Two days after Mr Bennet's return, as Jane and Elizabeth were walking in the garden behind the house, they saw the housekeeper coming towards them.

'I beg your pardon, madam, for interrupting you,' she said to Jane, 'but I was hoping that you might have had good news from town, and I dared to come and ask.'

'What do you mean? We have heard nothing from town.'

'Dear madam,' cried the housekeeper, 'don't you know that an urgent letter came from Mr Gardiner half an hour ago?'

The girls ran away, too eager to reach the house to have time for speech. They ran through the hall into the breakfast room, and from there to the library. Their father was in neither. They were on the point of looking for him upstairs with their mother, when they were met by a manservant, who said:

'If you are looking for my master, madam, he is walking towards the little wood.'

They immediately left the house again, and ran across the grass after their father. Jane, who was not so light as Elizabeth, soon slowed down, while her sister, out of breath, reached him and eagerly cried out:

'Oh, Father, what news? Good or bad?'

'What good is to be expected?' he said, taking the letter from his pocket. 'But perhaps you would like to read it.'

Elizabeth impatiently caught it from his hand. Jane now came up and joined them.

'Read it out loud,' said their father. Elizabeth read:

GRACECHURCH STREET Monday, August 2nd

My dear brother,

At last I am able to send you some news. I have discovered my niece and the young man. They are not married, and I do not believe that they ever intended to be, but if you are willing to keep the promises that I have been forced to make in your name, I hope it will not be long before they are. All that is necessary is that you should settle on your daughter, by law, her equal share of the five thousand pounds that will come to your children after the death of yourself and my sister, and, in addition, that you should enter into an agreement to allow her, during your life, one hundred pounds a year. Mr Wickham's condition as regards money is not so hopeless as was believed, and I am happy to say that there will be a little of his own money left, even when his debts have been paid. There is not the smallest necessity for you to come to town, as I will give your lawyer all details about making the agreement. Send back your answer as soon as you can. We have judged it best that my niece should be married from this house, and I hope you will approve.

Yours, etc.

EDWARD GARDINER.