第74章[第1页/共5页]

“I had not been long in Hertfordshire,before I saw,in common with others,that Bingley preferred your elder sister to any other young woman in the country.But it was not till the evening of the dance at Netherfield that I had any apprehension of his feeling a serious attachment. I had often seen him in love before.At that ball,while I had the honour of dancing with you,I was first made acquainted,by Sir William Lucas's accidental information, that Bingley's attentions to your sister had given rise to a general expectation of their marriage.He spoke of it as a certain event, of which the time alone could be undecided.From that moment I observed my friend's behaviour attentively; and I could then perceive that his partiality for Miss Bennet was beyond what I had ever witnessed in him.Your sister I also watched. Her look and manners were open, cheerful, and engaging as ever, but without any symptom of peculiar regard, and I remained convinced from the evening's scrutiny,that though she received his attentions with pleasure, she did not invite them by any participation of sentiment.If you have not been mistaken here,I must have been in error.Your superior knowledge of your sister must