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Гордость и предубеждение
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Глава 18
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Pride and Prejudice
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He must write his own sermons;
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and the time that remains will not be too much for his parish duties,
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and the care and improvement of his dwelling,
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which he cannot be excused from making as comfortable as possible.
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And I do not think it of light importance that he should have attentive and conciliatory manners towards everybody,
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especially towards those to whom he owes his preferment.
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I cannot acquit him of that duty;
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nor could I think well of the man who should omit an occasion of testifying his respect towards anybody connected with the family.”
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And with a bow to Mr. Darcy,
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he concluded his speech,
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which had been spoken so loud as to be heard by half the room.
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Many stared—many smiled;
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but no one looked more amused than Mr. Bennet himself,
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while his wife seriously commended Mr. Collins for having spoken so sensibly,
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and observed in a half-whisper to Lady Lucas,
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that he was a remarkably clever,
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good kind of young man.
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To Elizabeth it appeared that,
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had her family made an agreement to expose themselves as much as they could during the evening,
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it would have been impossible for them to play their parts with more spirit or finer success;
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and happy did she think it for Bingley and her sister that some of the exhibition had escaped his notice,
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and that his feelings were not of a sort to be much distressed by the folly which he must have witnessed.
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That his two sisters and Mr. Darcy,
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however,
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should have such an opportunity of ridiculing her relations,
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was bad enough,
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and she could not determine whether the silent contempt of the gentleman,
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or the insolent smiles of the ladies,
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were more intolerable.
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The rest of the evening brought her little amusement.
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She was teased by Mr. Collins,
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who continued most perseveringly by her side,
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and though he could not prevail on her to dance with him again,
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put it out of her power to dance with others.
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In vain did she entreat him to stand up with somebody else,
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and offer to introduce him to any young lady in the room.
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He assured her,
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that as to dancing,
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he was perfectly indifferent to it;
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that his chief object was by delicate attentions to recommend himself to her and that he should therefore make a point of remaining close to her the whole evening.
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There was no arguing upon such a project.
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She owed her greatest relief to her friend Miss Lucas,
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who often joined them,
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and good-naturedly engaged Mr. Collins’s conversation to herself.
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She was at least free from the offense of Mr. Darcy’s further notice;
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though often standing within a very short distance of her,
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quite disengaged,
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he never came near enough to speak.
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She felt it to be the probable consequence of her allusions to Mr. Wickham,
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and rejoiced in it.
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The Longbourn party were the last of all the company to depart,
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and,
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by a manoeuvre of Mrs. Bennet,
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had to wait for their carriage a quarter of an hour after everybody else was gone,
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which gave them time to see how heartily they were wished away by some of the family.
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Mrs. Hurst and her sister scarcely opened their mouths,
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except to complain of fatigue,
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and were evidently impatient to have the house to themselves.
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They repulsed every attempt of Mrs. Bennet at conversation,
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and by so doing threw a languor over the whole party,
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which was very little relieved by the long speeches of Mr. Collins,
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who was complimenting Mr. Bingley and his sisters on the elegance of their entertainment,
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and the hospitality and politeness which had marked their behaviour to their guests.
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Darcy said nothing at all.
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Mr. Bennet,
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in equal silence,
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was enjoying the scene.
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Mr. Bingley and Jane were standing together,
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a little detached from the rest,
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and talked only to each other.
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Elizabeth preserved as steady a silence as either Mrs. Hurst or Miss Bingley;
72
and even Lydia was too much fatigued to utter more than the occasional exclamation of “Lord,
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how tired I am!”
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accompanied by a violent yawn.
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When at length they arose to take leave,
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Mrs. Bennet was most pressingly civil in her hope of seeing the whole family soon at Longbourn,
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and addressed herself especially to Mr. Bingley,
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to assure him how happy he would make them by eating a family dinner with them at any time,
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without the ceremony of a formal invitation.
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Bingley was all grateful pleasure,
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and he readily engaged for taking the earliest opportunity of waiting on her,
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after his return from London,
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whither he was obliged to go the next day for a short time.
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Mrs. Bennet was perfectly satisfied,
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and quitted the house under the delightful persuasion that,
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allowing for the necessary preparations of settlements,
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new carriages,
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and wedding clothes,
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she should undoubtedly see her daughter settled at Netherfield in the course of three or four months.
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Of having another daughter married to Mr. Collins,
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she thought with equal certainty,
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and with considerable,
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though not equal,
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pleasure.
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Elizabeth was the least dear to her of all her children;
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and though the man and the match were quite good enough for her,
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the worth of each was eclipsed by Mr. Bingley and Netherfield.
98
End of chapter 18.
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