Plot Summary
Chapter 7 of Pride and Prejudice opens by establishing the Bennet family's precarious financial situation. Mr. Bennet's estate of two thousand pounds a year is entailed away from his daughters to a distant male relation, meaning his five girls will inherit little. Mrs. Bennet's own fortune of four thousand pounds is insufficient to make up the difference, leaving the family's future security dependent on the daughters making advantageous marriages.
The chapter introduces the militia regiment that has recently arrived in Meryton for the winter, which becomes an obsession for the two youngest Bennet sisters, Catherine (Kitty) and Lydia. They visit their Aunt Phillips frequently to gather intelligence about the officers, abandoning all interest in Mr. Bingley's fortune in favor of military men in regimentals. Mr. Bennet dryly pronounces them "two of the silliest girls in the country," sparking a domestic argument with Mrs. Bennet, who defends her daughters and reveals her own weakness for a man in a red coat.
Jane's Invitation to Netherfield
The chapter's central plot event occurs when Jane receives a dinner invitation from Miss Bingley. Mrs. Bennet, scheming to keep Jane at Netherfield overnight, refuses to lend the carriage and insists Jane ride on horseback, knowing rain is likely. Her plan succeeds spectacularly: Jane is caught in a downpour, falls ill with a violent cold, and is obliged to stay at Netherfield. Mrs. Bennet is delighted rather than concerned, declaring it "a lucky idea of mine."
Elizabeth's Walk to Netherfield
The next morning, Elizabeth receives a note from Jane reporting her illness. Determined to see her sister, Elizabeth walks three miles across muddy fields, arriving at Netherfield with dirty stockings and a glowing complexion. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst privately scorn her appearance, but Mr. Bingley receives her warmly and Mr. Darcy finds himself divided between admiration of her exercise-brightened face and doubt about the propriety of her coming so far alone. Jane proves too ill to leave her room, and Elizabeth stays to nurse her. When Elizabeth prepares to leave in the afternoon, Jane's distress at parting leads Miss Bingley to invite Elizabeth to remain at Netherfield, which she gratefully accepts.
Themes
This chapter develops several key themes: the economic vulnerability of the Bennet daughters through the entailment; Mrs. Bennet's scheming matchmaking that paradoxically endangers her own daughter's health; the contrast between superficiality and substance in the sisters (Lydia's officer-chasing versus Elizabeth's devotion to Jane); and the emerging tension in Darcy's feelings toward Elizabeth, as he begins to notice her despite himself.