Nodiver d.o.o. · Pride & Prejudice · page 302 of 640

Pride & Prejudice – page 302

JANE AUSTEN

“I do not mean to say that a woman may not be

settled too near her family. The far and the near must be

relative, and depend on many varying circumstances.

Where there is fortune to make the expenses of

travelling unimportant, distance becomes no evil. But

that is not the case here. Mr. and Mrs. Collins have a

comfortable income, but not such a one as will allow

of frequent journeysand I am persuaded my friend

would not call herself near her family under less than

half the present distance.”

Mr. Darcy drew his chair a little towards her, and

said, “You cannot have a right to such very strong

local attachment. You cannot have been always at

Longbourn.”

Elizabeth looked surprised. The gentleman experi-

enced some change of feeling; he drew back his chair,

took a newspaper from the table, and glancing over it,

said, in a colder voice:

“Are you pleased with Kent?”

A short dialogue on the subject of the country

ensued, on either side calm and conciseand soon

put an end to by the entrance of Charlotte and her

sister, just returned from her walk. The tete-a-tete

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