OLD FRIENDS AND NEW FANCIES
_AN IMAGINARY SEQUEL_
_TO THE NOVELS OF JANE AUSTEN_
BY
SYBIL G. BRINTON
LONDON
HOLDEN & HARDINGHAM
ADELPHI
1913
In this little attempt at picturing the after-adventures of some of Jane
Austen's characters I have made use of the references to them which she
herself made, and which are recorded in Mr. Austen-Leigh's "Memoir."
More grateful acknowledgments than I can ever express are due to my
friend Edith Barran, without whom this book could not have been written.
The difficulties, as well as the presumption, of such an undertaking,
are alike evident; but the fascination of the subject must be our
apology to those who, like ourselves, "owe to Jane Austen of the
happiest hours of their lives."
S.G.B.
_The following characters are introduced into the story:--_
From _Pride and Prejudice._
Elizabeth Bennet (now Mrs. Darcy).
Jane Bennet (now Mrs. Bingley).
Mr. Darcy.
Mr. Bingley.
Miss Bingley.
Mr. and Mrs. Hurst.
Kitty Bennet.
Mr. Bennet.
Georgiana Darcy.
Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
Miss de Bourgh.
Colonel Fitzwilliam.
Mrs. Gardiner.
Mrs. Annesley.
From _Mansfield Park._
William Price.
Mary Crawford.
Henry Crawford.
Mrs. Grant.
Mr. Yates.
Mrs. Yates.
Tom Bertram.
From _Northanger Abbey._
James Morland.
Eleanor Tilney (now Lady Portinscale).
General Tilney.
Captain Tilney.
Isabella Thorpe.
From _Sense and Sensibility._
Elinor Dashwood (now Mrs. Edward Ferrars).
Edward Ferrars.
Robert Ferrars.
Mrs. Jennings.
Lucy Steele (now Mrs. Robert Ferrars).
Anne Steele.
Mr. Palmer.
From _Persuasion._
Captain Wentworth.
Anne Elliot (now Mrs. Wentworth).
Sir Walter Elliot.
Miss Elliot.
From _Emma._
Emma Woodhouse (now Mrs. Knightley).
Mr. Knightley.
Chapter I
There is one characteristic which may be safely said to belong to nearly
all happily-married couples--that of desiring to see equally happy
marriages among their young friends; and in some cases, where their
wishes are strong and circumstances seem favourable to the exertion of
their own efforts, they may even embark upon the perilous but delightful
course of helping those persons whose minds are as yet not made up, to
form a decision respecting this important crisis in life, and this done,
to assist in clearing the way in order that this decision may forthwith
be acted upon.
Some good intentions of this kind, arising out of a very sincere
affection for both the persons concerned, and a real anxiety about the
future of the younger and dearer of the two, had actuated Elizabeth and
Mr. Darcy in promoting an engagement between Georgiana Darcy and Colonel
Fitzwilliam. Georgiana was then twenty, and had lived entirely with her
brother during the three and a half years of his married life. Reserved,
shy, without self-reliance, and slow to form new attachments, she had
been accustomed to look upon the Colonel as, after her brother, her
eldest and best friend, a feeling which the disparity of their ages
served to strengthen. She had therefore accepted the fact of their new
relations with a kind of timid pleasure, only imploring Elizabeth that
nothing need be said about marriage for some time to come.
"Elizabeth, when I am married, shall I have to go and stay at Rosings
without you?" she had asked; and on being assured that such might be the
terrible consequences of matrimony, she had manifested a strong
inclination not to look beyond the present, but to enjoy for some time
longer the love and protection she had always met with as an inmate of
her brother's house.
Lady Catherine de Bourgh had thought it necessary to go through the form
of expressing displeasure at the whole proceeding, in consequence of
Darcy's omission to ask her advice in the disposal of his sister's hand,
but in reality she so thoroughly approved of the match between her
nephew and niece that she forgot her chagrin, and talked everywhere of
her satisfaction in at last seeing a prospect of a member of the Darcy
family being united to one who was in every respect worthy of the
position.
Mr. and Mrs. Darcy were seated in the library at Pemberley one April
morning when the engagement was about six months old. Their two
children, a handsome boy of two, and a baby girl of a few months, had
just been taken upstairs after the merry games with their parents to
which this hour was usually devoted, and Elizabeth was arranging with
her husband the plans for the day.
"What has become of Georgiana and Fitzwilliam?" inquired Darcy. "I
understand they were going to ride together; but they both said they
would prefer to put it off till twelve o'clock, when I could go with
them."
"They have been walking on the terrace, but Georgiana has gone in now,"
replied Elizabeth, glancing out of the window. She returned to her
husband's side, and, sitting down, began to speak with great
earnestness. "Do you think that they are really happy in their
engagement? I have been watching them closely for some days, and I am
convinced that Georgiana, at all events, is not."
Mr. Darcy's manner expressed surprise and incredulity. "What fancy is
this you have taken into your head, Elizabeth? No, certainly no such
idea had ever crossed my own mind. You must be mistaken."
"I do not think so," said Elizabeth. "Their relation to one another has
not, since he has been staying here this time, its former ease and
naturalness, and I have noticed other indications as well, which make me
think that freedom would bring them mutual relief."
"I am sorry for what you say, Elizabeth," said Darcy gravely; "but it is
possible you lay too much stress on what may be merely a passing mood.
