Pride and Prejudice | Page 281

Chapter 48 281 and make him marry her , if he comes away ?"
As Mrs . Gardiner began to wish to be at home , it was settled that she and the children should go to London , at the same time that Mr . Bennet came from it . The coach , therefore , took them the first stage of their journey , and brought its master back to Longbourn .
Mrs . Gardiner went away in all the perplexity about Elizabeth and her Derbyshire friend that had attended her from that part of the world . His name had never been voluntarily mentioned before them by her niece ; and the kind of half-expectation which Mrs . Gardiner had formed , of their being followed by a letter from him , had ended in nothing . Elizabeth had received none since her return that could come from Pemberley .
The present unhappy state of the family rendered any other excuse for the lowness of her spirits unnecessary ; nothing , therefore , could be fairly conjectured from that , though Elizabeth , who was by this time tolerably well acquainted with her own feelings , was perfectly aware that , had she known nothing of Darcy , she could have borne the dread of Lydia ' s infamy somewhat better . It would have spared her , she thought , one sleepless night out of two .
When Mr . Bennet arrived , he had all the appearance of his usual philosophic composure . He said as little as he had ever been in the habit of saying ; made no mention of the business that had taken him away , and it was some time before his daughters had courage to speak of it .
It was not till the afternoon , when he had joined them at tea , that Elizabeth ventured to introduce the subject ; and then , on her briefly expressing her sorrow for what he must have endured , he replied , " Say nothing of that . Who should suffer but myself ? It has been my own doing , and I ought to feel it ."
" You must not be too severe upon yourself ," replied Elizabeth .