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good time. When they repaired to the dining-room, Elizabeth

eagerly watched to see whether Bingley would take the place

which, in all their former parties, had belonged to him, by

her sister. Her prudent mother, occupied by the same ideas,

forbore to invite him to sit by herself. On entering the room,

he seemed to hesitate; but Jane happened to look round,

and happened to smile: it was decided. He placed himself

by her.

Elizabeth, with a triumphant sensation, looked towards his

friend. He bore it with noble indifference; and she would

have imagined that Bingley had received his sanction to be

happy, had she not seen his eyes likewise turned towards Mr.

Darcy, with an expression of half-laughing alarm.

His behaviour to her sister was such during dinner-time

as showed an admiration of her, which, though more guarded

than formerly, persuaded Elizabeth that, if left wholly to

himself, Jane's happiness, and his own, would be speedily

secured. Though she dared not depend upon the consequence,

she yet received pleasure from observing his behaviour. It

gave her all the animation that her spirits could boast; for

she was in no cheerful humour. Mr. Darcy was almost as

far from her as the table could divide them. He was on one

side of her mother. She knew how little such a situation

would give pleasure to either, or make either appear to

advantage. She was not near enough to hear any of their

discourse; but she could see how seldom they spoke to each

other, and how formal and cold was their manner whenever

they did. Her mother's ungraciousness made the sense of

what they owed him more painful to Elizabeth's mind; and

she would, at times, have given anything to be privileged to

tell him that his kindness was neither unknown nor unfelt by

the whole of the family.

She was in hopes that the evening would afford some

opportunity of bringing them together; that the whole of the

visit would not pass away without enabling them to enter into

something more of conversation than the mere ceremonious

salutation attending his entrance. Anxious and uneasy, the

period which passed in the drawing-room before the gentle-

men came was wearisome and dull to a degree that almost

made her uncivil. She looked forward to their entrance as

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