第135章[第3頁/共6頁]

“If you will thank me,”he replied,“let it be for yourself alone. That the wish of giving happiness to you might add force to the other inducements which led me on,I shall not attempt to deny.But your family owe me nothing.Much as I respect them,I believe I thought only of you.”

“I cannot be so easily reconciled to myself.The recollection of what I then said,of my conduct,my manners,my expressions during the whole of it, is now, and has been many months, inexpressibly painful to me.Your reproof,so well applied,I shall never forget:'had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner.' Those were your words.You know not,you can scarcely conceive, how they have tortured me;―though it was some time,I confess, before I was reasonable enough to allow their justice.”

“We will not quarrel for the greater share of blame annexed to that evening,”said Elizabeth.“The conduct of neither,if strictly examined,will be irreproachable;but since then,we have both,I hope,improved in civility.”

“It taught me to hope,”said he,“as I had scarcely ever allowed myself to hope before.I knew enough of your disposition to be certain that,had you been absolutely,irrevocably decided against me,you would have acknowledged it to Lady Catherine,frankly and openly.”