Pride and Prejudice Audiobook Chapters 1 to 6 Learn English Through Story

[Music]

pride and prejudice by jane austen

retold by claire west

[Music]

[Applause]

chapter one

the bennett’s new neighbor

it is a truth well known to all the

world

that an unmarried man in possession of a

large fortune must be in need of a wife

and when such a man moves into a

neighborhood

even if nothing is known about his

feelings or opinions

this truth is so clear to the

surrounding families that they think of

him immediately as the future husband of

one or other of their daughters

my dear mr bennett said mrs bennett to

her husband one day

have you heard that someone is going to

rent netherfield park at last

no mrs bennett i haven’t said her

husband

don’t you want to know who is renting it

cried mrs bennett impatiently

you want to tell me

and i don’t mind listening

mrs bennett needed no further

encouragement

well my dear i hear that he’s a very

rich young man from the north of england

it seems he came to see netherfield on

monday and was so delighted with it that

he arranged to rent it at once

of course it is the finest house in the

area with the largest gardens

his servants will be here by the end of

the week and he will be arriving soon

afterwards

what is his name asked mr bennett

bingley

is he married or single

oh single my dear of course

a single man of large fortune he has an

income of four or five thousand pounds a

year how wonderful for our girls

why

how can it affect them mr bennett asked

my dear mr bennett she replied

how can you be so annoying you must

realize i’m thinking of his marrying one

of our daughters

is that his purpose in coming to the

area

his purpose

no of course not

but it’s very likely that he’ll fall in

love with one of them

and i want him to see the girls as soon

as possible before our other neighbors

introduce themselves so you must visit

him as soon as he arrives

i really don’t see why i should said mr

bennett

you and the girls can visit him

or perhaps you should send them by

themselves yes that might be better as

you’re as attractive as any of them and

mr bingley might like you best

my dare you flatter me replied his wife

i certainly have been called beautiful

in the past

but i think a woman with five adult

daughters should stop thinking of her

own beauty

mr bennett i beg you to visit him

you know it’s correct for the gentleman

of the family to visit new neighbors

first

i simply cannot take the girls to see

him unless you have already met him

surely you worry too much about the

rules of polite society

i’m sure mr bingley will be delighted to

see you all and i’ll write him a few

lines which you can give him agreeing

gladly to his marrying any of the girls

although i must especially recommend my

dear little lizzy oh no mr bennett cast

mrs bennett horrified please don’t do

that

and lizzy is no better than the others

although i know she is your favorite

our daughters are all very silly

ignorant girls it’s true

but at least lizzy is a little more

intelligent than her sisters

mr bennett how can you speak so unkindly

of your own children

oh dear how will i feel have you no pity

for me

don’t you realize how i suffer

indeed my dear

i’ve suffered with you for the last 23

years but i think you will recover and

live to see many more rich young men

come into the neighborhood

when he was young

mr bennett had made the mistake of

falling in love with a pretty but

foolish young woman

during the long years of their marriage

he had had time to regret his mistake

he soon realized that his wife had

little intelligence or common sense

and was only interested in talking

shopping

and finding husbands for her daughters

his experience had made him rather

bitter

and he could not stop himself mocking

his wife

who never understood her husband’s sense

of humor

so

when a week later mrs bennett discovered

that her husband had in fact visited mr

bingley at netherfield she was surprised

and very pleased

but she and her daughters tried in vain

to persuade mr bennett to describe the

wealthy stranger

and in the end they had to rely on

another neighbor’s description

he sounds wonderful mama cried lydia the

youngest and noisiest of the sisters

charlotte lucas’s father has been to see

him and says he’s quite young very

handsome and extremely charming

and even better he loves dancing

everybody knows that means he’s very

likely to fall in love

as politeness required

mr bingley came to visit mr bennett a

few days later

he was not however fortunate enough to

see the bennett girls

who were hiding behind the curtains in

an upstairs room in order to catch sight

of the handsome stranger

mrs bennett planned to invite him to

dinner

but in fact they met him at another

social event first

the bennetts lived in the small

hertfordshire village of longborne

and public dances were regularly held in

the nearest town meriton

the girls were greatly looking forward

to this particular dance

because they had heard that mr bingley

would be attending with a group of

friends from london

on the night of the dance

all eyes were on mr bingley as he

entered the room

he had brought his two sisters with the

husband of the elder mr hearst

and another young man

mr darcy

mr bingley was indeed good-looking and

gentleman-like and his sisters were fine

fashionable women

however

everybody was soon talking about mr

darcy

a tall handsome man who it was said had

an income of ten thousand pounds a year

the ladies in the room gazed at him in

admiration for about half the evening

until they became aware of his constant

frown

and his unwillingness to talk or dance

then there was general agreement that he

was proud and disagreeable and

considered himself superior to country

people

mr bingley on the other hand made

himself popular with the ladies by

dancing every dance and talking to

everybody

as there were not as many gentlemen as

ladies

elizabeth bennett did not have a partner

for one of the dances and was sitting

watching the dancing

mr darcy was standing near her and when

mr bingley came up to speak to his

friend elizabeth could not avoid hearing

their conversation

come darcy said bingley i hate to see

you looking so cross why don’t you dance

with one of these lovely girls

certainly not

replied darcy

you know how i hate dancing with a

partner i don’t know

i would particularly dislike it at a

village dance like this

apart from your sisters

there isn’t a woman in the room i would

even consider dancing with

you were dancing with the only

attractive girl here

he was looking at mrs bennett’s eldest

daughter jane who was waiting for

bingley to join her for the next dance

oh yes she’s the most beautiful creature

i’ve ever seen

but just behind you is one of her

sisters

she’s very pretty and i’m sure she’s

very pleasant my partner could introduce

you

who do you mean

and does he turn to look at elizabeth

for a moment

no

he said coldly

she’s not attractive enough to tempt me

go back to your partner bingley

this conversation did not endear mr

darcy to elizabeth

but she told the story very cheerfully

and amusingly to her friends

the evening passed very happily for

everybody else

and mrs bennett was delighted with the

effect her eldest daughter had had on mr

bingley

he danced with jane twice

she told her husband later he danced

with all the others only once

and he really is so handsome but his

friend mr darcy was so rude to poor

elizabeth luckily she doesn’t care

she wouldn’t want to please him such a

horrible proud man i simply hate him

when jane and elizabeth were alone they

discussed their dancing partners

i was really very flattered when mr

bingley asked me to dance a second time

said jane blushing i didn’t expect it at

all

didn’t you said elizabeth i did

dear jane you were five times prettier

than any other woman in the room but

you’re too modest ever to expect

admiration

i have to admit that i liked mr bingley

continued jane in her gentle voice

he’s so good-mannered and agreeable

he’s also handsome added her sister

which makes his character quite perfect

but what did you think of his sisters

very pleasant when you get to know them

the younger miss caroline bingley will

be living at netherfield with her

brother i’m sure we’ll enjoy having her

as a neighbor

elizabeth listened in silence she was

not convinced

jane is so kind she thought

always ready to see the good side of

people’s characters

i considered mr bingley’s sisters too

proud

almost rude in fact

i’m sure they feel superior to most

other people like mr darcy

but she did not say anymore

after the dance the bennett and bingley

families began to visit each other every

few days

it became evident that mr bingley

admired jane very much

and elizabeth knew that her sister was

close to falling in love with him

she was discussing this with her good

friend charlotte lucas one day

charlotte was a sensible intelligent

young woman of 27

the eldest daughter of sir william and

lady lucas who were neighbors of the

bennett family

it’s a good thing said elizabeth that if

jane is in love with mr bingley nobody

will know because she always behaves so

cheerfully and normally

but sometimes a mistake replied

charlotte shaking her head wisely

if she doesn’t show her feelings at all

even to the man she loves she may lose

the opportunity of catching him

jane should use every moment she gets

with bingley to attract and encourage

him

but i consider a man should try to

discover a woman’s feelings not wait for

her encouragement

and jane probably doesn’t know what her

real feelings for bingley are yet

she has only seen him a few times

not often enough to understand his

character or be sure that she really

loves him

well i wish jane’s success with all my

heart said charlotte finally

but i think she’d have as much chance of

happiness if she married him tomorrow as

if she studied his character for a whole

year

happiness in marriage is simply a

question of chance

i think it’s better to know as little as

possible about the person you’re going

to spend your life with

elizabeth laughed sure that charlotte

did not mean what she was saying

while observing mr bingley’s interest in

jane however

elizabeth had not noticed mr darcy’s

interest in herself

although at first he had not even

considered her pretty he now began to

realize what a beautiful expression her

dark eyes gave to her intelligent face

and what an attractive figure she had of

course

she is only an unfashionable village

girl he told himself but her

conversation is often quite amusing

whenever they met

he did not speak to her but stood near

her listening to her and watching her

closely conscious of a wish to know her

better

