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Mary was the only daughter who remained at home; and

she was necessarily drawn from the pursuit of accomplish-

ments by Mrs. Bennet's being quite unable to sit alone.

Mary was obliged to mix more with the world, but she could

still moralise over every morning visit; and as she was no

longer mortified by comparisons between her sisters' beauty

and her own, it was suspected by her father that she sub-

mitted to the change without much reluctance.

As for Wickham and Lydia, their characters suffered no

revolution from the marriage of her sisters. He bore with

philosophy the conviction that Elizabeth must now become

acquainted with whatever of his ingratitude and falsehood

had before been unknown to her; and, in spite of everything

was not wholly without hope that Darcy might yet be pre-

vailed on to make his fortune. The congratulatory letter

which Elizabeth received from Lydia on her marriage ex-

plained to her that, by his wife at least, if not by himself,

such a hope was cherished. The letter was to this effect:--

> 'My Dear Lizzy -- I wish you joy. If you love Mr. Darcy half so

> well as I do my dear Wickham, you must be very happy. It is a

> great comfort to have you so rich; and when you have nothing else

> to do, I hope you will think of us. I am sure Wickham would like

> a place at court very much; and I do not think we shall have quite

> money enough to live upon without some help. Any place would

> do of about three or four hundred a year; but, however, do not speak

> to Mr. Darcy about it, if you had rather not. -- Yours,' etc.

As it happened that Elizabeth had much rather not, she

endeavoured in her answer to put an end to every entreaty

and expectation of the kind. Such relief, however, as it was

in her power to afford, by the practice of what might be

called economy in her own private expenses, she frequently

sent them. It had always been evident to her that such an

income as theirs, under the direction of two persons so ex-

travagant in their wants, and heedless of the future, must

be very insufficient to their support; and whenever they

changed their quarters, either Jane or herself was sure of

being applied to for some little assistance towards discharg-

ing their bills. Their manner of living, even when the

restoration of peace dismissed them to a home, was un-

settled in the extreme. They were always moving from

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