1) Yes, "large parties" clearly varied in numbers in JA's world. I guess I was trying to figure out what the *minimum* number for a large party was.

2) You're right about the noise level at a dinner party. If Elizabeth and Darcy were seated at opposite ends of a dinner table that seated 14, I can easily imagine that they couldn't hear each other.

3) Thanks for pointing out that everyone may have been seated. I pictured everyone standing around the table to be served and then taking their tea or coffee elsewhere, as Darcy himself did, since we are told that he brought back his coffee cup himself after having walked away. Also, we are told that the anonymous girl "moved closer to (Elizabeth) than ever", not that she moved her *chair* closer than ever. Then, to me the word "confederacy" implies more than three or four people.

However, even if everyone was seated, with "a large party" expected, IMO the Bennets would have squeezed as many chairs as possible into that space. I'm just picturing our own parties, where we bring in chairs from other parts of the house to supplement the ones in the living or dining room!

Another reason I think this group is even larger than the 14 Mrs. Bennet originally intended, is because guests are mentioned who were not on the original list. Darcy was certainly not among the original 14, and Mrs. Bennet specifically mentions Mrs. Long's nieces, which she didn't before.