Pride and Prejudice and Kitties, стр. 23
Mrs. Bennet also repined at the perverse turn of events, exacerbated by Mr. Bennet’s refusal to take them all to Brighton. “A little sea-bathing would set me up forever,” she exclaimed.
Elizabeth felt ashamed of her mother and sisters and was newly sensible of the justice of Mr. Darcy’s objections to her family.
Whilst all this was taking place, Lydia’s prospects suddenly brightened when she received an invitation from Mrs. Forster, the wife of the Colonel of the regiment, to accompany them to Brighton. At this news, the wild exuberance of Lydia, the delight of their mother, and the agony of Kitty were scarcely to be described.
Elizabeth was so concerned about the danger of Lydia being let loose with hundreds of toms on the beaches of Brighton that she determined to caution her father against letting her go.
“Lydia will never be happy until she has exposed herself in some public place or other,” said her father. “We’ll have no peace at Longbourn unless she goes.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “If you, my dear father, will not take the trouble of teaching her that her present pursuits are not to be the business of her life, her character will be fixed, and she will, at sixteen (an old maid in human years, I might add), be the silliest feline fatale that ever made herself or her family ridiculous.”
“At Brighton she will be of less importance even as a common cat than she has been here,” replied her father. “At any rate, she cannot grow many degrees worse, without authorizing us to board her for the rest of her life.”
In Lydia’s imagination, the dazzling prospect of Brighton afforded every possibility of earthly pleasure . . . she saw the beaches crowded with sleek, handsome toms (shaking their back paws when a wave accidentally reached them). She saw all the glories of the camp and, to complete the view, she saw herself the center of attention, cavorting with at least six toms at once.
Before Lydia left, Elizabeth saw Wickham for the last time. He came trotting in, expecting Elizabeth to roll on her back in ecstasy now that he’d lost Mary King, but Elizabeth was disgusted by his attentions and merely flicked her tail and turned away to stare at an invisible spot on the wall.
When the party broke up, Lydia returned with Mrs. Forster to Meryton in preparation to start out for Brighton the next day. The unfortunate Kitty wailed inconsolably on the parting, which was generally so noisy that Lydia failed to hear the more gentle mews of her two older sisters.
On the very last day of the regiment’s remaining in Meryton, [Wickham] dined with others of the officers, at Longbourn; and so little was Elizabeth disposed to part from him in good humour, that on his making some enquiry as to the manner in which her time had passed at Hunsford, she mentioned Colonel Fitzwilliam’s and Mr. Darcy’s having both spent three weeks at Rosings, and asked him if he were acquainted with the former.
Photo by Annelise Bell
It’s not fair; I want to go to Brighton, too!
He looked surprised, displeased, alarmed; but with a moment’s recollection and a returning smile, replied, that he had formerly seen him often; and after observing that he was a very gentlemanlike man, asked her how she had liked him. Her answer was warmly in his favour. With an air of indifference he soon afterwards added, “How long did you say that he was at Rosings?”
“Nearly three weeks.”
“And you saw him frequently?”
“Yes, almost every day.”
“His manners are very different from his cousin’s.”
“Yes, very different. But I think Mr. Darcy improves upon acquaintance.”
“Indeed!” cried Mr. Wickham with a look which did not escape her. “And pray, may I ask?” but checking himself, he added in a gayer tone, “Is it in address that he improves? Has he deigned to add ought of civility to his ordinary style? for I dare not hope,” he continued in a lower and more serious tone, “that he is improved in essentials.”
“Oh, no!” said Elizabeth. “In essentials, I believe, he is very much what he ever was.”
While she spoke, Wickham looked as if scarcely knowing whether to rejoice over her words, or to distrust their meaning.
ELIZABETH KNEW THERE was nothing Mr. Bennet (or indeed anyone) could do to enlarge the mind of poor Mrs. Bennet. But Elizabeth earnestly regretted that her father had not preserved the respectability of his daughters and endeavored to check Lydia’s wild animal spirits. The impudent behavior of Lydia, Kitty, and Mrs. Bennet must expose the entire family to censure and ridicule and materially damage Elizabeth and Jane’s chances of making a good match. However, Lizzy was not disposed to dwell on gloomy prognostications, so she bent her thoughts towards the tour of the lakes with her aunt and uncle.
Lydia had promised to write often, but her letters were infrequent and communicated little aside from a careless claw mark or a hastily nibbled page. And although Kitty appeared to have fuller intelligence, she always carried her letters upstairs in her mouth and chewed over their contents under her bed.
As the time approached for Aunt and Uncle Gardiner to arrive, Elizabeth received a letter from her aunt informing her that they would not have time to tour the lakes, and must content themselves with only exploring the beauties of Derbyshire. Mrs. Gardiner was particularly looking forward to visiting the town of Lambton, where she had grown up as a kitten.
Elizabeth could not hear of Derbyshire without thinking of Pemberley, Mr. Darcy’s magnificent estate. But surely, she thought, I may venture into the county and rob it of a few spiders without drawing his notice.
Kitty carried her letters upstairs in her mouth and chewed over their contents under her bed.
The Gardiners soon arrived with their four kittens, who were to stay at Longbourn while Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle set off on