Wickham was satisfied with his last conversation with Elizabeth and did not mention the past again. Soon, the day arrived for him and Lydia to leave for the North. Mrs. Bennet was very sad to say goodbye to her favorite daughter.
"Oh, my dear Lydia," she cried, "when will we see each other again?"
"Oh, I don’t know," Lydia replied carelessly. "Maybe in two or three years."
Lydia told her sisters to write to her because, as a married woman, she would be too busy to write back. Mr. Wickham, however, was very polite and handsome as he said goodbye. As soon as they left, Mr. Bennet joked, "He is a fine fellow! He smiles and flirts with us all. I am very proud of my son-in-law."
Mrs. Bennet was unhappy for several days after Lydia left, but she soon found a new reason to be excited. News arrived that Mr. Bingley was returning to Netherfield for a few weeks to go hunting.
Jane tried to act as if she didn't care. "I am glad he is coming alone," she told Elizabeth, "because we will see less of him. I am not afraid of my own feelings, but I dislike what the neighbors will say."
Elizabeth wasn't sure what to think. She wondered if Mr. Bingley was coming back with Darcy’s permission or without it. She could see that Jane was actually very nervous.
When Mr. Bingley arrived, Mrs. Bennet was desperate for her husband to visit him. "You must go see him immediately!" she insisted.
"No," Mr. Bennet replied. "I went last year, and it led to nothing but trouble. If he wants to see us, he knows where we live."
Mrs. Bennet was angry, but she decided to invite Bingley to dinner anyway. On the third morning after his arrival, she saw two men riding toward the house. One was Mr. Bingley, and the other was Mr. Darcy.
Jane and Elizabeth were both very uncomfortable. Jane felt for her sister, and Elizabeth felt for Jane. Mrs. Bennet, meanwhile, complained loudly about how much she hated Mr. Darcy.
When the men entered the room, Elizabeth barely looked up from her work. She was amazed that Darcy had come back to Longbourn voluntarily. She saw that he looked serious, just as he used to. Bingley looked both happy and embarrassed.
Mrs. Bennet was extremely polite to Mr. Bingley but very cold and rude to Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth felt deep shame. She knew that her family owed everything to Darcy, yet her mother was treating him poorly.
Darcy said very little. He wasn't sitting near Elizabeth, and he spent much of the time looking at the floor or at Jane. Elizabeth was disappointed. "Why did he come if he won't speak to me?" she wondered.
Mrs. Bennet began talking about Lydia’s marriage to Wickham. She bragged about how wonderful it was to have a daughter married, though she complained that Newcastle was too far away. Elizabeth felt miserable when her mother made unkind comments that were clearly aimed at Darcy.
Before the men left, Mrs. Bennet invited them to dinner on Tuesday. Bingley looked pleased and accepted the invitation.