Chapter 7 — Teaching Companion

What it asks It asks the student to read Mrs. Bennet’s defence of her two youngest. Mr. Bennet has called them “two of the silliest girls in the country”. She answers: “My dear Mr. Bennet, you must not expect such girls to have the sense of their father and mother. When they get to our age, I dare say they will not think about officers any more than we do. I remember the time when I liked a red coat myself very well--and, indeed, so I do still at my heart; and if a smart young colonel, with five or six thousand a year, should want one of my girls, I shall not say nay to him; and I thought Colonel Forster looked very becoming the other night at Sir William’s in his regimentals.” Earlier the narrator has told us that to the girls “Mr. Bingley’s large fortune, the mention of which gave animation to their mother, was worthless in their eyes when opposed to the regimentals of an ensign.” The student decides what, by her own account, the girls will outgrow. The card must not say that any particular officer will matter to the story, and must not skip the chapter’s first paragraph on money.

One reading

Nothing; she has just told on herself. She liked a red coat “and, indeed, so I do still at my heart”, and Colonel Forster “looked very becoming” to her two nights ago. Her promise falls apart as she makes it, and she does not seem to mind. She defends the girls by showing that they take after her, and Lydia goes straight back to Colonel Forster as if nothing had been said.

• and, indeed, so I do still at my heart;
• I thought Colonel Forster looked very becoming the other night

Another reading

The ensign, not the coat. Her red coat comes with a rank and a price: “a smart young colonel, with five or six thousand a year”. The girls prize the regimentals of an ensign above Bingley’s fortune; their mother wants the uniform and the fortune together. What she expects them to outgrow is loving a coat for its own sake, and the first paragraph, with its entail and its four thousand pounds, shows why money is on her mind.

• if a smart young colonel, with five or six thousand a year, should want one of my girls,
• was worthless in their eyes when opposed to the regimentals of an ensign.

Listen for

• Notices the rank and the income she adds: a “colonel” with “five or six thousand a year”, against the girls’ “ensign”.
• Hears that Bingley’s fortune “gave animation to their mother”, while the girls care only for the uniform.
• Links the income she names to the first paragraph’s “two thousand a year”, the entail and her own four thousand pounds.
• Notices that Lydia’s reply ignores the whole debate and goes back to Colonel Forster and Captain Carter.

If stuck

• What does Mr. Bennet call Kitty and Lydia?
• What does Mrs. Bennet admit about red coats?
• Is growing out of a taste the same as wanting a better version of it?

A strong answer A strong response says what Mrs. Bennet expects the girls to outgrow and argues from her speech. One reader says nothing at all: she tells on herself (“so I do still at my heart”) and defends the girls by showing that they take after her. Another says the ensign and not the coat: her red coat comes with “five or six thousand a year”, so she wants the girls’ taste joined to money, the pressure the chapter’s first paragraph sets out. The best answers hear the colonel set against the ensign, and claim nothing about what any officer will mean to the story.

What it asks It asks the student to read Elizabeth’s part in the talk that sends Jane off. “Can I have the carriage?” said Jane. “No, my dear, you had better go on horseback, because it seems likely to rain; and then you must stay all night.” “That would be a good scheme,” said Elizabeth, “if you were sure that they would not offer to send her home.” “Oh, but the gentlemen will have Mr. Bingley’s chaise to go to Meryton; and the Hursts have no horses to theirs.” “I had much rather go in the coach.” “But, my dear, your father cannot spare the horses, I am sure. They are wanted in the farm, Mr. Bennet, are not they?” “They are wanted in the farm much oftener than I can get them.” “But if you have got them to-day,” said Elizabeth, “my mother’s purpose will be answered.” The next sentence begins “She did at last extort from her father an acknowledgment”, and the text does not say which woman “She” is. The student decides what Elizabeth is doing with her two remarks. The card must not decide who “She” is, must not make the scheme pure comedy, and must not ask whether Elizabeth was right to walk next day, which is the last question’s work.

