Chapter 16 Chapter fifteen

Mr. Collins is not a reasonable man, and although he has been educated and entered the society, his congenital defects are hardly compensated.He spent most of his days under the tutelage of his miser's illiterate father.He also counted as a college student, but in fact he only stayed for a few semesters as usual, and he didn't make a useful friend.His father controlled him very strictly, so he was very humble, but he was an idiot, and now he lived a leisurely life, so of course he couldn't help being conceited, not to mention he made a windfall at a young age Self-esteem is very high, how can we talk about humility.At that time there was a vacancy in Hansford Parish, and he was lucky enough to get Caitlin.De.The promotion of Mrs. Power.Seeing the high status of his patroness, he adores and respects him; on the other hand, he thinks he is a priest, and he has such rights, so he has a combination of pride and humility. Submissive dual character.

He now has a nice house, a decent income, and wants to get married.The reason why he wanted to make peace with the Longborn family was because he wanted to find a wife in their house.If the young ladies of the family were as beautiful and lovely as they were said to be, he must choose one.This is what he called the plan of compensation, the plan of redemption, so that they can have a clear conscience when they inherit their father's inheritance in the future.He thought it was an ingenious way of doing it, with the utmost propriety and generosity. After he saw these ladies, he didn't change his original plan.The sight of Jane's lovely face fixed his mind, and confirmed his old-fashioned notion that all things ought to go first with marrying the oldest lady.He had chosen her the first night.But he changed his mind the next morning, for after talking intimately for a quarter of an hour with Mrs. Bennet, beginning with his own vicarage, he confessed his wish spontaneously, saying It was to find a lady at Longbourn, and one among her daughters-in-law.Mrs. Bennet smiled kindly, and encouraged him, but she could not help drawing his attention to his choice of Jane.When it comes to my younger daughters, I have no opinion, and of course I can't say yes to them, but I haven't heard that they have any partners; as for my eldest daughter, I have to mention that I feel it is my duty to remind you of the eldest daughter. May be engaged soon.

Mr. Collins was obliged to disregard Jane, and choose Elizabeth, and made his choice at the very moment Mrs. Bennet poked the fire.Elizabeth is only one step behind Jane in terms of age and beauty, and of course it will be her turn to be the second. Mrs. Bennet took this hint as a treasure, and she believed that two daughters would soon be married; a man whom she had been reluctant to mention yesterday now commanded her utmost importance. Lydia had talked of going to Meryton, and the idea was still in her mind.The sisters, except Mary, were willing to go with her; and Mr. Bennet, wishing to drive Mr. Collins away, so that he might spend some time in his study, begged him to go with them.It turned out that after breakfast, Mr. Collins followed him to the study, and stayed there until then, not wanting to leave. He was nominally looking at the large folio in his collection, but in fact he was talking endlessly with Mr. Bennet. Disturbed Mr. Bennet by talking about his own Hunsford house and gardens.He usually stays in the study just to try to be leisurely and clean.He had told Elizabeth that he would accept foolish and conceited fellows in any room, but the study would not allow such persons.He therefore at once respectfully begged Mr. Collins to accompany his daughters for a walk, and Mr. Collins, who was fit to be a walker rather than a reader, closed his book very gladly and went away.

He talked nonsense all the way, and his cousins ​​had to politely agree with him, so he passed the time and came to Meryton.As soon as the younger cousins ​​got there, they stopped paying attention to him.Immediately their eyes turned to the street to see if any officers were passing by, and they were attracted only by the most beautiful bonnets in the shop windows, or the latest flowered cloths. After a while, all these young ladies noticed a young man.The man they had never seen before, a real gentleman, was walking with an officer on the other side of the street.This officer was Mr. Denny, and Lydia was about to inquire whether he had returned from London.He bowed as they passed there.Everyone was taken aback when they saw the handsome stranger, but they didn't know who he was.Kitty and Lydia decided to try to find out, and led the way across the street on the pretext of going to the opposite shop to do some shopping.

