“You speak with a propriety which I find very satisfactory, Mr. Wickham, for I have long maintained that firmness of character must be tempered by a willingness to recognise improvement, and it is agreeable to me to find that my opinion is not unsupported, particularly in a case where the disposition to amend may be as important as the original error.”
“I could wish, your ladyship, that my conduct might always justify the favourable interpretation you are inclined to place upon it, and I shall endeavour to act in such a manner as may confirm the good opinion you have already formed, for I should consider it a loss not easily repaired if I were to forfeit the confidence which you have so generously extended.”
Her expression softened, though without losing its habitual dignity, and Wickham, observing the effect of his words with a composure which concealed more calculation than it revealed, allowed himself the quiet conviction that his influence, though still in its early stages, was not precarious, and that her disposition toward him might be strengthened without requiring any effort that might attract notice or provoke resistance.
“Mr. Wickham,” she continued, after a short pause, during which she appeared to weigh her next words with unusual care, “I have given further thought to the proposals you mentioned respecting certain investments in London, and I am inclined to believe that they may, with proper management, proveadvantageous to my daughter’s interests, though I should not wish to proceed without a fuller understanding of what such an undertaking might require.”
“I am honoured by your confidence, my lady, and I cannot but think that, under your direction, such arrangements would be conducted with a prudence and foresight which must ensure their success, while at the same time extending the influence of Rosings beyond its present limits, in a manner entirely consistent with the dignity of your station and the expectations properly formed of it.”
“Then you are of opinion that the matter may be pursued without delay, provided that the necessary precautions are observed, and that the persons concerned are properly selected, so that no risk may attend what ought, if rightly managed, to be entirely secure?”
“I am entirely of that opinion, your ladyship, and I should consider it a privilege to assist, in whatever manner you think appropriate, in carrying into effect a plan so well calculated to secure both present advantage and future stability, for I cannot doubt that, under your guidance, such an undertaking would meet with the success it deserves.”
“Very well, Mr. Wickham, I shall expect you to prepare a more particular account of what is required, for I do not choose to proceed without being fully informed, though I see no reason, at present, to oppose what appears to be so reasonable a design.”
“I shall attend to it immediately, my lady, and take care that nothing is omitted which might contribute to your satisfaction or to the success of the undertaking, for I should be unwilling to risk any deficiency in a matter which so nearly concerns your confidence.”
Lady Catherine inclined her head, and after a few moments withdrew, leaving Wickham once more alone, though not in the same uncertainty in which she had found him, for the ground he occupied had, in that short exchange, become more secure, and the progress he had made, though not yet complete, was sufficiently advanced to justify confidence without inviting complacency.
Wickham moved to the window, where the rain, now less insistent, traced faint and irregular lines upon the glass, and allowed himself a moment of quiet satisfaction at the progress he had achieved, for Lady Catherine’s confidence, once gained, was not easily withdrawn, and he perceived that he had already advanced beyond the point at which mere favour might be lost without consequence, having begun instead to establish something nearer to dependence, in which her judgement, once engaged, would act not merely in his support, but in anticipation of his advantage.
“Mr. Wickham,” Mrs. Younge said, appearing at the threshold with an air of readiness that suggested she required little instruction, “shall I inform Lady Catherine that Mr. Collins has arrived, or do you wish to receive him before he is announced to the house, for I believe he waits with some expectation of being admitted without delay, and appears disposed to present himself with all the formality the occasion may require?”
“You may inform her, Mrs. Younge, and with as little delay as propriety allows,” Wickham replied, turning slightly, though without relinquishing his composure, “for I think it more suitable that Mr. Collins should first be received by her ladyship, whose authority in this house admits of no question, and whose judgement, when once declared, is seldom either disputed ormisunderstood, particularly by those who are most inclined to defer to it.”
When she had withdrawn, Wickham did not immediately move, but remained where he stood, considering with quiet satisfaction that no intervention on his part would now be required, for whatever explanation Mr. Collins might seek, and whatever disappointment he might attempt to express, would be met and answered by a force far more decisive than any argument he himself could have offered, and in a manner which would leave no room for appeal, since it would bear the sanction not only of authority, but of conviction already secured.