One reading

Against it, with the only tool she has. She cannot forbid her mother, but she can say what the plan is. Her first remark finds the hole: Netherfield may simply send Jane home. Her second says the purpose out loud, in front of the father whose word the plan needs, so no one can pretend the horses are the real reason. If he gives way after that, he does it knowing.

• if you were sure that they would not offer to send her home.
• my mother’s purpose will be answered.

Another reading

She enjoys seeing through it. Each remark is a clever aside, and neither one stops anything. Her mother fills the hole at once, and the horses stay on the farm. Jane says she would “much rather go in the coach”, and Elizabeth never asks for her. Here she watches a plan with a sharp eye; next morning she will walk three miles because of what it led to.

• Oh, but the gentlemen will have Mr. Bingley’s chaise to go to Meryton;
• I had much rather go in the coach.

Listen for

• Notices that her first remark tests the plan, and her mother has an answer ready: the chaise is taken and the Hursts have no horses.
• Hears “if you have got them to-day”: she tells her father what his answer about the horses will do before he gives it.
• Notices that “She did at last extort” could, by the grammar, be Elizabeth, and that the text leaves it open.
• Sets the sister who watches the plan form beside the sister who walks to Jane the next morning.

If stuck

• What does Jane ask for, and what does her mother say?
• What does Elizabeth say about the plan, and to whom?
• Can you see through a plan and still let it happen?

A strong answer A strong response decides what Elizabeth is doing in the horseback talk and argues from her two remarks. One reader says she is against the plan and uses the only tool she has: she finds its hole and then names its purpose in front of her father, so that he gives way knowing what it is for. Another says she enjoys seeing through it: her asides stop nothing, her mother answers the first at once, and she never speaks for Jane, who would “much rather go in the coach”. The best answers leave open who “She” is in “She did at last extort”, and leave the verdict on next morning’s walk to the last question.

What it asks It asks the student to hear one word come back. Early in the chapter: “Mr. Philips visited them all, and this opened to his nieces a source of felicity unknown before. They could talk of nothing but officers”. After the rain, Mrs. Bennet says “more than once” that “This was a lucky idea of mine, indeed!”, and the narrator adds, “as if the credit of making it rain were all her own. Till the next morning, however, she was not aware of all the felicity of her contrivance.” Then comes Jane’s note: she is “very unwell”, with “a sore throat and a headache”. The student decides what the repeated word says about the mother. The card must not say that Jane is in real danger, and must not make the scheme pure comedy.

One reading

It puts her with the girls. The narrator gives the mother’s pleasure in her plan the same grand word as the girls’ pleasure in officers’ names and lodgings, and the girls’ minds are “more vacant than their sisters’”. When the note from Netherfield comes, her eyes sparkle and she cries “make haste” like a girl waiting for news. Her scheme is to her what the officers are to Kitty and Lydia.

• this opened to his nieces a source of felicity unknown before.
• Mrs. Bennet’s eyes sparkled with pleasure,

Another reading

It shows how far apart they are. The girls’ felicity costs nobody anything: some gossip and a walk to Meryton. Hers is paid for by Jane, who got wet through and wakes up ill. Using the word again makes the second use sting: the reader is meant to feel the gap between silly fun and a mother who counts her daughter’s sore throat as luck.

• she was not aware of all the felicity of her contrivance.
• I find myself very unwell this morning,

Listen for

• Finds the first “felicity” in the paragraph on the officers, before any plan appears.
• Notices that the girls “contrived” to get news from their aunt, and the mother’s plan is a “contrivance”: a second word the narrator gives to both.
• Notices her word for the plan, “a lucky idea”, against the narrator’s word, “contrivance”.
• Hears “all” in “all the felicity”: the plan has done better, to her mind, than she hoped.

If stuck

• What gives Kitty and Lydia so much happiness early in the chapter?
• What does Mrs. Bennet’s plan bring about by the next morning?
• Why might a writer use the same word for two different people?