one evening at a party at the lucas’s

house

darcy was standing alone as usual away

from the other guests watching the

dancing

his host sir william came to speak to

him

mr darcy are you enjoying the dancing

sir what a delightful entertainment it

is

darcy frowned yes he said with cool

disdain

it’s something that any uneducated

person can be good at

i’m sure you’re good at dancing yourself

sir replied sir william cheerfully

look here’s miss elizabeth bennett

she was crossing the room at that moment

let me persuade you to dance with her

you cannot refuse to dance when so much

beauty is in front of you

indeed sir replied elizabeth quickly and

some embarrassment

i have no intention of dancing you must

excuse me

miss bennett please allow me the

pleasure of dancing with you said mr

darcy politely holding out his hand

but with equal politeness elizabeth

refused again and turned away

mr darcy was watching her walk away with

a slight smile on his face when caroline

bingley came up to him

mr darcy she said i’m sure i know what

you’re thinking how boring all these

silly little country people are

not at all miss bingley in fact

i was just thinking what pleasure a pair

of fine eyes can give

really and who do these fine eyes belong

to may i ask

miss elizabeth bennett

well

let me be the first to congratulate you

mr darcy when will the wedding be

ah

that’s what i expected you to say

a lady’s imagination jumps from

admiration to love to marriage in a

moment

well of course when you’re married you

will often have her charming mother and

sisters to stay how delightful for you

and miss bingley seeing that darcy

remained calm

continued to mock the bennett family as

amusingly as she could

chapter two

jane’s illness

mr bennett had a comfortable income of

two thousand a year and a pleasant house

in longborne

but unfortunately for his daughters

after his death all his property would

pass to a distant male relation

mrs bennett’s father had been a lawyer

and had only left his daughter a small

amount of money

she had a brother who owned shops in

london

and she also had a sister married to a

mr phillips

he had been her father’s clerk and now

carried on his late employers business

mr and mrs phillips lived in meriton

which was only a kilometer or so from

the village of longborne

it was the most convenient distance for

the bennett girls who were usually

tempted there three or four times a week

to visit their aunt or a dressmaker who

lived opposite

the youngest daughters kitty and lydia

were particularly regular visitors

their minds were more vacant than their

sisters and if no better entertainment

was available a walk to meriton always

provided some amusement as well as

interesting local news from their aunt

the latest news which delighted kitty

and lydia

was that the regiment which had recently

arrived in meriton was to stay there for

the whole winter

the two girls now visited their aunt

every day

and as mr phillips knew all the offices

kitty and lydia were soon introduced to

them

at home

they could talk of nothing but offices

in their handsome uniforms even mr

bingley’s fortune now seemed hardly

worth considering

after listening to their praise of the

officers one morning

mr bennett said coolly

from what i can see you must be two of

the silliest girls in the country

i’ve suspected it for some time but now

i’m convinced

kitty was embarrassed did not reply

but lydia the youngest continued to

express her admiration for a certain

captain carter with perfect indifference

i am very surprised my dear said mrs

bennett that you should be so ready to

think your own children silly as it

happens they are all very clever

that is the only point i think on which

we do not agree

i am afraid i must say that i consider

our two youngest daughters unusually

foolish

my dear mr bennett you mustn’t expect

such young girls to have the common

sense of their father or mother

i remember when i used to like a red

coat myself and indeed i still do

if a good-looking officer with five or

six thousand a year wanted to marry one

of my girls i wouldn’t turn him down

and i thought colonel foster looked very

handsome last night at sir williams in

his regimental uniform

just then a servant entered with a note

for jane which had come from netherfield

mrs bennett’s eyes shone with pleasure

and she called out eagerly while her

daughter was reading it well jane who is

it from what does he say tell us tell us

quickly my love

it’s from miss spingley said jane

she invites me to dinner at netherfield

as she and her sister are alone

it seems her brother and the gentleman

are having dinner with the offices in

meriton

with the officers cried lydia i wonder

why aunt phillips didn’t tell us that

having dinner in meriton repeated mrs

bennett shaking her head that’s very

unlucky

may i take the carriage ask jane

no my dear you better ride over there

because it looks likely to rain and then

you’ll have to stay the night

that would be a good plan said elizabeth

to her mother if you were sure they

wouldn’t offer to send her home in their

carriage

oh but they can’t the gentleman must

have taken mr bingley’s carriage to go

to meriton

i’d much rather go in the carriage jane

said but my dear your father can’t spare

the horses i’m sure they’re needed on

the farm aren’t they mr bennett

mr bennett finally agreed that they were

in fact being used that day in the

fields

so jane set out on her horse while her

mother called cheerfully after her i do

hope it’ll rain heavily my love

and jane had not been gone for long

before it rained hard

elizabeth was a little worried about her

sister but mrs bennett was delighted

what a good idea of mine that was she

said more than once extremely pleased

with herself

not until the next morning however did

she realize the full extent of her

success

after breakfast a servant from

netherfield arrived with a note from

jane to elizabeth explaining that jane

had caught cold on her wet ride and had

been invited to stay at netherfield

until she

recovered well my dear said mr bennett

if your daughter should become seriously

ill and die

it would be a comfort to know that she

died in a good cause and in obedience to

your orders

oh i’m not afraid of her dying people

don’t die of colds she’ll be looked

after well at netherfield as long as she

stays there everything will be all right

but elizabeth felt really anxious and

was determined to go to her sister

as the carriage was not available and

she was not keen on riding

she decided to walk the five kilometers

to netherfield

kitty and lydia accompanied her as far

as meriton where they went to visit one

of the office’s wives

elizabeth continued alone

crossing field after field and jumping

impatiently over streams in her anxiety

to see her sister

when she arrived at netherfield with

tired feet muddy stockings and a face

healthily pink with exercise she was

shown straight into the sitting room

the two sisters miss bingley and mrs

hurst could hardly believe that she had

come so far alone and on foot in such

bad weather

but they received her politely

their brother however was more than

polite

he was kind and considerate towards her

mr darcy said very little

hesitating between admiration of her

healthy good looks and doubt whether she

should have come such a distance alone

mr hearst said nothing at all as he was

thinking only of his breakfast

elizabeth was glad to be taken almost

immediately to her sister’s room where

she found jane delighted to see her but

very feverish and unwell

the doctor came and after examining his

patient advised that she should stay in

bed and take some medicine

elizabeth stayed with her all day

looking after her and the bingley

sisters also spent some time in the

patient’s room

however in the afternoon when it was

time for elizabeth to leave jane seemed

so upset that miss bingley was obliged

to invite elizabeth to stay at

netherfield for the present and a

servant was sent to longborne to inform

the bennett family and bring back some

clothes

that evening elizabeth went down to

dinner leaving jane in bed in her room

she noticed the bingley sister’s

apparent concern for jane changed to

indifference in a few moments

and knew she had been right to dislike

them at first sight

mr bingley indeed was the only one of

the group whose behavior she was

satisfied with

his anxiety for jane was evident

and his politeness towards herself most

pleasing

but the others she felt treated her as

an unwelcome guest

miss bingley was concentrating all her

attention on mr darcy

and mrs hearst also joined in their

conversation

while mr hurst was only interested in

eating drinking and playing cards

when elizabeth left the room after

dinner to see if jane needed anything

miss bingley at once began to criticize

her

what bad manner she has she’s both proud

and lacking in politeness to her

superiors she has no conversation no

elegance and no beauty

mrs hurst agreed and added she has no

good qualities except that she’s an

excellent walker i’ll never forget her

appearance this morning she really

looked almost wild

she did indeed louisa how silly of her

to come at all

why must she run around the countryside

just because her sister has a cold

her hair looked so untidy and her dress

simply covered in mud

i must say said bingley

i didn’t notice any of that

i thought she looked remarkably

attractive when she arrived this morning

you observed her wild appearance i’m

sure mr darcy said miss bingley and i

imagine you wouldn’t wish your sister to

make such a show of herself

certainly not

walking four or five kilometers whatever

it was up to her ankles in mud and alone

quite alone it seems to me to show a

dreadful sort of independence

a country girl’s indifference to what is

acceptable

i think it shows a very pleasing

affection for her sister said bingley

i’m afraid mr darcy whispered miss

bingley that this adventure has rather

lessened your admiration of her fine

eyes

not at all he replied

they were brightened by the exercise

after a short pause

mrs hurst began again

i have a great liking for jane bennett

she’s really a very sweet girl and i

wish with all my heart she were well

married but with such a father and

mother and with such vulgar relations

i’m afraid there’s no chance of it

i think the bennett girls have an uncle

who’s a lawyer in meriton

yes and they have another who owns shops

in cheapside

such a nice part of london

both the sisters laughed

if they had enough uncles to fill cheap

side cried bingley it wouldn’t make them

any less charming

but it must considerably lessen their

chances of marrying men of any position

in the world replied darcy

bingley did not answer but his sisters

agreed enthusiastically

