“Because honour, decorum, prudence, nay, interest, forbid it. Yes, Miss Bennet, interest; for do not expect to be noticed by his family or friends, if you wilfully act against the inclinations of all.You will be censured,slighted,and despised,by everyone connected with him.Your alliance will be a disgrace;your name will never even be mentioned by any of us.”
“In marrying your nephew, I should not consider myself as quitting that sphere. He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman's daughter;so far we are equal.”
“If I have,I shall be the last person to confess it.”
“Your ladyship has declared it to be impossible.”
“These are heavy misfortunes,”replied Elizabeth.“But the wife of Mr.Darcy must have such extraordinary sources of happiness necessarily attached to her situation, that she could, upon the whole,have no cause to repine.”
“Tell me once for all,are you engaged to him?”
“Whatever my connections may be,”said Elizabeth,“if your nephew does not object to them,they can be nothing to you.”
Lady Catherine hesitated for a moment,and then replied:
“Only this;that if he is so,you can have no reason to suppose he will make an offer to me.”
“Yes, and I had heard it before. But what is that to me? If there is no other objection to my marrying your nephew,I shall certainly not be kept from it by knowing that his mother and aunt wished him to marry Miss de Bourgh.You both did as much as you could in planning the marriage.Its completion depended on others.If Mr.Darcy is neither by honour nor inclination confined to his cousin,why is not he to make another choice?And if I am that choice,why may not I accept him?”