P&P #7

"Darcy smiled and said, 'You are perfectly right. You have employed your time much better. No one admitted to the privilege of hearing you, can think anything wanting. We neither of us perform to strangers'"(Austen 135).

This is the first time that Mr. Darcy outwardly admits to having anything in common with Elizabeth. What makes it even more unique is that it was said to Elizabeth, herself. Throughout the novel, both Darcy and Elizabeth seemed intent on arguing with each other, sticking to their individual arguments stubbornly. However, here Darcy not only agrees with Elizabeth, but also admits to her that she is right. It makes me wonder where the conversation would have gone had they not been interrupted.

"'What he told me was merely this; that he congratulated himself on having lately saved a friend from the inconveniences of a most imprudent marriage, but without mentioning names of any other particulars, and I only suspected it to be Bingley from believing him the kind of young man to get into a scrape of that sort, and from knowing them to have been together the whole of last summer"(142).

This quote is significant as it reveals the true reason behind Mr. Bingley's departure. What is interesting is that Elizabeth gained this information from Fitzwilliam, the cousin of Mr. Darcy. While I am almost positive that Fitzwilliam had no idea of why this revelation would be so disturbing to Elizabeth, it still makes little sense that he would bring it up without knowing the full story. It will be interesting to see if Darcy and Fitzwilliam will have an altercation over this later.