第98章

'Only think of its being three months，'she cried，'since I went away；it seems but a fortnight I declare；and yet there have been things enough happened in the time. Good gracious！when I went away，I am sure I had no more idea of being married till I came back again！though I thought it would be very good fun if I was.'

Her father lifted up his eyes. Jane was distressed.Elizabeth looked expressively at Lydia；but she，who never heard nor saw any thing of which she chose to be insensible，gaily continued，'Oh！mamma，do the people here abouts know I am married to-day？Iwas afraid they might not；and we overtook William Goulding in his curricle，so I was determined he should know it，and so I let down the side glass next to him，and took off my glove，and let my hand just rest upon the window frame，so that he might see the ring，and then I bowed and smiled like any thing.'

Elizabeth could bear it no longer. She got up，and ran out of the room；and returned no more，till she heard them passing through the hall to the dining parlour.She then joined them soon enough to see Lydia，with anxious parade，walk up to her mother's right hand，and hear her say to her eldest sister，'Ah！Jane，I take your place now，and you must go lower，because I am a married woman.'

It was not to be supposed that time would give Lydia that embarrassment，from which she had been so wholly free at first. Her ease and good spirits increased.She longed to see Mrs.Philips，the Lucases，and all their other neighbours，and to hear herself called'Mrs.Wickham，'by each of them；and in the mean time，she went after dinner to shew her ring and boast of being married，to Mrs.Hill and the two housemaids.

'Well，mamma，'said she，when they were all returned to the breakfast room，'and what do you think of my husband？Is not he a charming man？I am sure my sisters must all envy me. I only hope they may have half my good luck.They must all go to Brighton.That is the place to get husbands.What a pity it is，mamma，we did not all go.'

'Very true；and if I had my will，we should. But my dear Lydia，I don't at all like your going such a way off.Must it be so？'

'Oh，lord！yes；—there is nothing in that. I shall like it of all things.You and papa，and my sisters，must come down and see us.We shall be at Newcastle all the winter，and I dare say there will be some balls，and I will take care to get good partners for them all.'

'I should like it beyond any thing！'said her mother.

'And then when you go away，you may leave one or two of my sisters behind you；and I dare say I shall get husbands for them before the winter is over.'

'I thank you for my share of the favour，'said Elizabeth；'but I do not particularly like your way of getting husbands.'

Their visitors were not to remain above ten days with them. Mr.Wickham had received his commission before he left London，and he was to join his regiment at the end of a fortnight.

No one but Mrs. Bennet，regretted that their stay would be so short；and she made the most of the time，by visiting about with her daughter，and having very frequent parties at home.These parties were acceptable to all；to avoid a family circle was even more desirable to such as did think，than such as did not.

Wickham's affection for Lydia，was just what Elizabeth had expected to find it；not equal to Lydia's for him. She had scarcely needed her present observation to be satisfied，from the reason of things，that their elopement had been brought on by the strength of her love，rather than by his；and she would have wondered why，without violently caring for her，he chose to elope with her at all，had she not felt certain that his flight was rendered necessary by distress of circumstances；and if that were the case，he was not the young man to resist an opportunity of having a companion.

Lydia was exceedingly fond of him. He was her dear Wickham on every occasion；no one was to be put in competition with him.He did every thing best in the world；and she was sure he wouldkill more birds on the first of September，than any body else in the country.

One morning，soon after their arrival，as she was sitting with her two elder sisters，she said to Elizabeth，

'Lizzy，I never gave you an account of my wedding，I believe. You were not by，when I told mamma，and the others，all about it.Are not you curious to hear how it was managed？'

'No really，'replied Elizabeth；'I think there cannot be too little said on the subject.'

'La！You are so strange！But I must tell you how it went off. We were married，you know，at St.Clement's，because Wickham's lodgings were in that parish.And it was settled that we should all be there by eleven o'clock.My uncle and aunt and I were to go together；and the others were to meet us at the church.Well，Monday morning came，and I was in such a fuss！I was so afraid you know that something would happen to put it off，and then I should have gone quite distracted.And there was my aunt，all the time I was dressing，preaching and talking away just as if she was reading a sermon.However，I did not hear above one word in ten，for I was thinking，you may suppose，of my dear Wickham.I longed to know whether he would be married in his blue coat.