morning to answering it, as I foresee that a little writing will

not comprise what I have to tell you. I must confess myself

surprised by your application; I did not expect it from you.

Don’t think me angry, however, for I only mean to let you know,

that I had not imagined such inquiries to be necessary on your

side. If you do not choose to understand me, forgive my

impertinence. Your uncle is as much surprised as I am; and nothing

but the belief of your being a party concerned would have allowed

him to act as he has done. But if you are really innocent and

ignorant, I must be more explicit. On the very day of my coming

home from Longbourn, your uncle had a most unexpected visitor. Mr.

Darcy called, and was shut up with him several hours. It was all

over before I arrived; so my curiosity was not so dreadfully racked

as yours seems to have been. He came to tell Mr. Gardiner that he

had found out where your sister and Mr. Wickham were, and that he

had seen and talked with them both—Wickham repeatedly, Lydia once.

From what I can collect, he left Derbyshire only one day after

ourselves, and came to town with the resolution of hunting for

them. The motive professed was his conviction of its being owing to

himself that Wickham’s worthlessness had not been so well known as

to make it impossible for any young woman of character to love or

confide in him. He generously imputed the whole to his mistaken

pride, and confessed that he had before thought it beneath him to

lay his private actions open to{395} the world. His character was to

speak for itself. He called it, therefore, his duty to step

forward, and endeavour to remedy an evil which had been brought on

by himself. If he had another motive, I am sure it would never

disgrace him. He had been some days in town before he was able to

discover them; but he had something to direct his search, which was

more than we had; and the consciousness of this was another