Maximum-assistance view: every word above everyday vocabulary is explained at every appearance; each name is introduced at its first appearance in the chapter.

CHAPTER IV.

When Jane and Elizabeth were alone, the former, who had been cautious in her praise of Mr. Bingley before (Jane, who had been careful how much she praised Mr. Bingley before), expressed to her sister how very much she admired him (told her sister how much she admired him).

“He is just what a young-man ought to be (He is exactly what a young man should be),” said she, “sensible, good-humoured, lively (level-headed, cheerful, full of life); and I never saw such happy manners! (and I never saw such a pleasant way with people!) so much ease, with such perfect good breeding! (so relaxed, and yet so perfectly well brought up!)”

“He is also handsome,” replied Elizabeth, “which a young man ought likewise to be if he possibly can (which a young man should also be if he possibly can). His character is thereby complete (That makes him complete).”

“I was very much flattered by his asking me to dance a second time (I was very pleased that he asked me to dance a second time). I did not expect such a compliment (I did not expect to be paid that kind of compliment).”

“Did not you? I did for you. But that is one great difference between us. Compliments always take you by surprise, and me never (Compliments always surprise you and never surprise me). What could be more natural than his asking you again? (What could be more natural than his asking you again?) He could not help seeing that you were about five times as pretty as every other woman in the room (He could not help noticing you were about five times prettier than every other woman there). No thanks to his gallantry for that (That is nothing to do with his good manners toward women). Well, he certainly is very agreeable, and I give you leave to like him (and I give you permission to like him). You have liked many a stupider person (You have liked plenty of people more stupid than he is).”

“Dear Lizzy! (Dear Lizzy!)”

“Oh, you are a great deal too apt, you know, to like people in general (you are far too ready, you know, to like people in general). You never see a fault in anybody (You never see anything wrong with anyone). All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes (In your eyes everybody in the world is good and pleasant). I never heard you speak ill of a human being in my life (I have never in my life heard you say a bad word about anyone).”

“I would wish not to be hasty in censuring anyone (I would rather not rush into criticising anyone); but I always speak what I think (but I always say what I think).”

“I know you do: and it is that which makes the wonder (and that is what makes it so amazing). With your good sense, to be so honestly blind to the follies and nonsense of others! (With the sense you have, to be so genuinely blind to other people’s foolishness and nonsense!) Affectation of candour is common enough; one meets with it everywhere (Pretending to be frank is common enough; you meet it everywhere). But to be candid without ostentation or design (But to be honest without showing off and without a plan behind it),--to take the good of everybody’s character and make it still better (to take the good in everyone’s character and make it out to be even better), and say nothing of the bad (and say nothing about the bad),--belongs to you alone (is yours alone). And so, you like this man’s sisters, too, do you? Their manners are not equal to his (The way they behave is not as good as his).”

“Certainly not, at first; but they are very pleasing women when you converse with them (but they are very pleasant women when you talk with them). Miss Bingley is to live with her brother, and keep his house (Miss Bingley is going to live with her brother and run his household); and I am much mistaken if we shall not find a very charming neighbour in her (and I am much mistaken if she does not turn out to be a very charming neighbour).”

Elizabeth listened in silence, but was not convinced (Elizabeth listened without a word but was not persuaded): their behaviour at the assembly had not been calculated to please in general (the way they had behaved at the dance had not been aimed at pleasing people in general); and with more quickness of observation and less pliancy of temper than her sister (and being quicker to notice things and less easily bent than her sister), and with a judgment, too, unassailed by any attention to herself (and with a judgement, too, that no flattering attention to her had softened), she was very little disposed to approve them (she was not at all inclined to think well of them). They were, in fact, very fine ladies; not deficient in good-humour when they were pleased (not short of good temper when they were pleased), nor in the power of being agreeable where they chose it (nor unable to be pleasant when they chose to be); but proud and conceited (but proud and full of themselves). They were rather handsome; had been educated in one of the first private seminaries in town (had been educated at one of the top private schools for girls in London); had a fortune of twenty thousand pounds (had twenty thousand pounds of their own); were in the habit of spending more than they ought (were in the habit of spending more than they should), and of associating with people of rank (and of mixing with people of high position); and were, therefore, in every respect entitled to think well of themselves and meanly of others (and were therefore, in every way, entitled to think highly of themselves and poorly of everyone else). They were of a respectable family in the north of England (They came from a respectable family in the north of England); a circumstance more deeply impressed on their memories (a fact fixed more firmly in their memories) than that their brother’s fortune and their own had been acquired by trade (than the fact that their brother’s money and their own had been made in business).

