PRIDE & PREJUDICE: JANE AUSTEN: CHAPTER NINETEEN

Since Mr William Collins was to leave for Hunsford parsonage by Saturday, he was in a hurry to open his heart to Miss Elizabeth Bennet.  This created a new scene at Longbourn.  On finding Mrs Bennet, Elizabeth and and one of the younger girls together after the breakfast, he addressed the mother:

"May I hope, madam, for your interest with your fair daughter Elizabeth, when I solicit for the honour of a private audiance with her in the course of the morning."

Before Elizabeth had time for anything but a blush of surprise, Mrs Bennet answered instantly, "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 upstairs."  And, gathering her work together, she was hastening away, when Elizabeth called out:

"Dear madam, do not go.  I beg you will not go.  Mr Collins must excuse me.  He can have nothing to say to me that anybody need not hear. I am going away myself."

"No, no, nonsense Lizzy.  I desire you to stay where you are." And upon Elizabeth' 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 object such an injunction - and a moment's consideration making her also sensible that it would be wiser to get it over soon and as quietly as possible, she sat down again and tried to conceal the feelings of distress and diversion.  Mrs Bennet and Kitty walked off, and as soon as they were gone, Mr Collins began:

"Believe me, my dear 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, I have your respected mother's permission for this address.  Almost as soon I entered the house, I singled you out as the companion of my future life.  But before I go it would be advisable for me to state my reasons for marrying and coming into Hertfordshire for selecting a wife."

The idea of Mr Collins, combined with his peculiar way of expression made Elizabeth laugh, and a short pause in his speech could not be used put to a break to his speech. So the tedious speech continued. Lady Catherine de Bourgh asked him to marry. A clergyman must marry. The reason his choice - the entailment of Longbourn estate to him after the death of Mr Bennet; he is not bothered of the fortune that the marriage brings him.

It was absolutely necessary to interrupt him now.  

"You are too hasty, sir," she said him.  "You forget that I have made no answer.  Let me do that at the earliest.  Accept my thanks for the compliments you are paying me.  I am very sensible of the honour of your proposals, but it is impossible for me to do otherwise than to decline them."

"I am not now to learn," replied Mr Collins, "that it is usual for the young ladies to reject the addresses of the man whom they secretly mean to accept, when he first applies for their favour; and that sometimes the refusal is repeated a second or even a third time.  I am therefore by no means discouraged by what you have just said, and shall hope to lead you to the altar before long."

"Upon my word, sir," cried Elizabeth, "your hope is rather extraordinary one after my declaration.  I am pretty serious in my refusal.  You could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world who could make you so.  Nay, where your friend Lady Catherine to know me, I am persuaded she would find me in every respect ill qualified for the situation."

"Were it certain that Lady Catherine would think so," said Mr Collins very gravely. "But I cannot imagine that her ladyship would at all disapprove of you.  And you may be certain, when I have the honour of seeing her again, I shall speak in the highest terms of your modesty, economy and other amiable qualification."

"Indeed, Mr Collins, all praise of me will be unnecessary, you must give me leave to judge for myself, and pay me the compliment of believing what I say.  I wish you a very happy and very rich, and by refusing your hand, do all in my power to prevent your being otherwise.  In making me the offer, you must have satisfied the delicacy of your feelings with regard to my family, and may take possession of Longbourn estate whenever it falls, without any self-reproach.  This matter may be considered, therefore, finally settled.  And rising as she thus spoke, she would have quitted the room, had Mr Collins not thus addressed her:

"When I do myself the honour of speaking to you the next on the subject, I shall hope to receive a more favourable answer than now you have given me; though I am far from accusing you of cruelty at present, because I know it to be the established custom of your sex to reject a man on the first application, and you have even now said as much to encourage my suit as would be consistent with the true delicacy of the female character."

"Really, Mr Collins," cried Elizabeth with some warmth, "you puzzle me exceedingly.  If what I have hitherto said can appear to you in the form of encouragement, I know not how to express my refusal in such a way as to convince you of its being one."

"You must give me leave to flatter myself, my cousin that your refusal of my address is merely words of course.  My reasons for believing it are: it does not appear to me that my hand is unworthy of your acceptance, that the establishment I can offer would be any other than highly desirable.  My situation in life, my connections with the family of de Bourgh and my relationship to your own, are circumstances highly in my favour, and you should take it into further consideration, that in spite of your manifold attractions, it is by no means certain that another offer of marriage may ever be made to you.  Your portion is unhappily so small that it will in all likelihood undo the effect of your loveliness and amiable qualifications.  Therefore you are not serious in your rejection of me.  I choose to attribute it to your wish of increasing my love by suspense, according to the usual custom of elegant females."

"I do assure you, sir, that I have no pretensions, whatever to that kind of elegance which consists in tormenting a respectable man.  I thank you again for the honour you have done me in your proposals, but to accept them is absolutely impossible.  My feelings in every respect forbid it.  Can I speak plainer? Do not consider me now as an elegant female, but as a rational creature, speaking the truth from her heart."

"Yo are uniformly charming!" cried he, with an air of gallantry, "and I am persuaded that by the express authority of your parents my proposals will not fail."

To such perseverance, in wilful deception Elizabeth would make no reply, and immediately and in silence withdrew.

THE END 


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