have been impossible for them to play their parts with more spirit, or

finer success; and happy did she think it for Bingley and her sister

that some of the exhibition had escaped his notice, and that his

feelings were not of a sort to be much distressed by the folly which he

must have witnessed. That his two sisters and Mr. Darcy, however, should

have such an opportunity of ridiculing her relations was bad enough; and

she could not determine whether the silent contempt of the gentleman, or

the insolent smiles of the ladies, were more intolerable.
The rest of the evening brought her little amusement. She was teased by

Mr. Collins, who continued most perseveringly by her side; and though he

could not prevail with her to dance with him again, put it out of her

power to dance with others. In vain did she entreat him to stand up with

somebody else, and offered to introduce him to any young lady in the

room. He assured her that, as to dancing, he was perfectly indifferent

to it; that his chief object was, by delicate attentions, to recommend

himself to her; and that he{130} should therefore make a point of remaining

close to her the whole evening. There was no arguing upon such a

project. She owed her greatest relief to her friend Miss Lucas, who

often joined them, and good-naturedly engaged Mr. Collins’s conversation

to herself.
She was at least free from the offence of Mr. Darcy’s further notice:

though often standing within a very short distance of her, quite

disengaged, he never came near enough to speak. She felt it to be the

probable consequence of her allusions to Mr. Wickham, and rejoiced in

it.
The Longbourn party were the last of all the company to depart; and by a

manœuvre of Mrs. Bennet had to wait for their carriage a quarter of an

hour after everybody else was gone, which gave them time to see how

heartily they were wished away by some of the family. Mrs. Hurst and her