intention of paining you, or humbling myself, by dwelling on wishes,

which, for the happiness of both, cannot be too soon forgotten; and the

effort which the formation and the perusal of this letter must occasion,

should have been spared, had not my character required it to be written{245}

and read. You must, therefore, pardon the freedom with which I demand

your attention; your feelings, I know, will bestow it unwillingly, but I

demand it of your justice.
“Two offences of a very different nature, and by no means of equal

magnitude, you last night laid to my charge. The first mentioned was,

that, regardless of the sentiments of either, I had detached Mr. Bingley

from your sister,—and the other, that I had, in defiance of various

claims, in defiance of honour and humanity, ruined the immediate

prosperity and blasted the prospects of Mr. Wickham. Wilfully and

wantonly to have thrown off the companion of my youth, the acknowledged

favourite of my father, a young man who had scarcely any other

dependence than on our patronage, and who had been brought up to expect

its exertion, would be a depravity, to which the separation of two young

persons whose affection could be the growth of only a few weeks, could

bear no comparison. But from the severity of that blame which was last

night so liberally bestowed, respecting each circumstance, I shall hope

to be in future secured, when the following account of my actions and

their motives has been read. If, in the explanation of them which is due

to myself, I am under the necessity of relating feelings which may be

offensive to yours, I can only say that I am sorry. The necessity must

be obeyed, and further apology would be absurd. I had not been long in

Hertfordshire before I saw, in common with others, that Bingley

preferred your elder sister to any other young woman in the country. But

it was not till the evening of the dance at Netherfield that I had any