صفحة 137 من 817

His plan did not vary on seeing them. Miss Bennet's lovely face

confirmed his views, and established all his strictest notions of

what was due to seniority; and for the first evening she was his

settled choice. The next morning, however, made an alteration;

for in a quarter of an hour's tete-a-tete with Mrs. Bennet before

breakfast, a conversation beginning with his parsonage-house, and

leading naturally to the avowal of his hopes, that a mistress for

it might be found at Longbourn, produced from her, amid very

complaisant smiles and general encouragement, a caution against

the very Jane he had fixed on. "As to her younger daughters, she

could not take upon her to say--she could not positively

answer--but she did not know of any prepossession;--her eldest

daughter she must just mention--she felt it incumbent on her to

hint, was likely to be very soon engaged."