to exaggerate them as much as possible; and, in return, it belongs to me

to find occasions for teasing and quarrelling with you as often as may

be; and I shall begin directly, by asking you what made you so unwilling

to come to the point at last?{468} What made you so shy of me, when you

first called, and afterwards dined here? Why, especially, when you

called, did you look as if you did not care about me?”
“Because you were grave and silent, and gave me no encouragement.”
“But I was embarrassed.”
“And so was I.”
“You might have talked to me more when you came to dinner.”
“A man who had felt less might.”
“How unlucky that you should have a reasonable answer to give, and that

I should be so reasonable as to admit it! But I wonder how long you

would have gone on, if you had been left to yourself. I wonder when

you would have spoken if I had not asked you! My resolution of

thanking you for your kindness to Lydia had certainly great effect. Too

much, I am afraid; for what becomes of the moral, if our comfort

springs from a breach of promise, for I ought not to have mentioned the

subject? This will never do.”
“You need not distress yourself. The moral will be perfectly fair. Lady

Catherine’s unjustifiable endeavours to separate us were the means of

removing all my doubts. I am not indebted for my present happiness to

your eager desire of expressing your gratitude. I was not in a humour to

wait for an opening of yours. My aunt’s intelligence had given me hope,

and I was determined at once to know everything.”
“Lady Catherine has been of infinite use, which ought to make her happy,

for she loves to be of use. But tell me, what did you come down to

Netherfield for? Was it merely to ride to Longbourn and be embarrassed?

or had you intended any more serious consequences?{469}”
“My real purpose was to see you, and to judge, if I could, whether I

might ever hope to make you love me. My avowed one, or what I avowed to