Pride and Prejudice — Chapter Five (Abridged)

Near the Bennet family lived the Lucas family, with whom they were on friendly terms. Sir William Lucas had once been a tradesman in the town of Meryton, where he made a respectable fortune. After receiving a knighthood from the king, he became so proud of this honor that he gave up his business and moved to a house in the countryside called Lucas Lodge. There, he spent his time being polite and agreeable to everyone. Although he valued his rank, he was not unfriendly or proud in his behavior. Instead, he was known for his kindness and good manners.

Lady Lucas was a pleasant, sensible woman who was a good neighbor to Mrs. Bennet. They had several children, the eldest of whom was Charlotte Lucas, a thoughtful and intelligent woman of about twenty-seven. She was one of Elizabeth Bennet’s closest friends. Because of this friendship, the Lucas and Bennet families often visited each other.

The morning after the ball, the Lucas sisters came to Longbourn to discuss the events of the previous evening. Mrs. Bennet began by politely telling Charlotte that she had been Mr. Bingley’s first choice for a dance. Charlotte replied that although that was true, he seemed to prefer his second partner more, clearly meaning Jane Bennet.

The conversation quickly turned to what Mr. Bingley had said about Jane. Charlotte reported that she had overheard him declare that the eldest Miss Bennet was the most beautiful woman in the room and that no one could disagree with that opinion. Mrs. Bennet was delighted to hear this, though she still warned that such admiration might not lead to anything serious.

Elizabeth listened with amusement as Charlotte reminded her of Mr. Darcy’s remark that she was only “tolerable.” Mrs. Bennet insisted that Elizabeth should not be upset by this, since Mr. Darcy was such an unpleasant man that it would be a disadvantage to be liked by him. She repeated a story that he had sat next to Mrs. Long for half an hour without speaking. Jane, however, gently suggested that this might not be entirely accurate, since she had seen him speaking to her at least once.

Jane tried to defend Mr. Darcy by explaining that he might simply be reserved and uncomfortable among strangers. She had heard that he was quite agreeable among his close friends. Mrs. Bennet strongly disagreed, insisting that his silence must come from pride. She even suggested that he looked down on Mrs. Long because she did not own a carriage.

Charlotte Lucas then offered a more balanced opinion. She said that Mr. Darcy’s pride did not offend her as much as it might have, because it seemed natural for a man of his wealth and position to think highly of himself. Elizabeth replied with humor that she might have forgiven his pride if he had not hurt her own feelings.

At this point, Mary Bennet joined the conversation and gave a thoughtful explanation of the difference between pride and vanity. She argued that pride is related to how we see ourselves, while vanity concerns what we want others to think of us. According to her, pride is a common human weakness, and most people feel some level of self-satisfaction about their own qualities.

The discussion ended in a lighter tone when a younger Lucas boy declared that if he were as rich as Mr. Darcy, he would be as proud as he liked and spend his time hunting and drinking wine. Mrs. Bennet responded that she would quickly stop him from such behavior if she saw it. The boy insisted that she would not, and their playful disagreement brought the visit to a close.