Pride and Prejudice Chapter 58 Summary

We like to call this chapter "Darcy's Proposal, Round Two."
Mr. Darcy does <em>not </em>make an excuse to stay in London. He shows up a few days later at Longbourn with Mr. Bingley.
The girls take the gentlemen out for a walk.
As soon as she finds herself alone with Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth expresses her gratitude for all he has done for her sister Lydia. She says her family is completely indebted to him, even though they don't know the part he played.
Mr. Darcy replies that her family owes him nothing. He was only thinking of her.
Elizabeth hardly knows what to say – and she doesn't know where to look.
Then Mr. Darcy adds that he'd like to know if she still thinks of him the way she did last April. His feelings (of love) are unchanged.
Elizabeth, of course, lets him know that she is completely in love with him.
She soon learns that it was his aunt that clued him in to Elizabeth's change of heart. Lady Catherine called on him in London on her way back to her estate and told him the details of her conversation with Elizabeth. She hoped to convince him that Elizabeth was unsuitable as a wife.
Both of them confess their shame over their past behavior towards each other.
Darcy is especially repentant over parts of his letter and hopes that she'll burn it.
Elizabeth tells him not to be sorry – the letter changed her whole attitude toward him.
Darcy explains how her refusal made him recognize his vanity and arrogance. It made him anxious to change himself so that he might please her after all.
Elizabeth questions him about Bingley and learns that Darcy had been the one to convince him that Jane cared for him. Bingley was angry with his friend for one thing: he had concealed information about Jane's three-month visit to London. Still, Bingley was only angry until all was settled with Jane.

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