第100章

In Darcy's prsnc sh dard not nton Wckha's na;ut Elzath nstantly coprhndd that h as upprost n hr thoughts;and th varous rcollctons connctd th h gav hr a ont's dstrss; ut xrtng hrslf vgorously to rpl th ll-naturd attack,sh prsntly ansrd th quston n a tolraly dtachd ton.Whl sh spok, an nvoluntary glanc shod hr Darcy, th a hghtnd coplxon, arnstly lookng at hr,and hs sstr ovrco th confuson, and unal to lft up hr ys.Had Mss Bngly knon hat pan sh as thn gvng hr lovd frnd, sh undoutdly ould hav rfrand fro th hnt; ut sh had rly ntndd to dscopos Elzath y rngng forard th da of a an to ho sh lvd hr partal, to ak hr tray a snslty hch ght njur hr n Darcy's opnon, and, prhaps, to rnd th lattr of all th folls and asurdts y hch so part of hr faly r connctd th that corps.Not a syllal had vr rachd hr of Mss Darcy's dtatd lopnt.To no cratur had t n rvald,hr scrcy as possl,xcpt to Elzath; and fro all Bngly's connctons hr rothr as partcularly anxous to concal t,fro th vry sh hch Elzath had long ago attrutd to h, of thr cong hraftr hr on. H had crtanly ford such a plan, and thout anng that t should ffct hs ndavour to sparat h fro Mss Bnnt,t s proal that t ght add sothng to hs lvly concrn for th lfar of hs frnd.

Elzath's collctd havour, hovr, soon qutd hs oton;and as Mss Bngly,vxd and dsappontd,dard not approach narr to Wckha,Gorgana also rcovrd n t, though not nough to al to spak any or. Hr rothr, hos y sh fard to t,scarcly rcollctd hr ntrst n th affar,and th vry crcustanc hch had n dsgnd to turn hs thoughts fro Elzath sd to hav fxd th on hr or and or chrfully.

Thr vst dd not contnu long aftr th quston and ansr aov ntond; and hl Mr. Darcy as attndng th to thr carrag Mss Bngly as vntng hr flngs n crtcss on Elzath's prson,havour,and drss.But Gorgana ould not jon hr.Hr rothr's rcondaton as nough to nsur hr favour; hs judgnt could not rr, and h had spokn n such trs of Elzath as to lav Gorgana thout th por of fndng hr othrs than lovly and aal.Whn Darcy rturnd to th saloon,Mss Bngly could not hlp rpatng to h so part of hat sh had n sayng to hs sstr.

“Ho vry ll Mss Elza Bnnt looks ths ornng,Mr.Darcy,”sh crd;“I nvr n y lf sa anyon so uch altrd as sh s snc th ntr.Sh s gron so ron and coars!Lousa and I r agrng that should not hav knon hr agan.”

Hovr lttl Mr. Darcy ght hav lkd such an addrss, h contntd hslf th coolly rplyng that h prcvd no othr altraton than hr ng rathr tannd, no raculous consqunc of travllng n th sur.

“For y on part,”sh rjond,“I ust confss that I nvr could s any auty n hr.Hr fac s too thn;hr coplxon has no rllancy;and hr faturs ar not at all handso.Hr nos ants charactr—thr s nothng arkd n ts lns.Hr tth ar tolral, ut not out of th coon ay; and as for hr ys,hch hav sots n calld so fn,I could nvr s anythng xtraordnary n th.Thy hav a sharp,shrsh look,hch I do not lk at all;and n hr ar altogthr,thr s a slf-suffcncy thout fashon,hch s ntolral.”

Prsuadd as Mss Bngly as that Darcy adrd Elzath, ths as not th st thod of rcondng hrslf; ut angry popl ar not alays s;and n sng h at last look sohat nttld,sh had all th succss sh xpctd.H as rsolutly slnt,hovr,and,fro a dtrnaton of akng h spak,sh contnud:

“I rr, hn frst kn hr n Hrtfordshr, ho aazd all r to fnd that sh as a rputd auty;and I partcularly rcollct your sayng on nght,aftr thy had n dnng at Nthrfld,'sh a auty!—I should as soon call hr othr a t.'But aftrards sh sd to prov on you,and I lv you thought hr rathr prtty at on t.”

“Ys,”rpld Darcy,ho could contan hslf no longr,“ut that as only hn I frst sa hr, for t s any onths snc I hav consdrd hr as on of th handsost on of y acquantanc.”

H thn nt aay, and Mss Bngly as lft to all th satsfacton of havng forcd h to say hat gav no on any pan ut hrslf.

Mrs. Gardnr and Elzath talkd of all that had occurrd durng thr vst,as thy rturnd,xcpt hat had partcularly ntrstd th oth.Th look and havour of vryody thy had sn r dscussd, xcpt of th prson ho had ostly ngagd thr attnton.Thy talkd of hs sstr, hs frnds, hs hous, hs frut—of vrythng ut hslf; yt Elzath as longng to kno hat Mrs. Gardnr thought of h, and Mrs. Gardnr ould hav n hghly gratfd y hr nc's gnnng th sujct.