Pride & Prejudice: Part 3, Chapters 1-9

We left off at the part when Elizabeth decides she wants to visit Pemberley, Mr. Darcy's estate, with her aunt & uncle...

Part 3...

Chapter 1:

• Elizabeth is nervous and excited as their carriage approaches Pemberley.
• Historical Context Lesson: Proper middle-class folk, like Elizabeth and her family, could visit grand estates belonging to people like Mr. Darcy. Think of it as their version of MTV Cribs, except they get to do it in person.
• The housekeeper shows them around the house.
• Elizabeth is delighted with every beautiful detail and she can’t help thinking about how she might have been mistress of it all. Then she checks herself, realizing she would not have been able to invite her beloved aunt and uncle to visit if she had been (because Darcy would think her relatives beneath him).
• When asked, the housekeeper informs them that the master is away but is expected tomorrow with friends.
• Mrs. Gardiner calls Elizabeth over to see a painting of Mr. Wickham.
• The housekeeper explains that Wickham was a son of late master’s steward. He has gone in the army, she says, and has become very wild.
• Though Mrs. Gardiner smiles knowingly at Elizabeth, Elizabeth can’t return the smile.
• The housekeeper states positively that Mr. Darcy is the best landlord and the best master ever.
• She shows the rooms Mr. Darcy set up specifically to make his sister happy.
• Elizabeth begins to think maybe Mr. Darcy is a good man after all, and that she has really misjudged him.
• As they leave the house to go look at the gardens, Elizabeth and the Gardiners turn to look back. At that moment, Mr. Darcy arrives, and they see each other.
• Both Elizabeth and Darcy blush.
• He comes forward and greets her with perfect civility, his entire manner toward her different than before, and he inquires after her family.
• But both feel awkward and ill at ease and soon he turns to go.
• Elizabeth feels shame and chagrin, wondering how her appearance at his house must seem so vain. Yet she had never seen him in a gentler light than at this moment.
• Elizabeth can’t keep from thinking about Darcy as they continue walking around the grounds, wondering what is in his mind right now and whether his feelings toward her have changed.
• As they head back towards the house to reach their carriage, Mr. Darcy approaches them. He asks her to introduce him to her friends.
• She thinks slyly that he will be surprised to hear they are family; indeed, she wonders if he will be horrified and excuse himself when he realizes it.
• Darcy, however, continues to be friendly. Elizabeth is so happy at every comment her uncle makes that shows his intelligence, taste, and good manners.
• Mr. Darcy invites Mr. Gardiner to come fish at his personal pond. He will make tackle available.
• Mrs. Gardiner looks at Elizabeth with wonder and surprise.
• Elizabeth recognizes that Darcy’s behavior is all for her sake. She wonders if Mr. Darcy still loves her, but thinks he can’t possibly have changed and become a better person simply because of her comments.
• Soon, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner are walking together and Elizabeth finds herself walking with Mr. Darcy.
• He invites her to meet his sister, who will be coming tomorrow along with Mr. Bingley and his sisters.
• Elizabeth knows that his wish to introduce her to his sister is the biggest compliment he can pay her.
• When Elizabeth and the Gardiners get in the carriage to go home, they pronounce Mr. Darcy perfect in every way. They wonder why Elizabeth had said he was so disagreeable before. They question the fact that his behavior differed so dramatically from Wickham’s description.
• Elizabeth tries to let them know, with as much discreetness as possible, that Wickham is not as reliable as they had all believed.

Chapter 2:

• The very morning of Miss Darcy’s arrival, she and Mr. Darcy come to call on Elizabeth and the Gardiners.
• Elizabeth is anxious, worried that she won’t please Miss Darcy and wanting to very much.
• Her nervousness, and the Darcys’ arrival, make the Gardiners realize that something is afoot – that perhaps Mr. Darcy thinks more of their niece than has been suspected before.
• Upon observing the two together, it’s clear to the Gardiners that Mr. Darcy is in love with Elizabeth.
• Elizabeth soon realizes that Miss Darcy is not proud, only very shy.
• Mr. Bingley arrives, glad to see them all. Elizabeth scrutinizes his behavior towards Miss Darcy and is glad to see that nothing that would indicate that he’s remotely romantically interested in the girl.
• Before they leave, the Darcys invite everyone to Pemberley for dinner the night after next.
• Bingley is pleased and says he has a lot to talk to Elizabeth about, wanting to inquire after all their acquaintances in Hertfordshire. Elizabeth realizes that he wants to talk to her about her sister.
• The Gardiners soon discover that people in Lambton have a great opinion of Darcy, while they don’t have many kind words for Wickham. They think that’s telling. If anybody would know whether Mr. Darcy is actually cruel and unjust, it would be the people who have lived near him all his life.
• Elizabeth stays awake that night, examining her feelings towards Mr. Darcy. The overwhelming emotion she feels is gratitude – gratitude that he loved/loves her enough not to hold her petulant behavior against her.
• Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner decided earlier in the evening that Miss Darcy’s striking hospitality requires a response, so they will visit her the next morning.