and continued mocking their dear friends

vulgar relations for some time

late in the evening when elizabeth was

satisfied that jane was asleep she felt

she ought to go downstairs again

she found the party in the sitting room

playing cards

but although they invited her to join in

their game she refused politely and

picked up a book to read

i can fetch you more books to read if

you wish offered bingley but i’m afraid

i haven’t got a large library unlike you

i’m too lazy to spend much time reading

what a delightful library you have at

pemberley mr darcy said miss bingley and

what a beautiful house it is

charles when you buy your house i hope

it will be even half as lovely as

pemberley

i hope so too agreed bingley

and your dear sister mr darcy i expect

she’s grown since the spring i want so

much to see her again i’ve never met

anyone who delighted me so much such an

appearance such manners and so extremely

accomplished for her age

i’m always surprised said bingley to

find how very accomplished all young

ladies are how do they have the time and

patience to learn all these skills

certainly people use the word

accomplished too loosely said darcy

but i am far from agreeing with you

about ladies in general i cannot boast

of knowing more than six who are really

accomplished

then said elizabeth

your idea of an accomplished woman must

include a great many qualities

yes a great many

oh certainly

cried his faithful assistant miss

bingley an accomplished woman must have

a thorough knowledge of music singing

drawing dancing and modern languages

this a certain something in her manner

of walking in her voice and in her

behavior

all this she must possess added darcy

and something more solid

the improvement of her mind by wide

reading

i’m no longer surprised at your knowing

only six accomplished women said

elizabeth i rather wonder at your

knowing any

i’ve never seen such elegance and

intelligence and knowledge as you

describe in one woman

mrs hurst and miss bingley were both

protesting loudly that they knew many

women like this when mr hurst called

their attention back to the card game

as this meant an end to the conversation

elizabeth soon afterwards left the room

miss elizabeth bennett said miss bingley

to darcy is one of those women who tried

to appear attractive to men by

undervaluing other women i think that’s

a mean trick

it is true said darcy that there is

meanness in all the tricks used by

ladies to attract men

miss bingley was not satisfied enough

with this answer to continue the

conversation

the next morning elizabeth was glad to

be able to inform mr bingley and his

sisters that jane was very much better

in spite of this improvement however she

asked for her mother to be sent for as

she wanted mrs bennett’s opinion of

jane’s state of health

soon after breakfast therefore mrs

bennett accompanied by her two youngest

daughters reached

netherfield

elizabeth although relieved to hear that

her mother did not think jane’s illness

serious began to regret asking her to

come when she saw the bingley sisters

smiling at mrs bennett’s remarks

elizabeth blushed for her mother

who could not help showing her lack of

intelligence and common sense in

everything she said

kitty and lydia made an equally bad

impression

they had been whispering together when

suddenly lydia who was an attractive

confident well-grown girl of fifteen

pushed herself rudely forward

she begged mr bingley to hold a ball at

netherfield

with his usual politeness mr bingley

promised he would

but elizabeth saw his sisters exchanging

meaningful glances

she was quite glad when her mother and

sisters left

she and jane were to stay another night

at netherfield to allow jane to recover

completely

that evening elizabeth appeared again in

the sitting room

she could not avoid noticing how

frequently mr darcy’s eyes were fixed on

her

but as she felt sure that so great a man

could not possibly admire her she

assumed that when he looked at her he

was criticizing her in some way

this thought did not cause her any pain

as she liked him too little to care for

his approval

in the conversation she had with him she

spoke in her usual slightly mocking

manner rather expecting to offend him

but was surprised by the quiet

politeness of his replies

darcy had never before been so charmed

by any woman

he really believed that if she did not

have such vulgar relations he might be

in danger of falling in love with her

miss bingley saw or suspected enough to

be jealous

and her great anxiety for the recovery

of her dear friend jane was increased by

her wish to get rid of elizabeth

fortunately perhaps for almost everyone

at netherfield elizabeth and her sister

who was now quite recovered were

returning home the next day

only mr bingley showed real sorrow at

this

and was concerned that jane might not be

fit enough to travel

mr darcy was quite relieved and

determined that no sign of admiration

for elizabeth should escape him now

miss bingley’s politeness to elizabeth

as well as her affection for jane

increased rapidly as the moment of

departure approached

and she was able to say goodbye to them

with many warm expressions of

friendliness and a promise to visit them

very

soon mr bennett was glad to welcome his

eldest daughters home again as he had

felt their absence from the family

circle but mrs bennett who had hoped

they would stay much longer

was quite disappointed to see them come

back in such a short time

chapter 3

mr collins visits longbourne

i hope my dear

said mr bennett to his wife at breakfast

the next morning that you have told the

cook to send up a good dinner today as i

am expecting a visitor

who is it my dear i know of nobody who

is coming unless charlotte lucas happens

to call in and i hope my dinners are

good enough for her

the person i’m talking about is a

gentleman and a stranger

mrs bennett’s eyes shone with excitement

it’s mr bingley i’m sure

why jane you never mentioned it

well i’ll be extremely glad to see him

lydia my love ring the bell i must speak

to the cook at once it is not mr bingley

said her husband

it’s a person whom i have never seen

before

this caused general astonishment

and he had the pleasure of being eagerly

questioned by his wife and five

daughters all at the same time

having amused himself for some time with

their curiosity he finally explained

i have recently received a letter from

my cousin mr collins who as you know

will inherit all my property when i die

and may throw you out of this house as

soon as he wants oh my dear cried his

wife please don’t mention that hateful

man it’s the hardest thing in the world

to accept the fact that your property is

not left to your own children

and i’m sure if i were you i’d have

tried to do something about it

jane and elizabeth tried to explain the

legal situation to her again

they had often attempted to do this

before

but it was a matter which mrs bennett

refused to understand and she continued

to complain bitterly about mr collins

it certainly is most unjust agreed mr

bennett and nothing can clear mr collins

from the guilt of inheriting this house

but if you listen while i read his

letter to you you may perhaps be a

little softened by his manner of

expressing himself

he read aloud the following letter

dear sir

the disagreement between you and my late

respected father always worried me

and since his death i have frequently

wished to improve the relationship

between our

families after a long period of study

and training i have recently become a

priest and have been fortunate enough to

gain the patronage of lady catherine de

burr widow of sir luis de beau

this generous lady has given me the post

of rector at huntsford which was luckily

vacant

huntsford is the village near her own

large country house in kent

here i carry out the duties of my

profession whenever necessary and i take

great care to behave at all times with

grateful respect towards her leadership

as a priest moreover i feel it my duty

to encourage all families in my area of

influence to live peacefully

because of this i flatter myself that i

am acting correctly in offering you my

friendship

i am of course concerned that when i

eventually inherit all your property

your daughters will doubtless be very

poor and i do apologize for this i

promise you i am ready to make amends in

every possible way

but more about this later

if you do not object i propose to visit

you and your family on monday november

the 18th at four o’clock

and she’ll probably stay until the

following saturday week

this will cause me no inconvenience at

all as lady catherine is far from

objecting to my occasional absence from

my duties

i remain dear sir with respectful good

wishes to your lady and your daughters

your friend william collins

so we can expect this peacemaking

gentleman at four o’clock today said mr

bennett as he folded up the letter he

appears to be a most polite and serious

young man

how considerate of lady catherine to

allow him to visit us

well if he is ready to make amends to

the girls in some way i shall certainly

not discourage him said mrs bennett

although it’s difficult said jane to

guess how he intends to do that

it’s good of him to want to help us

i think he’s peculiar said elizabeth he

sounds too pleased with himself

and he speaks so politely of lady

catherine and why does he apologize for

inheriting father’s property and future

we know it’s not his fault

can he be a sensible man sir she added

turning to mr bennett

no my dear i think not i have great

hopes of finding him quite the opposite

there is a mixture of civility and

self-importance in his letter which

promises to be entertaining i am

impatient to see him

mary the middle daughter who spent most

of her time reading and who seldom

joined in family conversation now

remarked that in her opinion his letter

was well expressed

but kitty and lydia did not show any

interest in the letter or its writer as

it was highly unlikely that their cousin

would arrive in a regimental uniform

they could not imagine having any

pleasure in meeting him

their mother however had changed her

attitude towards mr collins after his

letter and was now preparing to meet him

with such calmness that it astonished

her husband and daughters

mr collins arrived punctually

and was received with great politeness

by the whole family

mr bennett indeed said little but the

ladies were ready enough to talk

and mr collins did not seem in need of

encouragement

he was a tall heavy-looking young man of

twenty-five

his expression was serious and his

manners very formal

soon after his arrival he said to mrs

bennett

madam i must compliment you on having

such a fine family of daughters i had

heard much of their beauty but i find

