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6 Elizabeth visits Mr and Mrs Collins6 |
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The following Monday |
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Mrs Bennet had the pleasure of receiving her brother and his wife, who came as usual to spend Christmas at Longbourn. |
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Mr Gardiner was a sensible, gentlemanlike man. |
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The Netherfield ladies would have had difficulty in believing |
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that a man who lived by buying and selling could be so wellmannered and agreeable. |
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Mrs Gardiner, who was several years younger than Mrs Bennet and Mrs Philips, |
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was a pleasant, intelligent, elegant woman, |
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and a grest favourite with her Longbourn nieces, |
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especially the two eldest, who often stayed with her in London. |
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When Mrs Gardiner had given the presents she had brought with her, |
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and described the newest fashions, |
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she was obliged to listen to Mrs Bennet' s complaints. |
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' I' ve suffered greatly since your last visit, sister!' cried Mrs Bennet. " |
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' Just imagine! Two of my daughters were very close to marriage and then nothing! " |
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I do not blame Jane, who would have got Mr Bingley if she could, but Lizzy! |
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Oh, sister! It is hard to think |
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she might have been Mrs Collins by now, if she hadn' t been so obstinate! |
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The result is that Lady Lucas will have a daughter married before me. |
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It makes me quite ill, to have such a disobedient daughter and such selfish neighbours. |
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But your coming just now is a great comfort to me, |
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and I am very glad to hear what you tell us, about long sleeves.' |
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Mrs Gardiner made a suitably sympathetic reply to her sisterinlaw, |
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and later that day |
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found the opportunity to discuss the matter in more detail with Elizabeth, alone. |
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' I am sorry for Jane,' she said kindly," |
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' but, Lizzy, these things happen often! " |
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A young man like Mr Bingley frequently falls in love with a pretty girl, |
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and when chance separates them, he forgets her very quickly.' |
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' Yes, aunt,' said Elizabeth,' but in this case it was not chance," |
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but the young man' s interfering friends, who separated Jane and Mr Bingley. |
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I' m sure he was violently in love with her.' |
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' Poor Jane! She' s so sensitive. " |
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I' m afraid she may not get over it for some time. |
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Now, if it had been you, Lizzy, you would have recovered more quickly, |
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by finding humour in the situation. |
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But do you think I could persuade Jane to come back with us to London? |
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Perhaps a change of air would make her feel better.' |
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Elizabeth was extremely grateful to her aunt for this kind suggestion, |
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and felt sure Jane would gladly agree. |
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' I hope,' added Mrs Gardiner," |
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' that she will not be influenced by the hope of seeing the young man. " |
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We live in such a different part of town that it is very unlikely they will meet, |
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unless he actually comes to see her.' |
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' that is quite impossible," |
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because his friend Mr Darcy would not allow him to visit so unfashionable an address!' |
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But despite her protest, |
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Elizabeth secretly thought that Jane might see Bingley in London |
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and that a meeting would probably reawaken his affection for her. |
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The Gardiners stayed at Longbourn for a week, |
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and MrsBennet made sure there was always some entertainment for her brother and sisterinlaw. |
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Whenever there was a dinner party at Longbourn House, |
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some of the officers were always invited. |
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Mrs Gardiner, who had noticed that Mr Wickham was a very frequent visitor |
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and that Elizabeth spoke admiringly of him, took care to observe them both. |
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She saw enough to make her a little anxious, |
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and decided to speak to Elizabeth about him when they were alone. |
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' Lizzy,' she began,' I can see that you and Mr Wickham like each other. " |
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But I must warn you not to get seriously involved with him. |
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I admit he' s a most interesting young man, but sadly he has no fortune. |
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You are a sensible girl, |
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and must realize that you would disappoint your father by agreeing to marry a penniless young man.' |
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' My dear aunt, do not worry. " |
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I' ll take care of myself, and Mr Wickham too. |
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He won' t be in love with me, if I can prevent it.' |
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' Elizabeth, be serious.'" |
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' I' m sorry, aunt, I' ll try again. " |
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At present I' m certainly not in love with him. |
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But he is by far the most agreeable man I' ve ever met, |
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and if he really loved me |
