Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austin

      Chapter 15

      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 humility 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

      patroness, 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

      confirmed 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 _tête-à-tête_ 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 incumbent 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 folly 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 better 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 enquire, 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 addressed 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