Chapter 3 Mr. Bingley and his friends meet the neighbours, and Mr. Bingley becomes smitten.
Mr. Bingley and his friends meet the neighbours, and Mr. Bingley becomes smitten.
Hertfordshire
Over the weeks that followed, Mr. Bennet made true his intention to be sociable with the gentlemen residing at Netherfield.
He was invited to join a shooting party and accompanied the gentlemen on a tour of Mr. Bingley’s property to estimate needed improvements.
Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet found they enjoyed each other’s company as they were well matched in intellect and shared many similar interests.
Bingley and Darcy called a second time a week after the assembly ball, and the former quickly took up a position near Jane.
When Darcy joined the lively discussion on books that Bennet was having with Elizabeth and Mary, Elizabeth was disgruntled that the man who had insulted her was so brash as to join their group.
She abruptly made her excuses and left to sulk in the garden.
The gentlemen called again a few days later, and this time, Darcy and Bennet removed to the library to peruse the volume that was the focus of their discourse.
Seeing the easy amity between the two men, Elizabeth became jealous of Mr. Darcy.
Her rising indignation led her to follow them under the pretence of finding a book.
Her real motive was to insinuate herself into the conversation and make a defiant point to her usurper that she deserved to be a prominent participant in any literary discussion at Longbourn.
Darcy did not notice he had offended her; he was rather pleased with her company and impressed by her well-informed mind and skilled application to the debate.
Unknown to Darcy, intellectual exchanges were common in the Bennet household. He found it refreshing to see the three elder Miss Bennets engage in lively debates on books and politics and was surprised to find they were as well informed as he.
However, Elizabeth was not interested in showing anything other than disapprobation of Mr. Darcy’s presence.
She spoke to him in dismissive or taunting tones and was fierce in her arguments, endeavouring to demonstrate that her intelligence and knowledge were equal to challenging his.
Darcy observed Elizabeth in her home as well as at several social occasions in the neighbourhood and had come to admire her unique beauty, wit and vivacity.
Bingley’s attention was fixed on Miss Jane Bennet.
Not only did he consider her the most beautiful girl in the county, he also admired her quiet and calm demeanour.
He learned that Mr. Bennet actively involved Jane in the management of the estate, making use of her aptitude for solving disputes and skill in adjudication.
Just turned two-and-twenty, Jane had a good grasp of the financial and legal issues required of a gentleman farmer and often accompanied her father as he toured the estate.
What Bingley did not know was that she had already turned away one attractive approach of courtship, with both of her parents’ support, because her affection was not engaged.
Elizabeth was, without a doubt, the most intelligent of the girls.
Many young men were not inclined to court her as they were intimidated by her intellect.
She was unconventional and adventurous, a trait shared with her lively youngest sister, Lydia.
However, she also had strong beliefs in compassion, loyalty and propriety that tempered her daring and kept her from reckless escapades.
Mr. Bennet shared his interest in the newest discoveries with Elizabeth, and they read the latest scientific pamphlets, including The New System of Chemical Philosophy.
The middle girl, Mary, was also intelligent and, like Jane, reserved and calm.
Although quieter in social settings, Mary Bennet was clearly the most accomplished musically, playing several instruments.
She was dedicated to her own improvement by practice and extensive reading.
Mary’s intellectual companion, Henry Lucas, the second son of the Bennets’ nearest neighbour, attended Cambridge.
Due to their mutual interest in religion and philosophy, they studied together when he was home from university.
Their families expected they would become betrothed once Henry graduated and obtained a situation to train as a barrister.
The two youngest girls, Catherine and Lydia, were not yet out in society, having completed only sixteen and fifteen years respectively.
Catherine was creative and studied with an art master.
She was frequently at her mother’s side offering advice on remaking gowns and bonnets, and her sketches were said to rival the fashion plates of the latest magazines from London.
Easily influenced by others, Catherine pursued the interests of all her sisters and, since they were closest in age, had a preference for spending most of her time with Lydia.
Lydia was robust and handsome. She had a love of performing and a gift for memorization, word games, and languages.
