Nodiver d.o.o. · Pride & Prejudice · page 370 of 640

Pride & Prejudice – page 370

JANE AUSTEN

pleasures of the morning to anybody who would hear

her.

“Oh! Mary,” said she, “I wish you had gone with us,

for we had such fun! As we went along, Kitty and I drew

up the blinds, and pretended there was nobody in the

coach; and I should have gone so all the way, if Kitty

had not been sick; and when we got to the George, I do

think we behaved very handsomely, for we treated the

other three with the nicest cold luncheon in the world,

and if you would have gone, we would have treated you

too. And then when we came away it was such fun! I

thought we never should have got into the coach. I was

ready to die of laughter. And then we were so merry

all the way home! we talked and laughed so loud, that

anybody might have heard us ten miles off!”

To this Mary very gravely replied, “Far be it from

me, my dear sister, to depreciate such pleasures! They

would doubtless be congenial with the generality of

female minds. But I confess they would have no charms

for meI should infinitely prefer a book.”

But of this answer Lydia heard not a word. She

seldom listened to anybody for more than half a minute,

and never attended to Mary at all.

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