When we first consented to the engagement I thought them to be
excellently suited to each other, and so far I have not seen anything to
modify that opinion. What has Georgiana been saying to you?"
"She has said nothing, but knowing her so well, I can see she is not
happy. She is nervous, restless, unlike herself; she tries to escape
being alone with Robert; she avoids with a painful embarrassment any
reference to her future plans; nay, you must have noticed incidents like
that of yesterday, when she almost cried and begged to be excused from
going with us to Bath next week."
"That is mere foolishness; there is no shadow of reason why she should
be more afraid of her Aunt Catherine now than she ever was."
"There is more reason, if she dreads to hear her marriage talked of as
rapidly approaching, and herself and Robert referred to as a most
fortunate and admirably-assorted pair--you know how your aunt harangues
them on all occasions."
Darcy smiled slightly, then rose and began to pace the room. "If your
conjectures are correct, Elizabeth, and Georgiana is unhappy in the
prospect of this marriage, of course it cannot go on; but I shall be
deeply grieved for all reasons, and I hardly know how to ask Fitzwilliam
to release her. Excellent fellow though he is, he might well resent
being thrown over after half a year for what seems like a girlish
caprice."
"I do not believe that in any case he would resent it," replied
Elizabeth. "There would be regret on both sides--regret that they had
not been able to make each other happy; but I more than suspect that if
we could ascertain his feelings, we should find them to coincide with
Georgiana's. In six months, you know, they have had time to reflect and
to realize what the engagement means to both of them."
"You assume a good deal, Elizabeth. I cannot believe that it is so
uncongenial to Fitzwilliam."
"That is because he is too good, too honourable to show it; and yet I am
sensible that it is so--that his regard for Georgiana is that of a
friend, a brother, nothing more. I suppose you cannot remember the time
when we were engaged, Darcy, and Bingley and Jane also?" she added,
looking archly at her husband.
"My dear, I recollect it all with the deepest satisfaction; but, you
know, everyone does not display their feelings in the same way.
Fitzwilliam is an older man than I am, and was never prone to raptures,
and Georgiana has not the liveliness of mind of my Elizabeth."
"I know they are not likely to be run away with by their feelings, as
Mr. Collins would say," replied Elizabeth, smiling; "but even taking
Fitzwilliam's age and Georgiana's gravity into consideration, this is
not at all the same thing. I am convinced that they do not find that
complete joy in their engagement that people should, and that these two
might if they were each engaged to the right person."
"Do you mean that Georgiana has seen someone whom she might prefer?"
asked Darcy sharply.
Elizabeth gave a decided negative to this, and her husband remained for
some minutes wrapped in thought. At length he roused himself, and said:
"You had better speak to Georgiana on the subject, Elizabeth, and if it
is as you suppose, we will talk it over with Fitzwilliam together. For
my sister to dissolve her engagement is a serious step, and must be well
considered."
His wife agreed, and added: "Pray, dear Darcy, if it should come to an
end, do not show any resentment in your manner towards Georgiana. She
cannot help not caring enough for Fitzwilliam, and it will be painful
enough for her to break with him and to know that she has disappointed
you."
"I will try not to do so, Elizabeth; but you know how much I desire a
safe and honourable settlement in life for Georgiana, such as this
marriage would have been."
"We both wished it so much that I am afraid we were led into mistaking
the real nature of their attachment," said his wife. "At any rate, since
we assisted in bringing the affair about, we must share the
responsibility of ending it--a fact which your aunt is not likely to
allow us to forget, is she, Darcy?"
"True," returned Darcy. "It is regrettable that the engagement was so
generally made known. However, Georgiana may stay away from Bath if she
prefers."
It was a relief to Elizabeth to have fairly talked her husband into
accepting the possibility of such an unwelcome turn of affairs, for
events proved her misgivings to have been well founded. She had truly
gauged the feelings of Georgiana and Fitzwilliam with regard to each
other and to their engagement. Georgiana confessed, with deep distress
and confusion, that she knew it was very ungrateful and naughty,
but--she did not seem to be able to care for her cousin in that way, and
would have said so before, but that she was afraid her brother and her
aunt would be angry. Fitzwilliam admitted that he had long feared his
inability to make his cousin happy, but showed how very great was his
dread of causing her, by his defection, to be wounded, reproached, or
unkindly talked about. Elizabeth had a difficult task to smooth away all
obstacles and to bring comfort to the minds of two very troubled and
scrupulous people, besides her other duty of persuading her husband that
the separation was the right thing, and of shielding Georgiana from all
disagreeables; but in a few days everything had been accomplished except
what time alone could do.
Darcy could not altogether conceal his regret and disappointment at this
termination of his hopes, and Georgiana was miserable in the
consciousness that he blamed her for not having known her mind at the
beginning of the engagement. Had she really cared for Fitzwilliam, he
was convinced that it must have gone on to a happy conclusion; and
naturally his cousin could hardly be the one to uphold a different
opinion. Fitzwilliam could only assert and reassert that Georgiana was
undeserving of the slightest reproach, and endeavour to divert his
cousin's attention to himself.
It was arranged that he should accompany the Darcys as usual to Bath,
where they were to meet Lady Catherine, and meanwhile Georgiana accepted
an invitation from Jane and Mr. Bingley, which on a hint from Elizabeth
was warmly extended to her, to go and stay with them at the same time at
their house on the other side of Derbyshire.