Chapter - 43 | Pride and Prejudice

Mr. Collins was not a sensible man, and the deﬁciency of nature had been
but little assisted by education or society; the greatest part of his life having
been spent under the guidance of an illiterate and miserly father; and though
he belonged to one of the universities, he had merely kept the necessary
terms, without forming at it any useful acquaintance. The subjection in
which his father had brought him up had given him originally great humili-
ty of manner; but it was now a good deal counteracted by the self-conceit of
a weak head, living in retirement, and the consequential feelings of early
and unexpected prosperity. A fortunate chance had recommended him to
Lady Catherine de Bourgh when the living of Hunsford was vacant; and the
respect which he felt for her high rank, and his veneration for her as his pa-
troness, mingling with a very good opinion of himself, of his authority as a
clergyman, and his right as a rector, made him altogether a mixture of pride
and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility.
Having now a good house and a very sufﬁcient income, he intended to
marry; and in seeking a reconciliation with the Longbourn family he had a
wife in view, as he meant to choose one of the daughters, if he found them
as handsome and amiable as they were represented by common report. This
was his plan of amends—of atonement—for inheriting their father's estate;
and he thought it an excellent one, full of eligibility and suitableness, and
excessively generous and disinterested on his own part.
His plan did not vary on seeing them. Miss Bennet's lovely face con-
ﬁrmed his views, and established all his strictest notions of what was due to
seniority; and for the ﬁrst evening she was his settled choice. The next
morning, however, made an alteration; for in a quarter of an hour's tete-a-
tete with Mrs. Bennet before breakfast, a conversation beginning with his

parsonage-house, and leading naturally to the avowal of his hopes, that a
mistress might be found for it at Longbourn, produced from her, amid very
complaisant smiles and general encouragement, a caution against the very
Jane he had ﬁxed on. "As to her younger daughters, she could not take upon
her to say—she could not positively answer—but she did not know of any
prepossession; her eldest daughter, she must just mention—she felt it in-
cumbent on her to hint, was likely to be very soon engaged."
Mr. Collins had only to change from Jane to Elizabeth—and it was soon
done—done while Mrs. Bennet was stirring the ﬁre. Elizabeth, equally next
to Jane in birth and beauty, succeeded her of course.
Mrs. Bennet treasured up the hint, and trusted that she might soon have
two daughters married; and the man whom she could not bear to speak of
the day before was now high in her good graces.
Lydia's intention of walking to Meryton was not forgotten; every sister
except Mary agreed to go with her; and Mr. Collins was to attend them, at
the request of Mr. Bennet, who was most anxious to get rid of him, and
have his library to himself; for thither Mr. Collins had followed him after
breakfast; and there he would continue, nominally engaged with one of the
largest folios in the collection, but really talking to Mr. Bennet, with little
cessation, of his house and garden at Hunsford. Such doings discomposed
Mr. Bennet exceedingly. In his library he had been always sure of leisure
and tranquillity; and though prepared, as he told Elizabeth, to meet with fol-
ly and conceit in every other room of the house, he was used to be free from
them there; his civility, therefore, was most prompt in inviting Mr. Collins
to join his daughters in their walk; and Mr. Collins, being in fact much bet-
ter ﬁtted for a walker than a reader, was extremely pleased to close his large
book, and go.
In pompous nothings on his side, and civil assents on that of his cousins,
their time passed till they entered Meryton. The attention of the younger
ones was then no longer to be gained by him. Their eyes were immediately
wandering up in the street in quest of the ofﬁcers, and nothing less than a
very smart bonnet indeed, or a really new muslin in a shop window, could
recall them.
But the attention of every lady was soon caught by a young man, whom
they had never seen before, of most gentlemanlike appearance, walking
with another ofﬁcer on the other side of the way. The ofﬁcer was the very
Mr. Denny concerning whose return from London Lydia came to inquire,

