I am back, after a difficult semester and a half. To be honest I had kind of forgotten about this story for a bit, and was working on some other stories for my AO3 and Tumblr accounts. Since I will be working more with those, this story will probably be updated pretty infrequently, I apologize. Anyway, please enjoy this short chapter. I will try to get a longer one out sooner rather than later, but I make no promises.

At five o'clock the two ladies left to get ready, and at half-past six (Y/N) was summoned to dinner. To the questions which then poured in, among which she had the pleasure of differentiating the much more sincere attitude of Alfred's than that of his sisters', she could not give a very positive answer. Sakura was by no means better. The sisters, on hearing this, repeated three or four times how much they were grieved, how shocking it was to have a bad cold, and how excessively they disliked being ill themselves; and then thought no more of the matter. Their indifference towards Sakura when not right in front of them caused (Y/N) to dislike them once more.

Their brother, indeed, was the only one of the party whom she could regard with any satisfaction. His worry for Sakura was evident, and his attention to herself was most pleasing, and they prevented her from feeling like the intruder she believed she was considered as by the others. She had very little attention from any but him. Caroline was engrossed by Arthur, her sister scarcely less so; and as for Mr. Hurst, by whom (Y/N) sat, and was a lazy man, who lived only to eat, drink, and play at cards; who, when he found her to prefer a plain dish to a goulash, had nothing to say to her.

When dinner was over, she returned to Sakura, and Caroline began insulting her as soon as she was out of the room. Her manners were decided to be very bad indeed, a mixture of pride and insolence; she was no good at conversation, had no style, and no beauty. Mrs. Hurst thought the same, and added:

"She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being an excellent walker. I shall never forget her appearance this morning. She really looked almost wild."

"She did, indeed, Louisa. I could hardly keep my composure. Very nonsensical to come at all! Why must she be scampering about the country, because her sister had a cold? Her hair, so untidy!"

"Yes, and her petticoat; I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud, I am absolutely certain; and the gown which had been let down to hide it not doing its job."

"Your picture may be very accurate, Louisa," said Alfred; "but this was all lost upon me. I thought Miss (Y/N) Bennet looked remarkably well when she came into the room this morning. Her dirty petticoat quite escaped my notice."

"You saw it, Mr. Kirkland, I am sure," said Caroline; "and I am inclined to think that you would not wish to see your sister look like that."

"Certainly not."

"To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it is, above her ankles in dirt, and alone, quite alone! What could she mean by it? It seems to me to show an awful sort of conceited independence, a very country-town indifference to decency."

"Ithink it shows that she cares deeply for her sister, and I quite like that about her," said Alfred.

"I am afraid, Mr. Kirkland," observed Caroline in a half whisper, "that this adventure has rather affected your admiration of her fine eyes."

"Not at all," he replied; "they were brightened by the exercise."

A short pause followed this speech, and Mrs. Hurst began again:

"I have an excessive regard for Miss Sakura Bennet, she is really a very sweet girl, and I wish with all my heart she were well settled. But with such a father and mother, and such low status, I am afraid there is no chance of it."

"I think I have heard you say that their uncle is an attorney in Meryton."

"Yes; and they have another, who lives somewhere near Cheapside."

"That is funny," added her sister, and they both laughed heartily.

"If they had uncles enough to fill all Cheapside," cried Alfred, "it would not make them one bit less delightful."

"But it must very materially lessen their chance of marrying men of any consideration in the world," replied Arthur.

To this Alfred made no answer; but his sisters gave it their hearty assent, and entertained themselves for some time at the expense of their dear friend's relations.

With a renewal of tenderness, however, they returned to her room after leaving the dining room, and sat with her 'till they were summoned to coffee. She was still doing very poorly, and (Y/N) would not leave her at all, 'till late in the evening, when she had the comfort of seeing her sleep, and when it seemed to be right for her to go downstairs herself, even if she would rather have done anything but. Upon entering the drawing room she found the whole party playing cards, and was immediately invited to join them; but suspecting them to be betting very high she declined it, and making her sister the excuse, said she would amuse herself for the short time she could stay downstairs, with a book. Mr. Hurst looked at her with astonishment.

"Do you prefer reading to cards?" said he. "That is rather bizarre."

"Miss (Y/N) Bennet," said Caroline, "despises cards. She is a great reader, and has no pleasure in anything else."

