Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 10

The day passed much as the day before had done. Mrs. Hurst and

Miss Bingley had spent some hours of the morning with the invalid,

who continued, though slowly, to mend; and in the evening Elizabeth

joined their party in the drawing-room. The loo-table, however, did

not appear. Mr. Darcy was writing, and Miss Bingley, seated near him,

was watching the progress of his letter and repeatedly calling off his

attention by messages to his sister. Mr. Hurst and Mr. Bingley were at

piquet, and Mrs. Hurst was observing their game.

Elizabeth took up some needlework, and was sufficiently amused

in attending to what passed between Darcy and his companion. The

perpetual commendations of the lady, either on his handwriting, or on

the evenness of his lines, or on the length of his letter, with the perfect

unconcern with which her praises were received, formed a curious

dialogue, and was exactly in union with her opinion of each.

"How delighted Miss Darcy will be to receive such a letter!"

He made no answer.

"You write uncommonly fast."

"You are mistaken. I write rather slowly."

"How many letters you must have occasion to write in the course

of a year! Letters of business, too! How odious I should think them!"

"It is fortunate, then, that they fall to my lot instead of yours."

"Pray tell your sister that I long to see her."

"I have already told her so once, by your desire."

"I am afraid you do not like your pen. Let me mend it for you. I

mend pens remarkably well."

"Thank you-but I always mend my own."

"How can you contrive to write so even?"

He was silent.

"Tell your sister I am delighted to hear of her improvement on the

harp; and pray let her know that I am quite in raptures with her beautiful

little design for a table, and I think it infinitely superior to Miss

Grantley's."

"Will you give me leave to defer your raptures till I write again? At

present I have not room to do them justice." "Oh! it is of no consequence. I shall see her in January. But do you

always write such charming long letters to her, Mr. Darcy?"

"They are generally long; but whether always charming it is not for

me to determine."

"It is a rule with me, that a person who can write a long letter with

ease, cannot write ill."

"That will not do for a compliment to Darcy, Caroline," cried her

brother, "because he does not write with ease. He studies too much for

words of four syllables. Do not you, Darcy?"

"My style of writing is very different from yours."