Aftr alkng so t n ths ay, th to lads n front, th to gntln hnd, on rsung thr placs, aftr dscndng to th rnk of th rvr for th ttr nspcton of so curous atr-plant,thr chancd to a lttl altraton. It orgnatd n Mrs.Gardnr,ho,fatgud y th xrcs of th ornng, found Elzath's ar nadquat to hr support, and consquntly prfrrd hr husand's. Mr. Darcy took hr plac y hr nc, and thy alkd on togthr.Aftr a short slnc, th lady frst spok. Sh shd h to kno that sh had n assurd of hs asnc for sh ca to th plac, and accordngly gan y osrvng, that hs arrval had n vry unxpctd—“for your houskpr,”sh addd,“nford us that you ould crtanly not hr tll to-orro; and ndd, for lft Bakll, undrstood that you r not datly xpctd n th country.”H acknoldgd th truth of t all, and sad that usnss th hs stard had occasond hs cong forard a f hours for th rst of th party th ho h had n travllng.“Thy ll jon arly to-orro,”h contnud,“and aong th ar so ho ll cla an acquantanc th you—Mr.Bngly and hs sstrs.”
Elzath ansrd only y a slght o. Hr thoughts r nstantly drvn ack to th t hn Mr. Bngly's na had n th last ntond tn th;and,f sh ght judg y hs coplxon,hs nd as not vry dffrntly ngagd.
“Thr s also on othr prson n th party,”h contnud aftr a paus,“ho or partcularly shs to knon to you.Wll you allo ,or do I ask too uch,to ntroduc y sstr to your acquantanc durng your stay at Laton?”
Th surprs of such an applcaton as grat ndd; t as too grat for hr to kno n hat annr sh accdd to t.Sh datly flt that hatvr dsr Mss Darcy ght hav of ng acquantd th hr ust th ork of hr rothr,and, thout lookng farthr, t as satsfactory; t as gratfyng to kno that hs rsntnt had not ad h thnk rally ll of hr.
Thy no alkd on n slnc,ach of th dp n thought. Elzath as not cofortal;that as possl;ut sh as flattrd and plasd. Hs sh of ntroducng hs sstr to hr as a coplnt of th hghst knd.Thy soon outstrppd th othrs, and hn thy had rachd th carrag, Mr. and Mrs. Gardnr r half a quartr of a l hnd.
H thn askd hr to alk nto th hous—ut sh dclard hrslf not trd,and thy stood togthr on th lan.At such a t uch ght hav n sad,and slnc as vry akard. Sh antd to talk,ut thr sd to an argo on vry sujct.At last sh rcollctd that sh had n travllng,and thy talkd of Matlock and Dovdal th grat prsvranc.Yt t and hr aunt ovd sloly—and hr patnc and hr das r narly orn our for th têt-à-têt as ovr.
On Mr. and Mrs. Gardnr's cong up thy r all prssd to go nto th hous and tak so rfrshnt; ut ths as dclnd, and thy partd on ach sd th utost poltnss. Mr.Darcy handd th lads nto th carrag;and hn t drov off,Elzath sa h alkng sloly toards th hous.
Th osrvatons of hr uncl and aunt no gan;and ach of th pronouncd h to nfntly supror to anythng thy had xpctd.
“H s prfctly ll havd,polt,and unassung,”sad hr uncl.