A strong answer A strong response says what the repeated word shows about Mrs. Bennet and argues from both places it appears. One reader says it puts her with the girls: her plan gives her the same thrill the officers give them, and she greets the note from Netherfield with sparkling eyes. Another says it shows how far apart they are: the girls’ fun costs nothing, while the mother’s is paid for by Jane, so the second use stings. The best answers find the first use on their own, notice “contrived” and “contrivance” as well, and keep Jane’s illness at the size the note gives it.

What it asks It asks the student to set two readers of Jane’s note side by side. The note, addressed “My dearest Lizzie”, says: “I find myself very unwell this morning, which, I suppose, is to be imputed to my getting wet through yesterday. My kind friends will not hear of my returning home till I am better. They insist also on my seeing Mr. Jones--therefore do not be alarmed if you should hear of his having been to me--and, excepting a sore throat and a headache, there is not much the matter with me.” Mrs. Bennet: “Oh, I am not at all afraid of her dying. People do not die of little trifling colds.” Then: “Elizabeth, feeling really anxious, determined to go to her”. At Netherfield, Jane “had slept ill, and though up, was very feverish”, and she “had only been withheld by the fear of giving alarm or inconvenience, from expressing in her note how much she longed for such a visit”. The apothecary finds “a violent cold”. The student judges which of them reads the note better. The card must not say that Jane is in real danger.

One reading

Mrs. Bennet, on the facts. She takes the note at its word: “there is not much the matter with me”, and Jane herself asks them not to be alarmed. The apothecary finds what “might be supposed”, a cold. Mrs. Bennet’s reading suits her plan, but a reading can be self-serving and still be right about the illness.

• there is not much the matter with me.
• said, as might be supposed, that she had caught a violent cold,

Another reading

Elizabeth, on Jane. A note that says “do not be alarmed” is written by someone who is afraid of alarming, and Elizabeth knows her sister. The narrator bears her out: Jane held back from saying how much she longed for a visit, and Elizabeth finds her “very feverish”. Elizabeth reads what the note leaves out, and Jane is “delighted at her entrance”.

• Jane, who had only been withheld by the fear of giving alarm or inconvenience, from expressing in her note how much she longed for such a visit,
• was very feverish,

Listen for

• Notices that the note is written to Elizabeth, “My dearest Lizzie”, not to the household.
• Hears what each reader wants from the note: Mrs. Bennet, that Jane should stay; Elizabeth, that Jane should be well.
• Notices that the apothecary’s verdict is a cold, so neither reader is simply right.
• Notices that Mrs. Bennet answers her husband’s joke, not Jane’s note: she speaks of dying, which the note never mentions.

If stuck

• What does Jane say about her illness in the note?
• What does Elizabeth find when she reaches Jane?
• When someone writes that you should not worry, how do you decide whether to worry?

A strong answer A strong response judges which reader takes Jane’s note better and argues from the note and from what Elizabeth finds. One reader sides with Mrs. Bennet on the facts: the note says “there is not much the matter with me”, and the apothecary finds a cold, so a self-serving reading can still be right about the illness. Another sides with Elizabeth on Jane: a writer who says “do not be alarmed” fears alarming, and the narrator confirms that Jane longed for the visit she would not ask for. The best answers separate reading the illness from reading the sister, and keep Jane out of real danger.

What it asks It asks the student to test Elizabeth’s line against her mother’s scheme. Elizabeth tells her father: “No, indeed. I do not wish to avoid the walk. The distance is nothing, when one has a motive; only three miles. I shall be back by dinner.” The day before, Mrs. Bennet refused Jane the carriage: “No, my dear, you had better go on horseback, because it seems likely to rain; and then you must stay all night.” When the rain came, “Her sisters were uneasy for her, but her mother was delighted. The rain continued the whole evening without intermission; Jane certainly could not come back.” Next morning, after Jane’s note, Mrs. Bennet says: “I would go and see her if I could have the carriage.” The student decides how far one line can describe both a sister’s errand and a mother’s scheme. The card must not ask whether Elizabeth was right to go on foot, which is the last question’s work, and must not say that Jane is in real danger.