It was his intention, therefore, to wait, and to observe rather than to act, for a man such as Collins, whose vanity was easily gratified and whose dependence readily transferred, would require little more than direction properly applied, and Wickham had no doubt that, once Lady Catherine had spoken, any resistance would be softened into gratitude, and any expectation reduced to such a form as might best accommodate itself to the arrangement already established.
***
Wickham scarcely marked the moment when Fitzwilliam Darcy entered the parlour, so entirely was his attention engaged by his own reflections; yet when Darcy addressed him, the suddenness of the voice, low, measured, and unmistakably composed, was sufficient to make him start, though he recovered himself quickly enough to disguise the full extent of his surprise, and to turn with an air of readiness which, if not entirely natural, was at least practised enough to pass without immediate suspicion.
“How are you, Mr. Wickham, for I find you so occupied that I must wonder whether your thoughts are directed toward the immortality of the soul, or rather toward the more immediate question of maintaining your present situation, which I cannot suppose to be entirely secure.”
“I must beg your pardon, Mr. Darcy, if I have given you any cause to think me inattentive, for I had not expected the honour of your company at this moment, nor have I yet had the opportunity to thank you properly for the recommendation which first introduced me to my present circumstances, and which I have not forgotten, however imperfectly I may have acknowledged it.”
Darcy advanced a step, though without haste, and his manner, while perfectly composed, bore that particular steadiness which admitted neither familiarity nor evasion.
“Yes, I had indeed intended to seek you in Shrewsbury, where I expected to find you usefully established, and I confess that I was not prepared to discover you settled so near Rosings, and, consequently, within reach of interests which are not wholly indifferent to me, nor, I think, properly within your concern.”
“Circumstances, I regret to say, Mr. Darcy, were not entirely within my control, and another was preferred there, so that I was obliged to accept what was offered here, though I should have wished to inform you sooner, had I been afforded the leisure to do so, for I would not willingly appear deficient in respect where I owe so much.”
“That omission may yet be remedied,” Mr. Darcy said with the slightest hint of irony, “for I could, without difficulty, arrange your removal to Shrewsbury, where I believe your presence might be rendered more acceptable by considerations which are well understood in such matters, and which, if properly applied,would ensure that your talents are placed where they may be exercised with less inconvenience to others.”
“I am sensible of your attention, Mr. Darcy, and I would not appear ungrateful for what you are pleased to propose, yet I must assure you that I am entirely satisfied with my present situation, having already begun to form connections here which I should be reluctant to abandon without sufficient cause, and which I trust may, in time, justify my remaining.”
Darcy’s expression altered, though so slightly that it might have escaped a less attentive observer; yet there was now in his manner something less guarded, and more directly opposed.
“It is precisely that circumstance which gives me concern, Wickham, for I have already observed how rapidly you have established yourself, and I cannot say that what I heard this morning, in the pulpit, gives me any confidence that your talents are equal to your advancement, however conveniently it may have been obtained.”
“I thank you for your candour, sir, though I cannot but hope that your judgement may be reconsidered upon a more favourable occasion, when I may have the advantage of addressing my congregation under less pressing circumstances, and with that composure which the office, when properly discharged, is intended to inspire.”
“Do not trouble yourself with such expectations, for I have no inclination to soften my opinion, and I must insist that what I heard was wholly inadequate to your office, however convenient it may have proved to your purposes, and I should think it prudent that you do not mistake indulgence for approval.”
Wickham felt, for a moment, the old and unwelcome pressure of Darcy’s presence, which had always possessed the power ofdiminishing his advantages without diminishing his pride, and he was conscious that, in such an interview, he must rely less upon confidence than upon careful management, and less upon charm than upon restraint, for he could not hope to prevail where he could not persuade.
“Surely, Mr. Darcy, you would not suppose that I have accepted my situation with any intention but that of fulfilling its duties, and I should be sorry to think that you attribute to me designs which I have neither expressed nor acted upon, for I have endeavoured, within the limits of my situation, to conduct myself with propriety.”
