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Chapter XVIII

Till Elizabeth entered the drawing-room at Nether-

field, and looked in vain for Mr. Wickham among the

cluster of red coats there assembled, a doubt of his

being present had never occurred to her. The certainty of

meeting him had not been checked by any of those recollec-

tions that might not unreasonably have alarmed her. She

had dressed with more than usual care, and prepared in the

highest spirits for the conquest of all that remained unsub-

dued of his heart, trusting that it was not more than might

be won in the course of the evening. But in an instant arose

the dreadful suspicion of his being purposely omitted, for

Mr. Darcy's pleasure, in the Bingley's invitation to the offi-

cers; and though this was not exactly the case, the absolute

fact of his absence was pronounced by his friend Mr. Denny,

to whom Lydia eagerly applied, and who told them that

Wickham had been obliged to go to town on business the

day before, and was not yet returned; adding, with a signifi-

cant smile,--

'I do not imagine his business would have called him away

just now, if he had not wished to avoid a certain gentleman

here.'

This part of his intelligence, though unheard by Lydia,

was caught by Elizabeth; and, as it assured her that Darcy

was not less answerable for Wickham's absence than if her

first surmise had been just, every feeling of displeasure

against the former was so sharpened by immediate disap-

pointment, that she could hardly reply with tolerable civility

to the polite inquiries which he directly afterwards ap-

proached to make. Attention, forbearance, patience with

Darcy, was injury to Wickham. She was resolved against

any sort of conversation with him, and turned away with

a degree of ill-humour which she could not wholly surmount

even in speaking to Mr. Bingley, whose blind partiality pro-

voked her.

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