very glad to hear it,â teased Bingley, âbecause I do not have great faith in these young housekeepers. What do you say, Topper?â
His friend answered, âA bachelor was a wretched outcast, who has no right to express an opinion on the subject. When I find myself in your happy circumstances, I will offer an opinion.â Topper cast his eyes over Elizabeth, clearly taken with this new sister-in-law of his friend. Darcy stepped in front of Elizabeth as if to hide her from the manâs gaze, quite forgetting that the occupants of the room could not see him.
After tea, they had some music. Caroline played on the harp; and Elizabeth played a simple little air, which had been familiar to Darcy from childhood. When this strain of music sounded, his mind drifted to the meeting at Pemberley and memories came upon his mind; he softened with each thought and reflected that he could have listened to her for eternity. His memories were shattered when Mary Bennet took over pianoforte duties.
But the company did not devote the whole evening to music. Games came next, especially their childhood favorites, for it is good to return to childhood sometimes and there never is a better time than Christmas. First they played forfeits, then came the game ofblind-manâs bluff that caused Darcyâs jealousy to rise.
The Spirit and Darcy gazed upon the revelers. âThe way Topper goes after Elizabeth is an outrage on the credulity of human nature. I no more believe Topper is really blind than I believe he has eyes in his boots,â said Darcy harshly. âKnocking down the fire-irons, tumbling over the chairs, bumping against the piano, smothering himself among the curtains, wherever she goes, there he goes. He always knows where Elizabeth is. He does not try to catch anybody else. My opinion is there is a conspiracy between him and Miss Bingley.â The Ghost of Christmas Present nodded in agreement, only remarking that a pretty young lady of marriageable age often attracted admirers.
Elizabeth laughed, âIt is not fair, you never try for anyone else.â
At last, Topper caught her, and under the mistletoe too. Darcy was outraged as Topper stole a kiss that should have gone to him. Elizabeth seemed quite surprised by the kiss, for her mind had not been on this friend of Bingleyâs.
Jane had not joined the blind-manâs buff party, but was made comfortable with a large chair and a footstool, in a snug corner, where the Ghost and Darcy stood close behind her. She did join in the game of How, When, and Where, and she was very good andâto the secret joy of Bingleyâbeat her sisters hollow. There might have been twenty people there, young and old, but they all played, and after awhile so did Darcy; often forgetting, in the interest he had in what was going on, that his voice made no sound in their ears, he sometimes came out with his guess quite loud (especially when it was Topperâs turn to answer), and very often guessed quite right too.
The Ghost was greatly pleased to find him in this mood, and looked upon him with such favor that he begged like a boy to be allowed to stay until the guests departed. âHere is a new game,â said Darcy. âOne half hour, Spirit, only one!â
It was a Game called Yes and No, where Bingley had to think of something and the rest must find out what, he only answering yes or no to their questions as the case was. The brisk fire of questioning to which he was exposed elicited from him that he was thinking of an animal, a live animal, rather a disagreeable animal, a savage animal, an animal that growled and grunted sometimes, and talked sometimes, and lived in London, and walked about the streets, and wasnât made a show of, and wasnât led by anybody, and didnât live in a menagerie, and was never killed in a market. At last Mrs. Bennet cried out:
âI have found it out! I know what it is! I know what it is!â
âWhat is
Joshua Dalzelle
A. Lee Martinez
Adele Griffin
L. A. Miller
Pat Barker
W.J. May
W. E. B. Griffin
Andrea Gillies
R.J. Wolf
Tonya Shepard