"Well as you know,our Janeis the loveliest of us all, and she does not hide under grey gowns. Do you believe she is vain or wicked because she knows she looks well in blue, and wears it often?"
"Of course not! Jane, I would never think that!" cried Mary. "I did not consider it that way."
"Of course you did not, Mary," soothed Elizabeth. "So you see, if Jane can be lovely, and not wicked or vain, then you can be also. We shall be visiting your room very early tomorrow morning. I predict that Mr Collins will return from our walk into Meryton quite ready to know you once his path has been illuminated for him. Then it will be up to you, and we shall help you any way we can," Elizabeth promised.
CHAPTER 7
The next morning all five Bennet girls could be heard giggling in Mary's bedroom. An hour later, Mrs Bennet's jaw dropped and Mr Bennet nearly choked on his tea as their girls sailed into the breakfast room with a glowing, yet still simply attired Mary Bennet, who was completely transformed in Elizabeth’s favourite pink gown, with the addition of a modest fichu, and with her hair in a soft yet elegant twist accomplished by Jane. Kitty had assisted nobly byaccidentallydropping Mary's silly, useless spectacles, and breaking them under her foot while assisting with Mary's hair.
Mr Collins continued his attentions toward Elizabeth throughout breakfast, but Elizabeth continually referred his attention back to Mary, who engaged him quite agreeably about scripture. Towards the end of the meal, Elizabeth invited Mr Collins to escort his cousins into Meryton. When his acceptance was assured, Mary announced that she would remain home to practise the instrument for, "No excellence can be achieved without constant practice!"
"My dear cousin, that is just what my esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh always says!" exclaimed Mr Collins. Mrs Bennet, not having caught on to the plan, scolded Mary forher silliness, and shooed the other girls and Mr Collins out the door.
Elizabeth took her cousin's arm companionably as they began their walk. "How clever you are to fall in with me so quickly, Mr Collins, for I am the Bennet sister who can assist you most in achieving your goal, and I am feeling distinctly chatty this morning," Elizabeth said mischievously as they followed Jane, Kitty, and Lydia down the lane toward Meryton.
"My goal?" asked Mr Collins in awe at her sudden familiarity.
"Your goal to secure a mistress for your lovely parsonage of course! You said yourself that your most esteemed patroness desires you to wed, and indeed is it not a truth universally acknowledged that a young man with a comfortable situation and such excellent prospects as yours, must be in want of a wife?" returned Elizabeth.
"Oh, well yes indeed, of course," said Mr Collins.
"Of course, and for you to have such luck as to have already gained the good opinion of such an excellent lady! You will be very successful as a gentleman when you return one day to take over Longbourn, for your lady is well liked and respected in Hertfordshire, and will guide you well when the time comes. What a fortunate circumstance! Your good fortune is to be wondered at, sir!"
Mr Collins stared at her with awe, and a small amount of apprehension. "It is?"
"I am certain my sister Mary's delicate reaction to your introduction yesterday was too marked to be mistaken," Elizabeth said wistfully, dreamy eyed. "The moment I observed her when you entered the house, I knew then that Mary had singled you out as the companion of her future life.
"And how could she not, when you are quite Mary's ideal partner in every way? Mary has always been the most devout of us, and the most hopeful of joining a kind and hardworkinghusband to share in the service of a good parish. She studies so diligently at Fordyce! I know she feels keenly the absence of someone to guide her in the understanding of those teachings that we – the unordained – are ill equipped to mentor her in. How happy will Mary be in such a situation!" Elizabeth went on merrily. "I confess, I am overjoyed for my sister," she said, wiping away an imaginary tear.
Mr Collins seemed to be at a loss for words for the first time since arriving at Longbourn. "Miss Mary did seem quite attentive as I read from Fordyce last night, and asked for my explanation of several important points. And I very much enjoyed my discourse about the Golden Rule with her this morning at breakfast."
