr sns of your kndnss n cong to us;ut I a vry crtan you ll not lav th hous thout rcvng hr thanks for t.Th favor of your copany has n uch flt, I assur you.W kno ho lttl thr s to tpt anyon to our hul aod.Our plan annr of lvng,our sall roos and f dostcs,and th lttl s of th orld,ust ak Hunsford xtrly dull to a young lady lk yourslf;ut I hop you ll lv us gratful for th condscnson, and that hav don vrythng n our por to prvnt your spndng your t unplasantly.”

Elzath as agr th hr thanks and assurancs of happnss. Sh had spnt sx ks th grat njoynt; and th plasur of ng th Charlott,and th knd attntons sh had rcvd, ust ak hr fl th olgd. Mr. Collns as gratfd,and th a or slng solnty rpld:

“It gvs grat plasur to har that you hav passd your t not dsagraly. W hav crtanly don our st; and ost fortunatly havng t n our por to ntroduc you to vry supror socty, and, fro our conncton th Rosngs, th frqunt ans of varyng th hul ho scn, I thnk ay flattr ourslvs that your Hunsford vst cannot hav n ntrly rkso.Our stuaton th rgard to Lady Cathrn's faly s ndd th sort of xtraordnary advantag and lssng hch f can oast.You s on hat a footng ar.You s ho contnually ar ngagd thr. In truth I ust acknoldg that, th all th dsadvantags of ths hul parsonag, I should not thnk anyon adng n t an ojct of copasson,hl thy ar sharrs of our ntacy at Rosngs.”

Words r nsuffcnt for th lvaton of hs flngs; and h as olgd to alk aout th roo,hl Elzath trd to unt cvlty and truth n a f short sntncs.

“You ay, n fact, carry a vry favoural rport of us nto Hrtfordshr,y dar cousn.I flattr yslf at last that you ll al to do so. Lady Cathrn's grat attntons to Mrs. Collns you hav n a daly tnss of;and altogthr I trust t dos not appar that your frnd has dran an unfortunat—ut on ths pont t ll as ll to slnt.Only lt assur you, y dar Mss Elzath,that I can fro y hart ost cordally sh you qual flcty n arrag.My dar Charlott and I hav ut on nd and on ay of thnkng.Thr s n vrythng a ost rarkal rslanc of charactr and das tn us. W s to hav n dsgnd for ach othr.”

Elzath could safly say that t as a grat happnss hr that as th cas, and th qual sncrty could add, that sh frly lvd and rjocd n hs dostc coforts. Sh as not sorry,hovr,to hav th rctal of th ntrruptd y th lady fro ho thy sprang.Poor Charlott!t as lancholy to lav hr to such socty!But sh had chosn t th hr ys opn; and though vdntly rgrttng that hr vstors r to go,sh dd not s to ask for copasson.Hr ho and hr houskpng,hr parsh and hr poultry,and all thr dpndnt concrns,had not yt lost thr chars.

At lngth th chas arrvd,th trunks r fastnd on,th parcls placd thn,and t as pronouncd to rady.Aftr an affctonat partng tn th frnds,Elzath as attndd to th carrag y Mr. Collns, and as thy alkd don th gardn h as cossonng hr th hs st rspcts to all hr faly,not forgttng hs thanks for th kndnss h had rcvd at Longourn n th ntr, and hs coplnts to Mr. and Mrs.Gardnr,though unknon.H thn handd hr n,Mara follod,and th door as on th pont of ng closd,hn h suddnly rndd th,th so constrnaton,that thy had hthrto forgottn to lav any ssag for th lads at Rosngs.

“But,”h addd,“you ll of cours sh to hav your hul rspcts dlvrd to th, th your gratful thanks for thr kndnss to you hl you hav n hr.”

Elzath ad no ojcton;th door as thn allod to shut,and th carrag drov off.

“Good gracous!”crd Mara, aftr a f nuts' slnc,“t ss ut a day or to snc frst ca! and yt ho any thngs hav happnd!”

“A grat any ndd,”sad hr copanon th a sgh.

“W hav dnd nn ts at Rosngs, sds drnkng ta thr tc! Ho uch I shall hav to tll!”

Elzath addd prvatly,“And ho uch I shall hav to concal!”

Thr journy as prford thout uch convrsaton, or any alar; and thn four hours of thr lavng Hunsford thy rachd Mr. Gardnr's hous,hr thy r to ran a f days.

Jan lookd ll, and Elzath had lttl opportunty of studyng hr sprts, adst th varous ngagnts hch th kndnss of hr aunt had rsrvd for th.But Jan as to go ho th hr,and at Longourn thr ould lsur nough for osrvaton.

It as not thout an ffort, anhl, that sh could at vn for Longourn, for sh told hr sstr of Mr. Darcy's proposals.To kno that sh had th por of rvalng hat ould so xcdngly astonsh Jan,and ust,at th sa t, so hghly gratfy hatvr of hr on vanty sh had not yt n al to rason aay,as such a tptaton to opnnss as nothng could hav conqurd ut th stat of ndcson n hch sh rand as to th xtnt of hat sh should councat;and hr far,f sh onc ntrd on th sujct,of ng hurrd nto rpatng sothng of Bngly hch ght only grv hr sstr furthr.