It just so happened that they had just stepped onto the sidewalk when the two men turned around and walked there.Danny greeted them at once, and begged them to let him introduce his friend Mr. Wickham to them.He said that Wickham had returned from the city with him the day before, and was very pleased to say that Wickham had been appointed officer in their regiment.It couldn't have been better, because Wickham, a young man, would be perfect in his uniform.His looks and manners were indeed pleasing.There is no part of him that is not beautiful, with handsome features, a burly figure, and a very moving conversation.Once introduced, he was cheerful and earnestly conversing earnestly, with great dignity, and with measure.

While they were standing there talking happily, they heard the sound of horses' hooves, and Darcy and Bingley rode down the street.The two new gentlemen, seeing the ladies in the company, hurried up to them, and exchanged the usual greetings, with Bingley speaking first, and most of his words addressed to Miss Bennet. of.He said he was on his way to Longbourn to visit her.Darcy proved that he was not lying, and bowed at the same time.Darcy was just about to take his eyes off Elizabeth when he caught sight of the stranger.The two of them looked at each other in shock, and Elizabeth was very surprised to see this encounter.The faces of the two changed, one was pale, the other flushed. After a while, Mr. Wickham pressed his hat, and Mr. Darcy reluctantly returned the salute.What does it mean?It is impossible to imagine, and it is impossible not to want to inquire about it.After a while, Mr. Bingley bade them good-bye in a nonchalant way, and rode away with his friend.

Mr. Denny and Mr. Wickham accompanied the young ladies to the door of Philip's house, and Miss Lydia insisted on their entry, and even Mrs. Philip opened the window, and loudly helped her to invite, They bowed and left. Mrs. Philips was always fond of seeing her nieces, and the elder two, who were not seeing each other so often, were especially welcome.she said earnestly.She was very surprised at the sudden return of the sisters, had it not happened by chance to meet in the street the boy who ran into Dr. Jones' drugstore and told her that the two Bennet ladies had returned home. at home, as no carriage was sent to fetch them, and while they were thus chatting, Jane introduced Mr. Collins to her, and she was obliged to exchange some pleasantries with him, and she welcomed him with the utmost civility, and he He also treated her more politely and apologized to her, saying that being a stranger, he should not have come to her house so rashly, and that he was very happy after all, because the young ladies who introduced him were still somewhat different from him. Relatives, so his taking the liberty to come here is barely justified.Mrs. Philips was flattered by this extravagant courtesy.

However, when she was carefully measuring this stranger, the two sisters made a fuss about another stranger and asked her questions, so she had to answer them again, but she could tell her niece. What the children heard was nothing more than some situations that they already knew.She said that the stranger had just been brought from London by Mr. Denny, and that he was going to take up a lieutenant's duties in the county of such and such, and that she had looked at him as he was walking up and down the street. for a whole hour.If Mr. Wickham passed by at this time, Kitty and Lydia must have continued to look at him; but unfortunately no one passed the window at all, except a few officers, and these officers were like Mr. Wickham. In comparison, they have become some stupid and annoying guys.

Some of the officers are going to dine at Philip's to-morrow.The aunt said that if the family could come from Longbourne to-morrow evening, she would send her husband to call on Mr. Wickham, and invite him to come also.They were all assented; and Mrs. Philips said they would have a lively and amusing lottery game to-morrow, to be followed by supper.The thought of tomorrow's merry-go-round was so exciting, that it was a joyous parting for all.Mr. Collins came out and thanked him again and again, and his host politely asked him not to be too polite. All the way home Elizabeth related to Jane the scene which she had just witnessed between the two gentlemen.If there had been any feud between them, Jane would have defended either of them, or both, though she was as utterly ignorant of the matter as her sister.

When Mr. Collins returned, he lavished compliments on Mrs. Philip's hospitality, to Mrs. Bennet's satisfaction.Collins said that he had never seen a finer woman in his life than Mrs. Catelyn and her daughter, for though he was a stranger to her she was so polite to him that she even asked him to dine with her on the morrow.This, he thought, was in some measure due to his kinship with them.But it was the first time in his life that he had encountered such hospitality.