Elizabeth and Jane returned home to Longbourn to find the house in a flutter, and Mrs. Bennet’s nerves nearly destroyed.
Mr. Bennet’s cousin, a clergyman by the name of Mr. Collins, was to visit, and he would arrive in time for dinner.
This was the substance of the joke which Mr. Bennet had subjected his fair wife to. He had waited to tell her about this most significant guest until the morning that he would come. Elizabeth rather suspected that a part of his delay was not only for the fun of springing this upon his wife, but to avoid having her in this extreme flutter of agitation for more than half a day.
Mr. Bennet was in a high mood, and as soon as Elizabeth stepped through the door, he smiled to her and told her that he had missed her very much, and he was glad to see her returned. He spoke likewise to Jane.
The letter from Mr. Collins was immediately shown to them. Elizabeth could not help but perceive a great deal of the ridiculous in it.
Elizabeth noticed that Mrs. Bennet treated her with a sort of suspicious distaste for much of the day, and that she was more eager than usual to find Elizabeth tasks that she might be made to do, and thus Elizabeth found herself helping to air out the guest bedroom, and set in place all of the sheets and blankets while the maid whose task it usually would have been was slaving in the kitchen under the irate guidance of the chef, who had been deeply annoyed by the way that Mrs. Bennet had demanded they entirely change the plan of dinner.
Several times Mrs. Bennet moaned and regretted how the house did not keep so many servants as it should. Mr. Bennet laughingly made a comment about the dearness of wages in reply.
Elizabeth now openly wore her locket again, since Mr. Bennet was present to be immediately appealed to if necessary. But of course, Mrs. Bennet did not make any such appeal.
When she was not employed preparing the house, Elizabeth sat in the library with Mr. Bennet, writing in her journal or playing chess.
“And how did you find the Netherfield library?” Mr. Bennet asked Elizabeht as they went at it.
“Quite empty,” was the reply.
“Ah, Sir Clement must have taken everything with him when he left,” Mr. Bennet replied. “It was not a bad collection.”
“There were a couple of agricultural books left behind. I browsed them a little after I finishedThe Iliad.”
“Mrs. Bennet thought that you did not toss Jane at Bingley with sufficient vigor,” Mr. Bennet said with a smile. “And for thatIwillthankyoufor the maintenance of propriety.”
“She should be satisfied that matters are as promising as one could hope,” Elizabeth said, “For the last days of the visit he would sit with her in the evening for hours.”
“Mrs. Bennet will only be happy upon this matter,” Mr. Bennet replied, “when she is informed that actual proposals have been ventured and accepted.”
Promptly at four ‘o clock their guest arrived.
Immediately it was clear that Mr. Collins was there to admire and be admired.
Upon his introduction to Elizabeth as the ward of Mr. Bennet and a distant cousin, she was treated to a lengthy speech upon the importance of gratitude, of ceaseless industry, and demeaning oneself properly before those that the Almighty has placed in positions above them.
“Do you pursue every task given to you as though it was placed before you by the Lord? I always say in my sermons that those who are placed below, they are meant by the Lord to glory in their labors and in their situations of dependence and inferiority, for that is the path to virtue.”
“I always do what is needed of me,” Elizabeth replied.
“She does not require such a lecture,” Mr. Bennet said. “Elizabeth is a perfectly capable girl, not so silly as most.”
“I am glad to hear that,” Mr. Collins said. “Yet, even for those who have absorbed those most important lessons very well, it can never go amiss to have them be reminded of their place and their duties.”
“Lizzy is a very biddable girl.” This was Mrs. Bennet’s opinion. “But I cannot agree that she is always active and industrious. The girl walks about too much, and she reads too much. She often sits about with a novel or just stares out the window. She seldom works at the pieces in the poor box.Iencourage her to show greater energy, but Mr. Bennet always lets Lizzy do as she will. He dotes upon the child.”
“Novels!” Mr. Collins exclaimed. “I do not approve of such things. They are quite likely to lead the mind of the young woman astray. Mr. Bennet, especially with a girl who has no portion, I would urge you to make sure that she does not sow her seeds amongst the weeds.”
“I shall seek to be more diligent,” Elizabeth said. “One can always become more diligent with profit.”
“My Elizabeth is precisely who she ought to be. I would not change her in any way,” Mr. Bennet replied, appearing less amused by Mr. Collins than Elizabeth believed that he had expected himself to be. “No more on this subject. But Mr. Collins, you must tell us about your patroness. I understand that you have been most fortunate in gaining her regard.”
Mr. Bennet’s fierce approval had left Elizabeth with a warm glow, and thus she had in her mind more than enough space to have sympathy for Mr. Collins as well.
He made frequent long speeches about the virtues of his patroness. They combined the deepest respect with an intense need to constantly express himself as humbler than Lady Catherine. While Mr. Bennet found these speeches quite entertaining, Elizabeth felt an odd sort of sympathy with him.
They both were persons who had their positions due to the kindness of those of greater consequence than them. They were both subject to the demands of a strongly willed woman who was in a position to command them. Further they both had the deep sense that theyoughtto not onlybegrateful to the ones that had placed them in their present happy position, but to always express to others that gratitude.
