Read Along: Pride & Prejudice - Chapter 2

Just a reminder that with the Read Along series you don't have to do any homework or reading the night before. The text is all right here! So if you've never read Pride and Prejudice and you read my blog then by the time we get to the end you will have read the book!

If you do want to have a clean copy of the book without my comments, you can of course find it here on Project Gutenberg. 

Chapter 2 

Mr. Bennet was among the earliest of those who waited on Mr. Bingley. He had always intended to visit him, though to the last always assuring his wife that he should not go; and till the evening after the visit was paid she had no knowledge of it. It was then disclosed in the following manner. Observing his second daughter employed in trimming a hat, he suddenly addressed her with: 

"I hope Mr. Bingley will like it, Lizzy." 

Trimming a hat. I'll say no more for now. But apparently the Bennet Ladies like hats. That's not dirty or anything in case you were wondering (UNLESS IT IS???) but I noticed hats mentioned a few times when I was reading through the book and I'm going to point them out.

"We are not in a way to know what Mr. Bingley likes," said her mother resentfully, "since we are not to visit." 

"But you forget, mamma," said Elizabeth, "that we shall meet him at the assemblies, and that Mrs. Long promised to introduce him." 

"I do not believe Mrs. Long will do any such thing. She has two nieces of her own. She is a selfish, hypocritical woman, and I have no opinion of her." 

"No more have I," said Mr. Bennet; "and I am glad to find that you do not depend on her serving you." 

I find it interesting that Mrs Long is mentioned so much in these two chapters but as far as I can remember we never actually meet her in the text. If we do, you can point out how I was wrong if you like :)

Mrs. Bennet deigned not to make any reply, but, unable to contain herself, began scolding one of her daughters. 

I like the way it's now Mrs Bennet's turn to just ignore Mr Bennet because he's being too weird for her! Isn't their marriage awesome? Is it just because I got married a month and a half ago that I'm being grossed out by their marriage? Or because I'm re-reading the book so closely? WILL WE EVER KNOW?

"Don't keep coughing so, Kitty, for Heaven's sake! Have a little compassion on my nerves. You tear them to pieces." 

"Kitty has no discretion in her coughs," said her father; "she times them ill." 

"I do not cough for my own amusement," replied Kitty fretfully. 

"When is your next ball to be, Lizzy?" 

So in the Gutenberg e-Book for Pride and Prejudice there is no paragraph break before "When is your next ball to be, Lizzy?" which makes it seem like Kitty is the one asking Lizzy when the ball is. Which seems weird. In my physical copy (I should say, one of my physical copies for I have several) it's on the next line though so I think that was just a mistake. I think it's Mr Bennet asking when the ball is as I'm pretty sure everyone else already knows as they are probably all equally or more interested in the ball than Lizzy. I've therefore made that correction here.

"To-morrow fortnight." 

"Aye, so it is," cried her mother, "and Mrs. Long does not come back till the day before; so it will be impossible for her to introduce him, for she will not know him herself." 

"Then, my dear, you may have the advantage of your friend, and introduce Mr. Bingley to her." 

"Impossible, Mr. Bennet, impossible, when I am not acquainted with him myself; how can you be so teasing?" 

"I honour your circumspection. A fortnight's acquaintance is certainly very little. One cannot know what a man really is by the end of a fortnight. But if we do not venture somebody else will; and after all, Mrs. Long and her daughters must stand their chance; and, therefore, as she will think it an act of kindness, if you decline the office, I will take it on myself." 

The girls stared at their father. Mrs. Bennet said only, "Nonsense, nonsense!" 

"What can be the meaning of that emphatic exclamation?" cried he. "Do you consider the forms of introduction, and the stress that is laid on them, as nonsense? I cannot quite agree with you there. What say you, Mary? For you are a young lady of deep reflection, I know, and read great books and make extracts."  

Mary wished to say something sensible, but knew not how. 

"While Mary is adjusting her ideas," he continued, "let us return to Mr. Bingley." 

"I am sick of Mr. Bingley," cried his wife. 

"I am sorry to hear that; but why did not you tell me that before? If I had known as much this morning I certainly would not have called on him. It is very unlucky; but as I have actually paid the visit, we cannot escape the acquaintance now." 

The astonishment of the ladies was just what he wished; that of Mrs. Bennet perhaps surpassing the rest; though, when the first tumult of joy was over, she began to declare that it was what she had expected all the while. 

I do like the way that even if she's resentful earlier in the piece because her husband has, apparently, refused to visit Mr Bingley she isn't resentful when it turned out he was just being a lying liar who was winding her up on purpose. It makes me feel slightly less uncomfortable about their marriage anyway.

"How good it was in you, my dear Mr. Bennet! But I knew I should persuade you at last. I was sure you loved your girls too well to neglect such an acquaintance. Well, how pleased I am! and it is such a good joke, too, that you should have gone this morning and never said a word about it till now." 

"How good it was in you, my dear Mr Bennet!" is in my physical copy too. I don't... know what that means? I think I've always read this as "How good it was of you" but it looks like it really is "How good it was in you" but once again google just feeds me back this paragraph from this book if I search for it. I suppose it just means the same thing!

"Now, Kitty, you may cough as much as you choose," said Mr. Bennet; and, as he spoke, he left the room, fatigued with the raptures of his wife. 

"What an excellent father you have, girls!" said she, when the door was shut. "I do not know how you will ever make him amends for his kindness; or me, either, for that matter. At our time of life it is not so pleasant, I can tell you, to be making new acquaintances every day; but for your sakes, we would do anything. Lydia, my love, though you are the youngest, I dare say Mr. Bingley will dance with you at the next ball." 

Is Mrs Bennet saying here that she doesn't know how her daughters will make this up to her? Or that she doesn't know how she'll make it up to Mr Bennet? I always assumed the latter but reading it again here I think maybe it's the first one which is way more hilarious.

"Oh!" said Lydia stoutly, "I am not afraid; for though I am the youngest, I'm the tallest."The rest of the evening was spent in conjecturing how soon he would return Mr. Bennet's visit, and determining when they should ask him to dinner.

So that's chapter 2! We now know the names of all of the Bennet daughters.

Jane: (Chapter 1: "I am sure she is not half so handsome as Jane..." - Mrs Bennet)

Elizabeth/Lizzy/Eliza: (Chapter 1: "they are all silly and ignorant like other girls; but Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters." - Mr Bennet)

Mary: (Chapter 2: "What say you, Mary? For you are a young lady of deep reflection, I know, and read great books and make extracts." - Mr Bennet)

Catherine/Kitty: No quote for Kitty. That's because basically nobody cares about Kitty. Poor Kitty :(

Lydia:  (Chapter 1: "... nor half so good-humoured as Lydia" - Mrs Bennet)

PS. I'm playing around with fonts, can you tell me if this Chapter is easier to read (distinguish between the text and my commentary) than Chapter 1? I don't want to spend the time manually changing the font back and forth if nobody cares but I'm happy to do it if it makes it better!