One reading

It fits, and that is the joke. Mrs. Bennet’s motive made the distance nothing too: three wet miles were nothing to her, so long as Jane reached Netherfield and could not come back. She saw Jane off cheerfully under a bad sky. Each woman has a reason that makes the road to Netherfield short, and the line Elizabeth speaks has already been lived by her mother the day before.

• Jane certainly could not come back.
• with many cheerful prognostics of a bad day.

Another reading

It does not fit, and the difference is who travels. Elizabeth’s motive moves her own feet: she walks the three miles herself and arrives tired and muddy. Her mother’s motive moves Jane: Mrs. Bennet stays at home, and she would visit only by the carriage she kept from Jane. A motive can make a distance nothing to the one who walks it; it cannot make it nothing to the one who is sent.

• The distance is nothing, when one has a motive;
• I would go and see her if I could have the carriage.

Listen for

• Hears “motive” as a word that fits a scheme as easily as a kindness.
• Notices who travels in each case: Elizabeth walks herself; her mother sends Jane and stays at home.
• Notices that Mrs. Bennet would visit only “if I could have the carriage”, the one she kept from Jane.
• Sets Elizabeth’s three miles beside the mile Kitty and Lydia walk with her, hoping to “see something of Captain Carter”: a third motive on the same road.

If stuck

• Why does Mrs. Bennet send Jane on horseback?
• Who walks to Netherfield, and who stays at home?
• Can the same words describe a kind act and a selfish one?

A strong answer A strong response judges how well Elizabeth’s line fits her mother and argues from the two journeys. One reader says it fits, and that is the joke: Mrs. Bennet’s motive made the rain nothing to her, so long as “Jane certainly could not come back”. Another says it does not fit, because a motive makes a distance nothing only to the one who walks it: Elizabeth goes herself, while her mother sends Jane and would go only “if I could have the carriage”. The best answers notice who travels and who stays at home, and leave the verdict on Elizabeth’s walk to the last question.

What it asks It asks the student to read Elizabeth’s arrival. “She was shown into the breakfast parlour, where all but Jane were assembled, and where her appearance created a great deal of surprise. That she should have walked three miles so early in the day in such dirty weather, and by herself, was almost incredible to Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley; and Elizabeth was convinced that they held her in contempt for it. She was received, however, very politely by them; and in their brother’s manners there was something better than politeness--there was good-humour and kindness.” Later, “Elizabeth began to like them herself, when she saw how much affection and solicitude they showed for Jane.” The student explains what Elizabeth’s certainty rests on. The card must not say that the sisters’ kindness to Jane is false.

One reading

What she sees. The narrator confirms the sisters’ side of it: the walk was “almost incredible” to them, and surprise that strong is hard to hide. Politeness can hold a person at arm’s length, and the narrator sets it against their brother’s “something better than politeness”. Elizabeth reads the gap between the sisters’ manners and Bingley’s.

• was almost incredible to Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley;
• there was something better than politeness--there was good-humour and kindness.

Another reading

What she expected. The narrator gives the sisters’ surprise, never their contempt; “convinced” is the word for Elizabeth’s own mind. Her mother has just told her, “You will not be fit to be seen”, and she arrives in dirty stockings ready to be judged. Within hours she “began to like them herself”, which suggests the contempt was more hers to fear than theirs to feel.

• and Elizabeth was convinced that they held her in contempt for it.
• You will not be fit to be seen when you get there.

Listen for

• Notices that the narrator reports the sisters’ surprise but leaves the contempt as what Elizabeth was “convinced” of.
• Hears the three things that made the walk strange to them: “so early in the day”, “in such dirty weather”, and “by herself”.
• Notices that her mind about the sisters changes when she sees their “affection and solicitude” for Jane.
• Notices that Darcy, too, is “divided”, so she is not the only one in the room reading a face.

If stuck

• How do Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley react to Elizabeth’s walk?
• How do they treat her when she arrives?
• Have you ever been sure someone was judging you, and been wrong, or right?

A strong answer A strong response says what Elizabeth’s certainty rests on and argues from the arrival paragraph. One reader says she reads what is there: the walk was “almost incredible” to the sisters, and their politeness stands apart from Bingley’s “good-humour and kindness”. Another says she brings the verdict with her: the narrator gives the sisters’ surprise but never their contempt, her mother has told her she will not be “fit to be seen”, and she soon begins to like them. The best answers notice who is speaking in “convinced”, and leave the sisters’ kindness to Jane as the chapter gives it.

What it asks It asks the student to weigh the chapter’s ending. “When the clock struck three, Elizabeth felt that she must go, and very unwillingly said so. Miss Bingley offered her the carriage, and she only wanted a little pressing to accept it, when Jane testified such concern at parting with her that Miss Bingley was obliged to convert the offer of the chaise into an invitation to remain at Netherfield for the present. Elizabeth most thankfully consented, and a servant was despatched to Longbourn, to acquaint the family with her stay, and bring back a supply of clothes.” The student decides whose wishes the day’s end serves. The card must not say that the sisters’ kindness is false, and must not say that Jane is in real danger.

One reading

Mrs. Bennet’s. She wanted a daughter kept at Netherfield, and now she has two, without lifting a hand. The rain she took credit for has done more than she asked. Her plan began with “then you must stay all night”, and it ends with a stay “for the present” and a supply of clothes.

• and then you must stay all night.
• an invitation to remain at Netherfield for the present.

Another reading

Jane’s. The stay comes from her: she shows “such concern at parting” that Miss Bingley must turn the carriage into an invitation. Jane had longed for the visit and would not ask; now she keeps her sister without asking. No one planned this ending, and Mrs. Bennet’s plan never included Elizabeth.

• when Jane testified such concern at parting with her that Miss Bingley was obliged to convert the offer of the chaise
• Elizabeth most thankfully consented,

Listen for

• Notices the carriage come back: refused to Jane at home, offered to Elizabeth at Netherfield, then given up for something better.
• Asks what “obliged” says about Miss Bingley, without deciding that her kindness is false.
• Notices that Elizabeth “only wanted a little pressing” to go home, and that she leaves “very unwillingly”.
• Sets “I shall be back by dinner” beside “for the present”: a visit with no end named.

If stuck

• What did Elizabeth say when she left home?
• What happens when she tries to leave Netherfield?
• Can a plan work out for a reason its maker never thought of?

A strong answer A strong response decides whose wishes the ending serves and argues from the last paragraph. One reader says Mrs. Bennet’s: the plan that began with “then you must stay all night” ends with two daughters at Netherfield “for the present”, more than she asked. Another says Jane’s: her “concern at parting” turns the carriage into an invitation, and she keeps the sister she would not ask for. The best answers notice the carriage’s return, read “obliged” without calling Miss Bingley false, and set “back by dinner” against a stay with no end named.

What it asks It asks the student to read the first paragraph against the scheme. “Mr. Bennet’s property consisted almost entirely in an estate of two thousand a year, which, unfortunately for his daughters, was entailed, in default of heirs male, on a distant relation; and their mother’s fortune, though ample for her situation in life, could but ill supply the deficiency of his.” Later Jane asks, “Can I have the carriage?”, and Mrs. Bennet refuses: “No, my dear, you had better go on horseback, because it seems likely to rain; and then you must stay all night.” She sees Jane off “with many cheerful prognostics of a bad day”, and when the rain comes, “Her sisters were uneasy for her, but her mother was delighted.” The student builds a thesis on whether the opening changes the judgment of the scheme, meets the strongest objection, and revises. The card must not say who the distant relation is or when the entail will matter, must not say that Jane is in real danger, and must not make the scheme pure comedy.