them even more beautiful than reports

have stated

i do not doubt you will see them all

well married quite soon

mrs bennett never quarreled with

compliments and she answered you were

very kind sir and indeed i do hope so

because otherwise they’ll have nothing

at all to live on

you refer perhaps to my inheriting the

bennett property

oh yes sir i do you must confess it is a

sad business for my poor girls

i am very aware madam of the hardship to

your lovely daughters and could say more

about this but i am cautious of saying

too much too soon

but i would like to say that i have come

prepared to admire the young ladies and

perhaps when we know each other better

the bell rang for dinner and the family

moved into the dining room with their

guest

the girls smiled secretly at each other

as mr collins praised the hall the

dining room and all the furniture

mrs bennett would normally have been

delighted with such praise

but she could not help thinking that he

was perhaps admiring it all as his

future property

the dinner too he considered excellent

and he asked which of his charming

cousins was responsible for it

but mrs bennett explained quite sharply

to him

that they were very well able to afford

a good cook and that her daughters had

nothing to do in the kitchen

he begged her pardon immediately for

offending her and continued to apologize

for about a quarter of an hour

mr bennett had hardly spoken up to now

but he thought it was time to enter the

conversation

you seem very fortunate in your patron

mr collins he said

he could not have chosen a better

opening remark

mr collins spoke enthusiastically for

several minutes in praise of lady

catherine

never in my life have i witnessed such

considerate behavior in a person of high

birth although she is such a great lady

she has never traited me with disdain

she talks to me almost as an equal and

gives me advice

for example

she has recommended me to marry as soon

as possible

and do you know she has asked me to

dinner twice at her house

some people consider her proud but she

has only ever been kind to me she even

took the trouble to visit my small house

and was thoughtful enough to suggest one

or two improvements some shelves

upstairs

that is very correct and polite i’m sure

said mrs bennett does she live near you

sir

only a small country road separates my

poor house from rosing’s park her lady

ship’s home

i think you said she’s a widow has she

any family

she has only one daughter who will

inherit rosing’s and all lady

catherine’s property a most charming

young lady unfortunately in weak health

i often pay her some little compliment

on her appearance or her accomplishments

when i visit rosings lady catherine

appreciates these compliments to her

daughter and i see it as my duty to

please her ladyship

i am sure you’re right said mr bennett

no doubt you are expert at flattering

with delicacy

may i ask how you think of these

pleasing compliments

some of them come to me at the time but

in my spare moments i do occasionally

prepare a few words which may be

suitable for different occasions

mr bennett listened to his cousin with

the greatest enjoyment

mr collins was as foolish as he had

hoped

but by tea time mr bennett had had

enough and after tea asked his guest to

read aloud to the ladies

however when a novel was handed to mr

collins he looked shocked and protested

that he never read novels

he chose a religious book instead and

started reading in a slow serious voice

lydia could not hide her boredom for

long and after only three pages she

interrupted him rudely to ask her mother

a question about one of the offices in

meriton

mr collins was offended and refused to

read any more although mrs bennett and

her other daughters apologized for

lydia’s lack of manners

collins was not a sensible man

and neither education nor society had

improved him

the respect he felt for his patron and

his very good opinion of himself and his

new position made him proud and servile

at the same time

now that he had a home and a

considerable income he had decided to

marry

the bennett girls who would lose their

inheritance because of him had a

reputation for being attractive and

charming and his idea of making amends

to them was to marry one of them

he considered this an excellent plan and

thought himself extremely generous and

unselfish in carrying it out

he had known he was right when he

arrived at longborne and saw jane

bennett’s lovely face

as the eldest she should marry first

and for the first evening she was his

choice

but the next morning after a 15-minute

conversation with mrs bennett

he had to change his mind

when he explained that he was hoping to

find a wife among her daughters she

replied with a happy smile that her

eldest daughter was very likely to be

engaged soon

but there are my other daughters mr

collins

she continued encouragingly

mr collins had only to change from jane

to elizabeth and it was soon done done

while mrs bennett was pouring the tea

next to jane in birth and beauty

elizabeth was the obvious choice

mrs bennett was delighted hoping that

she might soon have two daughters

married

the man whom she had so disliked the day

before was now a favorite with her

chapter four

elizabeth meets mr wickham

when later that morning lydia suggested

walking to meriton to see some of the

offices all her sisters except mary

agreed to accompany her even mr collins

went with them encouraged by mr bennett

who was by now most anxious to have some

time to himself

during their walk the girls listened

politely to mr collins self-important

speeches but as soon as they entered

meriton the younger ones no longer even

pretended to be interested in his

conversation but looked eagerly around

in search of the offices

just then all the young ladies noticed a

very gentlemanlike young man whom they’d

never seen before walking down the

street with an officer they knew

they were all wondering who the handsome

stranger could be when the officer came

up to them to greet them

he asked permission to introduce his

friend whose name was mr wickham and who

had apparently arrived recently from

london to become an officer in the

regiment

this was exactly as it should be because

the young man only needed an officer’s

uniform to become completely charming he

was very good looking with a very

pleasant sociable manner and after the

introductions conversation flowed most

enjoyably in the little group

they were still standing and talking

happily together when they heard the

sound of horses and saw darcy and

bingley riding down the street

the two gentlemen came straight towards

the ladies to greet them

bingley was clearly most interested in

jane bennett and started talking

particularly to her

darcy however was just determining not

to look at elizabeth when he suddenly

noticed the stranger

by chance elizabeth saw darcy’s and

wickham’s faces at the moment when they

caught sight of each other

and she was astonished at the effect of

the meeting

both changed color

one white the other red

after a few moments mr wickham touched

his hat and mr darcy nodded very

slightly

what could this mean it was impossible

to imagine

and it was impossible not to wish to

know

in another moment mr bingley who did not

seem to have noticed what had happened

said goodbye and rode away with mr darcy

the two officers accompanied the young

ladies to mrs phillips house but did not

go in in spite of lydia’s repeated

invitations

mrs phillips was always glad to see her

nieces and welcomed mr collins most

politely when he was introduced to her

she did not however have any more

information for the girls about the

agreeable mr wickham

but i tell you what my dears she said

brightly i’m giving a little supper

party for some of the offices tomorrow

i’ll ask mr phillips to visit mr wickham

and invite him to come too will you all

come as well

the girls were delighted and agreed at

once to this arrangement and the whole

group walked back to longborne happily

discussing the enjoyable evening they

were going to have mr collins had been

very impressed with mrs phillips

politeness and when they reached

longbourne he complimented mrs bennett

on her sister’s elegance and charming

manners

the next evening the carriage took him

and his five cousins to meriton

and the girls had the pleasure of

hearing as they entered the hall that mr

wickham had accepted their uncle’s

invitation and was at that moment in the

house

when mr collins was shown into the

sitting room and had time to look around

and admire it he said immediately to mrs

phillips

madam i must compliment you on the size

and furniture of this room really i

could almost imagine myself in the

smaller summer breakfast room at

rosing’s

this remark did not at first please

hostess very much

but when she heard from him what

rosing’s was and who its owner was and

how much lady catherine’s furniture cost

she realized what a great compliment it

was

during the evening mr collins found mrs

phillips a kind and attentive listener

which was fortunate as the bennett girls

could not bring themselves to listen to

him any longer

all the ladies were impatient to see mr

wickham

and when he came into the room he

appeared far more charming and

gentlemanly than any of the officers

present

he was the lucky man towards whom almost

every female eye turned and elizabeth

was the lucky woman beside whom he

finally took his seat

his pleasant way of making conversation

made her feel that he could talk

interestingly about anything

as he did not play cards which some of

the party were doing he stayed talking

to elizabeth for a large part of the

evening

she hoped he would tell her how he knew

mr darcy but she dared not mention that

gentleman

luckily however mr wickham himself began

to talk about it although in a rather

hesitating manner

netherfield is quite near meriton i

suppose

how long has has mr darcy been staying

there

he has been there about a month replied

elizabeth

unwilling to let the matter drop she

added here’s a man of very large

property and derbyshire i understand

yes replied wickham his income is ten

thousand a year at least i know more

about him than most people as i’ve been

closely connected with his family since

childhood

elizabeth could only look surprised

you might well be surprised miss bennett

at my saying that after noticing as you

probably did the very cold manner of our

meeting yesterday do you know mr darcy

well

as well as i ever wished to cried

elizabeth i’ve spent four days in the

same house as him and i consider him

very disagreeable

i’ve known him too long and too well to

judge fairly whether he’s disagreeable

or not but i believe most people would

be astonished by your opinion

