Whilesettlingthispoint,Elisabethwassuddenlyrousedbythesoundofthedoorbell,andherspiritswerealittleflutteredbytheideaofitsbeingColonelFitzwilliamhimself,whohadoncebeforecalledlateintheevening,andmightnowcometoenquireparticularlyafterher.Butthisideawassoonbanished,andherspiritswereverydifferentlyaffected,when,toherutteramazement,shesawMr.Darcywalkintotheroom.Inahurriedmannerheimmediatelybegananenquiryafterherhealth,imputinghisvisittoawishofhearingthatshewasbetter.Sheansweredhimwithcoldcivility.Hesatdownforafewmoments,andthengettingup,walkedabouttheroom.Elizabethwassurprised,butsaidnotaword.Afterasilenceofseveralminutes,hecametowardsherinanagitatedmanner,andthusbegan,
「InvainhaveIstruggledItwillnotdo.Myfeelingswillnotberepressed.YoumustallowmetotellyouhowardentlyIadmireandloveyou.」
Elizabeth』sastonishmentwasbeyondexpression.Shestared,colored,doubted,andwassilent.Thisheconsideredsufficientencouragement,andtheavowalofallthathefeltandhadlongfeltforherimmediatelyfollowed.Hespokewell,buttherewerefeelingsbesidesthoseofthehearttobedetailed,andhewasnotmoreeloquentonthesubjectoftendernessthanofpride.Hissenseofherinferiority,ofitsbeingadegradation,ofthefamilyobstacleswhichjudgmenthadalwaysopposedtoinclination,weredweltonwithawarmthwhichseemedduetotheconsequencehewaswounding,butwasveryunlikelytorecommendhissuit.
Inspiteofherdeeply-rooteddislike,shecouldnotbeinsensibletothecomplimentofsuchaman』saffection,andthoughherintentionsdidnotvaryforaninstant,shewasatfirstsorryforthepainhewastoreceive;till,rousedtoresentmentbyhissubsequentlanguage,shelostallcompassioninanger.Shetried,however,tocomposeherselftoanswerhimwithpatience,whenheshouldhavedone.Heconcludedwithrepresentingtoherthestrengthofthatattachmentwhich,inspiteofallhisendeavour,hehadfoundimpossibletoconquer;andwithexpressinghishopethatitwouldnowberewardedbyheracceptanceofhishand.Ashesaidthis,shecouldeasilyseethathehadnodoubtofafavourableanswer.Hespokeofapprehensionandanxiety,buthiscountenanceexpressedrealsecurity.Suchacircumstancecouldonlyexasperatefarther,andwhenheceased,thecolourroseintohercheeks,andshesaid,
「Insuchcasesasthis,itis,Ibelieve,theestablishedmodetoexpressasenseofobligationforthesentimentsavowed,howeverunequallytheymaybereturned.Itisnaturalthatobligationshouldbefelt,andifIcouldfeelgratitude,Iwouldnowthankyou.ButIcannot-Ihaveneverdesiredyourgoodopinion,andyouhavecertainlybestoweditmostunwillingly.Iamsorrytohaveoccasionedpaintoanyone.Ithasbeenmostunconsciouslydone,however,andIhopewillbeofshortduration.Thefeelingswhich,youtellme,havelongpreventedtheacknowledgmentofyourregard,canhavelittledifficultyinovercomingitafterthisexplanation.」
