Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 53

Mr. Wickham was so perfectly satisfied with this conversation

that he never again distressed himself, or provoked his dear

sister Elizabeth, by introducing the subject of it; and she was

pleased to find that she had said enough to keep him quiet.

The day of his and Lydia's departure soon came, and Mrs. Bennet

was forced to submit to a separation, which, as her husband by

no means entered into her scheme of their all going to

Newcastle, was likely to continue at least a twelvemonth.

"Oh! my dear Lydia," she cried, "when shall we meet again?"

"Oh, lord! I don't know. Not these two or three years,

perhaps."

"Write to me very often, my dear."

"As often as I can. But you know married women have never much

time for writing. My sisters may write to _me_. They will

have nothing else to do."

Mr. Wickham's adieus were much more affectionate than his

wife's. He smiled, looked handsome, and said many pretty

things.

"He is as fine a fellow," said Mr. Bennet, as soon as they were

out of the house, "as ever I saw. He simpers, and smirks, and

makes love to us all. I am prodigiously proud of him. I defy

even Sir William Lucas himself to produce a more valuable

son-in-law."

The loss of her daughter made Mrs. Bennet very dull for

several days.

"I often think," said she, "that there is nothing so bad as

parting with one's friends. One seems so forlorn without

them."

"This is the consequence, you see, Madam, of marrying a daughter,"

said Elizabeth. "It must make you better satisfied that your

other four are single."

"It is no such thing. Lydia does not leave me because she is

married, but only because her husband's regiment happens to be

so far off. If that had been nearer, she would not have gone

so soon."

But the spiritless condition which this event threw her into

was shortly relieved, and her mind opened again to the

agitation of hope, by an article of news which then began to be

in circulation. The housekeeper at Netherfield had received

orders to prepare for the arrival of her master, who was coming

down in a day or two, to shoot there for several weeks.

Mrs. Bennet was quite in the fidgets. She looked at Jane, and

smiled and shook her head by turns.

"Well, well, and so Mr. Bingley is coming down, sister,"

(for Mrs. Phillips first brought her the news). "Well, so