She enjoyed creating rebuses and charades for her sisters to solve, and she was considered the most entertaining when reciting poetry and acting in plays in the drawing room of Longbourn in the evenings.
This talent was reserved for family since she was not yet out.
Her vivacity made her a favourite with the young girls in Meryton, and though her imagination and impulsiveness sometimes led her into trouble, her exuberance was charming enough to excuse her.
She was sometimes too outgoing, boisterous, and impetuous, and her sisters often had to admonish her for her forwardness.
She and Elizabeth tamed their energy together with a daily walk in the countryside of a duration that would exhaust many others.
Mr. Bennet called his wife to his study to discuss a letter he received from the cousin who currently stood to inherit Longbourn. He watched Mrs. Bennet’s expression become more incredulous as she read the missive.
“Fanny, what is this disagreement he refers to, and what is its basis?”
“The long-standing disagreement was between old Mr. Bennet and old Mr. Collins. I do not recall ever knowing its source, but it could have been regarding the entail.”
“Whatever the reason for the original falling-out, this is indeed a difficult situation. We cannot turn this man away, even if he is so presumptuous to assume a visit without invitation. But he seems odd, and I am concerned and uncertain of what he suggests as amends. He presumes a role as the girls’ protector, implying we shall welcome his marrying one of our daughters.
I hope he does not pay unwanted attention to any of them.
He does not seem to have enough sense or manners to please our girls. ”
“I agree he seems ill-mannered in his assumptions. Perhaps he is trying too hard to make amends, and this letter has a bent for excessive flattery that may not be his true nature. I agree we must welcome his visit, but we must be sure he behaves with proper respect and decorum while he is our guest.”
“Surely you use explosive chemicals in your mine at Pemberley and have observed the heat that occurs in some situations? We were curious to know from whence the heat came, where it went, and how the chemicals contributed. So Lizzy determined a course of inquiry, and I have instructed Mr. Akuete to undertake the steps she has proposed, attempting various configurations. Akuete, my steward—who came from Africa and ended up in Longbourn via Bermuda—is very meticulous with this type of study. I know no other who is as careful. We have found there is a good chance for a fire or for the person using the explosives to suffer a burn with no consequential useful effect. I have a book here somewhere…”
Mr. Bennet rose to look through his books to find the information on chemical reactions he was discussing with Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth took advantage of the break in conversation to challenge Darcy further.
“Pray, Mr. Darcy, tell me what unconventional knowledge related to heat and chemistry have you to offer?”
“None, Miss Elizabeth, other than my own observations. I have a familiarity with the principles behind blacksmithing and other such metal working and, as Mr. Bennet mentioned, the heat from the explosives in my mine.”
“Lizzy has studied Mr. Leslie’s treatises on heat, Darcy,” Bennet said absently as he leafed through a book. He then turned to Darcy as if he had a revelation. “Tell me, sir, did you study much of Euclid at university?”
“I did, Bennet; it was a favourite topic,” Darcy replied with no little pride.
“Well, perhaps you can help Lizzy with some of her postulations regarding Mr. Leslie’s work. The elliptical theory is slightly beyond my abilities.”
“I am more than willing to peruse the treatise and attempt to provide clarity where I am able.”
Elizabeth was aghast that her father asked Mr. Darcy to help her and that he seemed so smug in agreeing to do so. She was proud to best her father in this knowledge and certain she would also outdo Mr. Darcy and needed no help whatsoever!
But she remembered she had promised to be civil to Mr. Darcy and stated, though in a somewhat cool tone, “Father, do not importune Mr. Darcy. The elliptical theory is Mr. Leslie’s reporting.
I am content with my readings of that particular portion of the pamphlet, and I am also satisfied that my knowledge of Euclid is more than sufficient.
Mr. Darcy is safe to keep his superior knowledge to himself.
However, I am interested in Mr. Leslie’s heat theories.
I believe they may somehow be tied into why Mr. Watt’s engine improves that of Mr. Newcomen’s patent. ”