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Pride & Prejudice – page 608

JANE AUSTEN

all my pretensions to please a woman worthy of being

pleased.”

“Had you then persuaded yourself that I should?”

“Indeed I had. What will you think of my vanity? I

believed you to be wishing, expecting my addresses.”

“My manners must have been in fault, but not

intentionally, I assure you. I never meant to deceive

you, but my spirits might often lead me wrong. How

you must have hated me after that evening!”

“Hate you! I was angry perhaps at first, but my anger

soon began to take a proper direction.”

“I am almost afraid of asking what you thought of

me, when we met at Pemberley. You blamed me for

coming?”

“No indeed; I felt nothing but surprise.”

“Your surprise could not be greater than mine in

being noticed by you. My conscience told me that I

deserved no extraordinary politeness, and I confess that

I did not expect to receive more than my due.”

“My object then,” replied Darcy, “was to show you,

by every civility in my power, that I was not so mean

as to resent the past; and I hoped to obtain your

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