Page 29

One afternoon in early January, while Elizabeth read White’s The Natural History of Selborne for the third time, Mr Bennet initiated an interesting conversation.

Father and daughter were alone in his office with a bright fire on the hearth while a heavy snowstorm outside the window meant Mr Bingley would not call.

From his chair, Thomas asked, “Shall we remain hidden the whole afternoon, Lizzy?”

Looking up from her book, Elizabeth said, “Yes, if it pleases you, Father. I should be glad to spend the afternoon lost in Mr White’s letters.”

After watching his daughter for another minute, Mr Bennet said, “Forgive me if I intrude upon your feelings, Lizzy, but I worry that your heart was engaged and possibly wounded by the departure of one particular visitor.”

Looking away, Elizabeth replied, “Bruised, Father. My heart suffered nothing but a bruise.”

“A bruise can be painful and take time to heal.”

“Yes, but with Jane’s happiness and Bingley’s exuberance, I shall heal and be happy again once they marry.”

Smiling with indulgence thinking of his wife’s happiness regarding the impending wedding, Thomas Bennet said, “Your mother already plans the wedding breakfast and anticipates an ocean of lace for the wedding gown.”

“Mamma has talked of lace, and I have revised the best stitches for attaching lace to the different types of material to be found in the shops in Meryton,” Elizabeth revealed to her father.

“But your mother has restrained her declarations of victory before the neighbours,” her father stated. “After Lady Lucas crowed about Charlotte being the next mistress of Longbourn at the wedding with Mr Collins, I believe Mrs Bennet realises how some of her neighbours might feel.”

The young woman stated, “Then I shall enjoy the quiet while it lasts and read books until sewing is required.”

Propping his chin on his palm and leaning to one side, Mr Bennet considered his next words carefully. “Lizzy, have you considered the provenance of the book you are reading?”

“Provenance?” she asked before turning to the beginning of the book to examine the name of the publisher and printer. “The book is not new, and the previous owner never placed his name on the inside. But many of our books are used.”

“Yes, but have you considered how did it came into our possession this winter?”

“No, I have not thought about it at all,” Elizabeth replied. She looked at her father and asked, “Why? Should I?”

“It might be a curious exercise for your mind.”

Scowling and looking very much like her father when he fussed at his wife or daughters, Elizabeth scolded him, “Father, you are being obtuse.”

Bennet smirked and prompted, “I would only ask that you think about the book you have enjoyed. What is it, the third time you have read it?”

“Yes, this is my third time,” Elizabeth replied.

“I have read every other book in your library many times. This new book consists of two sections, each composed of letters. I enjoyed reading another person’s observations of his life and the land around him.

White writes about a tortoise several times. ”

Mr Bennet turned his attention back to his own book while Elizabeth mulled over her father’s request. After many minutes, the young woman asked, “Father, does Mr Bingley ever speak of books with you?”

“Mr Bingley and I started a list of the books he must acquire as a foundation for his library,” Mr Bennet replied without hesitation.

“He read many classics while attending university and now needs a better understanding of things he read and heard. Your sister encourages him, and I am pleased with the knowledge Jane retained from our lessons when she was a girl.”

“But Gilbert White is not one of the authors in your library,” Elizabeth said. “I had never heard of him before the autumn when there was an article in the newspaper.”

“I may have heard of The Natural History of Selborne in passing, but I never thought to purchase a copy myself,” Mr Bennet admitted to his daughter. Watching his brightest daughter as her mind raced with possibilities, Thomas Bennet prepared for her understanding to dawn.

Finally, Elizabeth realised her father’s understanding.

‘Bingley did not get the book. It was Mr Darcy. And he sent it to Father through Mr Bingley,’ she realised. ‘Mr Darcy knew I was interested in reading Mr White’s book. And we talked about the book during the ball to the exclusion of everyone else.’

Thomas was unprepared for Lizzy to pull the book close to her breast and begin to cry. Rising from his chair and hurrying around the desk. Bennet pulled Elizabeth into his arms and cursed himself for causing his child pain.

“Lizzy, please do not cry,” Thomas begged his daughter, hugging her close.

“Papa, I do not understand,” she replied, reverting to the name she called her father when she was a small child. “Why would Mr Darcy send this book?”

He explained simply, “I believe Mr Darcy recognised your mind to be educated and interested in the world. Did you not share many interesting conversations with the man?”

