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Chapter XXIV

Miss Bingley's letter arrived, and put an end to

doubt. The very first sentence conveyed the as-

surance of their being all settled in London for

the winter, and concluded with her brother's regret at not

having had time to pay his respects to his friends in Hert-

fordshire before he left the country.

Hope was over, entirely over; and when Jane could attend

to the rest of the letter, she found little, except the pro-

fessed affection of the writer, that could give her any com-

fort. Miss Darcy's praise occupied the chief of it. Her

many attractions were again dwelt on; and Caroline boasted

joyfully of their increasing intimacy, and ventured to pre-

dict the accomplishment of the wishes which had been un-

folded in her former letter. She wrote also with great

pleasure of her brother's being an intimate of Mr. Darcy's

house, and mentioned with raptures some plans of the lat-

ter with regard to new furniture.

Elizabeth, to whom Jane very soon communicated the chief

of all this, heard it in silent indignation. Her heart was

divided between concern for her sister and resentment against

all others. To Caroline's assertion of her brother's being

partial to Miss Darcy she paid no credit. That he was really

fond of Jane she doubted no more than she had ever done;

and much as she had always been disposed to like him, she

could not think without anger, hardly without contempt, on

the easiness of temper, that want of proper resolution, which

now made him the slave of his designing friends, and led him

to sacrifice his own happiness to the caprice of their inclina-

tions. Had his own happiness, however, been the only sacri-

fice, he might have been allowed to sport with it in whatever

manner he thought best; but her sister's was involved in it,

as she thought he must be sensible himself. It was a subject,

in short, on which reflection would be long indulged, and

must be unavailing. She could think of nothing else; and

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