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In describing to her all the grandeur of Lady Catherine and her

mansion, with occasional digressions in praise of his own humble

abode, and the improvements it was receiving, he was happily

employed until the gentlemen joined them; and he found in Mrs.

Philips a very attentive listener, whose opinion of his

consequence increased with what she heard, and who was resolving

to retail it all among her neighbours as soon as she could. To

the girls, who could not listen to their cousin, and who had

nothing to do but to wish for an instrument, and examine their

own indifferent imitations of china on the mantel-piece, the

interval of waiting appeared very long. It was over at last,

however. The gentlemen did approach: and when Mr. Wickham walked

into the room, Elizabeth felt that she had neither been seeing

him before, nor thinking of him since, with the smallest degree

of unreasonable admiration.