Elizabeth here felt herself called on to say something in vindication of his behaviour to Wickham; and therefore gave them to understand, in as guarded a manner as she could, that by what she had heard from his relations in Kent, his actions were capable of a very different construction; and that his character was by no means so faulty, nor Wickham's so amiable, as they had been considered in Hertfordshire.
Elizabeth most érezte, hogy kötelessége legalább néhány szóval megvédeni Darcy viselkedését Wickhammel szemben; ezért értésükre adta, amilyen óvatosan csak lehetett, hogy azok után, amit a fiatalember kenti rokonaitól hallott, Darcy eljárását egészen másképp is lehet magyarázni, s hogy Darcy távolról sem olyan sötét jellem, Wickham pedig nem olyan ártatlan bárány, amint ezt Hertfordshire-ben gondolták.