PRIDE & PREJUDICE: JANE AUSTEN: CHAPTER FIFTY SEVEN

Next morning. Elizabeth was going downstairs. Her father was coming out of the library with a letter in his hand, said:
"Lizzy, I was going to look for you; come into my room."
She followed him into his room; she was curious to know what he had to tell and she connected this to the letter in his hand. It suddenly struck her that it might be from Lady Catherine, and anticipated with dismay, all the consequent explanation.

She followed her father into the fireplace, and they both sat down.
"I have received a letter this morning," said he. "It has astonished me exceedingly. As it principally concerns yourself, you ought to know its contents. I did not know before, that I had two daughters on the brink of matrimony. Let me congratulate you on a very important conquest."

The colour now rushed into her cheeks in the conviction of its being a letter from the nephew, instead of the aunt; she was undetermined whether to be pleased, or to be offended, when her father continued:

"You look conscious. Young ladies have great penetration in such matters as these; but I think I may defy even your intelligence, to discover the name of your admirer. This letter is from Mr Collins."

"From Mr Collins! and what can he have to say?"

"Something very much to the purpose. He begins with congratulations on the approaching nuptials of my eldest daughter, of which, it seems, he has been told by some of the good natured, gossiping Lucases. What relates to yourself is as follows: 'Having thus offered you the the sincere congratulations of Mrs Collins and myself on this happy event, let me now add a short hint on the subject of another; of which we have been advertised by the same authority. Your daughter Elizabeth, it is presumed, will not long bear the name of Bennet, after her eldest sister has resigned it, and the chosen partner of her fate may reasonably looked upto as one of the most illustrious personages in this land.'

"Can you possibly guess, Lizzy, who is meant by this?"

'This young gentleman is blessed in a peculiar way, with everything the heart of a mortal can most desire, - splendid property, noble kindred, extensive patronage. Yet in spite of all these temptations, let me warn my cousin Elizabeth, and yourself, of what evils you may incur by a precipitate closure with this gentleman's proposal, which, of course you will be inclined to take immediate advantage of.'

"Have you any idea, Lizzy, who this gentleman is? But now it comes out:

'My motive for cautioning you is as follows. We have reason to imagine that his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, does not look on the match with friendly eye.'

"Mr Darcy, you see, is the man! Now, Lizzy, I think I have surprised you. Could he or Lucases, have pitched on any man within the circle of our acquaintance, whose name would have given the lie more effectually to what they related? Mr Darcy! who never looks at any woman but to see a blemish, and who probably never looked at you in his life! It is admirable!"

Elizabeth tried to join her father's pleasantry, but could only force a reluctant smile. Never had his wit been directed in a manner so little agreeable to her.


'After mentioning the likelihood of this marriage to her ladyship last night, she immediately, with her usual usual condescension, expressed what she felt on the occasion; when it became apparent, that on the score of some family objections on the part of my cousin, she would never give her consent to what she termed so disgraceful a match. I thought it my duty to give the speedy intelligence of this to my cousin, that she and her noble admirer may be aware of what they are about, and run hastily into a marriage which has not been properly sanctioned.' 

"Mr Collins more over adds, 'I am truly rejoiced that my cousin Lydia's sad business has been so well hushed up, and am concerned that their living together before the marriage took place should be so generally known. I must not, however, neglect the duties of my station, or refrain from declaring my amazement at hearing that you received the young couple into your house as soon as they were married. It was an encouragement of vice; and had I been the rector of Longbourn, I should very strenuously have opposed it. You ought certainly to forgive them, as a Christian forgiveness!'"

"The rest of the letter is only about his dear Charlotte's situation, and his expectation of a young olive branch. But, Lizzy, you look as if you did not enjoy it. You are not going to be missish, I hope, and pretend to be affronted at an idle report. For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?"

"Oh!," said Elizabeth, "I am excessively diverted. But it is so strange."

"Yes, that is what makes it amusing. Had they fixed on any other man, it would have been nothing; but his prefect indifference and your pointed dislike, make it so delightfully absurd. And pray, Lizzy, what said Lady Catherine about this report? Did she call to refuse her consent?"

To this question, Elizabeth replied with a laugh; and as it had been asked without least suspicion, she was not distressed by his repeating it.

THE END


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

( 16 )CHARLES DICKENS: DAVID COPPERFIELD: CHAPTER 16: I AM A NEW BOY IN MORE SENSES THAN ONE

Next morning, after breakfast, I entered on school life again.  I went, accompanied by Mr Wickfield to the scene of my future studies- a grave building in a courtyard, with a learned air about it that suited very well to the stray rooks and jackdaws who came down from the Cathedral tower to walk with a clerkly bearing on the grass plot - and was introduced to my new master, Doctor Strong. Doctor Strong looked almost as rusty, to my thinking, as the tall iron rails and gates outside the house; and almost as stiff and heavy as the great stone urn that flanked them, and were set up, on the top of red brick wall, at regular distances all round the court, like sublimated skittles for Time to play at.  Doctor Strong was in his library, with his clothes not particularly well brushed, and his hair not particularly combed, his knee-small unbraced, his long black gaiters unbuttoned, and his shoes  yawning like two caverns on the hearth-rug.  Turning upon me a lustreless eye, t...
Read more

Sailing Around Erethraean Sea: Three

Updated 29/11/2024 Below the Calf-Eaters there is a little market-town on the shore after sailing about four thousand stadia from Berenice, called Ptolemais of Hunts, from which the hunters started for the interior under the dynasty of Ptolemies. This market town has true land to rtoise in small quantities; it is white and smaller in the shells. And here also is found a little ivory, like that of Adulis. But the place has no harbour, and is reached by small boats. 1. Calf-Eaters: Cattle rearing nomadic tribes. 2. Stadia is the plural of stadion. Ten  stadia= one mile. 3. Ptolemais of Hunts: Ptolemies Theron is the exact Greek term,  located at the Bay of Anfile or Amphila Bay on the coast of Eritrea. Facing the bay is Hando island. It is, in fact, a double bay, an inner bay within, between promontories M'edr and Lelisa. End of the Section 
Read more

Travels Of Marco Polo: Thirty

Now, let me tell of the beasts which his Majesty keeps for hunting.  Among these are Leopards and lynxes or stag-wolves well fitted for that purpose.  He has also many lions larger than those of Babylon of a beautiful hair and colour, striped length ways black red and white, and trained to catch stags, wild oxen, hogs, wild goats and asses; it is delightful to see one of these chases, where the hunters go out, carrying the lion in a cage, and with him a small dog.  They have likewise abundance of eagles, with which they capture hares, foxes and even wolves; those which are trained to catch these last are very large, and of great weight, so that no wolf can escape them. ____________________________________ 1. The lion here described by the author is manifestly the tiger. It is probable that tiger was unknown in Europe when Marco left, he might have viewed it as a variety of lion. 2. Lion and tigers are wild animals and cannot be domesticated. Still human societies used to ...
Read more