Mrs. Bennet wished to understand by it that he thought of paying his addresses to one of her younger girls, and Mary might have been prevailed on to accept him. She rated his abilities much higher than any of the others; there was a solidity in his reflections which often struck her, and though by no means so clever as herself, she thought that if encouraged to read and improve himself by such an example as hers, he might become a very agreeable companion.
Mrs. Bennet aurait aimé en déduire qu’il songeait a l’une de ses plus jeunes filles, et Mary se serait laissé persuader de l’accepter : plus que ses sours elle appréciait ses qualités et goutait ses réflexions judicieuses ; encouragé par un exemple comme le sien a développer sa culture, elle estimait qu’il pourrait faire un tres agréable compagnon.