Mr. Bingley inherited property to the amount of nearly a hundred thousand pounds from his father (Mr. Bingley inherited property worth nearly a hundred thousand pounds from his father), who had intended to purchase an estate, but did not live to do it (who had meant to buy a country estate but did not live to do it). Mr. Bingley intended it likewise, and sometimes made choice of his county (and sometimes settled on which county he would buy in); but, as he was now provided with a good house and the liberty of a manor (but since he now had a good house and the right to hunt over the land), it was doubtful to many of those who best knew the easiness of his temper (many of those who knew best how easy-going he was doubted), whether he might not spend the remainder of his days at Netherfield (whether he might not spend the rest of his life at Netherfield), and leave the next generation to purchase (and leave the buying to the next generation).

His sisters were very anxious for his having an estate of his own (His sisters badly wanted him to have an estate of his own); but though he was now established only as a tenant (but though he was only settled there as a renter), Miss Bingley was by no means unwilling to preside at his table (Miss Bingley was perfectly willing to sit at the head of his table); nor was Mrs. Hurst, who had married a man of more fashion than fortune (who had married a man with more style than money), less disposed to consider his house as her home when it suited her (any less ready to treat his house as her home whenever it suited her). Mr. Bingley had not been of age two years (Mr. Bingley had not been a legal adult two years) when he was tempted, by an accidental recommendation, to look at Netherfield House (when a chance recommendation tempted him to go and look at Netherfield House). He did look at it, and into it, for half an hour; was pleased with the situation and the principal rooms (was pleased with where it stood and with the main rooms), satisfied with what the owner said in its praise, and took it immediately (satisfied with the owner’s praise of it, and took it on the spot).

Between him and Darcy there was a very steady friendship, in spite of a great opposition of character (there was a very solid friendship, in spite of how opposite their characters were). Bingley was endeared to Darcy by the easiness, openness, and ductility of his temper (Darcy was fond of Bingley for how easy, open and bendable his nature was), though no disposition could offer a greater contrast to his own (though no nature could be more different from his own), and though with his own he never appeared dissatisfied (and though he never seemed unhappy with his own). On the strength of Darcy’s regard, Bingley had the firmest reliance (Bingley leaned with complete confidence on Darcy’s good opinion of him), and of his judgment the highest opinion (and thought extremely highly of his judgement). In understanding, Darcy was the superior (In brain power Darcy was the better of the two). Bingley was by no means deficient; but Darcy was clever (Bingley was by no means slow, but Darcy was clever). He was at the same time haughty, reserved, and fastidious (At the same time he was lofty, held himself back, and was hard to please); and his manners, though well bred, were not inviting (and his manners, though those of a gentleman, did not draw people in). In that respect his friend had greatly the advantage (In that way his friend was far ahead of him). Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared (Bingley could be certain of being liked wherever he went); Darcy was continually giving offence (Darcy was forever upsetting people).

The manner in which they spoke of the Meryton assembly was sufficiently characteristic (The way the two of them talked about the Meryton dance was typical enough of each). Bingley had never met with pleasanter people or prettier girls in his life (Bingley had never met nicer people or better-looking girls in his life); everybody had been most kind and attentive to him (everybody had been very kind and had taken great care of him); there had been no formality, no stiffness (there had been no standing on ceremony, no stiffness); he had soon felt acquainted with all the room (he had soon felt he knew everyone in the room); and as to Miss Bennet, he could not conceive an angel more beautiful (he could not imagine an angel more beautiful). Darcy, on the contrary, had seen a collection of people in whom there was little beauty and no fashion (had seen a crowd of people with little good looks and no style), for none of whom he had felt the smallest interest (not one of whom he had felt the slightest interest in), and from none received either attention or pleasure (and from none of whom he had had any attention or any pleasure). Miss Bennet he acknowledged to be pretty; but she smiled too much (He admitted Miss Bennet was pretty, but said she smiled too much).

Mrs. Hurst and her sister allowed it to be so (Mrs. Hurst and her sister agreed that this was so); but still they admired her and liked her, and pronounced her to be a sweet girl (and declared her a sweet girl), and one whom they should not object to know more of (and one they would not mind getting to know better). Miss Bennet was therefore established as a sweet girl (So Miss Bennet was settled as a sweet girl); and their brother felt authorized by such commendation to think of her as he chose (and their brother took that praise as permission to think about her as much as he liked).

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