Two weeks after the sisters returned home, the regiment was about to leave Meryton for good. Almost every young woman in the area seemed heartbroken about it — except for Jane and Elizabeth, who stayed calm and cheerful as usual. Kitty and Lydia often complained loudly about this, unable to understand how their sisters could act so normal during such a "tragedy."
"What will become of us?" Lydia cried dramatically. Mrs. Bennet agreed completely, remembering how sad she had felt years earlier when a different regiment left town. "If only we could go to Brighton!" she sighed. Elizabeth listened to all this complaining, feeling embarrassed rather than amused. She began to understand more clearly why Mr. Darcy had once objected to his friend's connection with her family.
Suddenly, good news arrived for Lydia. Mrs. Forster, the young wife of the regiment's colonel, invited Lydia to come stay with her in Brighton for the summer. The two women had only known each other a few months, but had quickly become close friends. Lydia was thrilled beyond words, while Kitty felt hurt and jealous that she hadn't been invited too.
Elizabeth did not share her mother's excitement. She worried deeply about what might happen if Lydia, who behaved carelessly even at home, were given even more freedom in a town full of soldiers. She quietly went to her father and begged him not to allow Lydia to go, explaining that Lydia's wild behavior could damage the family's reputation.
Mr. Bennet listened but didn't take the warning seriously. "Lydia will find a way to embarrass us somewhere eventually," he said calmly. "At least this way, it costs us nothing." Elizabeth tried again, saying seriously that Lydia's careless behavior might already be hurting the whole family's reputation, and that if her father did not correct her now, she would only get worse.
Mr. Bennet gently took Elizabeth's hand, reassuring her that she and Jane would always be respected no matter what their younger sisters did. He decided to let Lydia go anyway, believing the trip might actually humble her, since she would no longer be the most exciting girl around, surrounded by so many other young women competing for the officers' attention.
Elizabeth had no choice but to accept her father's decision, though she remained worried. She tried not to dwell on things she couldn't change. Meanwhile, Lydia dreamed happily about Brighton, imagining herself surrounded by handsome officers, completely unaware that her sister had tried to stop her from going at all.
Around this time, Elizabeth saw Mr. Wickham for what would be the last time in a while. Her feelings toward him had changed completely — the charm that once attracted her now seemed fake and tiresome. When he tried to be friendly and flirtatious again, she felt only irritation, realizing he assumed she would still be flattered by his attention.
During their final conversation, Elizabeth mentioned that she had recently spent time with Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr. Darcy at Rosings. She calmly said she thought Mr. Darcy improved the more one got to know him. Wickham looked nervous and tried to steer the conversation back toward his old complaints about Darcy, but Elizabeth refused to continue that conversation. They said polite goodbyes, both privately relieved to be done with each other.
Soon after, Lydia left excitedly with Mrs. Forster for Brighton. Only Kitty cried at the farewell — mostly from jealousy — while Lydia's loud, happy goodbyes drowned out everyone else's quieter feelings.
Vocabulary List
- heartbroken — feeling extreme sadness, especially from loss or disappointment.
- dramatically — in an exaggerated, emotional way meant to attract attention.
- thrilled — extremely happy and excited.
- jealous — feeling envious of someone else's advantage or success.
- reputation — the general opinion people have about someone's character.
- reassure — to comfort someone by removing their doubts or fears.
- humble (verb) — to make someone less proud or confident.
- dwell on — to think about something for too long, especially something upsetting.
- irritation — a feeling of annoyance.
- flattered — pleased by praise or attention, sometimes overly so.
- nervous — feeling anxious or worried.
- complaints — statements expressing dissatisfaction about something.
- relieved — feeling less worried after stress or fear has passed.
- drown out — to make a sound impossible to hear by being much louder.
- careless — not showing enough attention or thought to avoid mistakes.
True or False
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Elizabeth and Jane are just as upset about the regiment leaving as Kitty and Lydia are.
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Mrs. Forster invites Lydia to spend the summer with her in Brighton.
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Mr. Bennet takes Elizabeth's warning seriously and refuses to let Lydia go to Brighton.
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By their last meeting, Elizabeth still finds Wickham's charm genuinely attractive.
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Wickham looks nervous when Elizabeth says that Darcy improves the more one knows him.
Fill in the Blanks
- Mrs. Forster invites Lydia to spend the summer with her in .
- Elizabeth secretly asks her not to let Lydia go to Brighton.
- Mr. Bennet believes the Brighton trip might actually Lydia, since she won't be the most exciting girl there.
- Elizabeth tells Wickham she recently spent time with him and Colonel Fitzwilliam at .
- At the farewell, only cries, mostly out of jealousy.