Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 40

Jane Austen · Mountaineers 10th–12th

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And yet I meant to be uncommonly clever in taking so decided a dislike to him, without any reason. It is such a spur to one’s genius, such an opening for wit, to have a dislike of that kind. One may be continually abusive without saying anything just; but one cannot be always laughing at a man without now and then stumbling on something witty.

The tumult of Elizabeth’s mind was allayed by this conversation. She had got rid of two of the secrets which had weighed on her for a fortnight, and was certain of a willing listener in Jane, whenever she might wish to talk again of either. But there was still something lurking behind, of which prudence forbade the disclosure. She dared not relate the other half of Mr. Darcy’s letter, nor explain to her sister how sincerely she had been valued by his friend. Here was knowledge in which no one could partake; and she was sensible that nothing less than a perfect understanding between the parties could justify her in throwing off this last encumbrance of mystery.

Read the second passage aloud. Do Elizabeth’s secrets sound more like burdens or like duties?

For the educator Two passages, one spoken and one narrated, and both about what Elizabeth does with what she knows. The first is Elizabeth’s confession to Jane, three sentences long. It opens on “And yet”, answering Jane’s gentle remark that she never thought Darcy so lacking in the look of goodness. The second sentence doubles its phrase, “such a spur to one’s genius, such an opening for wit”, before it names the cause, “a dislike of that kind”. The third is an antithesis balanced on a semicolon and a “but”: one may be “continually abusive without saying anything just”, but one cannot laugh at a man for ever “without now and then stumbling on something witty.” Here “decided” means firm, “spur” means a prod that drives a horse on, “genius” means natural talent, “abusive” means insulting, and “just” means fair and true. The confession is itself shaped like a witty saying, which is worth hearing aloud. The second passage comes after the sisters decide to keep quiet about Wickham. Its first sentence is short and calm. The second counts the secrets, “two of the secrets”, and gives them weight: they “had weighed on her for a fortnight”. The third turns on “But” to the one still kept, “lurking behind”, and the fourth names it. The fifth sets out what would have to happen before she could tell it, and ends on a heavy phrase, “this last encumbrance of mystery”. Here “tumult” means uproar, “allayed” means calmed, “prudence” means careful good sense, “disclosure” means telling, “relate” means tell, “partake” means share, “sensible” means aware, and “encumbrance” means a load that slows one down. For the talk prompt, listen for a student who hears burdens in “weighed on her” and “encumbrance”, and one who hears duty in “prudence forbade” and “could justify her”. A strong student may notice that the passage holds both: the secret is a weight she carries because she believes she ought to.

Discussion

Narration Tell the chapter back in a few sentences. Start with Elizabeth deciding what to tell Jane, and end with Mrs. Bennet on the Collinses and Longbourn. Then pick the one sentence that matters most, and say why.

Jane looks for an error that would clear one man without blaming the other, but Elizabeth says the two men have “just enough to make one good sort of man” between them. Whose way of judging do you trust more? Moral reasoning
Jane pauses when Elizabeth asks for advice, and soon turns the question back to her: “What is your own opinion?” Was Elizabeth asking for advice, or hoping for agreement? Character
Jane’s last reason for keeping quiet is “We must not make him desperate.” What is she afraid of? Inference
Elizabeth decides she cannot share how much Bingley valued Jane until the news “has lost all its value”. What might the news do to Jane if she heard it now? Inference
Jane hopes Wickham is now “sorry for what he has done”, and her mother hopes Bingley will be, once Jane dies of a broken heart. Why does Austen give mother and daughter the same words? Author's choice

Make a Connection Think of a story, or a time in your own life, when someone knew a hard truth about another person and kept it to themselves. What made it hard to know whether to speak?

Vocabulary

allayed: The tumult of Elizabeth’s mind was allayed by this conversation. To calm or quiet a strong feeling, the way rain settles dust. After the talk with Jane, the narrator says, “The tumult of Elizabeth’s mind was allayed”: the uproar is eased, not ended. The word measures what sharing two secrets did for her, and leaves room for the third she still keeps.
encumbrance: Here was knowledge in which no one could partake; and she was sensible that nothing less than a perfect understanding between the parties could justify her in throwing off this last encumbrance of mystery. A burden or load that hampers movement (from encumber, to weigh down or block). Elizabeth’s last secret is “this last encumbrance of mystery”, a weight she would be glad to throw off. The word makes keeping a secret something carried, not just something known.
mismanagement: There certainly was some great mismanagement in the education of those two young men. Bad handling of something one is in charge of (mis-, badly, plus management). Elizabeth jokes that there was “some great mismanagement in the education” of Darcy and Wickham, as if goodness and its look had been handed out wrongly. The word turns a moral puzzle into a joke about poor housekeeping.
requisite: Having never even fancied herself in love before, her regard had all the warmth of first attachment, and from her age and disposition, greater steadiness than first attachments often boast; and so fervently did she value his remembrance, and prefer him to every other man, that all her good sense, and all her attention to the feelings of her friends, were requisite to check the indulgence of those regrets which must have been injurious to her own health and their tranquillity. Needed; required for a purpose (related to require). All Jane’s good sense and care for others “were requisite” to hold back her regrets. The word shows how much effort her quiet takes: it is not calm she has, but calm she must keep making.
tranquillity: Having never even fancied herself in love before, her regard had all the warmth of first attachment, and from her age and disposition, greater steadiness than first attachments often boast; and so fervently did she value his remembrance, and prefer him to every other man, that all her good sense, and all her attention to the feelings of her friends, were requisite to check the indulgence of those regrets which must have been injurious to her own health and their tranquillity. Calm and peace, especially the peace of a household (the British spelling of tranquility). Jane holds back her regrets because they would harm “her own health and their tranquillity”, the calm of the people around her. The word shows that Jane’s quiet is kept partly for the sake of others.
endeavour: On the contrary, every particular relative to his sister was meant to be kept as much as possible to myself; and if I endeavour to undeceive people as to the rest of his conduct, who will believe me? To try hard, especially at something difficult (the British spelling of endeavor). Elizabeth asks what would happen “if I endeavour to undeceive people”. The word makes telling the truth sound like hard labour, a task she then says she is “not equal to”.

Critical thinking

Elizabeth admits that her dislike of Darcy was “such an opening for wit”, but she still looks forward to laughing at Meryton’s “stupidity” one day. How far has she learned to distrust her own wit?
Elizabeth and Jane agree to say nothing about what Wickham really is. Is that a wise kindness or a risky mistake?