伊麗莎白正在轉著這種念頭，突然聽到門鈴響，她以為是費茨威廉來了，心頭不由得跳起來，因為他有一天晚上就是來得很晚的，這回可能是特地來問候她。但是她立刻就知道猜錯了，出乎她的意料，走進屋來的是達西先生，於是她情緒上又是另一種感覺。他立刻匆匆忙忙問她身體好了沒有，又說他是特地來聽她復元的好消息的。她客客氣氣地敷衍了他一下。他坐了幾分鐘，就站起身來，在房間裡踱來踱去。伊麗莎白心裡很奇怪，可是嘴上一言未發。沉默了幾分鐘以後，他帶著激動的神態走到她跟前說：
「我實在沒有辦法死捱活撐下去了。這怎麼行。我的感情再也壓制不住了。請允許我告訴你，我多麼敬慕你，多麼愛你。」
伊麗莎白真是說不出的驚奇。她瞪著眼，紅著臉，滿腹狐疑，閉口不響。他看這情形，便認為她是在慫恿他講下去，於是立刻把目前和以往對她的種種好感全都和盤托出。他說得很動聽，除了傾訴愛情以外，又把其它種種感想也原原本本說出來了。他一方面千言萬語地表示深情密意，但是另一方面卻又說了許許多多傲慢無禮的話。他覺得她出身低微，覺得自己是遷就她，而且家庭方面的種種障礙，往往會使他的見解和他的心願不能相容並存——他這樣熱烈地傾訴，雖然顯出他這次舉動的慎重，卻未必能使他的求婚受到歡迎。
儘管她對他的厭惡之心根深蒂固，她究竟不能對這樣一個男人的一番盛情漠然無動於衷；雖說她的意志不曾有過片刻的動搖，可是她倒也體諒到他將會受到痛苦，因此頗感不安，然而他後來的那些話引起了她的怨恨，她那一片憐惜之心便完全化成了憤怒。不過，她還是竭力鎮定下來，以便等他把話說完，耐心地給他一個回答。未了，他跟她說，他對她的愛情是那麼強烈，儘管他一再努力克服，結果還是克服不了，他又向她表明自己的希望，說是希望她能接受他的求婚。她一下子就看出他說這些話的時候，顯然自認為她毫無問題會給他滿意的回答。他雖然口裡說他自己又怕又急，可是表情上卻是一副萬無一失的樣子。這只惹得她更加憤怒；等他講完話以後，她就紅著臉說：
「遇到這一類的事情，通常的方式是這樣的：人家對你一片好心好意，你即使不能給以同樣的報答，也得表示一番感激，我現在就得向你表示謝意。可惜我沒有這種感覺。我從來不稀罕你的抬舉，何況你抬舉我也是十分勉強。我從來不願意讓任何人感到痛苦，縱使惹得別人痛苦，也是絕對出於無心，而且我希望很快就會事過境遷。你跟我說，以前你顧慮到種種方面，因此沒有能夠向我表明你對我的好感，那麼，現在經過我這番解釋之後，你一定很容易把這種好感克制下來。」
InLove』sArms在愛的懷抱裡
「I』mgoingtomarryyouoneday.」BethsaidtoherlongtimecrushJake.Sheworeherfavoriteblueteddybearshirt.Herfour-year-oldblueeyesshinedinthesun.
「Noyou』renot,you』reagirl.」Jakesaid.
TheCaliforniaafternoonwindblewhislightbrownhair.Jumpingoffthemonkeybarshelaughedbacktoclass.
Sittingaloneandconfusedshedidn』tknowwhattodo.Bethsathighonthemonkeybarscrying.Howcanherfuturehusbandjustleavelikethat?
Shewasgoingtogethim,buthow?「Iwillnotlethimgetaway!Iwon』t!Iwon』t!」
15yearslater:
「Iloveyou,too,Jake.」Hangingupthephoneshecaughthermomsmiling.「What?」
「WhenishecominginfromFrance?He』sbeenthereforawhile.」Shesatdownonherblackleathercouch.ThehousewasmadeupofdifferentIndianstuff.Onthewallsweredifferentdreamcatchers.HermotherwasafullbloodCherokeeIndian.ShepassedawaywhenBethwaseight.
「Hehasalotofschoolingtodorightnow.MaybethisSaturday.」
FixinghershortoverallsshethoughtofJake.Whowouldhavethoughttheyweregoingtodatewhensheturnedfive?
「IshestilllivinginColorado?」HermotherKayworeawhitetanktopwithtanpants.Andlongblondehairwithprettyblueeyes.ShewasthemostbeautifulwomanonEarth.AndBethislookinglikeherbytheminute.
「Yeah,Ihatehavingalongdistancerelationship.」Sheploppedonaleatherchair.
「It』sokbaby,youknowhelovesyoumorethananythinginthisworld.Lovewillkeepyoutogether.」