his pride, if he had not mortified mine.”
“Pride,” observed Mary, who piqued herself upon the solidity of her

reflections, “is a very common failing, I believe. By all that I have

ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed; that human

nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us

who do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency on the score of some

quality or other, real or imaginary. Vanity and pride are different

things, though the words are often{26} used synonymously. A person may be

proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of

ourselves; vanity to what we would have others think of us.”
“If I were as rich as Mr. Darcy,” cried a young Lucas, who came with his

sisters, “I should not care how proud I was. I would keep a pack of

foxhounds, and drink a bottle of wine every day.”
“Then you would drink a great deal more than you ought,” said Mrs.

Bennet; “and if I were to see you at it, I should take away your bottle

directly.”
The boy protested that she should not; she continued to declare that she

would; and the argument ended only with the visit.

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{27}

CHAPTER VI.

THE ladies of Longbourn soon waited on those of Netherfield. The visit

was returned in due form. Miss Bennet’s pleasing manners grew on the

good-will of Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley; and though the mother was

found to be intolerable, and the younger sisters not worth speaking to,

a wish of being better acquainted with them was expressed towards the

two eldest. By Jane this attention was received with the greatest

pleasure; but Elizabeth still saw superciliousness in their treatment of

everybody, hardly excepting even her sister, and could not like them;

though their kindness to Jane, such as it was, had a value, as arising,

in all probability, from the influence of their brother’s admiration. It

was generally evident, whenever they met, that he did admire her; and