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Elizabeth was sitting with her mother
and sisters, reflecting on what she had heard, and doubting whether she
was
authorised to mention it, when Sir William Lucas himself appeared, sent
by his
daughter, to announce her engagement to the family.With many compliments to them, and much
self-gratulation on the prospect of a connection between the houses, he
unfolded the matter-- to an audience not merely wondering, but
incredulous; for
Mrs. Bennet, with more perseverance than politeness, protested he must
be
entirely mistaken; and Lydia, always unguarded and often uncivil,
boisterously
exclaimed:
"Good Lord! Sir William,
how can
you tell such a story?Do
not you know
that Mr. Collins wants to marry Lizzy?"
Nothing less than the
complaisance of a
courtier could have borne without anger such treatment; but Sir
William's good
breeding carried him through it all; and though he begged leave to be
positive
as to the truth of his information, he listened to all their
impertinence with
the most forbearing courtesy.
Elizabeth, feeling it
incumbent on her
to relieve him from so unpleasant a situation, now put herself forward
to
confirm his account, by mentioning her prior knowledge of it from
Charlotte
herself; and endeavoured to put a stop to the exclamations of her
mother and
sisters by the earnestness of her congratulations to Sir William, in
which she
was readily joined by Jane, and by making a variety of remarks on the
happiness
that might be expected from the match, the excellent character of Mr.
Collins,
and the convenient distance of Hunsford from London.
Mrs. Bennet was in fact
too much
overpowered to say a great deal while Sir William remained; but no
sooner had
he left them than her feelings found a rapid vent.In the first place, she persisted in
disbelieving the whole of the matter; secondly, she was very sure that
Mr.
Collins had been taken in; thirdly, she trusted that they would never
be happy
together; and fourthly, that the match might be broken off.Two inferences, however,
were plainly deduced
from the whole: one, that Elizabeth was the real cause of the mischief;
and the
other that she herself had been barbarously misused by them all; and on
these
two points she principally dwelt during the rest of the day.Nothing could console and
nothing could
appease her.Nor
did that day wear out
her resentment.A
week elapsed before
she could see Elizabeth without scolding her, a month passed away
before she
could speak to Sir William or Lady Lucas without being rude, and many
months
were gone before she could at all forgive her daughter.
Mr. Bennet's emotions
were much more
tranquil on the occasion, and such as he did experience he pronounced
to be of
a most agreeable sort; for it gratified him, he said, to discover that
Charlotte Lucas, whom he had been used to think tolerably sensible, was
as
foolish as his wife, and more foolish than his daughter!
Jane confessed herself a
little
surprised at the match; but she said less of her astonishment than of
her earnest
desire for their happiness; nor could Elizabeth persuade her to
consider it as
improbable.Kitty
and Lydia were far
from envying Miss Lucas, for Mr. Collins was only a clergyman; and it
affected
them in no other way than as a piece of news to spread at Meryton.
Lady Lucas could not be
insensible of
triumph on being able to retort on Mrs. Bennet the comfort of having a
daughter
well married; and she called at Longbourn rather oftener than usual to
say how
happy she was, though Mrs. Bennet's sour looks and ill-natured remarks
might
have been enough to drive happiness away.
Between Elizabeth and
Charlotte there
was a restraint which kept them mutually silent on the subject; and
Elizabeth
felt persuaded that no real confidence could ever subsist between them
again.Her
disappointment in Charlotte
made her turn with fonder regard to her sister, of whose rectitude and
delicacy
she was sure her opinion could never be shaken, and for whose happiness
she
grew daily more anxious, as Bingley had now been gone a week and
nothing more
was heard of his return.
Jane had sent Caroline
an early answer
to her letter, and was counting the days till she might reasonably hope
to hear
again. The promised letter of thanks from Mr. Collins arrived on
Tuesday, addressed
to their father, and written with all the solemnity of gratitude which
a
twelvemonth's abode in the family might have prompted.After discharging his conscience on that
head, he proceeded to inform them, with many rapturous expressions, of
his
happiness in having obtained the affection of their amiable neighbour,
Miss
Lucas, and then explained that it was merely with the view of enjoying
her
society that he had been so ready to close with their kind wish of
seeing him
again at Longbourn, whither he hoped to be able to return on Monday
fortnight;
for Lady Catherine, he added, so heartily approved his marriage, that
she
wished it to take place as soon as possible, which he trusted would be
an
unanswerable argument with his amiable Charlotte to name an early day
for
making him the happiest of men.
