The next day passed much like the one before. Jane was slowly getting better, and in the evening, Elizabeth joined the others in the drawing-room. Mr. Darcy was busy writing a letter, and Miss Bingley sat near him. She was constantly interrupting him by watching his progress or giving him messages to send to his sister.
“How happy your sister will be to receive such a long letter!” she said.
Darcy did not answer.
“You write so fast!” she remarked.
“You are mistaken,” he replied. “I write quite slowly.”
Miss Bingley continued to praise his handwriting and his attention to detail, but Darcy remained calm and uninterested in her compliments. At one point, her brother, Mr. Bingley, joined the conversation.
“Charles writes in a very careless way,” Miss Bingley said. “He leaves out half the words.”
“My ideas flow so quickly that I don’t have time to write them down,” Bingley laughed.
“You are actually proud of your faults,” Darcy told him. “You think your fast, careless writing shows that you are a quick thinker. But there is nothing good about doing things too fast if the work is not done well.”
Elizabeth enjoyed watching them argue. She noticed that Mr. Darcy was very firm in his opinions. Later, while Miss Bingley was playing the piano, Elizabeth noticed Darcy looking at her often. She couldn't understand why. She thought he probably looked at her only because he found her manners strange or wrong.
Mr. Darcy came closer to her and asked, “Miss Bennet, would you like to dance a reel?”
Elizabeth smiled. She knew he expected her to say yes so he could judge her. Instead, she replied, “I know you want me to say yes so you can think poorly of my taste. But I like to ruin people's plans. So, I will say no. Now, judge me if you dare!”
“I do not dare,” Darcy replied.
Elizabeth was surprised by his polite answer. She didn’t realize that Darcy was becoming quite charmed by her. Miss Bingley, however, noticed Darcy's interest and became very jealous. The next day, while walking in the garden, she tried to make Darcy dislike Elizabeth by making fun of her family again.
“I hope you will teach your mother-in-law to be quiet when you marry Elizabeth,” she said cruelly. “And please, try to fix Elizabeth’s habit of being a bit too bold and rude.”
Darcy didn't fall for her trap. When they met Elizabeth in the garden, Miss Bingley and her sister, Mrs. Hurst, took Darcy’s arms, leaving no room for Elizabeth on the path. Darcy felt they were being rude and suggested they move to a wider path.
“No, no,” Elizabeth laughed. “You look wonderful together. If I join you, it will ruin the picture. Goodbye!” She ran off happily, glad to be alone.