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see that her new acquaintance was at least as much embar-

rassed as herself. Since her being at Lambton, she had

heard that Miss Darcy was exceedingly proud; but the ob-

servation of a very few minutes convinced her that she was

only exceedingly shy. She found it difficult to obtain even a

word from her beyond a monosyllable.

Miss Darcy was tall, and on a larger scale than Elizabeth;

and, though little more than sixteen, her figure was formed,

and her appearance womanly and graceful. She was less

handsome than her brother, but there was sense and good-~

humour in her face, and her manners were perfectly un-

assuming and gentle. Elizabeth, who had expected to find in

her as acute and unembarrassed an observer as ever Mr.

Darcy had been, was much relieved by discerning such differ-

ent feelings.

They had not been long together before Darcy told her

that Bingley was also coming to wait on her; and she had

barely time to express her satisfaction, and prepare for such

a visitor, when Bingley's quick step was heard on the stairs,

and in a moment he entered the room. All Elizabeth's anger

against him had been long done away; but had she still felt

any, it could hardly have stood its ground against the un-

affected cordiality with which he expressed himself on seeing

her again. He inquired in a friendly, though general, way,

after her family, and looked and spoke with the same good-~

humoured ease that he had ever done.

To Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner he was scarcely a less inter-

esting personage than to herself. They had long wished to

see him. The whole party before them, indeed, excited a

lively attention. The suspicions which had just arisen of

Mr. Darcy and their niece directed their observation towards

each with an earnest, though guarded, inquiry; and they

soon drew from those inquiries the full conviction that

one of them at least knew what it was to love. Of the

lady's sensations they remained a little in doubt; but that

the gentleman was overflowing with admiration was evident

enough.

Elizabeth, on her side, had much to do. She wanted to

ascertain the feelings of each of her visitors, she wanted to

compose her own, and to make herself agreeable to all; and

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