Chapter 3:

Elizabeth now realizes that Miss Bingley’s behavior toward her has been motivated by jealousy and wonders how she will respond when they meet that morning.

Miss Darcy is civil but shy, while Miss Bingley and her sister are simply courteous.

Miss Bingley observes Elizabeth closely.

Mr. Darcy enters the room, having heard from Mr. Gardiner, who is fishing, that Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth were planning a visit.

As soon as Darcy enters, all eyes are upon him, wondering how he will behave towards Elizabeth. Miss Bingley tries to incite Elizabeth to make a favorable comment about Wickham, knowing that Darcy despises him but not knowing the full story. She has no idea the pain she is causing both the Darcys, but Elizabeth answers in a composed manner.

When Mr. Darcy sees Elizabeth out to their carriage, Miss Bingley starts abusing Elizabeth.

Miss Darcy refuses to join in, since her brother thinks so highly of Elizabeth.

When Mr. Darcy returns, Miss Bingley continues her attack, hoping to make him think unkindly of Elizabeth. But she can’t rouse him.

At last he admits that he thinks Elizabeth one of the most attractive women he knows.

So, as the narrator remarks archly, Miss Bingley managed to provoke him to say something that is only painful to herself.

On the way home, Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner talk about everything except what they want to talk about most – Mr. Darcy.

Chapter 4:

• Elizabeth receives two letters from Jane, and learns that Lydia has run off with Wickham.
• A few minutes later, as she is jumping up to tell the Gardiners that they must leave immediately, Mr. Darcy enters the room.
• She relays her news, she cries, she excites compassion in him – all at the same time thinking that surely he must be more disgusted than ever to hear about this weakness in her family.
• After he leaves, she wonders with regret whether she will ever see him again.
• According to her letters, Jane, always the optimist, thinks that Mr. Wickham will marry Lydia. Elizabeth is much more of a realist. Lydia has no money, so there’s nothing to tempt Wickham to marry her.
• The Gardiners arrive, hear the news, and they all proceed to make arrangements to immediately bring Elizabeth home.

Chapter 5:

• As they head back home, the Gardiners try to put the best face on the situation.
• They say Wickham can’t possibly mean not to marry Lydia. Could he expect the regiment not to take action for such an offense?
• But Elizabeth is not convinced. She knows Wickham will never marry a woman who has no money. She reveals to the Gardiners that she knows more about Wickham than she has let anybody know, and she has good reason to believe that he has no scruples to speak of.
• At home, Mrs. Bennet is inconsolable and throwing fits, believing that Mr. Bennet will fight Wickham and die and then the Collinses will turn them all out of the house.
• Mr. Gardiner assures her that he will go to London immediately to help Mr. Bennet find Lydia.
• Kitty and Mary are grave but not as distressed. Mary only says that they can learn moral lessons about female virtue from Lydia’s downfall.
• Jane and Elizabeth repeat the rumors they’ve heard from Wickham’s superiors and friends, and try to guess whether Lydia and Wickham might actually have gotten married or not.
• They note that Wickham’s superior spoke less highly of Wickham than he had in the past, and that it is said he left Meryton in debt.
• They examine Lydia’s letter and are relieved to realize that she, at least, had serious intentions to get married, whatever Wickham’s intentions were.

