She was perfectly sensible that he never had: but she wished to see

whether he would betray any consciousness of what had passed between the

Bingleys and Jane; and she thought he looked a little confused as he

answered that he had never been so fortunate as to meet Miss Bennet. The

subject was pursued no further, and the gentlemen soon afterwards went

away.{215}


CHAPTER XXXI.

COLONEL FITZWILLIAM’S manners were very much admired at the Parsonage,

and the ladies all felt that he must add considerably to the pleasure of

their engagements at Rosings. It was some days, however, before they

received any invitation thither, for while there were visitors in the

house they could not be necessary; and it was not till Easter-day,

almost a week after the gentlemen’s arrival, that they were honoured by

such an attention, and then they were merely asked on leaving church to

come there in the evening. For the last week they had seen very little

of either Lady Catherine or her daughter. Colonel Fitzwilliam had called

at the{216} Parsonage more than once during the time, but Mr. Darcy they had

only seen at church.
The invitation was accepted, of course, and at a proper hour they joined

the party in Lady Catherine’s drawing-room. Her Ladyship received them

civilly, but it was plain that their company was by no means so

acceptable as when she could get nobody else; and she was, in fact,

almost engrossed by her nephews, speaking to them, especially to Darcy,

much more than to any other person in the room.
Colonel Fitzwilliam seemed really glad to see them: anything was a

welcome relief to him at Rosings; and Mrs. Collins’s pretty friend had,

moreover, caught his fancy very much. He now seated himself by her, and

talked so agreeably of Kent and Hertfordshire, of travelling and staying

at home, of new books and music, that Elizabeth had never been half so

well entertained in that room before; and they conversed with so much