817페이지 중 137페이지

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."