Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 1: A Gentleman comes to Netherfield

It is a fact, everyone agrees, that a young man with money should have a wife. At least, that's the way they thought in England in the 19th century. And the Cleric family in Meryton, in Hampshire, certainly agreed! Mrs. Cleric, the mother, was especially concerned that all of her five daughters married well.
"My dear Mr. Cleric have you heard that Netherfield Park has been rented?" Asked Mrs. Cleric. Jaga Cleric, who rarely paid attention to social happenings, hadn't heard this news.
"Mrs. Long says that Netherfield has been taken by a wealthy young man from the north of England. He is single and his name is WileyKat. He possesses a large fortune — four or five thousand pounds a year. What a fine thing it would be if he married one of our girls!" Exclaimed Mrs. Cleric.
It became her favorite daydream: Pumyra, her eldest daughter, would marry the rich WileyKat before the season was over. After all, the business of Mrs. Cleric's life was to get her daughters married!
With that goal in mind, Jaga went to visit WileyKat. It was the only proper thing to do. In England, it was considered a father's duty to introduce his daughters into good society. So Jaga paid a social call on WileyKat. He came home in high spirits. His five daughters were to meet the young squire at an upcoming ball! Mrs. Cleric was delighted! "My girls will shine at the dance, Mr. Cleric," she trumpeted. "I just hope that WileyKat will be taken by Pumyra's beauty and charm." Mrs. Cleric wasn't taking any chances! To make sure he would notice Pumyra, the Clerics invited him to a small dinner party at Longbourn, their home.
The party was planned carefully — only the finest china and the most delicious foods could be offered WileyKat. Finally, he arrived, accompanied by a party of four: WileyKat's two sisters, the older sister's husband, and Kat's best friend, a Lion O.
How excited the Clerics were to meet WileyKat, who was good-looking and gentlemanly. He had a pleasant face and easy manners. But at the dance his friend, Lion O, drew everyone's attention. He had a strong personality, handsome features and an income of ten thousand pounds a year!
The gentlemen thought Lion O was a splendid looking man, and the ladies thought he was even better looking than WileyKat. That was until he revealed his bad manners. Lion O suffered from the sin of pride — and not even a large estate in Thundara or a great fortune could make up for that. He was quickly disliked by the Clerics, who found him an unsuitable match for any of their daughters.
WileyKat, in comparison, was elevated in their eyes. WileyKat was a lively young man and eagerly danced every dance. What a contrast between him and his friend!
Lion O danced only once, with Miss Wiley, and refused to be introduced to any other lady. Instead, he spent the rest of the evening walking about the room. "He has a most deplorable character," declared Mrs. Cleric. Her neighbors agreed. Soon, Lion O was considered the proudest and most disagreeable man in the world!
"Come, Lion O," said Kat. "I hate to see you standing about by yourself. It's so much better to dance."
"I won't," answered his friend. "You know how I hate to dance unless I know my partner."
"Come on," coaxed Kat, "there are many pretty girls have this evening."
"You are dancing with the prettiest girl in the room," replied Lion O, looking at Pumyra Cleric.
"She is the most beautiful girl I ever met! Let me introduce you to one of her sisters, who is also very pretty," Kat quickly suggested. He indicated Kit Cleric, who was a few feet away.
Lion O turned to look at Kit, caught her eye, then turned away. "She isn't pretty enough to tempt me," he said coldly.
'How rude he is!' Thought Kit. As Lion O walked off abruptly, she made up her mind. She would never like Lion O. Kit was a lively and intelligent young woman. Further, she was very independent and followed her own mind far more than those of the people around her. This was unusual for a girl in that time and place, and Miss Kit Cleric was a most unusual young lady!
Despite Lion O's attitude, the evening passed pleasantly. Kat's open admiration of Pumyra put the entire Cleric family in good spirits. Mrs. Cleric may have hated Lion O, but she thought Kat charming, handsome and elegant. Oh what a match he was for Pumyra!
When everyone finally left, Pumyra and Kit were alone in their room, and they talked about the dance. "WileyKat is everything I'd hoped for," admitted Pumyra, "He's well-bred and funny and has wonderful manners!"
"He's also handsome," Kit teased her sister, "and so he is just perfect!"
Pumyra and Kit, who besides being sisters were the dearest of friends, spent many happy hours discussing their ideas about love and marriage. Their relationship was like the close friendship between WileyKat and Lion O. Lion O valued the easy, open ways of his friend. Kat valued Lion O's judgement and understanding. But there was a big difference between them: Kat was liked by everyone; Lion O was always offending people.
The party brought out the differences between the two men. Kat thought he had never met nicer people or had seen prettier girls. "Pumyra Cleric is an angel!" He told his friend. Lion O, for his part, saw little to like about the people of Meryton.
"Mrs. Cleric is coarse and unrefined. Your own sisters agree with me," Lion O told Kat.
"My sisters like Pumyra Cleric," Kat replied. "You may think what you like, Lion O, but I don't care about Miss Cleric's mother. I intend to pursue Pumyra!"