he is not at all liked here in

hertfordshire everybody is disgusted

with his pride you won’t find him

praised by anyone

i can’t pretend to be sorry that he is

valued as he deserves but with him i

believe it doesn’t often happen

the world is blinded by his fortune and

importance or frightened by his proud

behavior and sees him only as he chooses

to be seen

after a pause we commanded

i wonder if he’s likely to stay at

netherfield much longer

i don’t know at all

but i hope his presence won’t stop you

becoming an officer in the regiment here

oh no i won’t be driven away by mr darcy

if he wishes to avoid seeing me he must

go

the reason i have for avoiding him is

one i could easily make public to the

whole world

he has treated me very badly

his late father miss bennett was one of

the best men who ever lived the most

faithful friend i ever had

and whenever i’m with this mr darcy i

think of his father with the most

painful regret

mr darcy has behaved wickedly towards me

but i could forgive him anything except

the insult to his father’s memory

elizabeth was fascinated and listened

eagerly

but did not like to ask any questions

mr wickham began to speak more generally

about meriton and the charming people he

had met there

in fact that’s why i was tempted to join

the regiment i’d heard that maritime

society is most agreeable society i

confess is necessary to me

i have been a disappointed man you see

i did not intend to join the army at all

the church ought to be my profession and

i should at this moment have a

comfortable income as a derbyshire

rector if the gentleman we were speaking

of just now had wished it

indeed

yes

mr darcy’s father had always been very

fond of me and intended to give me the

post of rector of pemberley

but unfortunately after his death when

the post became vacant it was given to

someone else

no cried elizabeth horrified but how

could that happen why didn’t you get

legal advice and claim what was

rightfully yours

mr darcy’s father had not stated his

wish in writing

a man of honor could not have doubted

his intention

but mr darcy chose to treat it as a

recommendation only

i really cannot accuse myself

of having done anything to deserve to

lose the post

the fact is he hates me

i think he was jealous of his father’s

affection for me which annoyed him from

the beginning

this is very shocking

i hadn’t thought mr darcy as bad as this

although i’ve never liked him

i assumed he felt superior to everyone

else but did not suspect him of behaving

in such a wicked unjust inhuman way

we grew up together at pemberley you

know

my father gave up all his time to take

care of the pemberley farms

and was greatly appreciated as a close

friend by the late mr darcy who promised

just before my father’s death to provide

for me

the present mr darcy did not choose to

respect that promise

how strange that mr darcy’s pride has

not made him help you

surely he’s too proud to wish to appear

dishonest which is what i must call him

he’s certainly very proud

proud of his position his family his

father and his sister too you know

what sort of a girl is miss darcy

he shook his head

it gives me pain to criticize a darcy

but she’s too much like her brother

very very proud

she’s a handsome girl of about 15 or 16

and i understand extremely accomplished

i am astonished at mr darcy’s close

friendship with mr bingley

how can mr bingley who seems so charming

and kind be friendly with such a man

i don’t know mr bingley at all

but mr darcy can be a pleasant companion

if he thinks it worthwhile

just then they were joined by some of

the others and the conversation became

more general

when mr collins was talking to mrs

phillips about his patron mr wickham

looked quickly in his direction and then

asked elizabeth

does your cousin know lady catherine de

bear very well

i don’t think he has known her for long

but she has recently given him the post

director of huntsford

perhaps you know that lady catherine is

the president mr tarcy’s aunt

i believe she is planning to marry her

daughter who will inherit a fortune to

mr darcy

this information made elizabeth smile

she thought of poor miss bingley’s

efforts to attract mr darcy which might

all be in vain

the supper party came to an end and

elizabeth went away with her head full

of mr wickham

she could think of nothing but him and

what he had told her all the way home

the next day

she told jane everything she had

discussed with mr wickham

jane listened with astonishment and

concern

she could not believe that mr darcy

could so little deserve mr bingley’s

friendship

and yet she did not want to doubt the

truthfulness of such an agreeable young

man as mr wickham

elizabeth however felt sure that mr

darcy was to blame

that morning an invitation arrived at

longborne

mr bingley had fixed the date for the

ball he had promised to give at

netherfield and it was to be on the

following tuesday

every female in the bennett family was

looking forward to it even mary who

lifted her head from her book to say

unsmiling as long as i have my mornings

free for serious reading i do not mind

meeting people in the evenings i

consider some relaxation and amusement

is good for everybody

elizabeth felt so cheerful at the

thought of dancing with mr wickham that

she made an unusual effort to speak

kindly to mr collins

will you accept mr bingley’s invitation

sir

and if you do will you as a priest

consider it right to dance

i shall certainly accept

and i am so far from objecting to

dancing that i hope to have the honor of

dancing with all my beautiful cousins i

take this opportunity of asking you miss

elizabeth for the first two dances

especially

she was very surprised and rather

annoyed she had hoped that wickham would

ask her for those dances but now she

would have mr collins instead

she could not refuse however

and his request also worried her in

another way

his manner to has seemed particularly

flattering

which gave her the unwelcome idea that

perhaps she had been chosen from among

her sisters to be the rector of

huntsford’s wife

as she observed the increasing number of

compliments he paid to her beauty and

character

she felt sure that he intended to

propose marriage

for the moment however she decided to do

nothing but wait and see

on tuesday evening when elizabeth

entered the hall at netherfield and

looked in vain for mr wickham among the

red coats gathered there she was

surprised and disappointed to see he was

not present

she had never doubted he would come and

had dressed with more than her usual

care looking forward to winning his

heart which he knew was already partly

hers

but she immediately suspected that darcy

had persuaded bingley not to invite

wickham

and although she discovered from one of

the officers that in fact wickham had

been invited but had been called away on

business she felt sure wickham had

wanted to avoid meeting darcy and blamed

darcy for this

as a result when darcy greeted her she

was so annoyed with him that she could

hardly reply politely

but she soon became more cheerful and

determined to enjoy the ball in spite of

wickham’s absence

unfortunately the first two dances with

mr collins were painfully embarrassing

as her cousin had no idea how to dance

and moved extremely awkwardly

she was relieved to leave him and have

the third dance with an officer who gave

her great pleasure by talking about

wickham and his popularity in the

regiment

after this she was very surprised to be

approached by mr darcy and invited to

dance

she was so astonished in fact that she

accepted him without thinking and found

herself standing opposite him on the

dance floor

what an honor for me to be allowed to

dance with mr darcy she thought

they danced for some time in silence

and then she made a remark

he replied and was silent again

after a pause she spoke again

now you must say something mr darcy

you could remark on the size of the room

or the number of couples

he smiled

i’ll say whatever you wish me to say

very well

that reply will do for the moment

perhaps soon i’ll observe that private

balls are much pleasanter than public

ones but now we can be silent

conversation needs to be arranged in

this way so that those people who don’t

enjoy talking are not required to make

any effort are you referring to yourself

or are you thinking of me

both said elizabeth smiling because i

think you and i are similar

we’re both unsociable and unwilling to

speak unless we can astonish and impress

the whole room i am sure you aren’t like

that he answered i cannot say whether i

am or not

you obviously think so

she said nothing

do you and your sisters often go to

meriton he continued

we do she replied

and unable to resist the temptation she

added

when you met us there last week we had

just been introduced to someone

the effect was immediate

there was a new coldness in darcy’s

expression

after a moment he said with difficulty

mr wickham is so agreeable that he makes

friends easily

whether he can keep them

is less certain

he has been unlucky enough to lose your

friendship replied elizabeth sharply and

in a way which will cause him hardship

all his life

darcy did not reply to this

and there was only time for a little

more conversation before the dance ended

elizabeth went to find jane and listened

with delight as she described her

feelings for bingley and her confidence

in his affection for her

but apart from jane it seemed to

elizabeth that if her family had made an

agreement to appear as stupid as

possible during the ball they could not

have been more successful

first mr collins insisted on going to

introduce himself to mr darcy the nephew

of his respected patron and was received

very coldly

then during supper mrs bennett could not

be prevented from talking very loudly to

lady lucas about her great hopes of

jane’s marriage to bingley

elizabeth blushed in embarrassment when

she realized that the bingley sisters

and mr darcy were able to hear

finally when some music was required

mary bennett went confidently to the

piano and sang and played several songs

all rather badly

the rest of the evening brought

elizabeth little amusement

she could not even go and talk to people

she knew as mr collins seemed determined

to stay close by her side all evening

fortunately her good friend charlotte

lucas occasionally gave her some relief

by kindly listening to some of mr

collins long speeches

at least elizabeth did not have to talk

to mr darcy anymore

he often stood near her quite alone

but did not come close enough to speak

at the end of the evening it was obvious

to elizabeth that although her family

had greatly enjoyed the ball the bingley

sisters were eager for these particular

guests to leave