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But I would hate to disappoint my father |
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or make any of you unhappy. |
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I cannot promise what I will do, |
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but I will really try to do what I think is wisest. |
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I hope you are satisfied with that.' |
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Her aunt replied that she was, and received Elizabeth' s thanks for her kind advice. |
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Several days after this, the Gardiners returned to London, taking Jane with them. |
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The day of Mr Collins' wedding soon arrived, |
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and Mrs Bennet had to watch Charlotte Lucas become Mrs Collins. |
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Before the bride left Longbourn for Hunsford, however, |
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she asked Elizabeth to come and visit her in her new home as soon as possible. |
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Elizabeth could not refuse, although she did not imagine it would be an enjoyable visit. |
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It was arranged that |
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Elizabeth would accompany Sir William Lucas and Maria, one of his other daughters, on their intended visit to Hunsford in March. |
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A week after Jane' s departure, Elizabeth received a letter from her sister, |
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saying that she had seen Miss Bingley, |
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and hoped to continue their friendship. |
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Elizabeth shook her head over this. |
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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. |
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Elizabeth was sad dened to read of Jane' s disappointment, |
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but felt more cheerful when she told herself that Jane would no longer be deceived, by the sister at least. |
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All expectation from the brother was now absolutely over. |
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As a punishment for him, |
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she seriously hoped he would soon marry Mr Darcy' s sister, |
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who, according to Wickham, |
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would make him quickly regret what he had thrown away. |
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At about this time, |
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Elizabeth also received a letter from Mrs Gardiner, |
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asking about Wickham, |
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and she was able to reply quite honestly that |
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there was no danger of her marrying him. |
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He had transferred his affections to a Miss King, |
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who had recently inherited ten thousand pounds. |
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Elizabeth saw exactly what was happening, |
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but her heart had only been slightly touched, |
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and she was able to convince herself |
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that it was quite natural for such an agreeable young man to wish for fortune and independence. |
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January and February passed, 1 |
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and the time for Elizabeth' s visit to Mr and Mrs Collins approached. |
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She had improved the plan, |
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by arranging to spend a night in London at her uncle and aunt' s house, |
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before continuing the journey into Kent. |
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She was very much looking forward to seeing Jane, |
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who was still staying with the Gardiners. |
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The journey seemed long to Elizabeth, |
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because Sir William and Maria had nothing to say worth hearing. |
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But when the coach arrived at the Gardiners house' at lunchtime, |
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Elizabeth was delighted to see that her sister looked as healthy and lovely as before. |
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In a private conversation with her aunt later, however, |
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Elizabeth discovered that Jane had been suffering from periods of depression, |
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although she always tried bravely to appear cheerful. |
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The afternoon and evening passed only too quickly, |
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and the next day Elizabeth and the other travellers set off again. |
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When the coach arrived in Hunsford, |
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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. |
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At last, on the other side, they came to the Rectory, |
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where they were warmly welcomed by Mr Collins and Charlotte. |
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Elizabeth was more and more pleased she had come, |
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when she found herself so affectionately received. |
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She saw instantly that marriage had not changed her cousin' s manners. |
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He insisted on greeting them all with formal politeness and long speeches, |
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and showed them round the house, |
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explaining its many good points in exhausting detail. |
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Elizabeth could not help thinking |
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that perhaps he was speaking particularly to her, |
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as if wishing to make her feel what she had lost in refusing him. |
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But although everything seemed neat and comfortable, |
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she was unable to please him with a sigh of regret. |
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In fact, she wondered how Charlotte could look so cheerful, with such a companion. |
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But whenever Mr Collins said anything of which his wife might be ashamed, which was quite often, |
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Charlotte wisely did not appear to be listening. |
