CHAPTER XXIII.
Elizabeth was sitting with her mother and sisters, reflecting on whatshe had heard, and doubting whether she were authorised to mention it,when Sir William Lucas himself appeared, sent by his daughter toannounce her engagement to the family. With many compliments to them,and much self-gratulation on the prospect of a connection between thehouses, he unfolded the matter,--to an audience not merely wondering,but incredulous; for Mrs. Bennet, with more perseverance thanpoliteness, protested he must be entirely mistaken, and Lydia, alwaysunguarded and often uncivil, boisterously exclaimed,
”Good Lord! Sir William, how can you tell such a story?--Do not you knowthat Mr. Collins wants to marry Lizzy?”
Nothing less than the complaisance of a courtier could have bornewithout anger such treatment; but Sir William's good breeding carriedhim through it all; and though he begged leave to be positive as to thetruth of his information, he listened to all their impertinence with themost forbearing courtesy.
Elizabeth, feeling it incumbent on her to relieve him from so unpleasanta situation, now put herself forward to confirm his account, bymentioning her prior knowledge of it from Charlotte herself; andendeavoured to put a stop to the exclamations of her mother and sisters,by the earnestness of her congratulations to Sir William, in which shewas readily joined by Jane, and by making a variety of remarks on thehappiness that might be expected from the match, the excellent characterof Mr. Collins, and the convenient distance of Hunsford from London.
Mrs. Bennet was in fact too much overpowered to say a great deal whileSir William remained; but no sooner had he left them than her feelingsfound a rapid vent. In the first place, she persisted in disbelievingthe whole of the matter; secondly, she was very sure that Mr. Collinshad been taken in; thirdly, she trusted that they would never be happytogether; and fourthly, that the match might be broken off. Twoinferences, however, were plainly deduced from the whole; one, thatElizabeth was the real cause of all the mischief; and the other, thatshe herself had been barbarously used by them all; and on these twopoints she principally dwelt during the rest of the day. Nothing couldconsole and nothing appease her.--Nor did that day wear out herresentment. A week elapsed before she could see Elizabeth withoutscolding her, a month passed away before she could speak to Sir Williamor Lady Lucas without being rude, and many months were gone before shecould at all forgive their daughter.
Mr. Bennet's emotions were much more tranquil on the occasion, and suchas he did experience he pronounced to be of a most agreeable sort; forit gratified him, he said, to discover that Charlotte Lucas, whom he hadbeen used to think tolerably sensible, was as foolish as his wife, andmore foolish than his daughter!
Jane confessed herself a little surprised at the match; but she saidless of her astonishment than of her earnest desire for their happiness;nor could Elizabeth persuade her to consider it as improbable. Kitty andLydia were far from envying Miss Lucas, for Mr. Collins was only aclergyman; and it affected them in no other way than as a piece of newsto spread at Meryton.
Lady Lucas could not be insensible of triumph on being able to retort onMrs. Bennet the comfort of having a daughter well married; and shecalled at Longbourn rather oftener than usual to say how happy she was,though Mrs. Bennet's sour looks and ill-natured remarks might have beenenough to drive happiness away.
Between Elizabeth and Charlotte there was a restraint which kept themmutually silent on the subject; and Elizabeth felt persuaded that noreal confidence could ever subsist between them again. Herdisappointment in Charlotte made her turn with fonder regard to hersister, of whose rectitude and delicacy she was sure her opinion couldnever be shaken, and for whose happiness she grew daily more anxious, asBingley had now been gone a week, and nothing was heard of his return.