mr collins however was enthusiastic in

his praise of the bingley’s hospitality

and mrs bennett invited the whole

bingley family to visit longborne as

soon as possible

she was feeling very satisfied convinced

that in three or four months jane would

be married to bingley

she was also sure that elizabeth would

marry mr collins

this was a good enough marriage for

elizabeth who was her least favorite

daughter but not nearly as impressive as

jane’s marriage to bingley

chapter five

mr collins proposes twice

at longbourne the next day soon after

breakfast

mr collins asked mrs bennett for

permission to speak privately to

elizabeth

mrs bennett was delighted and hurried

the other girls out of the room so that

elizabeth and mr collins were left alone

together

elizabeth did not want to stay and got

up to leave

but after a moment’s thought sat down

again quietly determined to listen and

reply politely

my dear miss elizabeth said mr collins

seriously

this little unwillingness to hear me

this modesty of yours can only add to

your other charms

you can hardly doubt the purpose of my

speech

almost as soon as i entered the house i

chose you as the companion of my future

life

but before i am carried away by my

feelings i think i should state my

reasons for marrying

elizabeth was trying so hard not to

laugh at the idea of mr collins being

carried away by his feelings that she

was unable to reply

first he continued it is right for a

priest to marry as an example to other

people

secondly i’m sure marriage will add

greatly to my happiness

and thirdly which perhaps i should have

mentioned earlier my generous patron has

advised me to marry

find an active useful sort of person she

told me a woman who can make a small

income go a long way

bring her to huntsford as your wife and

i’ll visit her

so i decided to choose a wife from among

my bennett cousins to lessen the loss to

the family when the sad event of your

father’s death takes place

i flatter myself that you will

appreciate my motives

and now nothing remains but to convince

you of the violence of my affection

i am quite indifferent to the fact that

you bring little money with you into our

marriage and promise you that i shall

make no ungenerous reference to this

after we are married

it was absolutely necessary to interrupt

him now sir

you forget i have given no answer

accept my thanks for the compliment you

are paying me but it is impossible for

me to accept your proposal

of course i understand said mr collins

that young ladies often do not accept a

proposal of marriage the first time i am

therefore not at all discouraged and

sincerely hope we shall be married soon

sir cried elizabeth your hope is rather

extraordinary after what i’ve said i am

perfectly serious

you could not make me happy and i’m

convinced i’m the last woman in the

world who would make you happy

and i’m sure that if lady catherine knew

me she would find me poorly qualified

for the situation

if i knew lady catherine thought so

began mr collins looking very worried

but i cannot imagine she would

disapprove of you and when i have the

honor of seeing her again i shall

certainly tell her how modest economical

and practical you are

indeed mr collins all praise of me will

be unnecessary pay me the compliment of

believing what i say

i hope you will be very happy and very

rich but i cannot accept your proposal

she got up and was going to leave the

room but mr collins was speaking to her

again

i am far from accusing you of crawled in

refusing me as i know it is the custom

with elegant ladies in society to refuse

a gentleman the first time i hope to

receive a more favorable answer next

time i speak to you of marriage

really mr collins cried elizabeth with

some warmth you do puzzle me

i do not know how to express my refusal

so that it convinces you

you must allow me to flatter myself dear

cousin that you do not intend to refuse

me for long my situation in life my

connections with the de bur family and

my relationship to your own all make my

proposal a very suitable one

and you should remember that in spite of

your many admirable qualities it is not

certain that you will receive any other

offer of marriage as you have very

little money of your own

sir

thank you again for the honor you have

done me but to accept your proposal is

absolutely impossible can i speak

plainer than that

don’t think of me as an elegant female

but as a thinking creature speaking the

truth from her heart

you are charming he cried

and i’m sure that when both your

excellent parents agree you will accept

my proposal

elizabeth did not reply

but left the room silently determined to

ask her father if necessary to make her

refusal clear to the self-deceiving mr

collins

mrs bennett had been waiting eagerly for

the end of the interview

and when she saw elizabeth leave the

room she hurried in to offer her

congratulations to mr collins

he received them with pleasure

adding that he was sure his cousin’s

refusal was a natural result of her

modesty and delicacy of character

refusal

repeated mrs bennett shocked

lizzie refused you do not worry mr

collins i shall speak to her at once

she’s a very obstinate foolish girl but

i’ll make her accept you pardon me madam

cried mr collins but if she’s really

obstinate and foolish i do not think she

would be a suitable wife for a man in my

situation

sir you quite misunderstand me said mrs

bennett alarmed

she’s only obstinate in a matter like

this in everything else she is very

agreeable i’ll see mr bennett and we’ll

arrange it with her i’m sure

she did not give him time to reply but

hurried to the library where she knew

she would find her husband

oh mr bennett we need you urgently we’re

all in such confusion you must come and

make lizzie marry mr collins

mr bennett raised his eyes from his book

as she entered and stared at her with

calm and concern

i do not have the pleasure of

understanding you he said what are you

talking about

lizzy declares she won’t have him and if

you don’t hurry he’ll change his mind

and not have her

so what should i do it seems a hopeless

business

speak to her about it yourself tell her

you insist on her marrying him

call her in here she shall hear my

opinion

mrs bennett gladly rang the bell and the

servant brought elizabeth into the

library

come here child said her father as she

appeared

i’ve sent for you on a very important

matter

i understand that mr collins has made

you an offer of marriage and you have

refused

when elizabeth nodded he continued very

well

now your mother insists on your

accepting

isn’t that right mrs bennett

yes or i’ll never see her again

you now have an unhappy choice to make

elizabeth

from this day on you must be a stranger

to one of your parents

your mother will never see you again if

you do not marry mr collins and i will

never see you again if you do

elizabeth could not help smiling but mrs

bennett who had been sure her husband

supported her was very disappointed

what do you mean mr bennett

you promised me you would insist on her

marrying him

my dear replied her husband i have two

small requests to make

first

that you will accept that i know what i

promised or did not promise and secondly

that you will all leave me in peace as

soon as possible

that afternoon charlotte lucas came to

visit elizabeth and found the family

still in great confusion

the younger girls were quite excited by

the news of mr collins proposal and mrs

bennett was most annoyed with elizabeth

oh dear miss lucas crying mrs bennett

can’t you persuade elizabeth to accept

mr collins

nobody else wants to help me well where

will i feel

and look at lizzy now she’s so

unconcerned but i tell you miss lizzy if

you go on refusing every offer of

marriage like this you’ll never get a

husband at all

and i won’t be able to provide for you

when your father is dead

i warn you now i told you in the library

that i wouldn’t speak to you again and i

won’t i have no pleasure in talking to

an undutiful child like you

not that i have much pleasure in talking

to anybody with my headaches

nobody knows how i suffer

but of course

those who do not complain are never

pitied

her daughters listened in silence

aware that any attempt to calm her would

only increase her annoyance

elizabeth however was determined not to

marry mr collins

and in the end mrs bennett was obliged

to accept that fact

when mr collins realized that elizabeth

had meant what she said his manner

towards her became coldly and stiffly

polite

his long speeches and flattering

compliments were transferred for the

rest of the day to kind charlotte lucas

who took on herself the trouble of

listening to him for which schaller

bennetts were very grateful

the next day a letter was delivered to

jane from netherfield

elizabeth saw her sister’s expression

change as she read it and when they were

alone she asked about it

it’s from caroline bingley said jane

and it has surprised me very much

the whole party have left netherfield

and are on their way back to london

probably for the winter

they may not return to netherfield at

all

she says the only thing she sincerely

regrets is leaving me behind in

hertfordshire and promises to write very

frequently

elizabeth did not trust miss bingley’s

apparent affection for jane

i really don’t think their departure

matters very much she said

mr bingley won’t be kept in london by

his sisters i’m sure he’ll be back at

netherfield soon

but perhaps he prefers to stay in london

where many of his friends are but i

haven’t told you everything yet

let me read you the part which

particularly hurts me

mr darcy is impatient to see his sister

and we confess we are also eager to see

her again

nobody is more beautiful elegant or

accomplished than georgiana darcy

louisa and i have great affection for

her and hope one day to call her sister

my brother admires her very much

he will have frequent opportunities of

seeing her

and although i am his sister i must say

i think he is most capable of winning

any woman’s heart

what do you think of this dear lizzy

isn’t it clear enough caroline doesn’t

wish or expect me to become her

sister-in-law she’s convinced of her

brother’s indifference towards me and

perhaps because she suspects my feelings

for him she most kindly warns me that

he’s very likely to marry someone else

i have a totally different opinion

miss bingley sees her brother is in love

with you while she wants him to marry

miss darcy we aren’t rich enough or

grand enough for them and she is eager

to have a family connection with the

darcys so that it may be easier for her

to marry mr darcy

so she follows her brother to london

hoping to keep him there and tries to

persuade you he doesn’t care about you

but of course he’s in love with you

