Volume I, Chapter XIII

CHAPTER XIII

'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 Charles Lucas should happen to call in, and I hope my dinners are good enough for him. I do not believe he often sees such at home.'

'The person of whom I speak, is a lady and a stranger.' Mrs. Bennet's eyes sparkled.—'A lady and a stranger! It is Miss Bingley, I am sure! Why Jane—you never dropt a word of this; you sly thing! Well, I am sure I shall be extremely glad to see Miss 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 Miss 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 children 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, Miss Collins, whose brother, 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. He is as unfeeling as ever was his father. 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 Edward tried to explain to her the nature of an entail. They had often attempted to do 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 four 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 sister's letter, you may perhaps be a little softened by her manner of expressing herself.'

'No, that I am sure I shall not; and I think it is very impertinent of her to write to you at all, and very hypocritical. I hate such false friends. Why could she not keep on quarreling with you, as her brother has done before her?'

'Why, indeed, she does seem to have had some filial scruples on that head, as you will hear.'


Hunsford, near Westerham, Kent,
15th October.

Dear Sir,

The disagreement subsisting between yourself and my late honoured father—and since we have had the misfortune of losing him, my brother—, has always given me much uneasiness, and 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 him for me to be on good terms with any one, with whom it 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, William has 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 him to the valuable rectory of this parish, where it is his earnest endeavour to demean himself with grateful respect towards her Ladyship, and be ever ready to perform those rites and ceremonies which are instituted by the Church of England;—through which I find myself in the enviable position, of being favoured as the particular friend of her ladyship's daughter, Miss Anne de Bourgh. Blessed by the condescension of such a distinguished family, 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 are highly commendable, and that the circumstance of my brother 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 his being the means of injuring your amiable daughters, and beg leave to apologise 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'ennight following, which I can do without any inconvenience, as Lady Catherine is far from objecting to my occasional absence.—I remain, dear sir, with respectful compliments to your family, your well-wisher and friend,

Augusta Collins


'At four o'clock, therefore, we may expect this peace-making lady,' said Mr. Bennet, as he folded up the letter. 'She seems to be a most conscientious and polite young woman, upon my word; and I doubt not will prove a valuable acquaintance, especially if Lady Catherine should be so indulgent as to let her come to us again.'

'There is some sense in what she says about the girls however,' said Mrs. Bennet, 'and if she is disposed to make them any amends, I shall not be the person to discourage her.'

'Though it is difficult,' said Jane, 'to guess in what way she can mean to make us the atonement she thinks our due, when it is her brother's to make, the wish is certainly to her credit.'

Edward was chiefly struck by the extraordinary deference shown by Miss Collins for Lady Catherine.

'She must be an oddity, I think,' said he. 'I cannot make her out.—There is something very pompous in her stile.—And what can she mean by apologizing for her brother being next in the entail?—We cannot suppose he would help it, if he could, however implacable he may be on the subject.—Could she be a sensible woman, sir?'

'No, Edward; I think not. I have great hopes of finding her quite the reverse. There is a mixture of servility and self-importance in her letter, which promises well. I am impatient to see her.'

'In point of composition,' said Mary, 'the 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 impossible that their cousin should come in scarlet, and it was now some weeks since they had received pleasure from the society of any body in any other colour. As for their mother, Miss Collins's letter had done away much of her ill-will, and she was preparing to see her with a degree of composure, which astonished her husband and daughters.

Miss Collins was punctual to her time, and was received with great politeness by the whole family. Mr. Bennet indeed said little; but the others were ready enough to talk, and Miss Collins seemed neither in need of encouragement, nor inclined to be silent herself. She was a short, plump young woman of five and twenty. Her air was grave and stately, and her manners were very formal. She had not been long seated before she complimented Mrs. Bennet on having so fine a family, said she had heard much of their pleasing qualities, but that, in this instance, fame had fallen short of the truth; and added, that she did not doubt Mrs. Bennet's seeing them all in due time disposed of in marriage. This courtesy was not much to the taste of some of her hearers, and Edward at least fancied he understood its meaning; but Mrs. Bennet, who quarrelled with no compliments, answered most readily,

'You are very kind, 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! 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 all of my cousins,—and could say much on the subject, but that I am cautious of appearing forward and precipitate. But I can assure you that I come prepared to admire you all. At present I will not say more;' said she, with a glance at Edward—'but perhaps when we are better acquainted—'

She was interrupted by a summons to dinner; and the girls smiled on each other. They were not the only objects of Miss Collins's admiration. The hall, the dining-room, and all its furniture were examined and praised; and her commendation of every thing would have touched Mrs. Bennet's heart, but for the mortifying supposition of her viewing it all as her brother's future property. The dinner too in its turn was highly admired; and she begged to know to which of her cousins, the excellency of its cooking was owing. But here she was set right by Mrs. Bennet, who assured her 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. Miss Collins begged pardon for having displeased her. In a softened tone Mrs. Bennet declared herself not at all offended; but her guest continued to apologise for about a quarter of an hour.