] ] So, my guess is that not only did he start out with more money, he has been very succesful in his business (whatever it is). His children are likely to be raised as ladies and gentlemen

] There is NO evidence to support this. The Gardiners are middle class. Their children are likely to be raised as middle class boys and girls are raised. Why make them out to have more than is likely.

I would respectfully suggest that you re-examine the text of the book for a little more information. For example, JA gives this description of Elizabeth's aunt and uncle:

Mr. Gardiner was a sensible, gentlemanlike man, greatly superior to his sister, as well by nature as education. The Netherfield ladies would have had difficulty in believing that a man who lived by trade, and within view of his own warehouses, could have been so well bred and agreeable. Mrs. Gardiner, who was several years younger than Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Philips, was an amiable, intelligent, elegant woman, and a great favourite with all her Longbourn nieces.

Note that Mr. Gardiner lives within view of his "own warehouses," emphasis on the plural. He owns warehouses in the commercial heart of London. That alone establishes the fact that he's far better off than a mere shopkeeper or merchant.

The second clue is that the Gardiner family is able to spend each Christmas at Longbourne. Such a trip would most likely last at least two weeks, and no mere tradesman could afford to be away from his business for that long. Mrs. Gardiner brings news of the latest London fashions, indicating that not only does she know about them, she can afford them.

The third clue is that the Gardiners can afford their own carriage. Keeping a carriage and horses in London was expensive, just as it is expensive to keep a car there now. Mr. Bennet, on the other hand, had to share his horses with the farm on his estate.

Furthermore, the Gardiners can plan to take a four-week pleasure trip, again with their own carriage and servants. In the end, the trip had to be shortened, but again what shopkeeper could even CONSIDER doing such a thing?

You are correct that the Gardiners are middle class, but they are without question "upper" middle class at a time when this sector of British society was growing by leaps and bounds. The great irony is that while the landed gentry looked down its collective noses at people in trade, it was in fact trade and commerce which made the British Empire great.

As for the Gardiners not being "people of fashion," Elizabeth is indulging in a bit of private sarcasm, completely expecting Mr. Darcy to "decamp" the instant he learns who they are. He is surprised to learn who they are, but she in turn is surprised to see him welcome them to his home. She later privately rejoices at her uncle's intelligence, taste, and good humor. A lot of things happen during this part of the story but two of the most important are that Darcy learns that he has been unfair in his assessment of Elizabeth's family, and Elizabeth herself learns that he's not as much of a snob as she had supposed.

So, I stand by my conviction that the Gardiners are well off. They certainly aren't as rich as the Bingleys or the Darcys, but few people are. With parents described as gentlemanlike, well bred, agreeable, educated, amiable, and intelligent, the Gardiner children ARE going to be raised to have the manners and deportment of ladies and gentlemen, even if they do not own an estate.