One reading

It does. The estate goes away from the daughters, and their mother’s four thousand pounds “could but ill supply the deficiency”. A daughter married to a man of “large fortune” would answer that want, and Mrs. Bennet’s “animation” at Bingley’s fortune has a reason the first paragraph supplies. Read after the opening, the rain plan is not only silliness; it is a mother playing the one hand she holds.

• which, unfortunately for his daughters, was entailed,
• could but ill supply the deficiency of his.

Another reading

It explains her and does not excuse her. The narrator never ties the scheme to the entail; Mrs. Bennet talks of horses, rain and luck, and she is “delighted” while the sisters are “uneasy”. Her plan is built on the weather: Jane is to ride “because it seems likely to rain”. A reason for wanting Bingley is not a reason for sending a daughter into the rain on purpose.

• Her sisters were uneasy for her, but her mother was delighted.
• because it seems likely to rain;

Listen for

• Notices that the narrator puts the money first, before any officer or scheme appears.
• Hears “unfortunately for his daughters”: the narrator’s first sympathy is with the girls.
• Notices that Jane asks twice to go by carriage (“Can I have the carriage?”, “I had much rather go in the coach”) and is refused both times.
• Keeps to the chapter’s facts: Jane has “a violent cold”, not an illness that threatens her life.

If stuck

• What does the first paragraph say about the Bennets’ money?
• What does Mrs. Bennet do to keep Jane at Netherfield?
• Does a good reason for wanting something make any way of getting it fair?

A strong answer A strong thesis says whether the opening changes the judgment of Mrs. Bennet’s scheme and argues from the first paragraph and the rain. A student might argue that it does: the estate is entailed away “unfortunately for his daughters”, and the mother’s fortune “could but ill supply the deficiency”, so a rich son-in-law answers a real want. The strongest objection is that the chapter judges her means, not her motive: she is “delighted” while the sisters are “uneasy”, and she sends Jane on horseback because rain is likely. A good revision might hold that the opening explains why she schemes and the rest of the chapter judges how, so the reader may pity the pressure and still blame the plan.

What it asks It asks the student to weigh Mr. Bennet’s part in the scheme. When Mrs. Bennet asks, “They are wanted in the farm, Mr. Bennet, are not they?”, he answers, “They are wanted in the farm much oftener than I can get them.” Elizabeth says, “But if you have got them to-day ... my mother’s purpose will be answered.” “She did at last extort from her father an acknowledgment that the horses were engaged”. Next morning, after Jane’s note: “Well, my dear ... if your daughter should have a dangerous fit of illness--if she should die--it would be a comfort to know that it was all in pursuit of Mr. Bingley, and under your orders.” The student builds a thesis on how fair the joke is, meets the strongest objection, and revises. The card must not say that Jane is in real danger, and must not let the joke pass as only comedy.

One reading

Fair. The orders were hers. She proposed horseback, wanted the rain and claimed the credit. He did not offer his word; it had to be extorted, and “much oftener than I can get them” is a dry protest that the horses are never free when he wants them. His joke puts the blame where the plan came from and makes her hear what it risked.

• She did at last extort from her father an acknowledgment
• They are wanted in the farm much oftener than I can get them.

Another reading

Not fair. He saw the whole plan and let it go ahead. Elizabeth told him to his face that the horses would serve “my mother’s purpose”, and he still gave the acknowledgment. Next morning he jokes about Jane’s death, and his only move toward helping is to ask Elizabeth whether she is dropping “a hint”. He calls Jane “your daughter”, as if she were only his wife’s. A man who could have stopped the plan with one word leaves his wife to carry all of it.

• Is this a hint to me, Lizzy,
• if your daughter should have a dangerous fit of illness

Listen for

• Hears “your daughter” and “your orders”: he hands both the girl and the blame to his wife.
• Notices that Elizabeth names the purpose aloud in front of him before he gives way.
• Weighs “extort”: his part was given unwillingly, but it was given.
• Notices that next morning his nearest approach to help is a tease about “a hint”.

If stuck

• Who first suggests that Jane go on horseback?
• What does Mr. Bennet say about the horses?
• Can you share the blame for something you only allowed?