“We did,” Elizabeth admitted. “And for the first time, I hoped I had found a gentleman who could be more than just an acquaintance. He was well-educated and informed on current events; I thought we could talk for the next fifty years without growing bored. At the ball, we danced, and I thought he would…but then the other gentlemen began the wild talk about the New World Tea Company.”

“That was an unfortunate event in an otherwise pleasant evening,” her father agreed.

Elizabeth confessed, “The last time Mr Bingley brought Mr Darcy to Longbourn; I chastised Darcy for not seconding Bingley’s warnings about Mr Wickham.”

Looking at her father, she asked, “Did I drive Mr Darcy away?”

“Elizabeth, your words did not make the man flee. He already planned to leave Hertfordshire in December.”

Listening to her father carefully, Elizabeth nodded. “Perhaps not, but I did ask him why he refused to speak out against Mr Wickham’s company. He told me that it was something that only gentlemen could understand, and I was disappointed with the answer.”

“Lizzy, I find myself in an uncomfortable position,” Mr Bennet admitted.

“Mr Bingley and I have talked several times about Mr Wickham’s business claims which we both believe to be impossible.

Your Uncle Gardiner and I corresponded regarding the matter, and Edward is reserved in his comments because he does not know the man or his business, but he did express his doubts. ”

“Why is no one willing to believe that Wickham’s claims of profits are impossible?” asked Elizabeth.

“The libel laws favour Mr Wickham. Did you notice that Bingley ceased making any statements about Wickham’s business after the ball?” Mr Bennet asked. “Mr Collins was only told to cease speaking so loudly, not to cease his tale to those who would listen.”

“Yes, no one said anything further until the wedding breakfast for Mr and Mrs Collins at Christmas. I was amazed that Mr Wickham was present, and I saw Sir William, Mr Collins, Mr Goulding, and others purchase stock from Mr Wickham while Mr Bingley said nothing.”

“I heard the story often enough this winter, and Mr Bingley said nothing because he could not declare that Mr Wickham’s claims of profits are impossible.

If he did, the man could bring a lawsuit against him for loss of business and damages to his reputation.

Your Uncle Phillips spoke plainly with Bingley and me that unless we can prove Mr Wickham’s claims of profits are false, then a court might award Wickham compensatory damages and cost us a pretty penny. ”

Elizabeth pressed, “But do you believe Wickham’s claims to be false?”

“The answer I give you privately is that I believe his claims are too good to be true. In public, I would not express an opinion except to say I do not have money to make such an investment.”

“Then why did other gentlemen give him their money? Do they not have sense?”

“Lizzy, even the most sensible person can lose their path from time to time,” her father explained. “There is an example in history for you to consider.”

Following that comment, Mr Bennet sat his daughter in her chair and searched through his shelves for several minutes. Eventually he provided Elizabeth with a book that included a chapter on the South Sea Bubble that wrecked many fortunes in England in the 1720s.

“This pamphlet is opinion woven among facts, but I have found it to be factual after reading other materials,” Mr Bennet told his daughter. “What occurred in the South Sea Bubble was that speculators spoke of great profits and stoked the desire for the government bonds that backed the company.”

“The company’s stock rose from one hundred pounds to a thousand pounds in one year’s time but then collapsed back to one hundred pounds when investors panicked.

The whole scheme fell apart, and many fortunes were lost. The only good that came out of the scandal was that some regulations were implemented to prevent a repetition in the future. ”

“But this occurred in London, not in Hertfordshire,” Elizabeth reasoned. “The people there fed on each other’s greed and wish for money.”

“Are the men in Meryton immune to greed and impossible promises for wealth? I heard that a gentleman appeared in the Running Pig to thank Mr Wickham for paying him almost a thousand pounds. And the man bought a round of drinks for everyone present,” Mr Bennet said.

“Rumours of easy wealth spread far and wide with the help of gin and beer.”

Turning to her father’s bookshelves, Elizabeth searched for a Latin dictionary. She searched the appendix of common Latin terms still used in the British Isles and found the phrase Mr Darcy had used at the ball when asked about the New World Tea Company.

Showing the phrase to her father, she said, “This is what Mr Darcy told the men at the ball– caveat emptor –which translates to ‘let the buyer beware.’ The person making a purchase must perform due diligence before making a purchase.”

Mr Bennet nodded and said, “As my father taught me; never buy a horse without checking the creature’s teeth and feet.”

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