accidental{326} meeting, most eager to preserve the acquaintance; and

without any indelicate display of regard, or any peculiarity of manner,

where their two selves only were concerned, was soliciting the good

opinion of her friends, and bent on making her known to his sister. Such

a change in a man of so much pride excited not only astonishment but

gratitude—for to love, ardent love, it must be attributed; and, as

such, its impression on her was of a sort to be encouraged, as by no

means unpleasing, though it could not be exactly defined. She respected,

she esteemed, she was grateful to him, she felt a real interest in his

welfare; and she only wanted to know how far she wished that welfare to

depend upon herself, and how far it would be for the happiness of both

that she should employ the power, which her fancy told her she still

possessed, of bringing on the renewal of his addresses.
It had been settled in the evening, between the aunt and niece, that

such a striking civility as Miss Darcy’s, in coming to them on the very

day of her arrival at Pemberley—for she had reached it only to a late

breakfast—ought to be imitated, though it could not be equalled, by

some exertion of politeness on their side; and, consequently, that it

would be highly expedient to wait on her at Pemberley the following

morning. They were, therefore, to go. Elizabeth was pleased; though when

she asked herself the reason, she had very little to say in reply.
Mr. Gardiner left them soon after breakfast. The fishing scheme had been

renewed the day before, and a positive engagement made of his meeting

some of the gentlemen at Pemberley by noon.{327}

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“Engaged by the river.”


CHAPTER XLV.

CONVINCED as Elizabeth now was that Miss Bingley’s dislike of her had

originated in jealousy, she could not help feeling how very unwelcome

her appearance at Pemberley must be to her, and was curious to know