Chapter 48 277
Chapter 48
The whole party were in hopes of a letter from Mr . Bennet the next morning , but the post came in without bringing a single line from him . His family knew him to be , on all common occasions , a most negligent and dilatory correspondent ; but at such a time they had hoped for exertion . They were forced to conclude that he had no pleasing intelligence to send ; but even of that they would have been glad to be certain . Mr . Gardiner had waited only for the letters before he set off .
When he was gone , they were certain at least of receiving constant information of what was going on , and their uncle promised , at parting , to prevail on Mr . Bennet to return to Longbourn , as soon as he could , to the great consolation of his sister , who considered it as the only security for her husband ' s not being killed in a duel .
Mrs . Gardiner and the children were to remain in Hertfordshire a few days longer , as the former thought her presence might be serviceable to her nieces . She shared in their attendance on Mrs . Bennet , and was a great comfort to them in their hours of freedom . Their other aunt also visited them frequently , and always , as she said , with the design of cheering and heartening them up--though , as she never came without reporting some fresh instance of Wickham ' s extravagance or irregularity , she seldom went away without leaving them more dispirited than she found them .
All Meryton seemed striving to blacken the man who , but three months before , had been almost an angel of light . He was declared to be in debt to every tradesman in the place , and his intrigues , all honoured with the title of seduction , had been extended into every tradesman ' s family . Everybody declared that he was the wickedest young man in the world ; and everybody began to find out that they had always distrusted the appearance of his goodness . Elizabeth , though she did not credit above half of what was said , believed enough to make her former assurance of her sister ' s ruin more certain ; and even Jane , who believed still less of it , became almost hopeless , more especially as the time was now come when , if they had gone to Scotland , which she had never before entirely despaired of , they must in