الفصل الفصل 13 · 第13章

“I hope, my dear,” said Mr. Bennet to his wife, as they were at

breakfast the next morning, “that you have ordered a good dinner to-day,

because I have reason to expect an addition to our family party.”

“Who do you mean, my dear? I know of nobody that is coming, I am sure,

unless Charlotte Lucas should happen to call in; and I hope _my_ dinners

are good enough for her. I do not believe she often sees such at home.”

“The person of whom I speak is a gentleman and a stranger.”

Mrs. Bennet’s eyes sparkled. “A gentleman and a stranger! It is Mr.

Bingley, I am sure. Why, Jane--you never dropped a word of this--you sly

thing! Well, I am sure I shall be extremely glad to see Mr. Bingley.

But--good Lord! how unlucky! there is not a bit of fish to be got

to-day. Lydia, my love, ring the bell. I must speak to Hill this

moment.”

“It is _not_ Mr. Bingley,” said her husband; “it is a person whom I

never saw in the whole course of my life.”

This roused a general astonishment; and he had the pleasure of being

eagerly questioned by his wife and five daughters at once.

After amusing himself some time with their curiosity, he thus

explained:--“About a month ago I received this letter, and about a

fortnight ago I answered it; for I thought it a case of some delicacy,

and requiring early attention. It is from my cousin, Mr. Collins, who,

when I am dead, may turn you all out of this house as soon as he

pleases.”

“Oh, my dear,” cried his wife, “I cannot bear to hear that mentioned.

Pray do not talk of that odious man. I do think it is the hardest thing

in the world, that your estate should be entailed away from your own

children; and I am sure, if I had been you, I should have tried long ago

to do something or other about it.”

Jane and Elizabeth attempted to explain to her the nature of an entail.

They had often attempted it before: but it was a subject on which Mrs.

Bennet was beyond the reach of reason; and she continued to rail

bitterly against the cruelty of settling an estate away from a family of

five daughters, in favour of a man whom nobody cared anything about.

“It certainly is a most iniquitous affair,” said Mr. Bennet; “and

nothing can clear Mr. Collins from the guilt of inheriting Longbourn.

But if you will listen to his letter, you may, perhaps, be a little

softened by his manner of expressing himself.”

“No, that I am sure I shall not: and I think it was very impertinent of

him to write to you at all, and very hypocritical. I hate such false

friends. Why could not he keep on quarrelling with you, as his father

did before him?”

“Why, indeed, he does seem to have had some filial scruples on that

head, as you will hear.”

/* RIGHT “Hunsford, near Westerham, Kent, _15th October_. */

“Dear Sir,

“The disagreement subsisting between yourself and my late honoured

father always gave me much uneasiness; and, since I have had the

misfortune to lose him, I have frequently wished to heal the

breach: but, for some time, I was kept back by my own doubts,

fearing lest it might seem disrespectful to his memory for me to be

on good terms with anyone with whom it had always pleased him to be

at variance.”--‘There, Mrs. Bennet.’--“My mind, however, is now

made up on the subject; for, having received ordination at Easter,

I have been so fortunate as to be distinguished by the patronage of

the Right Honourable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, widow of Sir Lewis

de Bourgh, whose bounty and beneficence has preferred me to the

valuable rectory of this parish, where it shall be my earnest

endeavour to demean myself with grateful respect towards her

Ladyship, and be ever ready to perform those rites and ceremonies

which are instituted by the Church of England. As a clergyman,

moreover, I feel it my duty to promote and establish the blessing

of peace in all families within the reach of my influence; and on

these grounds I flatter myself that my present overtures of

good-will are highly commendable, and that the circumstance of my

being next in the entail of Longbourn estate will be kindly

overlooked on your side, and not lead you to reject the offered

olive branch. I cannot be otherwise than concerned at being the

means of injuring your amiable daughters, and beg leave to

apologize for it, as well as to assure you of my readiness to make

them every possible amends; but of this hereafter. If you should

have no objection to receive me into your house, I propose myself

the satisfaction of waiting on you and your family, Monday,

November 18th, by four o’clock, and shall probably trespass on your

hospitality till the Saturday se’nnight following, which I can do

without any inconvenience, as Lady Catherine is far from objecting

to my occasional absence on a Sunday, provided that some other

clergyman is engaged to do the duty of the day. I remain, dear sir,

with respectful compliments to your lady and daughters, your

well-wisher and friend,

“WILLIAM COLLINS.”

