At this point in the story, the "art" of Mr. Wickham has been exposed and the reader is aware of how very talented he is at deception. Although we are only aware of his attempts on three women (Miss Darcy,Elizabeth, and Lydia), it is my opinion that Mr. Wickham has applied his "art" to other hapless young female victims! When you realize how close sensible and discerning Elizabeth came to being victimized herself, you realize how perversely talented Mr. Wickham was at his peculiar skill.

All this to say how hearsay in P&P corroborates the veracity of some and exposes the evil in others. Without hearsay, can we almost imagine Elizabeth being taken in? Possibly. Without hearsay, we can hardly imagine Elizabeth's esteem of Mr. Darcy increasing by little increments through hearsay.