Chapter 6:

• All of Meryton spreads rumors about Wickham, although a few months earlier, they had called him an "angel of light."
• Mr. Gardiner writes to say he has tried to find out from Wickham’s direct superior if he has any relatives or friends who might hide him in London; but on second thought, Elizabeth might be in a better position than anybody to give that information.
• Elizabeth understands this as a reference to her relationship with Darcy.
• They receive a letter from Mr. Collins, who says that Lydia’s actions will forever ruin the chance that the other daughters will marry. He congratulates himself on not marrying Elizabeth after all. He suggests that they cut Lydia out of their life forever.
• Mr. Gardiner writes to relay the news that things might be worse than feared – Mr. Wickham has left gambling debts of more than a thousand pounds.
• Mr. Bennet, heartsick and on his way home from London empty handed, is convinced there is nothing more he can do. Mr. Gardiner will continue the search.
• Elizabeth has heard nothing from Mr. Darcy, a fact that gives her a couple of sleepless nights.
• Mrs. Gardiner also wonders about Mr. Darcy, but given the family tragedy, she can’t determine how Elizabeth feels.
• Mr. Bennet, on his return, says he has finally learned his lesson to be cautious with his daughters. A little late, Mr. Bennet.

Chapter 7:

• Mr. Gardiner finally sends word that the two lovers have been found. They are not yet married, but they will be. They only ask for a small yearly sum of money.
• Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth discuss the fact that somebody else, probably Mr. Gardiner, must have paid a great deal of money to convince Mr. Wickham to marry Lydia because otherwise, they wouldn’t be asking for such a small annual sum.
• Mr. Bennet believes that a payment of 10,000 pounds (a ton of money) was probably required to make Mr. Wickham to marry Lydia.
• Elizabeth, knowing Mr. Wickham has not a penny to his name and that debts must also have been settled, realizes the generosity of her uncle.
• Mrs. Bennet is delighted at the news that her daughter will soon be married. She selfishly thinks it perfectly right for Mr. Gardiner to pay to arrange the marriage. After all, he has money and they don’t.

Chapter 8:

• Mr. Bennet had never saved money, assuming that he would eventually have a son who would then inherit the family estate. A son never arrived. Girl after girl after girl after girl after girl….By then, it was too late to start saving for the girls’ future.
• He writes a letter of thanks to his brother-in-law, Mr. Gardner, for essentially bribing Wickham into marrying Lydia, but he's especially thankful for how little this marriage will cost him.
• Mrs. Bennet discusses the wedding plans, but Mr. Bennet says he will not give his daughter even the tiniest amount of money for wedding clothing, and he refuses to receive the couple at Longbourn.
• Historical Context Lesson: "Receiving" someone is similar to diplomatic recognition. If no one receives you, you basically don’t exist in their eyes.
• Elizabeth begins to wish she had never told Mr. Darcy about the Lydia-Wickham situation. Now that the couple is getting married, everything looks perfectly respectable on the surface, and she could have concealed her family’s weaknesses from him.
• At the same time, she acknowledges that all hope of his attachment and connection to her family is probably lost. How happy he would be to know that his proposal, spurned a few months earlier, would be so gladly accepted now! He would love to rub that in her face, she thinks.
• She begins to realize how perfect Mr. Darcy is for her, in temperament and talent.
• Mr. Gardiner writes that Mr. Bennet should never mention the debt again. He also says that Wickham has been convinced to leave his regiment and take up the Regulars (another variety of military service) so he will not be settled in the vicinity.
• Elizabeth and Jane prevail on Mr. Bennet to receive his daughter and Wickham in his house after their marriage. He agrees.

Chapter 9:

• When the couple arrives on their wedding day, their "easy assurance" shocks everybody except Mrs. Bennet. They don’t seem to think they’ve done anything wrong.
• Lydia is anxious to see everybody she knows to let them know she is married. She seems to have little sense that she should be ashamed.
• Wickham’s affection for Lydia is not as great as hers for him – just as Elizabeth suspected.
• Lydia lets it slip that Mr. Darcy was at her wedding. Oops, she admits, she wasn’t supposed to have said anything at all but the damage is done now….
• Elizabeth says she won’t pressure Lydia for more information. But, burning with curiosity, she dashes off a note to her aunt asking for an explanation.

With only 10 more chapters to go...there are so many questions left unanswered at this point!

For those of you who have already finished the novel, don't give anything away :)

I hope that as you are reading the last chapters of this book, that you'll love it as much as I do!

Thanks for reading and following along!

Next Saturday, I will post the summary for chapters 10-19 :)

I am so excited!

I love this book :)))

Optimistically, Bethany Lea