{{prxprp007.jpg}} || PRIDE AND PREJUDICE 7 ||

hopes of being admitted to a sight of the young ladies, of whose

beauty he had heard much; but he saw only the father. The

ladies were somewhat more fortunate, for they had the advantage

of ascertaining from an upper window, that he wore a blue coat

and rode a black horse.

An invitation to dinner was soon afterwards dispatched; and

already had Mrs. Bennet planned the courses that were to do

credit to her houses-keeping, when an answer arrived which

deferred it all. Mr. Bingley was obliged to be in town the

following day, and consequently unable to accept the honour of

their invitation, etc. Mrs. Bennet was quite disconcerted. She

could not imagine what business he could have in town so soon

after his arrival in Hertfordshire; and she began to fear that he

might be always flying about from one place to another, and

never settled at Netherneld as he ought to be. Lady Lucas

quieted her fears a little by starting the idea of his being gone to

London only to get a large party for the ball; and a report soon

followed that Mr. Bingley was to bring twelve ladies and seven

gentlemen with him to the assembly. The girls grieved over

such a number of ladies; but were comforted the day before the

ball by hearing, that instead of twelve, he had brought only six

with him from London, his five sisters and a cousin. And

when the party entered the assembly-room, it consisted of only

five all together; Mr. Bingley, his two sisters, the husband of the

eldest, and another young man.

Mr. Bingley was good looking and gentlemanlike; he had a

pleasant countenance, and easy, unaffected manners. His sisters

were fine women, with an air of decided fashion. His brother-*

in-law, Mr. Hurst, merely looked the gentleman; but his friend

Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall

person, handsome features, noble mien; and the report which

was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance,

of his having ten thousand a year. The gentlemen pronounced

him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much

handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great

admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a

disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was

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