Mr. Collins's return
into Hertfordshire
was no longer a matter of pleasure to Mrs. Bennet.On the contrary, she was as much disposed to
complain of it as her husband.It
was very
strange that he should come to Longbourn instead of to Lucas Lodge; it
was also
very inconvenient and exceedingly troublesome.She hated having visitors in the house while her
health was so
indifferent, and lovers were of all people the most disagreeable. Such
were the
gentle murmurs of Mrs. Bennet, and they gave way only to the greater
distress
of Mr. Bingley's continued absence.
Neither Jane nor
Elizabeth were
comfortable on this subject. Day after day passed away without bringing
any
other tidings of him than the report which shortly prevailed in Meryton
of his
coming no more to Netherfield the whole winter; a report which highly
incensed
Mrs. Bennet, and which she never failed to contradict as a most
scandalous
falsehood.
Even Elizabeth began to
fear-- not that
Bingley was indifferent-- but that his sisters would be successful in
keeping
him away. Unwilling as she was to admit an idea so destructive of
Jane's
happiness, and so dishonourable to the stability of her lover, she
could not
prevent its frequently occurring.The united
efforts of his two unfeeling sisters and of his overpowering friend,
assisted
by the attractions of Miss Darcy and the amusements of London might be
too
much, she feared, for the strength of his attachment.
As for Jane, her anxiety
under this
suspense was, of course, more painful than Elizabeth's, but whatever
she felt
she was desirous of concealing, and between herself and Elizabeth,
therefore,
the subject was never alluded to.But as
no such delicacy restrained her mother, an hour seldom passed in which
she did
not talk of Bingley, express her impatience for his arrival, or even
require
Jane to confess that if he did not come back she would think herself
very ill
used.It needed all
Jane's steady
mildness to bear these attacks with tolerable tranquillity.
Mr. Collins returned
most punctually on
Monday fortnight, but his reception at Longbourn was not quite so
gracious as
it had been on his first introduction.He was too happy, however, to need much attention;
and luckily for the
others, the business of love-making relieved them from a great deal of
his
company. The chief of every day was spent by him at Lucas Lodge, and he
sometimes returned to Longbourn only in time to make an apology for his
absence
before the family went to bed.
Mrs. Bennet was really
in a most
pitiable state.The
very mention of
anything concerning the match threw her into an agony of ill-humour,
and
wherever she went she was sure of hearing it talked of.The sight of Miss Lucas was odious to her. As
her successor in that house, she regarded her with jealous abhorrence.Whenever Charlotte came to
see them, she
concluded her to be anticipating the hour of possession; and whenever
she spoke
in a low voice to Mr. Collins, was convinced that they were talking of
the
Longbourn estate, and resolving to turn herself and her daughters out
of the
house, as soon as Mr. Bennet were dead.She complained bitterly of all this to her husband.
"Indeed, Mr. Bennet,"
said
she, "it is very hard to think that Charlotte Lucas should ever be
mistress of this house, that I should be forced to make way for her,
and live
to see her take her place in it!"
"My dear, do not give
way to such
gloomy thoughts.Let
us hope for better
things.Let us
flatter ourselves that I
may be the survivor."
This is not very
consoling to Mrs.
Bennet, and therefore, instead of making any answer, she went on as
before.
"I cannot bear to think
that they
should have all this estate.If
it was
not for the entail, I should not mind it."
"What should not you
mind?"
"I should not mind
anything at
all."
"Let us be thankful that
you are
preserved from a state of such insensibility."
"I never can be
thankful, Mr.
Bennet, for anything about the entail.How anyone could have the conscience to entail away
an estate from one's
own daughters, I cannot understand; and all for the sake of Mr. Collins
too!Why should he
have it more than
anybody else?"
"I leave it to yourself
to
determine," said Mr. Bennet.
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