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'Oh no!' said Elizabeth. 'In essentials, I believe, he is

very much what he ever was.'

While she spoke, Wickham looked as if scarcely knowing

whether to rejoice over her words or to distrust their mean-

ing. There was a something in her countenance which made

him listen with an apprehensive and anxious attention, while

she added,--

'When I said that he improved on acquaintance, I did not

mean that either his mind or manners were in a state of im-

provement; but that, from knowing him better, his disposi-

tion was better understood.'

Wickham's alarm now appeared in a heightened com-

plexion and agitated look; for a few minutes he was silent;

till, shaking off his embarrassment, he turned to her again,

and said in the gentlest of accents,--

'You, who so well know my feelings towards Mr. Darcy,

will readily comprehend how sincerely I must rejoice that

he is wise enough to assume even the _appearance_ of what is

right. His pride, in that direction, may be of service, if not

to himself, to many others, for it must deter him from such

foul misconduct as I have suffered by. I only fear that the

sort of cautiousness to which you, I imagine, have been

alluding, is merely adopted on his visits to his aunt, of whose

good opinion and judgment he stands much in awe. His

fear of her has always operated, I know, when they were

together; and a good deal is to be imputed to his wish of

forwarding the match with Miss de Bourgh, which I am

certain he has very much at heart.'

Elizabeth could not repress a smile at this, but she an-

swered only by a slight inclination of the head. She saw that

he wanted to engage her on the old subject of his grievances,

and she was in no humour to indulge him. The rest of the

evening passed with the _appearance,_ on his side, of usual

cheerfulness, but with no further attempt to distinguish

Elizabeth; and they parted at last with mutual civility, and

possibly a mutual desire of never meeting again.

When the party broke up, Lydia returned with Mrs.

Forster to Meryton, from whence they were to set out early

the next morning. The separation between her and her

family was rather noisy than pathetic. Kitty was the only

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