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"My love, should not you like to see a place of which you have

heard so much?" said her aunt. "A place, too, with which so many

of your acquaintance are connected. Wickham passed all his youth

there, you know."

Elizabeth was distressed. She felt that she had no business at

Pemberley, and was obliged to assume a disinclination for seeing

it. She must own that she was tired of great houses: after going

over so many, she really had no pleasure in fine carpets or satin

curtains.

Mrs. Gardiner abused her stupidity. "If it were merely a fine

house richly furnished," said she, "I should not care about it

myself; but the grounds are delightful. They have some of the

finest woods in the country."