The conversation between Miss Bingley and Mr. Darcy on page 229, starting with "I remember when we first knew her in Hertfordshire"....to "for it is many months since I have considered her as one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance."
This conversation seems to close once and for all the prospect of Mr. Darcy marrying Miss Bingley. Miss Bingley is a fairly terrible human being, and this moment seems like Elizabeth's just triumph, even though she wouldn't have appreciated it at the time if she'd seen it. Miss Bingley clearly understands Darcy's feelings toward Elizabeth, but she will fight them until the last second. Prior to this quote, she spends a page tearing down any mark of Elizabeth's beauty. Here the narrator comments that "angry people are not always wise". This rings very true in Miss Bingley's case. In her attempts to raise herself in Darcy's eyes, she has, in actuality lowered herself even more, by insulting the object of his great affection. Miss Bingley know this too, and this is what makes her decision to continue her tirade unwise. Darcy finally offers the death blow with his comment on Elizabeth's beauty, showing Miss Bingley that she has long since fallen out of favor with him.
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