, when you had once made a
beginning; but what could set you off in the first place?«
    »I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which
laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that
I had begun.«
    »My beauty you had early withstood, and as for my manners - my behaviour to
you was at least always bordering on the uncivil, and I never spoke to you
without rather wishing to give you pain than not. Now be sincere; did you admire
me for my impertinence?«
    »For the liveliness of your mind, I did.«
    »You may as well call it impertinence at once. It was very little less. The
fact is, that you were sick of civility, of deference, of officious attention.
You were disgusted with the women who were always speaking and looking, and
thinking for your approbation alone. I roused, and interested you, because I was
so unlike them. Had you not been really amiable you would have hated me for it;
but in spite of the pains you took to disguise yourself, your feelings were
always noble and just; and in your heart, you thoroughly despised the persons
who so assiduously courted you. There - I have saved you the trouble of
accounting for it; and really, all things considered, I begin to think it
perfectly reasonable. To be sure, you knew no actual good of me - but nobody
thinks of that when they fall in love.«
    »Was there no good in your affectionate behaviour to Jane, while she was ill
at Netherfield?«
    »Dearest Jane! who could have done less for her? But make a virtue of it by
all means. My good qualities are under your protection, and you are to
exaggerate them as much as possible; and, in return, it belongs to me to find
occasions for teazing and quarrelling with you as often as may be; and I shall
begin directly by asking you what made you so unwilling to come to the point at
last. What made you so shy of me, when you first called, and afterwards dined
here? Why, especially, when you called, did you look as if you did not care
about me?«
    »Because you were grave and silent, and gave me no encouragement.«
    »But I was embarrassed.«
    »And so was I.«
    »You might have talked to me more when you came to dinner.«
    »A man who had felt
