Wickham's affection for Lydia was just what Elizabeth had expected to find it; not equal to Lydia's for him. She had scarcely needed her present observation to be satisfied, from the reason of things, that their elopement had been brought on by the strength of her love, rather than by his; and she would have wondered why, without violently caring for her, he chose to elope with her at all, had she not felt certain that his flight was rendered necessary by distress of circumstances; and if that were the case, he was not the young man to resist an opportunity of having a companion.
Elizabeth eut vite observé que les sentiments de Wickham pour Lydia n’avaient pas la chaleur de ceux que Lydia éprouvait pour lui ; et elle n’eut pas de peine a se persuader que c’était la passion de Lydia et non celle de Wickham qui avait provoqué l’enlevement. Elle aurait pu se demander pourquoi, n’étant pas plus vivement épris, il avait accepté de fuir avec Lydia, si elle n’avait tenu pour certain que cette fuite était commandée par ses embarras pécuniaires, et, dans ce cas, Wickham n’était pas homme a se refuser l’agrément de partir accompagné.