The next morning, Elizabeth wrote to her mother. She asked her to send the carriage so that she and Jane could come home later that day. However, Mrs. Bennet had other plans. she wanted her daughters to stay at Netherfield for a full week. She hoped this would give Jane more time with Mr. Bingley.
Mrs. Bennet’s reply was not what Elizabeth wanted. She wrote that the carriage could not come until Tuesday. She also added that if Mr. Bingley and his sister invited them to stay longer, she could easily wait for them.
But Elizabeth was determined to leave. She did not want to stay where she felt like an unwanted guest. She persuaded Jane to borrow Mr. Bingley’s carriage instead. Finally, it was decided that they would leave the next morning.
When they announced their plan, the Bingleys politely said they were sorry to see them go. Miss Bingley even asked them to stay one more day, and Jane agreed. However, Miss Bingley was not being sincere. She was jealous of Elizabeth and was actually glad to see her leave.
Mr. Bingley was truly sad. He tried to persuade Jane that she was still too weak to travel, but Jane stayed firm. She felt well enough to go home.
To Mr. Darcy, the news was a relief. Elizabeth had been at Netherfield long enough. She attracted him more than he liked, and Miss Bingley was constantly teasing him about it. He decided to be very careful. He did not want to show any sign of admiration or give Elizabeth the hope that he liked her. On Saturday, he hardly spoke ten words to her. Even when they were alone for half an hour, he stayed focused on his book and did not even look at her.
On Sunday, after church, the sisters finally left. Miss Bingley was suddenly very kind to Elizabeth and gave Jane a warm goodbye. Elizabeth was in high spirits as she said goodbye to everyone.
They were not welcomed home warmly by their mother. Mrs. Bennet was surprised to see them and complained that they were causing trouble. She was sure Jane would get sick again. Their father, however, was truly glad to see them. He did not say much, but he had missed their company. Without Jane and Elizabeth, the family’s evening conversations had become boring and mindless.
They found their sister Mary busy with her deep books, as usual. Their younger sisters, Catherine and Lydia, had different news. They told them everything about the soldiers in town. Several officers had visited their uncle, a soldier had been punished, and there was a rumor that Colonel Forster was going to be married.