i really can’t agree with you about

caroline

i think she’s incapable of deceiving

anyone

but lizzy my dear sister even if she’s

wrong about her brother and he does care

for me

could i be happy and accepting a man

whose sisters and friends all wish him

to marry someone else

you must decide for yourself

and if you consider it more important to

do what his sisters want than to gain

the happiness of being his wife

i certainly advise you to refuse him

how can you say that said jane smiling a

little

you know i wouldn’t hesitate

although i’d be sad if they disapproved

of me

but oh dear

if he doesn’t come back to netherfield

i’ll never have to make the decision

but elizabeth was sure mr bingley could

not be kept away from jane by his

sisters and soon persuaded jane to take

a more hopeful view of the situation

that day the bennetts with mr collins

went to dinner with the lucas family at

lucas lodge

again it was charlotte who spent most of

the evening listening to mr collins

elizabeth was very relieved and thanked

her friend gratefully for the trouble

she was taking

but charlotte’s kindness had a

particular aim which elizabeth was

unaware of

her plan was to encourage mr collins to

transfer his attentions to herself

in fact she was managing so well

that when she said good night to him

after dinner she would have felt sure of

success if he had been staying in

hertfordshire for another week

but she did not fully appreciate the

fire and independence of his character

which caused him to get up very early

the next morning and escape from

longborne house in a great hurry to

reach lucas lodge and throw himself at

her feet

she did not keep him waiting for an

answer and the happy couple found

themselves engaged as quickly as mr

collins long speeches would allow

charlotte’s parents were delighted to

agree to the marriage and lady lucas

began to work out with more interest

than she had ever felt before how many

more years mr bennett was likely to live

charlotte herself was quite satisfied

mr collins certainly was neither

sensible nor agreeable but still he

would be a husband

she did not think highly of men or of

marriage

but she had always intended to marry

although marriage might not always bring

happiness it was the only honorable way

in which a well-educated woman with

little income could provide a home for

herself

now 27 and lacking beauty

she felt she was lucky to have found a

husband

she knew however that elizabeth whose

friendship she greatly valued would be

astonished and possibly disapproving

so she decided to go to longborne house

to tell her friend the news herself

elizabeth was indeed shocked at first

and could not help crying out in

surprise

but when charlotte explained her reasons

for accepting mr collins elizabeth tried

hard to understand

when the rest of the bennett family

heard the news they were also astonished

mrs bennett was quite horrified and

could not stop complaining bitterly

about charlotte’s wickedness mr collins

stupidity and elizabeth’s obstinacy

mr bennett was much calmer only saying

he was pleased to discover that

charlotte whom he used to consider quite

sensible was as foolish as his wife and

more foolish than his daughter

that day was mr collins last at

longborne and he left with many speeches

of thanks as well as a promise to return

very soon

mr bennett warned him to be careful not

to offend his patron by being absent

from his duties too often

but mr collins although extremely

grateful for this sign of mr bennett’s

cousinly affection for him was naturally

eager to return to hertfordshire to see

his future wife

only two weeks later he did in fact come

back to stay at longborne but spent most

of his time at lucas lodge making

arrangements for the wedding

mrs bennett still felt very offended by

him but she was now becoming anxious

about something even more important

mr bingley’s continued absence

day after day had passed with no news

since the arrival of caroline bingley’s

letter

elizabeth was now rather worried and

jane feared the worst

finally a second letter arrived from

caroline bingley

and when jane read it she realized that

all hope was over

the bingley family was staying in london

for the whole winter and georgiana darcy

was a frequent member of their circle

miss bingley boasted joyfully of this

friendship and looked forward to her

brother’s probable marriage to miss

darcy

although she was deeply upset

jane bravely tried to control her

feelings

do not worry lizzy

i shall be able to forget him in a while

i have nothing to complain of as he made

no promises to me

i just thought he cared for me but i was

wrong

luckily no one is hurt except myself

my dear jane said elizabeth you are too

good you always think the best of

everybody now i think the worst of most

people and do not see much real value or

common sense around me mr bingley for

example

he may not be intending to hurt you but

misery can be caused by someone being

just weak and indecisive

i’m convinced his sisters and his friend

mr darcy are trying to influence him

against you

another example is charlotte i can’t

understand how she could agree to marry

such a self-important proud silly man

dear lizzy said jane

we must respect charlotte’s decision

she may well be happy with mr collins

and as for mr bingley

we shouldn’t expect a sociable young man

to be so careful of his behavior

women often imagine admiration means

more than it really does

and men want that to happen

i prefer to believe that i was mistaken

in thinking he cared for me and that his

sisters love him and approve of his wish

to marry miss darcy

i don’t want to think badly of him or

his sisters

that would be worse than anything

elizabeth had to accept jane’s wishes

and from then on

mr bingley’s name was seldom mentioned

between them

chapter 6

elizabeth visits mr and mrs collins

the following monday

mrs bennett had the pleasure of

receiving her brother and his wife who

came as usual to spend christmas at

longborne

mr gardner was a sensible gentleman-like

man

the netherfield ladies would have had

difficulty in believing that a man who

lived by buying and selling could be so

well-mannered and agreeable

mrs gardner who was several years

younger than mrs bennett and mrs

phillips was a pleasant intelligent

elegant woman and a great favorite with

her long-born nieces especially the two

eldest who often stayed with her in

london

when mrs gardner had given the present

she had brought with her and described

the newest fashions

she was obliged to listen to mrs

bennett’s complaints

i’ve suffered greatly since your last

visit sister cried mrs bennett just

imagine

two of my daughters were very close to

marriage and then nothing

i do not blame jane who would have got

mr bingley if she could but lizzy oh

sister it is hard to think she might

have been mrs collins by now if she

hadn’t been so obstinate

the result is that lady lucas will have

a daughter married before me

it makes me quite ill to have such a

disobedient daughter and such selfish

neighbours

but you’re coming just now is a great

comfort to me

and i am very glad to hear what you tell

us about long sleeves

mrs gardner made a suitably sympathetic

reply to her sister-in-law

and later that day found the opportunity

to discuss the matter in more detail

with elizabeth alone

i am sorry for jane she said kindly but

lizzy these things happen so often a

young man like mr bingley frequently

falls in love with a pretty girl and

when chance separates them he forgets

her very quickly

yes aunt said elizabeth but in this case

it was not chance but the young man’s

interfering friends who separated jane

and mr bingley

i’m sure he was violently in love with

her

poor jane she’s so sensitive

i’m afraid she may not get over it for

some time

now if it had been you lizzy you would

have recovered more quickly by finding

humor in the situation

but do you think i could persuade jane

to come back with us to london perhaps a

change of air would make her feel better

elizabeth was extremely grateful to her

aunt for this kind suggestion and felt

sure jane would gladly agree

i hope added mrs gardner that she will

not be influenced by the hope of seeing

the young man

we live in such a different part of town

that it is very unlikely that we’ll meet

unless he actually comes to see her

and that is quite impossible because his

friend mr darcy would not allow him to

visit so unfashionable in a dress

but despite her protest

elizabeth secretly thought that jane

might see bingley in london and that a

meeting would probably reawaken his

affection for her

the gardeners stayed at longborne for a

week

and mrs bennett made sure there was

always some entertainment for her

brother and sister-in-law

whenever there was a dinner party at

longborne house some of the officers

were always invited

mrs gardner who had noticed that mr

wickham was a very frequent visitor and

that elizabeth spoke admiringly of him

took care to observe them both

she saw enough to make her a little

anxious and decided to speak to

elizabeth about him when they were alone

lizzie she began

i can see that you and mr wickham like

each other but i must warn you not to

get seriously involved with him

i admit he’s the most interesting young

man but sadly he has no fortune

you are a sensible girl and must realize

that you would disappoint your father by

agreeing to marry a penniless young man

my dear aunt do not worry i’ll take care

of myself and mr wickham too he won’t be

in love with me if i can prevent it

elizabeth’s serious

i’m sorry aunt

i’ll try again

at present

i’m certainly not in love with him

but he is by far the most agreeable man

i’ve ever met

and if he really loved me

but i would hate to disappoint my father

or make any of you unhappy

i cannot promise what i will do

but i will really try to do what i think

is wisest i hope you are satisfied with

that

her aunt replied that she was and

received elizabeth’s thanks for her kind

advice

several days after this the gardeners

returned to london taking jane with them

the day of mr collins wedding soon

arrived and mrs bennett had to watch

charlotte lucas become mrs collins

before the bride left longbourne for

huntsford however she asked elizabeth to

come and visit her in her new home as

soon as possible

elizabeth could not refuse although she

did not imagine it would be an enjoyable

visit

it was arranged that elizabeth would

accompany sir william lucas and mariah

one of his other daughters on their

intended visit to huntsford in march

week after jane’s departure elizabeth

received a letter from her sister saying

that she had seen miss bingley and hoped

to continue their friendship

elizabeth shook her head over this

