“She is happy then,”said her father drily;“and her residence there will probably be of some duration.”
The present unhappy state of the family rendered any other excuse for the lowness of her spirits unnecessary; nothing, therefore,could be fairly conjectured from that,though Elizabeth, who was by this time tolerably well acquainted with her own feelings, was perfectly aware that, had she known nothing of Darcy,she could have borne the dread of Lydia's infamy somewhat better.It would have spared her,she thought,one sleepless night out of two.
They were interrupted by Miss Bennet,who came to fetch her mother's tea.
“And Lydia used to want to go to London,”added Kitty.
When Mr. Bennet arrived, he had all the appearance of his usual philosophic composure.He said as little as he had ever been in the habit of saying;made no mention of the business that had taken him away, and it was some time before his daughters had courage to speak of it.