صفحة 158 من 817

Elizabeth honoured him for such feelings, and thought him

handsomer than ever as he expressed them.

"But what," said she, after a pause, "can have been his motive?

what can have induced him to behave so cruelly?"

"A thorough, determined dislike of me--a dislike which I cannot

but attribute in some measure to jealousy. Had the late Mr. Darcy

liked me less, his son might have borne with me better; but his

father's uncommon attachment to me irritated him, I believe, very

early in life. He had not a temper to bear the sort of

competition in which we stood--the sort of preference which was

often given me."

"I had not thought Mr. Darcy so bad as this--though I have never

liked him, I had not thought so very ill of him--I had supposed

him to be despising his fellow-creatures in general, but did not

suspect him of descending to such malicious revenge, such

injustice, such inhumanity as this!"