Jane had sent Caroline an early answer to her letter, and was countingthe days till she might reasonably hope to hear again. The promisedletter of thanks from Mr. Collins arrived on Tuesday, addressed to theirfather, and written with all the solemnity of gratitude which atwelvemonth's abode in the family might have prompted. After discharginghis conscience on that head, he proceeded to inform them, with manyrapturous expressions, of his happiness in having obtained the affectionof their amiable neighbour, Miss Lucas, and then explained that it wasmerely with the view of enjoying her society that he had been so readyto close with their kind wish of seeing him again at Longbourn, whitherhe hoped to be able to return on Monday fortnight; for Lady Catherine,he added, so heartily approved his marriage, that she wished it to takeplace as soon as possible, which he trusted would be an unanswerableargument with his amiable Charlotte to name an early day for making himthe happiest of men.
Mr. Collins's return into Hertfordshire was no longer a matter ofpleasure to Mrs. Bennet. On the contrary she was as much disposed tocomplain of it as her husband.--It was very strange that he should cometo Longbourn instead of to Lucas Lodge; it was also very inconvenientand exceedingly troublesome.--She hated having visitors in the housewhile her health was so indifferent, and lovers were of all people themost disagreeable. Such were the gentle murmurs of Mrs. Bennet, and theygave way only to the greater distress of Mr. Bingley's continuedabsence.
Neither Jane nor Elizabeth were comfortable on this subject. Day afterday passed away without bringing any other tidings of him than thereport which shortly prevailed in Meryton of his coming no more toNetherfield the whole winter; a report which highly incensed Mrs.Bennet, and which she never failed to contradict as a most scandalousfalsehood.
Even Elizabeth began to fear--not that Bingley was indifferent--but thathis sisters would be successful in keeping him away. Unwilling as shewas to admit an idea so destructive of Jane's happiness, and sodishonourable to the stability of her lover, she could not prevent itsfrequently recurring. The united efforts of his two unfeeling sistersand of his overpowering friend, assisted by the attractions of MissDarcy and the amusements of London, might be too much, she feared, forthe strength of his attachment.
As for Jane, _her_ anxiety under this suspence was, of course, morepainful than Elizabeth's; but whatever she felt she was desirous ofconcealing, and between herself and Elizabeth, therefore, the subjectwas never alluded to. But as no such delicacy restrained her mother, anhour seldom passed in which she did not talk of Bingley, express herimpatience for his arrival, or even require Jane to confess that if hedid not come back, she should think herself very ill used. It needed allJane's steady mildness to bear these attacks with tolerabletranquillity.
Mr. Collins returned most punctually on the Monday fortnight, but hisreception at Longbourn was not quite so gracious as it had been on hisfirst introduction. He was too happy, however, to need much attention;and luckily for the others, the business of love-making relieved themfrom a great deal of his company. The chief of every day was spent byhim at Lucas Lodge, and he sometimes returned to Longbourn only in timeto 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, andwherever she went she was sure of hearing it talked of. The sight ofMiss Lucas was odious to her. As her successor in that house, sheregarded her with jealous abhorrence. Whenever Charlotte came to seethem she concluded her to be anticipating the hour of possession; andwhenever she spoke in a low voice to Mr. Collins, was convinced thatthey were talking of the Longbourn estate, and resolving to turn herselfand her daughters out of the house, as soon as Mr. Bennet were dead. Shecomplained bitterly of all this to her husband.
”Indeed, Mr. Bennet,” said she, ”it is very hard to think that CharlotteLucas should ever be mistress of this house, that I should be forced tomake way for _her_, and live to see her take my place in it!”
”My dear, do not give way to such gloomy thoughts. Let us hope forbetter things. Let us flatter ourselves that _I_ may be the survivor.”
This was not very consoling to Mrs. Bennet, and, therefore, instead ofmaking any answer, she went on as before,
”I cannot bear to think that they should have all this estate. If it wasnot for the entail I should not mind it.”
”What should not you mind?”
”I should not mind any thing at all.”
”Let us be thankful that you are preserved from a state of suchinsensibility.”
”I never can be thankful, Mr. Bennet, for any thing about the entail.How any one could have the conscience to entail away an estate fromone'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.
END OF VOL. I.