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And when Mr Collins showed them proudly round his garden, |
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in which he himself enjoyed working, |
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Elizabeth admired the serious way in which Charlotte praised gardening as a most healthy exercise, |
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and admitted encouraging her husband to work outdoors as much as possible. |
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Elizabeth had to confess to herself that, surprisingly, |
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Charlotte really appeared to be happy. |
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When Mr Collins could be forgotten, |
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the house seemed very pleasant and comfortable, |
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and from Charlotte' s evident enjoyment of her home, |
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Elizabeth supposed he must often be forgotten. |
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The visitors had only been in the house for a day |
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when a message came form Lady Catherine, |
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inviting them all to dinner at Rosings Park the next day. |
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Mr Collins was delighted, and congratulated his guests on their good luck. |
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' I confess that I might have expected her ladyship to invite us all to drink tea at Rosings on Sunday,' " |
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he said.' But to invite the whole party to dinner! |
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So soon after your arrival, too! |
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What a generous and considerate lady she is!' |
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The whole of the rest of that day and the next morning |
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were spent discussing their visit to Rosings. |
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This made Sir William and Maria quite nervous when the moment came to walk across the park and enter the great lady' s house. |
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Elizabeth, however, was unimpressed by what she had heard of Lady Catherine, |
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and remained calm. |
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She was interested to see that Lady Catherine |
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was a tall, large woman, who held herself stiffly and proudly, |
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and received her guests with an air of disdain. |
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She spoke loudly and decidedly on every matter, |
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and was clearly convinced of her superiority over other people. |
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Her daughter, Anne, was completely different |
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a small, thin, illlooking lady, |
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who spoke very little, and only in a whisper. |
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The dinner was very good, |
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and was highly praised by Mr Collins. |
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His repeated compliments, which Elizabeth thought were embarrassing, |
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appeared to please Lady Catherine very much. |
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After dinner her ladyship talked continuously, |
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giving her opinions without any fear of contradiction or even comment. |
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She then asked Elizabeth many detailed questions |
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about her education, her sisters, and her father' s income. |
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Although Elizabeth considered these questions extremely personal and almost rude, |
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she answered them politely and calmly. |
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At the end of the long evening, |
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the visitors were driven home in Lady Catherine' s carriage, |
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while Mr Collins praised his patron for her elegance, intelligence and hospitality. |
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This visit was repeated twice a week, |
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but there was little other entertainment in Hunsford. |
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Elizabeth had pleasant conversations with Charlotte, |
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or read books, |
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or walked along a narrow path by Lady Catherine' s park, |
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which no one else seemed to use. |
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It was a quiet life, but she was satisfied with it. |
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However, two weeks after her arrival in Hunsford, |
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she heard that some visitors were coming to stay at Rosings. |
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Lady Catherine' s nephew, Mr Darcy, was expected soon, |
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accompanied by his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam. |
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The next day, the two gentlemen arrived, |
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and came almost immediately to the Rectory. |
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Colonel Fitzwilliam was about thirty, not handsome, |
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but very gentlemanly, and he talked pleasantly to the ladies. |
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But Mr Darcy looked as cold and proud as ever, |
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and after greeting Mrs Collins, |
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spoke only a few stiffly polite words to Elizabeth. |
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She took the opportunity of |
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asking him if he had by any chance seen Jane in London recently, |
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and thought he looked a little confused when he answered that he had not had that pleasure. |
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Soon after that, the two gentlemen returned to Rosings. |
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Colonel Fitzwilliam' s manners were very much admired by the ladies, |
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who felt that he would add considerably to the enjoyment of their evenings at Rosings. |
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But it was not until Easter Day that they received an invitation from Lady Catherine, |
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and when they arrived in her sittingroom, |
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it was clear that she was far more interested in her nephews than in her other guests. |
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Colonel Fitzwilliam, however, seemed really glad to see them, |
