Nodiver d.o.o. · Pride & Prejudice · page 478 of 640

Pride & Prejudice – page 478

JANE AUSTEN

love to Colonel Forster. I hope you will drink to our

good journey.

“Your affectionate friend,

“Lydia Bennet.”

“Oh! thoughtless, thoughtless Lydia!” cried

Elizabeth when she had finished it. “What a letter is

this, to be written at such a moment! But at least

it shows that she was serious on the subject of their

journey. Whatever he might afterwards persuade her

to, it was not on her side a scheme of infamy. My poor

father! how he must have felt it!”

“I never saw anyone so shocked. He could not speak

a word for full ten minutes. My mother was taken ill

immediately, and the whole house in such confusion!”

“Oh! Jane,” cried Elizabeth, “was there a servant

belonging to it who did not know the whole story

before the end of the day?”

“I do not know. I hope there was. But to be guarded

at such a time is very difficult. My mother was in

hysterics, and though I endeavoured to give her every

assistance in my power, I am afraid I did not do so much

as I might have done! But the horror of what might

possibly happen almost took from me my faculties.”

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