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 their 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
dishonorable 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 was 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.🔗