Yes, I suspect that as a businessman, Mr. Gardiner could get his hands on ready money more easily than Mr. Bennet (knowing people he could go to for a loan, for example), but I'm not sure he could afford it any better. One of my reasons for thinking that the Bennets are better off than the Gardiners is that Mr. Bennet can afford to be a gentleman of leisure, while Mr. Gardiner cannot. Two thousand pounds a year was still a comfortable sum. I think what we forget is that *during Mr. Bennet's lifetime*, the Bennets would be quite well off - it was after his death that their problems would start.