Every time I read P&P, something different emerges to intrigue me. (True of all JA's books, actually.) In these chapters, it's the relationship of Darcy and Miss Bingley. I find this hilarious, naturally. How can one not laugh at her letting her wit run determinedly while he simply ignores her? But what struck me is that Darcy is a democratic snob - he can't abide folly in any form, whether from poor or rich, sophisticated or provincial. While Caroline is by no means as vulgar as *shudder* Mrs. Bennett, she comes close at times, and he treats her in much the same way. That he doesn't physically turn away from her as he does Mrs. Bennett is due, I believe, to the fact that she's his best friend's sister.