Jane ran to her uncle and aunt, and welcomed and thanked them both, with alternate smiles and tears.
When they were all in the drawing-room, the questions which Elizabeth had already asked were of course repeated by the others, and they soon found that Jane had no intelligence to give.

The sanguine hope of good, however, which the benevolence of her heart suggested had not yet deserted her; she still expected that it would all end well, and that every morning would bring some letter, either from Lydia or her father, to explain their proceedings, and, perhaps, announce their marriage.
Mrs.Bennet, to whose apartment they all repaired, after a few minutes' conversation together, received them exactly as might be expected; with tears and lamentations of regret, invectives against the villainous conduct of Wickham, and complaints of her own sufferings and ill-usage; blaming everybody but the person to whose ill-judging indulgence the errors of her daughter must principally be owing.
"If I had been able," said she, "to carry my point in going to Brighton, with all my family, _this_ would not have happened; but poor dear Lydia had nobody to take care of her.

Why did the Forsters ever let her go out of their sight?
I am sure there was some great neglect or other on their side, for she is not the kind of girl to do such a thing if she had been well looked after.

I always thought they were very unfit to have the charge of her; but I was overruled, as I always am.

Poor dear child! And now here's Mr.Bennet gone away, and I know he will fight Wickham, wherever he meets him and then he will be killed, and what is to become of us all?
The Collinses will turn us out before he is cold in his grave, and if you are not kind to us, brother, I do not know what we shall do." They all exclaimed against such terrific ideas; and Mr.Gardiner, after general assurances of his affection for her and all her family, told her that he meant to be in London the very next day, and would assist Mr.
Bennet in every endeavour for recovering Lydia.
"Do not give way to useless alarm," added he; "though it is right to be prepared for the worst, there is no occasion to look on it as certain.
It is not quite a week since they left Brighton.