Pride and Prejudice; Sense and Sensibility

Chapter 24 Fated to Miss Lucas

On this day, the whole family of Bennett was invited to dinner at Lucas's house, and thanks to the kindness of Miss Lucas, they talked with Mr. Collins all day long.Elizabeth took the opportunity to thank her.She said, "It puts him at ease mentally, and I can't thank you enough."

Charlotte said that she was very happy to be able to serve her friend. Although it took a little time, she got a lot of relief.

This is so good!However, Charlotte's kindness was far beyond Elizabeth's expectations.It turned out that Charlotte was deliberately trying to tease Mr. Collins to talk to herself, lest he go to court Elizabeth again.Her plan seemed to be going very well.When they parted in the evening, Charlotte felt almost sure that things would work out if Mr. Collins were not leaving Hertfordshire so soon, but she was too ignorant of his nature to think so. In full swing, domineering character.

Early the next morning, Collins, in a rather cunning way, slipped out of Longburn, and rushed to Lou's to court Charlotte.He was afraid that his cousins ​​would run into him. He thought that if they saw him go away, they would be sure to guess what he was planning, and he didn't want to let everyone know that the matter was not sure of success.Although he saw Charlotte's affection for him at that time, he felt that the matter could be successfully done, but since Wednesday's adventure, after all, he dared not be too reckless.Fortunately, they received him very warmly.Miss Lucas saw him from an upstairs window approaching her house, and hastened to meet him in the lane, again pretending to have met him by chance.She never expected that Collins would bring her indescribable tenderness this time.

In a short period of time, Mr. Collins had a lot of talking, and everything was settled between the two, and to the mutual satisfaction.As soon as he entered the house, he earnestly begged her to choose an auspicious date, which would make him the happiest person in the world. Although such a request should be ignored for the time being, the lady did not want to trifle with his happiness.He was born with a stupid look, and it was difficult to impress a woman's heart when he wooed, and he always hit a wall when he wooed.The reason why Miss Lucas was willing to agree to him was entirely out of property, and she didn't care when and when the property would be obtained.

They both went at once to ask Sir William and Mrs. William's permission, which the old couple gladly granted.They had no dowry for their daughter, and Mr. Collins's present situation made him a perfect son-in-law, who was sure to make a fortune in the future.Mrs. Lucas immediately began to wonder, with unprecedented interest, how many years Mr. Bennet had left to live.Sir William was convinced that Mr. Collins and his wife would have a good chance of seeing the Emperor once they were in possession of the Longburn property.All in all, it was a great event for the whole family.

The younger daughters were full of hope, thinking that in this way they could go out to socialize a year or two earlier, and the boys would no longer worry that Charlotte would be an old maid.

Only Charlotte herself was quite composed.She has initially succeeded now, and she still needs to spend some time to think about it carefully.She thought about it and was generally satisfied.Mr. Collins, unreasonable and unlovable, was a nuisance to be with, and his love for her must be unreal, but she wanted him to be her husband.Although her expectations for marriage and married life are not very high, in the final analysis, marriage is her consistent goal. Most educated young women from poor families always regard marriage as the only decent way out.Although marriage does not necessarily make people happy, she finally arranged the most reliable "storage room" for herself, which can ensure that she will not starve or suffer from cold in the future.She now has such a "storage room".

She is 27 years old, and she is not beautiful. This "storage room" makes her feel infinitely lucky.Only one thing was unpleasant--Elizabeth Bennet must have been astonished at the match, and she had always valued Elizabeth's friendship above anyone's.Elizabeth must have been surprised, and perhaps blamed her.Although she said that once she made up her mind, she would not waver, but if people criticized her, she would definitely feel very uncomfortable.She resolved, therefore, to tell her the matter herself, and bade Mr. Collins not reveal a word to any of the Bennets when he returned to Longburn to dine.Of course the other party obeyed and promised to keep a secret. In fact, it is very difficult to keep a secret, because he has been out for too long, and it will definitely arouse people's curiosity.As soon as he went back, everyone immediately asked him about his problems, and he had to hide it patiently, and finally restrained himself. In fact, he was eager to publicize this matter proudly.