"I deserve neither such praise nor such criticism," cried (Y/N); "I am not a great reader, and I have pleasure in many things."

"I'm sure you have pleasure in nursing your sister," said Alfred; "and I hope it will be soon increased by seeing her quite well again."

(Y/N) thanked him from her heart, and then walked towards the table where a few books were lying. He immediately offered to fetch her others—all that his library could offer.

"And I wish my collection were larger, for your benefit and my own reputation; but I am an idle fellow, and though I do not many, I have more than I have ever even opened."

(Y/N) assured him that she could suit herself perfectly with those in the room.

"I am astonished," said Caroline, "that my father should have left so small a collection of books. What a delightful library you have at Pemberley, Mr. Kirkland!"

"It ought to be good," he replied, "it has been the work of many generations."

"And then you have added so much to it yourself; you are always buying books."

"I cannot comprehend the neglect of a family library in such days as these."

"Neglect! I am sure you neglect nothing that can add to the beauties of that noble place. Alfred, when you build your house, I wish it may be half as delightful as Pemberley."

"I wish it may."

"But I would really advise you to make your purchase in that neighbourhood, and take Pemberley for a kind of model. There is not a finer county in England than Derbyshire."

"With all my heart; I will buy Pemberley itself if Kirkland will sell it."

"I am talking of possibilities, Alfred."

"Upon my word, Caroline, I should think it more possible to get Pemberley by purchase than by imitation."

(Y/N) was so much caught with what passed, as to leave her very little attention for her book; and soon laying it aside, she drew near the card table, and sat herself between Alfred and his eldest sister, to observe the game.

"Is Miss Kirkland much grown since the spring?" said Caroline; "Will she be as tall as I am?"

"I think she will. She is now about Miss (Y/N) Bennet's height, or rather taller."

"How I long to see her again! I never met with anybody who delighted me so much. Such a countenance, such manners! And so extremely accomplished for her age! Her performance on the pianoforte is exquisite."

"It is amazing to me," said Alfred, "how young ladies can have patience to be so very accomplished as they all are."

"All young ladies accomplished! My dear Alfred, what do you mean?"

"Yes, all of them, I think. They all paint tables, cover screens, and net purses. I scarcely know anyone who cannot do all this, and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time, without being informed that she was very accomplished."

"Your list of the common extent of accomplishments," said Arthur, "has too much truth. The word is applied to many a woman who does not deserve it. I cannot boast of knowing more than half a dozen, in the whole range of my acquaintance, that are really accomplished."

"Nor I, I am sure," said Caroline.

"Then," observed (Y/N), "you must include a great deal in your idea of an accomplished woman."

"Yes, I do include a great deal in it."

"Oh! Certainly," cried his faithful assistant, "no one can be really considered accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved."

"All this she must possess," added Arthur, "and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading."

"I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder at your knowing any."

"Are you so severe upon your own sex as to doubt the possibility of all this?"

"I never saw such a woman. I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance, as you describe united."

Mrs. Hurst and Caroline both cried out against the injustice of her implied doubt, and were both protesting that they knew many women who answered this description, when Mr. Hurst called them to order, with bitter complaints of their inattention to the game. As all conversation was thereby at an end, (Y/N) soon afterwards left the room.

"(Y/N) Bennet," said Caroline, when the door was closed on her, "is one of those young ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex by undervaluing their own; and with many men, I dare say, it succeeds. But, in my opinion, it is a worthless device, a very mean art."

"Undoubtedly," replied Arthur, to whom this remark was chiefly addressed, "there is a meanness in all the arts which ladies sometimes stoop to for captivation. Anything that is close to cunning is despicable."

Caroline was not so entirely satisfied with this reply as to continue the subject.

(Y/N) joined them again only to say that her sister was worse, and that she could not leave her. Alfred urged Mr. Jones, the local physician, being sent for immediately; while his sisters, convinced that no country advice could be of any service, recommended an express to town for one of the most prominent physicians. This she would not hear of; but she was willing to comply with their brother's proposal; and it was settled that Mr. Jones should be sent for early in the morning, if Sakura were not decidedly better. Alfred was quite uncomfortable; his sisters declared that they were miserable. They consoled themselves, however, by duets after supper, while he could find no better relief to his feelings than by giving his housekeeper directions that every attention was to be paid to the sick lady and her sister.