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route the evening before, Mrs. Gardiner expressed an in-

clination to see the place again. Mr. Gardiner declared his

willingness, and Elizabeth was applied to for her approbation.

'My love, should not you like to see a place of which you

have heard so much?' said her aunt. 'A place, too, with

which so many of your acquaintance are connected. Wick-

ham passed all his youth there, you know.'

Elizabeth was distressed. She felt that she had no business

at Pemberley, and was obliged to assume a disinclination for

seeing it. 'She must own that she was tired of great houses:

after going over so many, she really had no pleasure in fine

carpets or satin curtains.'

Mrs. Gardiner abused her stupidity. 'If it were merely a

fine house richly furnished,' said she, 'I should not care about

it myself; but the grounds are delightful. They have some

of the finest woods in the country.'

Elizabeth said no more; but her mind could not acquiesce.

The possibility of meeting Mr. Darcy, while viewing the

place, instantly occurred. It would be dreadful! She blushed

at the very idea; and thought it would be better to speak

openly to her aunt, than to run such a risk. But against this

there were objections; and she finally resolved that it could

be the last resource, if her private inquiries as to the absence

of the family were unfavourably answered.

Accordingly, when she retired at night, she asked the

chambermaid whether Pemberley were not a very fine place,

what was the name of its proprietor, and, with no little alarm,

whether the family were down for the summer. A most

welcome negative followed the last question; and her alarms

being now removed, she was at leisure to feel a great deal of

curiosity to see the house herself; and when the subject was

revived the next morning, and she was again applied to, could

readily answer, and with a proper air of indifference, that she

had not really any dislike to the scheme.

To Pemberley, therefore, they were to go.

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