she was not surprised to hear from jane

a few weeks later that caroline bingley

had made no further attempts to

communicate with her former dear friend

elizabeth was saddened to read of jane’s

disappointment

but felt more cheerful when she told

herself that jane would no longer be

deceived by the sister at least

all expectation from the brother was now

absolutely over

as a punishment for him she seriously

hoped he would soon marry mr darcy’s

sister who according to wickham would

make him quickly regret what he had

thrown away

at about this time elizabeth also

received a letter from mrs gardner

asking about wickham

and she was able to reply quite honestly

that there was no danger of her marrying

him

he had transferred his affections to a

miss king who had recently inherited ten

thousand pounds

elizabeth saw exactly what was happening

but her heart had only been slightly

touched and she was able to convince

herself that it was quite natural for

such an agreeable young man to wish for

fortune and independence

january and february passed and the time

for elizabeth’s visit to mr mrs collins

approached

she had improved the plan by arranging

to spend a night in london at her uncle

and aunt’s house before continuing the

journey into kent

she was very much looking forward to

seeing jane who was still staying with

the gardeners

the journey seemed long to elizabeth

because sir william and mariah had

nothing to say worth hearing

but when the coach arrived at the

gardener’s house at lunchtime elizabeth

was delighted to see that her sister

looked as healthy and lovely as before

in a private conversation with her aunt

later however elizabeth discovered that

jane had been suffering from periods of

depression although she always tried

bravely to appear cheerful

the afternoon and evening passed only

too quickly and the next day elizabeth

and the other travellers set off again

when the coach arrived in huntsford they

were all quite excited to see on one

side of the road lady catherine’s great

park which they had heard so much about

at last on the other side they came to

the rectory where they were warmly

welcomed by mr collins and

charlotte elizabeth was more and more

pleased she had come when she found

herself so affectionately received

she saw instantly that marriage had not

changed her cousin’s manners

he insisted on greeting them all with

formal politeness and long speeches and

showed them round the house explaining

its many good points in exhausting

detail

elizabeth could not help thinking that

perhaps he was speaking particularly to

her as if wishing to make her feel what

she had lost in refusing him

but although everything seemed neat and

comfortable she was unable to please him

with a sigh of regret

in fact she wondered how charlotte could

look so cheerful with such a companion

but whenever mr collins said anything of

which his wife might be ashamed which

was quite often charlotte wisely did not

appear to be listening

and when mr collins showed them proudly

round his garden in which he himself

enjoyed working elizabeth admired the

serious way in which charlotte praised

gardening as a most healthy exercise and

admitted encouraging her husband to work

outdoors as much as possible

elizabeth had to confess to herself that

surprisingly charlotte really appeared

to be happy

when mr collins could be forgotten the

house seemed very pleasant and

comfortable and from charlotte’s evident

enjoyment of her home

elizabeth supposed he must often be

forgotten

visitors had only been in the house for

a day when a message came from lady

catherine inviting them all to dinner at

rosing’s park the next day

mr collins was delighted and

congratulated his guests on their good

luck i confess that i might have

expected her leadership to invite us all

to drink tea at rosings on sunday he

said but to invite the whole party to

dinner so soon after your arrival too

what a generous and considerate lady she

is

the whole of the rest of that day and

the next morning were spent discussing

their visit to rosings

this made sir william and mariah quite

nervous when the moment came to walk

across the park and enter the great

lady’s house

elizabeth however was unimpressed by

what she had heard of lady catherine and

remained calm

she was interested to see that lady

catherine was a tall large woman who

held herself stiffly and proudly and

received her guests with an air of

disdain

she spoke loudly and decidedly on every

matter

and was clearly convinced of her

superiority over other people

her daughter anne was completely

different

a small thin ill looking lady who spoke

very little and only in a whisper

the dinner was very good and was highly

praised by mr collins his repeated

compliments which elizabeth thought were

embarrassing appeared to please lady

catherine very much

after dinner her ladyship talked

continuously giving her opinions without

any fear of contradiction or even

comment

she then asked elizabeth many detailed

questions about her education her

sisters and her father’s income

although elizabeth considered these

questions extremely personal and almost

rude she answered them politely and

calmly

at the end of the long evening the

visitors were driven home in lady

catherine’s carriage while mr collins

praised his patron for her elegance

intelligence and hospitality

this visit was repeated twice a week

but there was little other entertainment

in huntsford

elizabeth had pleasant conversations

with charlotte or read books or walked

along a narrow path by lady catherine’s

park which no one else seemed to use

it was a quiet life

but she was satisfied with it

however

two weeks after her arrival in huntsford

she heard that some visitors were coming

to stay at rosing’s

lady catherine’s nephew mr darcy was

expected soon accompanied by his cousin

colonel fitzwilliam

the next day the two gentlemen arrived

and came almost immediately to the

rectory

colonel fitzwilliam was about thirty

not handsome but very gentlemanly and he

talked pleasantly to the ladies

but mr darcy looked as cold and proud as

ever

and after greeting mrs collins spoke

only a few stiffly polite words to

elizabeth

she took the opportunity of asking him

if he had by any chance seen jane in

london recently

and thought he looked a little confused

when he answered that he had not had

that pleasure

soon after that the two gentlemen

returned to rosings

colonel fitzwilliams manners were very

much admired by the ladies who felt that

he would add considerably to the

enjoyment of their evenings at rosing’s

but it was not until easter day that

they received an invitation from lady

catherine

and when they arrived in her sitting

room it was clear that she was far more

interested in her nephews than in her

other guests

colonel fitzwilliam however seemed

really glad to see them

and he came at once to sit beside

elizabeth

they talked so agreeably and amusingly

together that mr darcy turned his eyes

towards them and looked curiously at

them several times

when her ladyship also noticed

she called loudly across the room

fitzwilliam

what are you talking about with miss

bennett

let me hear what it is

we’re speaking of music madam he said

we’re no longer able to avoid a reply

of music

then please speak to all of us

i must have my share in the conversation

if you are speaking of music

there are few people in england i

suppose who have more true enjoyment of

music than myself

or a better natural taste

if i had ever learned to play i would

have been a great musician

but i often tell young ladies practice

is very important

i have told miss bennett several times

that she will never play really well

unless she practices more

and she is very welcome to come to

rosings and practice on the piano in the

servants hall she won’t be in anyone’s

way there i can promise her

mr darcy looked a little ashamed of his

aunt’s insensitive words

meanwhile colonel fitzwilliam had

persuaded elizabeth to play some music

and she sat down at the piano but when

she had started playing mr darcy went to

stand in front of the piano where he had

a good view of her face

at the end of her first piece of music

elizabeth said smiling

you intend to frighten me mr darcy by

coming to listen to me

but i’m obstinate and won’t be

frightened

i don’t think you really believe i

intend to alarm you

and i’ve had the pleasure of knowing you

long enough to be aware that you

occasionally enjoy stating opinions

which are not your own

elizabeth laughed at this picture of

herself

and said to colonel fitzwilliam

your cousin will teach you not to

believe a word i say

indeed mr darcy it is very ungenerous of

you to mention all my faults

and perhaps rather foolish too because i

may take my revenge and tell things

about you which your relations will be

shocked to hear

i am not afraid of you said darcy

smiling

but let me hear your accusation cried

colonel fitzwilliam

i’d like to hear how he behaves among

strangers

well

prepare yourself for something very

dreadful

the first time i ever saw him was at a

ball in hertfordshire

and at this ball

what do you think he did

he danced only four dances

i’m sorry to cause you pain but that is

what happened

he danced only four dances although

gentlemen was scarce

and to my certain knowledge more than

one young lady was sitting down waiting

for a partner

mr darcy you must admit it

i had not at that time the honor of

knowing anybody at the ball apart from

my own group of friends

i should perhaps have asked to be

introduced but i do not like to

recommend myself to strangers

i do not find it easy to talk to people

i don’t know

you don’t want to take the trouble to do

it darcy that’s why said colonel

fitzwilliam

i cannot play this piano as well as some

other women said elizabeth but i’ve

always assumed it is my own fault

because i don’t take the trouble to

practice

i know that i am capable of playing as

well as anyone

darcy smiled and said

you are perfectly right

you have spent your time in a much

better way

no one who hears you could imagine any

possible improvement

we neither of us perform to strangers

just then lady catherine interrupted

them to comment on elizabeth’s playing

miss bennett would play quite well if

she had a london teacher

of course anne would have been a

delightful performer if her health had

allowed her to learn

elizabeth looked at darcy to see his

reaction to ander burr’s name

but neither at that moment nor at any

other could she observe any sign of love

or even interest in his cousin

lady catherine continued to give miss

bennett advice on her playing

but at the request of the gentleman

elizabeth stayed at the piano for the

rest of the evening

you