"I hope, my dear," said Mr. Bennet to his wife, as they were
at breakfast the next morning, "that you have ordered a good dinner
to-day, because I have reason to expect an addition to our family
party."
"Who do you mean, my dear? I know of nobody that is
coming, I am sure, unless Charlotte Lucas should happen to call in--and I
hope _my_ dinners are good enough for her. I do not believe she often
sees such at home."
"The person of whom I speak is a gentleman, and a stranger."
Mrs.
Bennet's eyes sparkled. "A gentleman and a stranger! It is Mr. Bingley,
I am sure! Well, I am sure I shall be extremely glad to see Mr.
Bingley. But--good Lord! how unlucky! There is not a bit of fish to be
got to-day. Lydia, my love, ring the bell--I must speak to Hill this
moment."
"It is _not_ Mr. Bingley," said her husband; "it is a person whom I never saw in the whole course of my life."
This
roused a general astonishment; and he had the pleasure of being eagerly
questioned by his wife and his five daughters at once.
After amusing himself some time with their curiosity, he thus explained:
"About
a month ago I received this letter; and about a fortnight ago I
answered it, for I thought it a case of some delicacy, and requiring
early attention. It is from my cousin, Mr. Collins, who, when I am dead,
may turn you all out of this house as soon as he pleases."
"Oh!
my dear," cried his wife, "I cannot bear to hear that mentioned. Pray do
not talk of that odious man. I do think it is the hardest thing in the
world, that your estate should be entailed away from your own children;
and I am sure, if I had been you, I should have tried long ago to do
something or other about it."
Jane and Elizabeth tried to explain
to her the nature of an entail. They had often attempted to do it
before, but it was a subject on which Mrs. Bennet was beyond the reach
of reason, and she continued to rail bitterly against the cruelty of
settling an estate away from a family of five daughters, in favour of a
man whom nobody cared anything about.
"It certainly is a most
iniquitous affair," said Mr. Bennet, "and nothing can clear Mr. Collins
from the guilt of inheriting Longbourn. But if you will listen to his
letter, you may perhaps be a little softened by his manner of expressing
himself."
"No, that I am sure I shall not; and I think it is very
impertinent of him to write to you at all, and very hypocritical. I
hate such false friends. Why could he not keep on quarreling with you,
as his father did before him?"
"Why, indeed; he does seem to have had some filial scruples on that head, as you will hear."
"Hunsford, near Westerham, Kent, 15th October.
"Dear Sir,--
"The
disagreement subsisting between yourself and my late honoured father
always gave me much uneasiness, and since I have had the misfortune to
lose him, I have frequently wished to heal the breach; but for some time
I was kept back by my own doubts, fearing lest it might seem
disrespectful to his memory for me to be on good terms with anyone with
whom it had always pleased him to be at variance.--'There, Mrs.
Bennet.'--My mind, however, is now made up on the subject, for having
received ordination at Easter, I have been so fortunate as to be
distinguished by the patronage of the Right Honourable Lady Catherine de
Bourgh, widow of Sir Lewis de Bourgh, whose bounty and beneficence has
preferred me to the valuable rectory of this parish, where it shall be
my earnest endeavour to demean myself with grateful respect towards her
ladyship, and be ever ready to perform those rites and ceremonies which
are instituted by the Church of England. As a clergyman, moreover, I
feel it my duty to promote and establish the blessing of peace in all
families within the reach of my influence; and on these grounds I
flatter myself that my present overtures are highly commendable, and
that the circumstance of my being next in the entail of Longbourn estate
will be kindly overlooked on your side, and not lead you to reject the
offered olive-branch. I cannot be otherwise than concerned at being the
means of injuring your amiable daughters, and beg leave to apologise for
it, as well as to assure you of my readiness to make them every
possible amends--but of this hereafter. If you should have no objection
to receive me into your house, I propose myself the satisfaction of
waiting on you and your family, Monday, November 18th, by four o'clock,
and shall probably trespass on your hospitality till the Saturday
se'ennight following, which I can do without any inconvenience, as Lady
Catherine is far from objecting to my occasional absence on a Sunday,
provided that some other clergyman is engaged to do the duty of the
day.--I remain, dear sir, with respectful compliments to your lady and
daughters, your well-wisher and friend,
"WILLIAM COLLINS"
"At
four o'clock, therefore, we may expect this peace-making gentleman,"
said Mr. Bennet, as he folded up the letter. "He seems to be a most
conscientious and polite young man, upon my word, and I doubt not will
prove a valuable acquaintance, especially if Lady Catherine should be so
indulgent as to let him come to us again."
