Nodiver d.o.o. · Pride & Prejudice · page 140 of 640

Pride & Prejudice – page 140

JANE AUSTEN

“Good heavens!” cried Elizabeth; “but how could

that be? How could his will be disregarded? Why did

you not seek legal redress?”

“There was just such an informality in the terms

of the bequest as to give me no hope from law. A

man of honour could not have doubted the intention,

but Mr. Darcy chose to doubt itor to treat it as

a merely conditional recommendation, and to assert

that I had forfeited all claim to it by extravagance,

imprudencein short anything or nothing. Certain it is,

that the living became vacant two years ago, exactly as I

was of an age to hold it, and that it was given to another

man; and no less certain is it, that I cannot accuse

myself of having really done anything to deserve to lose

it. I have a warm, unguarded temper, and I may have

spoken my opinion of him, and to him, too freely. I can

recall nothing worse. But the fact is, that we are very

different sort of men, and that he hates me.”

“This is quite shocking! He deserves to be publicly

disgraced.”

“Some time or other he will bebut it shall not be

by me. Till I can forget his father, I can never defy or

expose him.”

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