should have advised her most strenuously to engage one. I always say that nothing is to be done
in education without steady and regular instruction, and nobody but a governess can give it. It is
wonderful how many families I have been the means of supplying in that way. I am always glad
to get a young person well placed out. Four nieces of Mrs. Jenkinson are most delightfully
situated through my means; and it was but the other day that I recommended another young
person, who was merely accidentally mentioned to me, and the family are quite delighted with
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her. Mrs. Collins, did I tell you of Lady Metcalf's calling yesterday to thank me? She finds Miss
Pope a treasure. 'Lady Catherine,' said she, 'you have given me a treasure.' Are any of your
younger sisters out, Miss Bennet?"
"Yes, ma'am, all."
"All! What, all five out at once? Very odd! And you only the second. The younger ones out
before the elder ones are married! Your younger sisters must be very young?"
"Yes, my youngest is not sixteen. Perhaps SHE is full young to be much in company. But really,
ma'am, I think it would be very hard upon younger sisters, that they should not have their share
of society and amusement, because the elder may not have the means or inclination to marry
early. The last-born has as good a right to the pleasures of youth at the first. And to be kept back
on SUCH a motive! I think it would not be very likely to promote sisterly affection or delicacy
of mind."
"Upon my word," said her ladyship, "you give your opinion very decidedly for so young a
person. Pray, what is your age?"
"With three younger sisters grown up," replied Elizabeth, smiling, "your ladyship can hardly
expect me to own it."
Lady Catherine seemed quite astonished at not receiving a direct answer; and Elizabeth
suspected herself to be the first creature who had ever dared to trifle with so much dignified
impertinence.
"You cannot be more than twenty, I am sure, therefore you need not conceal your age."
"I am not one-and-twenty."
When the gentlemen had joined them, and tea was over, the card-tables were placed. Lady
Catherine, Sir William, and Mr. and Mrs. Collins sat down to quadrille; and as Miss de Bourgh
chose to play at cassino, the two girls had the honour of assisting Mrs. Jenkinson to make up her
party. Their table was superlatively stupid. Scarcely a syllable was uttered that did not relate to
the game, except when Mrs. Jenkinson expressed her fears of Miss de Bourgh's being too hot or
too cold, or having too much or too little light. A great deal more passed at the other table. Lady
Catherine was generally speaking—stating the mistakes of the three others, or relating some
anecdote of herself. Mr. Collins was employed in agreeing to everything her ladyship said,
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thanking her for every fish he won, and apologising if he thought he won too many. Sir William
did not say much. He was storing his memory with anecdotes and noble names.
When Lady Catherine and her daughter had played as long as they chose, the tables were broken
up, the carriage was offered to Mrs. Collins, gratefully accepted and immediately ordered. The
party then gathered round the fire to hear Lady Catherine determine what weather they were to
have on the morrow. From these instructions they were summoned by the arrival of the coach;
and with many speeches of thankfulness on Mr. Collins's side and as many bows on Sir
William's they departed. As soon as they had driven from the door, Elizabeth was called on by
her cousin to give her opinion of all that she had seen at Rosings, which, for Charlotte's sake, she
made more favourable than it really was. But her commendation, though costing her some
trouble, could by no means satisfy Mr. Collins, and he was very soon obliged to take her
ladyship's praise into his own hands.
Chapter 30
Sir William stayed only a week at Hunsford, but his visit was long enough to convince him of his
daughter's being most comfortably settled, and of her possessing such a husband and such a
neighbour as were not often met with. While Sir William was with them, Mr. Collins devoted his
morning to driving him out in his gig, and showing him the country; but when he went away, the
whole family returned to their usual employments, and Elizabeth was thankful to find that they
did not see more of her cousin by the alteration, for the chief of the time between breakfast and
dinner was now passed by him either at work in the garden or in reading and writing, and
looking out of the window in his own book-room, which fronted the road. The room in which the
ladies sat was backwards. Elizabeth had at first rather wondered that Charlotte should not prefer
the dining-parlour for common use; it was a better sized room, and had a more pleasant aspect;
but she soon saw that her friend had an excellent reason for what she did, for Mr. Collins would
undoubtedly have been much less in his own apartment, had they sat in one equally lively; and
she gave Charlotte credit for the arrangement.
From the drawing-room they could distinguish nothing in the lane, and were indebted to Mr.
Collins for the knowledge of what carriages went along, and how often especially Miss de
Bourgh drove by in her phaeton, which he never failed coming to inform them of, though it
happened almost every day. She not unfrequently stopped at the Parsonage, and had a few
minutes' conversation with Charlotte, but was scarcely ever prevailed upon to get out.
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Very few days passed in which Mr. Collins did not walk to Rosings, and not many in which his
wife did not think it necessary to go likewise; and till Elizabeth recollected that there might be
other family livings to be disposed of, she could not understand the sacrifice of so many hours.
Now and then they were honoured with a call from her ladyship, and nothing escaped her
observation that was passing in the room during these visits. She examined into their
employments, looked at their work, and advised them to do it differently; found fault with the
arrangement of the furniture; or detected the housemaid in negligence; and if she accepted any
refreshment, seemed to do it only for the sake of finding out that Mrs. Collins's joints of meat
were too large for her family.
Elizabeth soon perceived, that though this great lady was not in commission of the peace of the
county, she was a most active magistrate in her own parish, the minutest concerns of which were
carried to her by Mr. Collins; and whenever any of the cottagers were disposed to be
quarrelsome, discontented, or too poor, she sallied forth into the village to settle their
differences, silence their complaints, and scold them into harmony and plenty.
The entertainment of dining at Rosings was repeated about twice a week; and, allowing for the
loss of Sir William, and there being only one card-table in the evening, every such entertainment
was the counterpart of the first. Their other engagements were few, as the style of living in the