How does elizabeth's reaction to wickham's distressing tale differ from Jane's?

This is a really interesting question because it focuses so much on the natures of Jane and Lizzie.

Lizzie is inclined to believe Wickham entirely. The interesting thing about this is that she does not by nature believe people easily. Her problem is that she has been blinded by her prejudice against Darcy, and since Wickham's story puts Darcy in a negative light, she accepts it uncritically.

Jane, on the other hand, is by nature inclined to believe people. She does not automatically believe Wickham, however, because she sees his story as an attack on Darcy's character. She is far more inclined to believe in people than to believe them. So she, who is the more credulous of the two sisters, is the more sceptical on the point of Wickham's story.

Congratulations on asking a really good question, by the way.