Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 3

Not all that Mrs. Bennet, however, with the assistance of her five

daughters, could ask on the subject, was sufficient to draw from her

husband any satisfactory description of Mr. Bingley. They attacked

him in various ways-with barefaced questions, ingenious suppositions,

and distant surmises; but he eluded the skill of them all, and

they were at last obliged to accept the second-hand intelligence of their

neighbour, Lady Lucas. Her report was highly favourable. Sir William

had been delighted with him. He was quite young, wonderfully handsome,

extremely agreeable, and, to crown the whole, he meant to be at

the next assembly with a large party. Nothing could be more delightful!

To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love;

and very lively hopes of Mr. Bingley's heart were entertained.

"If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Nether-

field," said Mrs. Bennet to her husband, "and all the others equally

well married, I shall have nothing to wish for."

In a few days Mr. Bingley returned Mr. Bennet's visit, and sat about

ten minutes with him in his library. He had entertained hopes of being

admitted to a sight of the young ladies, of whose beauty he had heard

much; but he saw only the father. The ladies were somewhat more

fortunate, for they had the advantage of ascertaining from an upper

window that he wore a blue coat, and rode a black horse.

An invitation to dinner was soon afterwards dispatched; and already

had Mrs. Bennet planned the courses that were to do credit to her

housekeeping, when an answer arrived which deferred it all. Mr. Bingley

was obliged to be in town the following day, and, consequently, unable

to accept the honour of their invitation, etc. Mrs. Bennet was quite

disconcerted. She could not imagine what business he could have in town so soon after his arrival in Hertfordshire; and she began to fear

that he might be always flying about from one place to another, and

never settled at Netherfield as he ought to be. Lady Lucas quieted her

fears a little by starting the idea of his being gone to London only to

get a large party for the ball; and a report soon followed that Mr. Bingley

was to bring twelve ladies and seven gentlemen with him to the

assembly. The girls grieved over such a number of ladies, but were

comforted the day before the ball by hearing, that instead of twelve he

brought only six with him from London-his five sisters and a cousin.

And when the party entered the assembly room it consisted of only

five altogether-Mr. Bingley, his two sisters, the husband of the eldest,

and another young man.