"There is some sense
in what he says about the girls, however, and if he is disposed to make
them any amends, I shall not be the person to discourage him."
"Though
it is difficult," said Jane, "to guess in what way he can mean to make
us the atonement he thinks our due, the wish is certainly to his
credit."
Elizabeth was chiefly struck by his extraordinary
deference for Lady Catherine, and his kind intention of christening,
marrying, and burying his parishioners whenever it were required.
"He
must be an oddity, I think," said she. "I cannot make him out.--There
is something very pompous in his style.--And what can he mean by
apologising for being next in the entail?--We cannot suppose he would
help it if he could.--Could he be a sensible man, sir?"
"No, my
dear, I think not. I have great hopes of finding him quite the reverse.
There is a mixture of servility and self-importance in his letter, which
promises well. I am impatient to see him."
"In point of
composition," said Mary, "the letter does not seem defective. The idea
of the olive-branch perhaps is not wholly new, yet I think it is well
expressed."
To Catherine and Lydia, neither the letter nor its
writer were in any degree interesting. It was next to impossible that
their cousin should come in a scarlet coat, and it was now some weeks
since they had received pleasure from the society of a man in any other
colour. As for their mother, Mr. Collins's letter had done away much of
her ill-will, and she was preparing to see him with a degree of
composure which astonished her husband and daughters.
Mr. Collins
was punctual to his time, and was received with great politeness by the
whole family. Mr. Bennet indeed said little; but the ladies were ready
enough to talk, and Mr. Collins seemed neither in need of encouragement,
nor inclined to be silent himself. He was a tall, heavy-looking young
man of five-and-twenty. His air was grave and stately, and his manners
were very formal. He had not been long seated before he complimented
Mrs. Bennet on having so fine a family of daughters; said he had heard
much of their beauty, but that in this instance fame had fallen short of
the truth; and added, that he did not doubt her seeing them all in due
time disposed of in marriage. This gallantry was not much to the taste
of some of his hearers; but Mrs. Bennet, who quarreled with no
compliments, answered most readily.
"You are very kind, I am sure;
and I wish with all my heart it may prove so, for else they will be
destitute enough. Things are settled so oddly."
"You allude, perhaps, to the entail of this estate."
"Ah!
sir, I do indeed. It is a grievous affair to my poor girls, you must
confess. Not that I mean to find fault with _you_, for such things I
know are all chance in this world. There is no knowing how estates will
go when once they come to be entailed."
"I am very sensible,
madam, of the hardship to my fair cousins, and could say much on the
subject, but that I am cautious of appearing forward and precipitate.
But I can assure the young ladies that I come prepared to admire them.
At present I will not say more; but, perhaps, when we are better
acquainted--"
He was interrupted by a summons to dinner; and the
girls smiled on each other. They were not the only objects of Mr.
Collins's admiration. The hall, the dining-room, and all its furniture,
were examined and praised; and his commendation of everything would have
touched Mrs. Bennet's heart, but for the mortifying supposition of his
viewing it all as his own future property. The dinner too in its turn
was highly admired; and he begged to know to which of his fair cousins
the excellency of its cooking was owing. But he was set right there by
Mrs. Bennet, who assured him with some asperity that they were very well
able to keep a good cook, and that her daughters had nothing to do in
the kitchen. He begged pardon for having displeased her. In a softened
tone she declared herself not at all offended; but he continued to
apologise for about a quarter of an hour. _