The Longbourn party were the last of all the company to depart;and by a manoeuvre of Mrs Bennet,had to wait for their carriages a quarter of an hour after every body else was gone,which gave them time to see how heartily they were wished away by some of the family.Mrs Hurst and her sister scarcely opened their mouths except to complain of fatigue,and were evidently impatient to have the house to themselves.They repulsed every attempt of Mrs Bennet at conversation,and by so doing,threw a languor over the whole party,which was very little relieved by the long speeches of Mr Collins,who was complimenting Mr Bingley and his sisters on the elegance of their entertainment,and the hospitality and politeness which had marked their behaviour to their guests.Darcy said nothing at all.Mr Bennet,in equal silence,was enjoying the scene.Mr Bingley and Jane were standing together,a little detached from the rest,and talked only to each other.Elizabeth preserved as steady a silence as either Mrs Hurst or Miss Bingley;and even Lydia was too much fatigued to utter more than the occasional exclamation of ‘Lord,how tired I am!’accompanied by a violent yawn.
When at length they arose to take leave,Mrs Bennet was most pressingly civil in her hope of seeing the whole family soon at Longbourn;and addressed herself particularly to Mr Bingley,to assure him how happy he would make them by eating a family dinner with them at any time,without the ceremony of a formal invitation.Bingley was all grateful pleasure,and he readily engaged for taking the earliest opportunity of waiting on her,after his return from London,whither he was obliged to go the next day for a short time.
Mrs Bennet was perfectly satisfied;and quitted the house under the delightful persuasion that,allowing for the necessary preparations of settlements,new carriages,and wedding clothes,she should undoubtedly see her daughter settled at Netherfield in the course of three or four months.Of having another daughter married to Mr Collins she thought with equal certainty,and with considerable,though not equal,pleasure.Elizabeth was the least dear to her of all her children;and though the man and the match were quite good enough for her,the worth of each was eclipsed by Mr Bingley and Netherfield.
Chapter 19
The next day opened a new scene at Longbourn.Mr Collins made his declaration in form.Having resolved to do it without loss of time,as his leave of absence extended only to the following Saturday,and having no feelings of diffidence to make it distressing to himself even at the moment,he set about it in a very orderly manner,with all the observances which he supposed a regular part of the business.On finding Mrs Bennet,Elizabeth,and one of the younger girls together soon after breakfast,he addressed the mother in these words:
‘May I hope,madam,for your interest with your fair daughter Elizabeth,when I solicit for the honour of a private audience with her in the course of this morning?’
Before Elizabeth had time for any thing but a blush of surprize,Mrs Bennet instantly answered,
‘Oh dear!-yes-certainly.-I am sure Lizzy will be very happy-I am sure she can have no objection.-Come,Kitty,I want you up stairs.’And gathering her work together,she was hastening away,when Elizabeth called out,
‘Dear maam,do not go.-I beg you will not go.-Mr Collins must excuse me.-He can have nothing to say to me that any body need not hear.I am going away myself.’
‘No,no,nonsense,Lizzy.-I desire you will stay where you are.’-And upon Elizabeth's seeming really,with vexed and embarrassed looks,about to escape,she added,‘Lizzy,I insist upon your staying and hearing Mr Collins.’
Elizabeth would not oppose such an injunction-and a moment's consideration making her also sensible that it would be wisest to get it over as soon and as quietly as possible,she sat down again,and tried to conceal by incessant employment the feelings which were divided between distress and diversion.Mrs Bennet and Kitty walked off,and as soon as they were gone Mr Collins began.
‘Believe me,my dear Miss Elizabeth,that your modesty,so far from doing you any disservice,rather adds to your other perfections.You would have been less amiable in my eyes had there not been this little unwillingness;but allow me to assure you that I have your respected mother's permission for this address.You can hardly doubt the purport of my discourse,however your natural delicacy may lead you to dissemble;my attentions have been too marked to be mistaken.Almost as soon as I entered the house,I singled you out as the companion of my future life.But before I am run away with by my feelings on this subject,perhaps it will be advisable for me to state my reasons for marrying-and moreover for coming into Hertfordshire with the design of selecting a wife,as I certainly did.’
The idea of Mr Collins,with all his solemn composure,being run away with by his feelings,made Elizabeth so near laughing that she could not use the short pause he allowed in any attempt to stop him farther,and he continued:
