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'No, I should have turned in a moment.'

And accordingly she did turn, and they walked towards

the Parsonage together.

'Do you certainly leave Kent on Saturday?' said she.

'Yes -- if Darcy does not put it off again. But I am at his

disposal. He arranges the business just as he pleases.'

'And if not able to please himself in the arrangement, he

has at least great pleasure in the power of choice. I do not

know anybody who seems more to enjoy the power of doing

what he likes than Mr. Darcy.'

'He likes to have his own way very well,' replied Colonel

Fitzwilliam. 'But so we all do. It is only that he has better

means of having it than many others, because he is rich, and

many others are poor. I speak feelingly. A younger son,

you know, must be inured to self-denial and dependence.'

'In my opinion, the younger son of an earl can know very

little of either. Now, seriously, what have you ever known

of self-denial and dependence? When have you been pre-

vented by want of money from going wherever you chose

or procuring anything you had a fancy for?'

'These are home questions -- and perhaps I cannot say that

I have experienced many hardships of that nature. But in

matters of greater weight I may suffer from the want of

money. Younger sons cannot marry where they like.'

'Unless where they like women of fortune, which I think

they very often do.'

'Our habits of expense make us too dependent, and there

are not many in my rank of life who can afford to marry

without some attention to money.'

'Is this,' thought Elizabeth, 'meant for me?' and she col-

oured at the idea; but, recovering herself, said in a lively

tone, 'And pray, what is the usual price of an earl's younger

son? Unless the elder brother is very sickly, I suppose you

would not ask above fifty thousand pounds.'

He answered her in the same style, and the subject

dropped. To interrupt a silence which might make him fancy

her affected with what had passed, she soon afterwards

said,--

'I imagine your cousin brought you down with him chiefly

for the sake of having somebody at his disposal. I wonder

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