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'Well,' said Charlotte, 'I wish Jane success with all my

heart; and if she were married to him to-morrow, I should

think she had as good a chance of happiness as if she were

to be studying his character for a twelvemonth. Happiness

in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the disposi-

tions of the parties are ever so well known to each other,

or ever so similar beforehand, it does not advance their

felicity in the least. They always continue to grow suf-

ficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation;

and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects

of the person with whom you are to pass your life.'

'You make me laugh, Charlotte; but it is not sound. You

know it is not sound, and that you would never act in this

way yourself.'

Occupied in observing Mr. Bingley's attentions to her

sister, Elizabeth was far from suspecting that she was her-

self becoming an object of some interest in the eyes of his

friend. Mr. Darcy had at first scarcely allowed her to be

pretty: he had looked at her without admiration at the

ball; and when they next met, he looked at her only to

criticise. But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and

his friends that she had hardly a good feature in her face,

than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly in-

telligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To

this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying.

Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one

failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced

to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in

spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of

the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playful-

ness. Of this she was perfectly unaware: to her he was

only the man who made himself agreeable nowhere, and

who had not thought her handsome enough to dance with.

He began to wish to know more of her; and, as a step

towards conversing with her himself, attended to her con-

versation with others. His doing so drew her notice. It

was at Sir William Lucas's, where a large party were

assembled.

'What does Mr. Darcy mean,' said she to Charlotte, 'by

listening to my conversation with Colonel Forster?'

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