A strong answer A strong thesis judges how fair Mr. Bennet’s joke is and argues from the horses and the note. A student might argue that it is fair: the plan, the wish for rain and the boast were all Mrs. Bennet’s, and the narrator says his acknowledgment had to be extorted, so the joke lays the blame where it belongs. The strongest objection is that he saw the plan named (“my mother’s purpose will be answered”) and let it go ahead, then called Jane “your daughter”, as if she were not his. A good revision might hold that the joke is true about the plan and false about himself: it names the risk rightly, but from the seat of a man who watched and did not stop it.

What it asks It asks the guide’s last question. Elizabeth tells her mother, “I shall be very fit to see Jane--which is all I want.” She walks on alone, “crossing field after field at a quick pace, jumping over stiles and springing over puddles, with impatient activity, and finding herself at last within view of the house, with weary ancles, dirty stockings, and a face glowing with the warmth of exercise.” At Netherfield, “That she should have walked three miles so early in the day in such dirty weather, and by herself, was almost incredible to Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley; and Elizabeth was convinced that they held her in contempt for it.” Bingley shows “good-humour and kindness”. “Mr. Darcy said very little, and Mr. Hurst nothing at all. The former was divided between admiration of the brilliancy which exercise had given to her complexion and doubt as to the occasion’s justifying her coming so far alone. The latter was thinking only of his breakfast.” Jane “was delighted at her entrance”. The student builds a thesis on whether Elizabeth was right to go on foot, knowing how it would look, meets the strongest objection, and revises. The card must not make the walk a simple act of heroism, must not say that Jane is in real danger, and must not say that the sisters’ kindness to Jane is false.

One reading

Right. She answers the question of looks before she leaves: she will be “very fit to see Jane”, and that is all she wants. Jane longed for the visit and is “delighted at her entrance”; Elizabeth nurses her all day. The watchers split, and the best of them, Bingley, meets her with kindness. Even Darcy’s doubt comes paired with admiration. How it looks is the price of going, and she judged the price worth paying.

• I shall be very fit to see Jane--which is all I want.
• was delighted at her entrance.

Another reading

Not quite. The walk was not her only way: her father raised the horses, and she said she did not wish “to avoid the walk”. Jane had written “there is not much the matter with me”, and Mary’s rule, that exertion should be “in proportion to what is required”, fits. Her arrival makes a scene that Darcy doubts and the sisters find “almost incredible”, so a sister’s visit becomes a story about Elizabeth. Care that wanted only Jane drew every eye to herself.

• doubt as to the occasion’s justifying her coming so far alone.
• exertion should always be in proportion to what is required.

Listen for

• Hears “fit to be seen” turned into “fit to see Jane”: Elizabeth answers the charge about looks before she goes.
• Notices that the watchers split: the sisters, Darcy, Bingley and Mr. Hurst each see something different, or nothing.
• Notices “weary ancles, dirty stockings, and a face glowing” in one sentence: the cost and the beauty together.
• Keeps to the chapter’s facts: Jane is “very feverish” with “a violent cold”, not in danger of her life.

If stuck

• What does Elizabeth’s mother say about how she will look?
• Who at Netherfield is glad to see her, and who is not?
• When is it right to do something you know will look strange to others?

A strong answer A strong thesis says whether Elizabeth was right to go on foot, knowing how it would look, and argues from the talk at home and the arrival. A student might argue that she was: she answers her mother’s “fit to be seen” with “very fit to see Jane”, Jane is “delighted at her entrance”, and even Darcy’s doubt sits beside admiration. The strongest objection is that the walk was a choice, not a necessity: she turns down the horses, Jane wrote “not much the matter with me”, and the arrival turns a sister’s visit into a scene about Elizabeth. A good revision might hold that she was right to go and right to go quickly, but chose the walk partly for its own sake; the chapter puts the dirty stockings and the glowing face in one sentence, so a reader can grant that the cost to appearances was real and still judge it worth paying.