Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 48

The whole party were in hopes of a letter from Mr. Bennet the

next morning, but the post came in without bringing a single line

from him. His family knew him to be, on all common occasions,

a most negligent and dilatory correspondent; but at such a time

they had hoped for exertion. They were forced to conclude that

he had no pleasing intelligence to send; but even of _that_ they

would have been glad to be certain. Mr. Gardiner had waited

only for the letters before he set off.

When he was gone, they were certain at least of receiving

constant information of what was going on, and their uncle

promised, at parting, to prevail on Mr. Bennet to return to

Longbourn, as soon as he could, to the great consolation of his

sister, who considered it as the only security for her husband's

not being killed in a duel.

Mrs. Gardiner and the children were to remain in Hertfordshire

a few days longer, as the former thought her presence might be

serviceable to her nieces. She shared in their attendance on

Mrs. Bennet, and was a great comfort to them in their hours of

freedom. Their other aunt also visited them frequently, and

always, as she said, with the design of cheering and heartening

them up--though, as she never came without reporting some

fresh instance of Wickham's extravagance or irregularity, she

seldom went away without leaving them more dispirited than

she found them.

All Meryton seemed striving to blacken the man who, but three

months before, had been almost an angel of light. He was

declared to be in debt to every tradesman in the place, and his

intrigues, all honoured with the title of seduction, had been

extended into every tradesman's family. Everybody declared

that he was the wickedest young man in the world; and everybody

began to find out that they had always distrusted the appearance

of his goodness. Elizabeth, though she did not credit above

half of what was said, believed enough to make her former

assurance of her sister's ruin more certain; and even Jane,

who believed still less of it, became almost hopeless, more

especially as the time was now come when, if they had gone to

Scotland, which she had never before entirely despaired of,

they must in all probability have gained some news of them.

Mr. Gardiner left Longbourn on Sunday; on Tuesday his wife

received a letter from him; it told them that, on his arrival,