Chapter 55 331
" Exceed their income ! My dear Mr . Bennet ," cried his wife , " what are you talking of ? Why , he has four or five thousand a year , and very likely more ." Then addressing her daughter , " Oh ! my dear , dear Jane , I am so happy ! I am sure I shan ' t get a wink of sleep all night . I knew how it would be . I always said it must be so , at last . I was sure you could not be so beautiful for nothing ! I remember , as soon as ever I saw him , when he first came into Hertfordshire last year , I thought how likely it was that you should come together . Oh ! he is the handsomest young man that ever was seen !"
Wickham , Lydia , were all forgotten . Jane was beyond competition her favourite child . At that moment , she cared for no other . Her younger sisters soon began to make interest with her for objects of happiness which she might in future be able to dispense .
Mary petitioned for the use of the library at Netherfield ; and Kitty begged very hard for a few balls there every winter .
Bingley , from this time , was of course a daily visitor at Longbourn ; coming frequently before breakfast , and always remaining till after supper ; unless when some barbarous neighbour , who could not be enough detested , had given him an invitation to dinner which he thought himself obliged to accept .
Elizabeth had now but little time for conversation with her sister ; for while he was present , Jane had no attention to bestow on anyone else ; but she found herself considerably useful to both of them in those hours of separation that must sometimes occur . In the absence of Jane , he always attached himself to Elizabeth , for the pleasure of talking of her ; and when Bingley was gone , Jane constantly sought the same means of relief .
" He has made me so happy ," said she , one evening , " by telling me that he was totally ignorant of my being in town last spring ! I had not believed it possible ."
" I suspected as much ," replied Elizabeth . " But how did he account for it ?"