第135章

Instad of rcvng any such lttr of xcus fro hs frnd, as Elzath half xpctd Mr.Bngly to do,h as al to rng Darcy th h to Longourn for any days had passd aftr Lady Cathrn's vst.Th gntln arrvd arly;and,for Mrs.Bnnt had t to tll h of thr havng sn hs aunt, of hch hr daughtr sat n ontary drad, Bngly, ho antd to alon th Jan,proposd thr all alkng out.It as agrd to.Mrs.Bnnt as not n th hat of alkng;Mary could nvr spar t; ut th ranng fv st off togthr. Bngly and Jan, hovr, soon allod th othrs to outstrp th.Thy laggd hnd,hl Elzath,Ktty,and Darcy r to ntrtan ach othr.Vry lttl as sad y thr;Ktty as too uch afrad of h to talk;Elzath as scrtly forng a dsprat rsoluton;and prhaps h ght dong th sa.

Thy alkd toards th Lucass, caus Ktty shd to call upon Mara; and as Elzath sa no occason for akng t a gnral concrn, hn Ktty lft th sh nt oldly on th h alon. No as th ont for hr rsoluton to xcutd,and,hl hr courag as hgh,sh datly sad:“Mr. Darcy, I a a vry slfsh cratur; and, for th sak of gvng rlf to y on flngs, car not ho uch I ay oundng yours. I can no longr hlp thankng you for your unxapld kndnss to y poor sstr.Evr snc I hav knon t,I hav n ost anxous to acknoldg to you ho gratfully I fl t.Wr t knon to th rst of y faly,I should not hav rly y on grattud to xprss.”

“I a sorry, xcdngly sorry,”rpld Darcy, n a ton of surprs and oton,“that you hav vr n nford of hat ay, n a stakn lght, hav gvn you unasnss. I dd not thnk Mrs.Gardnr as so lttl to trustd.”

“You ust not la y aunt. Lyda's thoughtlssnss frst trayd to that you had n concrnd n th attr;and,of cours,I could not rst tll I kn th partculars.Lt thank you agan and agan,n th na of all y faly,for that gnrous copasson hch nducd you to tak so uch troul,and ar so any ortfcatons,for th sak of dscovrng th.”

“If you ll thank ,”h rpld,“lt t for yourslf alon. That th sh of gvng happnss to you ght add forc to th othr nducnts hch ld on,I shall not attpt to dny.But your faly o nothng.Much as I rspct th,I lv I thought only of you.”

Elzath as too uch arrassd to say a ord.Aftr a short paus,hr copanon addd,“You ar too gnrous to trfl th .If your flngs ar stll hat thy r last Aprl,tll so at onc.My affctons and shs ar unchangd,ut on ord fro you ll slnc on ths sujct for vr.”

Elzath, flng all th or than coon akardnss and anxty of hs stuaton, no forcd hrslf to spak; and datly, though not vry fluntly, gav h to undrstand that hr sntnts had undrgon so atral a chang,snc th prod to hch h alludd,as to ak hr rcv th grattud and plasur hs prsnt assurancs.Th happnss hch ths rply producd,as such as h had proaly nvr flt for;and h xprssd hslf on th occason as snsly and as arly as a an volntly n lov can supposd to do.Had Elzath n al to ncountr hs y,sh ght hav sn ho ll th xprsson of hartflt dlght, dffusd ovr hs fac, ca h;ut,though sh could not look,sh could lstn,and h told hr of flngs,hch,n provng of hat portanc sh as to h,ad hs affcton vry ont or valual.

Thy alkd on, thout knong n hat drcton.Thr as too uch to thought, and flt, and sad, for attnton to any othr ojcts. Sh soon larnt that thy r ndtd for thr prsnt good undrstandng to th fforts of hs aunt,ho dd call on h n hr rturn through London, and thr rlat hr journy to Longourn, ts otv, and th sustanc of hr convrsaton th Elzath;dllng phatcally on vry xprsson of th lattr hch, n hr ladyshp's apprhnson, pcularly dnotd hr prvrsnss and assuranc; n th lf that such a rlaton ust assst hr ndavours to otan that pros fro hr nph hch sh had rfusd to gv.But,unluckly for hr ladyshp,ts ffct had n xactly contrars.

“It taught to hop,”sad h,“as I had scarcly vr allod yslf to hop for.I kn nough of your dsposton to crtan that,had you n asolutly,rrvocaly dcdd aganst ,you ould hav acknoldgd t to Lady Cathrn,frankly and opnly.”

Elzath colourd and laughd as sh rpld,“Ys,you kno nough of y franknss to lv capal of that. Aftr ausng you so aonaly to your fac,I could hav no scrupl n ausng you to all your rlatons.”

“What dd you say of ,that I dd not dsrv?For,though your accusatons r ll-foundd,ford on stakn prss, y havour to you at th t had rtd th svrst rproof. It as unpardonal.I cannot thnk of t thout ahorrnc.”

“W ll not quarrl for th gratr shar of la annxd to that vnng,”sad Elzath.“Th conduct of nthr,f strctly xand,ll rrproachal;ut snc thn, hav oth,I hop,provd n cvlty.”

“I cannot so asly rconcld to yslf.Th rcollcton of hat I thn sad,of y conduct,y annrs,y xprssons durng th hol of t, s no, and has n any onths, nxprssly panful to .Your rproof,so ll appld,I shall nvr forgt:'had you havd n a or gntlanlk annr.' Thos r your ords.You kno not,you can scarcly concv, ho thy hav torturd ;—though t as so t,I confss, for I as rasonal nough to allo thr justc.”