Pride and Prejudice - Chapter 5
Kiêu hãnh và Định kiến - Chương 5
The Lucases were neighbours of the Bennets, and the two families were on friendly terms. Sir William Lucas had been in trade in Meryton before he was knighted, and he now considered himself a gentleman.
Các chị em của Bingley, Caroline và bà Hurst, mời Jane đến ăn tối tại Netherfield. Jane cưỡi ngựa đi trong mưa và bị cảm lạnh. Cô phải ở lại Netherfield cho đến khi hồi phục.
His daughter Charlotte was Elizabeth's age, and they were good friends. Charlotte was sensible and practical, with no romantic illusions about marriage.
Elizabeth, lo lắng cho chị gái, đã đi bộ ba dặm qua bùn lầy để đến thăm cô. Sự xuất hiện của cô trong bộ váy lấm lem bùn đất khiến các chị em nhà Bingley bị sốc nhưng lại thầm gây ấn tượng với ông Darcy bởi sự sống động và đôi mắt đẹp của cô.
"I ask only a comfortable home," she told Elizabeth once. "I am not romantic, you know. I never was. I ask only for a settled home and a reasonable income. That is enough to make me happy."
Sau đó, bà Bennet đến để kiểm tra tình hình của Jane nhưng lại cư xử đáng xấu hổ, khoe khoang về vẻ đẹp của Jane và thiếu phép tắc.
Elizabeth smiled at her friend's practical attitude. Charlotte understood the realities of their situation.
In November, the Bingley sisters gave a dinner party at Netherfield. The Bennets were invited, and Jane rode her horse to Netherfield, as the weather was fine.
But it began to rain during the visit, and Jane became soaked. She caught a cold and had to stay at Netherfield to recover.
Elizabeth, worried about her sister, walked three miles to Netherfield to see how Jane was. She arrived at the great house with her stockings covered in mud, her hair wild from the wind.
The Bingley sisters were shocked by her appearance, but Bingley and Darcy were impressed by her devotion to her sister.
Jane was delighted to see Elizabeth, though she was too weak to talk much. The sisters spent the day together, and when evening came, it was decided that Elizabeth would stay the night at Netherfield to be near Jane.
That evening, Elizabeth found herself in conversation with Darcy. To her surprise, she discovered that he was intelligent and well-read. They debated literature and philosophy, and Elizabeth found herself enjoying the discussion despite her earlier dislike of him.
But she still remembered his pride, his refusal to dance with her, his evident disdain. And she was determined not to like him.