Following Elizabeth's rejection of his first marriage proposal, Mr. Darcy writers her a letter explaining his actions toward Jane and Mr. Wickham. He explains that he encouraged Mr. Bingley to turn his affections away from Jane for two reasons. First, the behavior of most of the Bennet family (Elizabeth and Jane excluded) was often rude and unbecoming; Darcy believed it would not benefit Mr. Bingley to attach himself to this family. Second--and most importantly--Darcy believed Jane was indifferent to Mr. Bingley's affections; he wanted to protect his friend from a broken heart.
Mr. Darcy also explained his conduct toward Wickham. Apparently, Wickham had squandered his inheritance and resented Darcy because he would not give him any more money. As an act of revenge--and to try to get a piece of the Darcy fortune--Wickham manipulated Darcy's sister into falling in love with him. He intended to elope with her, but his plan was discovered before he could accomplish it.
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