wishes for your health and happiness.”
And with these words he hastily left the room, and Elizabeth heard him

the next moment open the front door and quit the house. The tumult of

her mind was now painfully great. She knew not how to support herself,

and, from actual weakness, sat down and cried for half an hour. Her

astonishment, as she reflected on what had passed, was increased by

every review of it. That she should receive an offer of marriage from

Mr. Darcy! that he should have been in love with her for so many months!

so much in love as to wish to marry her in spite of all the objections

which had made him prevent his friend’s marrying her sister, and which

must appear at least with equal force in his own case, was almost

incredible! it was gratifying to have inspired unconsciously so strong

an affection. But his pride, his abominable pride, his shameless avowal

of what he had done with respect to Jane, his unpardonable assurance in

acknowledging, though he could not justify it, and the unfeeling manner

which he had mentioned Mr. Wickham, his cruelty towards whom he had not

attempted to deny, soon overcame the pity which the consideration of his

attachment had for a moment excited.
She continued in very agitating reflections till the sound of Lady

Catherine’s carriage made her feel how unequal she was to encounter

Charlotte’s observation, and hurried her away to her room.{243}

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“Hearing herself called.”


CHAPTER XXXV.

ELIZABETH awoke the next morning to the same thoughts and meditations

which had at length closed her eyes. She could not yet recover from the

surprise of what had happened: it was impossible to think of anything

else; and, totally indisposed for employment, she resolved soon after

breakfast to indulge herself in air and exercise. She was proceeding

directly to her favourite walk, when the recollection of Mr. Darcy’s

sometimes coming there stopped her, and instead of entering the park,