He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman’s daughter; so far we are equal.
With calm precision, Elizabeth resets the balance. She counters bullying with a simple measure of worth that ignores snobbery. The juxtaposition—gentleman versus gentleman’s daughter—empties rank of its threat. It’s one of the novel’s clearest statements of dignity. Austen shows how language can claim space without shouting. Justice here is the insistence that respect travels both ways.