"May I share a confidence with you?" Elizabeth said quietly, looking about as if she could be overheard out on the lane. "Mary is quite a beautiful girl. Her beauty is rather the opposite of Jane's. If Jane is tall and blonde like the Princess Cinderella in the fairy stories, then Mary is the petite, ivory skinned, raven haired beauty, like Snow White. But our mother calls Jane's charms to attention so much that Mary, who is shy, modest, and eschews vanity, hides her light under grey gowns and a severe hairstyle, so as not to attract Mama's attention and cause her embarrassment."
"It is to her credit that she turns away from vanity. We must all be vigilant not to allow vanity to overcome us, but such a young lady should not hide her virtues. She appeared much less severe this morning," said Mr Collins thoughtfully.
"I have always hoped that if one day a gentleman showed her some respectful and genuine attention, she might blossom. So we sisters ambushed her this morning, and insisted she try something new; I believe the effect was quite worthwhile. If you chose to court her, you will have the support of all her sisters,sir," Elizabeth replied. "And indeed, how can you fail, when you have me to tell you her favourite flowers, and help you along?"
"Why would you help me marry your sister? Many women would have sought to claim their father's heir over her younger sister," Mr Collins asked.
"Oh, I could never accept a gentleman one of my sisters had hopes for. I would rather push for Mary's happiness than mine. Besides, Mr Collins, as you can imagine, there is one element that is sadly lacking at Longbourn, and that is brothers. Not because of the entail, but because we all of us would have valued the kindness and protection of a good brother, and my parents would have felt the same. But it has occurred to me that with four sisters, if all of us marry, I shall one day have four brothers! But I believe you shall be my favourite, for you will have been my very first brother. That is, if you propose and marry faster than Jane and her suitor. I would never suit as a parson's wife; I am too opinionated. Your Lady Catherine would quite despair of my obstinate, headstrong ways, I am sure. Her ladyship would be offended indeed when I removed all the shelves from the closets! How else should I hang my gowns! I cannot bear to be managed, I must have my own way in most things. But Iwillsupport my sisters and family as best I can. And certainly you will benefit as well, for you have never had sisters, and if you marry Mary, you shall have four of us!"
"Cousin Elizabeth, you are too good! A more kind and generous cousin and sister never lived! Please, tell me everything about Miss Mary. What is my fair cousin's favourite flower? Does it grow in the gardens at Longbourn?" Mr Collins began peppering Elizabeth with questions as they entered the haberdashery.
Elizabeth spent the rest of the outing telling Mr Collins everything there was to know about her next younger sister, and by the time the party returned to Longbourn, Mr Collinswas head over heels in love with Mary. The idea that a lady actually was interested inhimwas nearly more than the man’s excitement could bear. He had arrived thinking that he would be lucky if one of his cousins would consent to have him in order to save their home for their family, and somehow, one of them actuallyliked him.
As they entered the house, Mr Collins went immediately to the music room, and said, "Cousin Mary, I have recently been studying a new book of sermons, and it has several points I would be vastly interested to hear your thoughts on. If I were to fetch it from my trunk, would you like to sit in the garden and discuss it with me?"
Mary blushed happily, and agreed; Kitty offered to accompany them, for she wanted to sketch a section of the garden that had recently been redesigned.
"Mr Collins! I was quite set on taking tea with you in the parlour. Lizzy and I arevastlyinterested to hear about the renovations Lady Catherine made to your charming parsonage," cried Mrs Bennet, attempting to stop the procession, and throw Mr Collins together again with Elizabeth.
"My dear Mrs Bennet, I shall be very happy to join you for tea, just as soon as Miss Mary and I return from the garden," Mr Collins promised as Elizabeth caught her mother's eye and shook her head imperceptibly.
Mrs Bennet waited as Mr Collins left the room with Mary and Kitty, and then rounded on Elizabeth. "What do you think you are up to, young lady? You are up to something, and I will not have it! Mr Collins is interested in you, and you will not discourage him, Lizzy!"
"Mr Collins is no more interested in me than I am him, and there is no reason to push me at him when he and Marylike each other,Mama," Elizabeth responded.
"He- they…"