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and he came at once to sit beside Elizabeth. |
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They talked so agreeably and amusingly together |
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that Mr Darcy turned his eyes towards them and looked curiously at them several times. |
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When her ladyship also noticed, |
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she called loudly across the room, |
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' Fitzwilliam, what are you talking about with Miss Bennet? " |
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Let me hear what it is.' |
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' We' re speaking of music, madam,'" |
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he said, when no longer able to avoid a reply. |
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' Of music! Then please speak to all of us. " |
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I must have my share in the conversation, if you are speaking of music. |
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There are few people in England, I suppose, who have more true enjoyment of music than myself, |
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or a better natural taste. |
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But I often tell young ladies, practice is very important. |
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I have told Miss Bennet several times that she will never play really well unless she practises more. |
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And she is very welcome to come to Rosings |
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and practise on the piano in the servants' hall. |
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She won' t be in anyone' s way there, I can promise her.' |
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Mr Darcy looked a little ashamed of his aunt' s insensitive words. |
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Meanwhile, Colonel Fitzwilliam had persuaded Elizabeth to play some music, |
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and she sat down at the piano. |
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But when she had started playing, |
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Mr Darcy went to stand in front of the piano, |
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where he had a good view of her face. |
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At the end of her first piece of music, Elizabeth said, smiling, |
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' You intend to frighten me, Mr Darcy, by coming to listen to me? " |
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But I' m obstinate, and won' t be frightened.' |
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' I don' t think you really believe I intend to alarm you," |
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and I' ve had the pleasure of knowing you long enough |
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to be aware that you occasionally enjoy stating opinions which are not your own. |
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Elizabeth laughed at this picture of herself, |
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and said to Colonel Fitzwilliam, |
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' Your cousin will teach you not to believe a word I say. " |
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Indeed, Mr Darcy, it is very ungenerous of you to mention all my faults, |
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and perhaps rather foolish too, |
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because I may take my revenge, |
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and tell things about you which your relations will be shocked to hear.' |
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' I am not afraid of you,' said Darcy, smiling." |
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' But let me hear your accusation,' cried Colonel Fitzwilliam. " |
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' I' d like to hear how he behaves among strangers.' " |
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' Well, prepare yourself for something very dreadful. " |
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The first time I ever saw him was at a ball in Hertfordshire, |
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and at this ball, what do you think he did? |
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He danced only four dances! |
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I' m sorry to cause you pain, but that is what happened. |
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He danced only four dances, although gentlemen were scarce, and to my certain knowledge, more than one young lady was sitting down, waiting for a partner |
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Mr Darcy, you must admit it.' |
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' I had not at that time the honour of knowing anybody at the ball, " |
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apart from my own group of friends. |
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I should perhaps have asked to be introduced, |
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but I do not like to recommend myself to strangers. |
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I do not find it easy to talk to people I don' t know.' |
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' You don' t want to take the trouble to do it, |
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Darcy, that' s why!' said Colonel Fitzwilliam." |
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' I cannot play this piano as well as some other women,' said Elizabeth," |
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' but I' ve always assumed it is my own faultbecause " |
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I don' t take the trouble to practise. |
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I know that I am capable of playing as well as anyone.' |
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Darcy smiled and said,' You are perfectly right. |
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You have spent your time in a much better way. |
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No one who hears you could imagine any possible improvement. |
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We neither of us perform to strangers.' |
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Just then Lady Catherine interrupted them, to comment on Elizabeth' s playing. |
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' Miss Bennet would play quite well, if she had a London teacher. " |
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Of course, Anne would have been a delightful performer, if her health had allowed her to learn.' |
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Elizabeth looked at Darcy to see his reaction to Anne de Bourgh' s name, |
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but neither at that moment nor at any other |
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could she observe any sign of love or even interest in his cousin. |
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Lady Catherine continued to give Miss Bennet advice on her playing, |
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but at the request of the gentlemen, |
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Elizabeth stayed at the piano for the rest of the evening. |