Chapter 44 250
Of Mr . Darcy it was now a matter of anxiety to think well ; and , as far as their acquaintance reached , there was no fault to find . They could not be untouched by his politeness ; and had they drawn his character from their own feelings and his servant ' s report , without any reference to any other account , the circle in Hertfordshire to which he was known would not have recognized it for Mr . Darcy . There was now an interest , however , in believing the housekeeper ; and they soon became sensible that the authority of a servant who had known him since he was four years old , and whose own manners indicated respectability , was not to be hastily rejected . Neither had anything occurred in the intelligence of their Lambton friends that could materially lessen its weight . They had nothing to accuse him of but pride ; pride he probably had , and if not , it would certainly be imputed by the inhabitants of a small market-town where the family did not visit . It was acknowledged , however , that he was a liberal man , and did much good among the poor .
With respect to Wickham , the travellers soon found that he was not held there in much estimation ; for though the chief of his concerns with the son of his patron were imperfectly understood , it was yet a well-known fact that , on his quitting Derbyshire , he had left many debts behind him , which Mr . Darcy afterwards discharged .
As for Elizabeth , her thoughts were at Pemberley this evening more than the last ; and the evening , though as it passed it seemed long , was not long enough to determine her feelings towards one in that mansion ; and she lay awake two whole hours endeavouring to make them out . She certainly did not hate him . No ; hatred had vanished long ago , and she had almost as long been ashamed of ever feeling a dislike against him , that could be so called . The respect created by the conviction of his valuable qualities , though at first unwillingly admitted , had for some time ceased to be repugnant to her feeling ; and it was now heightened into somewhat of a friendlier nature , by the testimony so highly in his favour , and bringing forward his disposition in so amiable a light , which yesterday had produced . But above all , above respect and esteem , there was a motive within her of goodwill which could not be overlooked . It was gratitude ; gratitude , not merely for having once loved her , but for loving her still well enough to forgive all the petulance