Darcy returned attention to Elizabeth, or at least the tiny bit he had been willing to devote to Miss Bingley.
Elizabeth smiled in return. She need not say anything.
Mr Gardiner said, “It is good to see you again, sir,” and his wife added her sentiments. Both bowed and curtseyed as appropriate.
Elizabeth said, “Might I add similar sentiments?”
The gentleman bowed. “You are always welcome.”
Instruction
The Gardiners noticed that the gentleman and their niece were diverging from politeness and wished to move the conversation along. Her uncle cleared his throat, which recalled them to themselves.
Darcy said, “As I said earlier, Mr and Mrs Gardiner, you are a most welcome sight, as always.”
Gardiner chuckled. “Perhaps, but I noticed you expressed your sentiments in Spanish, which most of us do not speak. Lizzy, might you translate?”
Elizabeth glanced from Mr Darcy to her relatives and the Bingleys.
“I shall be happy to do so in a moment, but I find myself on the horns of a dilemma. I have several topics, and I do not know where to start.”
“Can you be more specific? I am certain you have a list,” Darcy asked with a smile.
“Of course! The conversation requires courtesies, interpretation, overdue courtesies, and instruction. I am not certain where to start.”
Darcy noticed the playfulness of her response and enjoyed it immensely. It was certainly an improvement over the tension, uncertainty, and misunderstandings of their previous meetings.
“Perhaps we can toss a coin and use the result to bifurcate the list. We would repeat until only one item remained and proceed. With 4 items, that list would only require 2 tosses for the first task.”
“Or we could throw dice.”
“Pull items out of a hat.”
“Go into the forest and read scat.”
“I am certain Mrs Reynolds has some tea leaves.”
Darcy and Elizabeth chuckled with the Gardiners, who had contributed half the suggestions. Even Bingley appeared ready to join in.
Darcy said, “Perhaps I may borrow a leaf from your usual procedure, Miss Bennet, and attack the problem systematically. A careful analysis of requirements and prerequisites might yield a better sequence than random sequencing.”
“How so?”
Almost everyone but the two principals gave up in confusion.
“Would you agree thatpropercourtesy requires adherence to the usual rules of politeness?”
“That seems sensible.”
“And would you also agree that it is typically best to pay old debts before contracting new ones?”
Gardiner smiled over the confusion almost as much as Darcy did. “A sound principle in business, sir. I see no reason it should not be applied universally.”
“Exactly! And I should say that, unless some compelling emergency intervenes, it is best to pay the courtesies before substantive conversation. It helps to secure an even footing, and if you do not begin with the courtesies, there is never a good time to start.”
Elizabeth laughed lightly. “By that reasoning, the proper sequence should be instruction, overdue courtesy, current courtesy, and finally interpretation.”
“Very sensible, though my more reckless self shall mourn the loss of the tea leaves.”