“At four o’clock, therefore, we may expect this peace-making gentleman,”

said Mr. Bennet, as he folded up the letter. “He seems to be a most

conscientious and polite young man, upon my word; and, I doubt not, will

prove a valuable acquaintance, especially if Lady Catherine should be so

indulgent as to let him come to us again.”

“There is some sense in what he says about the girls, however; and, if

he is disposed to make them any amends, I shall not be the person to

discourage him.”

“Though it is difficult,” said Jane, “to guess in what way he can mean

to make us the atonement he thinks our due, the wish is certainly to his

credit.”

Elizabeth was chiefly struck with his extraordinary deference for Lady

Catherine, and his kind intention of christening, marrying, and burying

his parishioners whenever it were required.

“He must be an oddity, I think,” said she. “I cannot make him out. There

is something very pompous in his style. And what can he mean by

apologizing for being next in the entail? We cannot suppose he would

help it, if he could. Can he be a sensible man, sir?”

“No, my dear; I think not. I have great hopes of finding him quite the

reverse. There is a mixture of servility and self-importance in his

letter which promises well. I am impatient to see him.”

“In point of composition,” said Mary, “his letter does not seem

defective. The idea of the olive branch perhaps is not wholly new, yet I

think it is well expressed.”

To Catherine and Lydia neither the letter nor its writer were in any

degree interesting. It was next to impossible that their cousin should

come in a scarlet coat, and it was now some weeks since they had

received pleasure from the society of a man in any other colour. As for

their mother, Mr. Collins’s letter had done away much of her ill-will,

and she was preparing to see him with a degree of composure which

astonished her husband and daughters.

Mr. Collins was punctual to his time, and was received with great

politeness by the whole family. Mr. Bennet indeed said little; but the

ladies were ready enough to talk, and Mr. Collins seemed neither in need

of encouragement, nor inclined to be silent himself. He was a tall,

heavy-looking young man of five-and-twenty. His air was grave and

stately, and his manners were very formal. He had not been long seated

before he complimented Mrs. Bennet on having so fine a family of

daughters, said he had heard much of their beauty, but that, in this

instance, fame had fallen short of the truth; and added, that he did not

doubt her seeing them all in due time well disposed of in marriage. This

gallantry was not much to the taste of some of his hearers; but Mrs.

Bennet, who quarrelled with no compliments, answered most readily,--

“You are very kind, sir, I am sure; and I wish with all my heart it may

prove so; for else they will be destitute enough. Things are settled so

oddly.”

“You allude, perhaps, to the entail of this estate.”

“Ah, sir, I do indeed. It is a grievous affair to my poor girls, you

must confess. Not that I mean to find fault with _you_, for such things,

I know, are all chance in this world. There is no knowing how estates

will go when once they come to be entailed.”

“I am very sensible, madam, of the hardship to my fair cousins, and

could say much on the subject, but that I am cautious of appearing

forward and precipitate. But I can assure the young ladies that I come

prepared to admire them. At present I will not say more, but, perhaps,

when we are better acquainted----”

He was interrupted by a summons to dinner; and the girls smiled on each

other. They were not the only objects of Mr. Collins’s admiration. The

hall, the dining-room, and all its furniture, were examined and praised;

and his commendation of everything would have touched Mrs. Bennet’s

heart, but for the mortifying supposition of his viewing it all as his

own future property. The dinner, too, in its turn, was highly admired;

and he begged to know to which of his fair cousins the excellence of its

cookery was owing. But here he was set right by Mrs. Bennet, who assured

him, with some asperity, that they were very well able to keep a good

cook, and that her daughters had nothing to do in the kitchen. He begged

pardon for having displeased her. In a softened tone she declared

herself not at all offended; but he continued to apologize for about a

quarter of an hour.

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