He will leave early tomorrow morning, and there is no time to say goodbye to everyone, so when the ladies and ladies go to bed that night, everyone will say goodbye to each other.Mrs. Bennet said, with the utmost sincerity and politeness, that they would be very glad if he came to Longbourne again at some time, and visited them.

He replied: "Dear madam, I am very grateful for the invitation, and I am also hoping to accept this kindness. Please rest assured, I will come to see you as soon as I am free."

Everyone was taken aback, especially Mr. Bennet, who didn't expect him to come back at all, so he hurriedly said, "Nephew, aren't you afraid that Lady Catherine will disapprove? You'd better take your relationship lightly, so as not to worry about it." Such a big risk, offending your female benefactor."

Mr. Collins replied: "My dear sir, I am very grateful to you for reminding me so kindly. Please rest assured that I will never take the liberty to engage in such an important matter without her old man's consent."

"It's only good to be careful. It doesn't matter anything, but don't make her old lady unhappy. If you want to come to us and she is unhappy (which I think is very likely), then please Be quiet and stay at home. Don't worry, we will never be offended by it."

"Believe me, dear sir, I cannot thank you enough for your kind attention. Don't worry, you will receive a letter of thanks from me shortly. Thank you for that, for my time at Hutt. Fordshire has been well taken care of by you. As for my cousins, although I will not be away for many days, please forgive me for taking the time to wish them health and happiness, and Cousin Elizabeth is no exception."

Ladies and gentlemen bid farewell to the room very respectfully.Everyone was surprised, however, to learn that he intended to return so soon.Mrs. Bennet was fully expecting that he intended to propose to one of her youngest daughters, and might be able to persuade Mary to agree to him.Mary valued his abilities more than any of the other sisters.His steadfast thinking made her fall in love with her. Although he is not as smart as her, as long as there is someone like her as an example to encourage him to study and make progress, then he will definitely become a satisfactory partner.Unfortunately, by the next morning, this hope was completely shattered.

Miss Lucas called upon her soon after breakfast, and related to Elizabeth privately the events of the preceding day.

It had occurred to Elizabeth for a day or two that Mr. Collins might be wishful thinking that he was in love with her friend, but that Charlotte would have encouraged him as improbably as she herself had encouraged him. and so she was so astonished at hearing it now, that she forgot all manners, and exclaimed: "Engaged to Mr. Collins! My dear Charlotte, how come!"

When Miss Lucas heard the outspoken reproach, her calm face turned into panic. Fortunately, this was what she expected, so she quickly recovered and said calmly, "Why are you doing this?" Surprise, dear Elizabeth? Mr. Collins has the misfortune of not being appreciated by you, and is he not allowed to be appreciated by other women?"

Elizabeth had collected herself by this time, and tried her best to control herself, and in a quite sure tone, she wished the two of them a happy marriage and endless happiness in the future.

Charlotte replied: "I understand what you mean. You must be surprised, and very surprised, because not long ago, Mr. Collins was still thinking of marrying you. But as long as you calm down and think about the matter carefully." Think about it, and you'll agree with me. You know I'm not a romantic, I'm by no means. I just want a comfortable home. On Mr. Collins' character, social relations, and status , I feel that the happiness that can be obtained by marrying him is not inferior to the kind of happiness that most people boast about when they get married."

Elizabeth replied calmly, "No problem."

The two of them stayed awkwardly together for a while, then sat down with the family.Charlotte went away not long after.Elizabeth thought about what she had just heard. Such an inappropriate marriage made her feel uncomfortable for a long time.Speaking of Mr. Collins proposing twice in three days, it was already strange enough, but it is indeed rare that someone would agree to him now.She had always felt that Charlotte's views on marriage were very different from hers, but it never occurred to her that when the situation came to her, she would yield to worldly interests in complete disregard of noble sentiments.It would be the most shameful thing in the world for Charlotte to be Collins' wife!Not only did she feel sorry for such a friend who had humiliated and demeaned herself, but she also decided with great pain that the lot that her friend had cast would not bring much happiness to herself.

(End of this chapter)