{{prxprp277.jpg}} || PRIDE AND PREJUDICE 277 ||

Mr. Darcy called, and was shut up with him several hours. It was

all over before I arrived; so my curiosity was not so dreadfully racked as

yours seems to have been. He came to tell Mr. Gardiner that he had

found out where your sister and Mr. Wickham were, and that he

had seen and talked with them both -- Wickham repeatedly, Lydia

once. From what I can collect, he left Derbyshire only one day

after ourselves, and came to town with the resolution of hunting

for them. The motive professed was his conviction of its being

owing to himself that Wickham's worthlessness had not been so well

known, as to make it impossible for any young woman of character to

love or confide in him. He generously imputed the whole to his imV

taken pride, and confessed, that he had before thought it beneath him to

lay his private actions open to the world. His character was to speak for

itself. He called it, therefore, his duty to step forward, and endeavour to

remedy an evil, which had been brought on by himself. If he bad

another motive, I am sure it would never disgrace him. He had been

some days in town before he was able to discover them; but he had

something to direct his search, which was more than we had; and the

consciousness of this was another reason for his resolving to follow us.

There is a lady, it seems, a Mrs. Younge, who was some time ago

governess to Miss Darcy, and was dismissed from her charge on some

cause of disapprobation, though he did not say what. She then took a

large house in Edward Street, and has since maintained herself by

letting lodgings. This Mrs. Younge was, he knew, intimately

acquainted with Wickham; and he went to her for intelligence of him,

as soon as he got to town. But it was two or three days before he could

get from her what he wanted. She would not betray her trust, I suppose,

without bribery and corruption, for she really did know where her

friend was to be found. Wickham, indeed, had gone to her on their

first arrival in London, and had she been able to receive them into her

house, they would have taken up their abode with her. At length,

however, our kind friend procured the wished for direction. They

were in street. He saw Wickham, and afterwards insisted on

seeing Lydia. His first object with her, he acknowledged, had been

to persuade her to quit her present disgraceful situation, and return to

her friends as soon as they could be prevailed on to receive her, offering

his assistance as fai as it would go. But he found Lydia absolutely

resolved on remaining where she was. She cared for none of her

friends, she wanted no help of his, she would not hear of leaving

Wickham. She was sure they should be married some time or other,

and it did not much signify when. Since such were her feelings, it

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