and he bowed as they passed. All were struck with the stranger's air, all
wondered who he could be; and Kitty and Lydia, determined if possible to
ﬁnd out, led the way across the street, under pretense of wanting something
in an opposite shop, and fortunately had just gained the pavement when the
two gentlemen, turning back, had reached the same spot. Mr. Denny ad-
dressed them directly, and entreated permission to introduce his friend, Mr.
Wickham, who had returned with him the day before from town, and he was
happy to say had accepted a commission in their corps. This was exactly as
it should be; for the young man wanted only regimentals to make him com-
pletely charming. His appearance was greatly in his favour; he had all the
best part of beauty, a ﬁne countenance, a good ﬁgure, and very pleasing ad-
dress. The introduction was followed up on his side by a happy readiness of
conversation—a readiness at the same time perfectly correct and unassum-
ing; and the whole party were still standing and talking together very agree-
ably, when the sound of horses drew their notice, and Darcy and Bingley
were seen riding down the street. On distinguishing the ladies of the group,
the two gentlemen came directly towards them, and began the usual civili-
ties. Bingley was the principal spokesman, and Miss Bennet the principal
object. He was then, he said, on his way to Longbourn on purpose to inquire
after her. Mr. Darcy corroborated it with a bow, and was beginning to deter-
mine not to ﬁx his eyes on Elizabeth, when they were suddenly arrested by
the sight of the stranger, and Elizabeth happening to see the countenance of
both as they looked at each other, was all astonishment at the effect of the
meeting. Both changed colour, one looked white, the other red. Mr. Wick-
ham, after a few moments, touched his hat—a salutation which Mr. Darcy
just deigned to return. What could be the meaning of it? It was impossible
to imagine; it was impossible not to long to know.
In another minute, Mr. Bingley, but without seeming to have noticed
what passed, took leave and rode on with his friend.
Mr. Denny and Mr. Wickham walked with the young ladies to the door of
Mr. Phillip's house, and then made their bows, in spite of Miss Lydia's
pressing entreaties that they should come in, and even in spite of Mrs.
Phillips's throwing up the parlour window and loudly seconding the
invitation.
Mrs. Phillips was always glad to see her nieces; and the two eldest, from
their recent absence, were particularly welcome, and she was eagerly ex-
pressing her surprise at their sudden return home, which, as their own car-

riage had not fetched them, she should have known nothing about, if she
had not happened to see Mr. Jones's shop-boy in the street, who had told her
that they were not to send any more draughts to Netherﬁeld because the
Miss Bennets were come away, when her civility was claimed towards Mr.
Collins by Jane's introduction of him. She received him with her very best
politeness, which he returned with as much more, apologising for his intru-
sion, without any previous acquaintance with her, which he could not help
ﬂattering himself, however, might be justiﬁed by his relationship to the
young ladies who introduced him to her notice. Mrs. Phillips was quite
awed by such an excess of good breeding; but her contemplation of one
stranger was soon put to an end by exclamations and inquiries about the
other; of whom, however, she could only tell her nieces what they already
knew, that Mr. Denny had brought him from London, and that he was to
have a lieutenant's commission in the ——shire. She had been watching
him the last hour, she said, as he walked up and down the street, and had
Mr. Wickham appeared, Kitty and Lydia would certainly have continued the
occupation, but unluckily no one passed windows now except a few of the
ofﬁcers, who, in comparison with the stranger, were become "stupid, dis-
agreeable fellows." Some of them were to dine with the Phillipses the next
day, and their aunt promised to make her husband call on Mr. Wickham,
and give him an invitation also, if the family from Longbourn would come
in the evening. This was agreed to, and Mrs. Phillips protested that they
would have a nice comfortable noisy game of lottery tickets, and a little bit
of hot supper afterwards. The prospect of such delights was very cheering,
and they parted in mutual good spirits. Mr. Collins repeated his apologies in
quitting the room, and was assured with unwearying civility that they were
perfectly needless.
As they walked home, Elizabeth related to Jane what she had seen pass
between the two gentlemen; but though Jane would have defended either or
both, had they appeared to be in the wrong, she could no more explain such
behaviour than her sister.
Mr. Collins on his return highly gratiﬁed Mrs. Bennet by admiring Mrs.
Phillips's manners and politeness. He protested that, except Lady Catherine
and her daughter, he had never seen a more elegant woman; for she had not
only received him with the utmost civility, but even pointedly included him
in her invitation for the next evening, although utterly unknown to her be-
fore. Something, he supposed, might be attributed to his connection with