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1"Why did not you all learn? You ought all to have learned. The Miss Webbs all play, and their father has not so good an
2income as yours. Do you draw?" "No, not at all." "What, none of you?" "Not one." "That is very strange. But I suppose
3you had no opportunity. Your mother should have taken you to town every spring for the benefit of masters." "My mother
4would have no objection, but my father hates London." "Has your governess left you?" "We never had any governess." "No
5governess! How was that possible? Five daughters brought up at home without a governess! I never heard of such a thing.
6Your mother must have been quite a slave to your education." Elizabeth could hardly help smiling, as she assured her
7that had not been the case. "Then who taught you? who attended to you? Without a governess, you must have been
8neglected." "Compared with some families, I believe we were; but such of us as wished to learn never wanted the means.
9We were always encouraged to read, and had all the masters that were necessary. Those who chose to be idle certainly
10might." "Ay, no doubt: but that is what a governess will prevent; and if I had known your mother, I should have advised
11her most strenuously to engage one. I always say that nothing is to be done in education without steady and regular
12instruction, and nobody but a governess can give it. It is wonderful how many families I have been the means of
13supplying in that way. I am always glad to get a young person well placed out. Four nieces of Mrs. Jenkinson are most
14delightfully situated through my means; and it was but the other day that I recommended another young person, who was
15merely accidentally mentioned to me, and the family are quite delighted with her. Mrs. Collins, did I tell you of Lady
16Metcalfe's calling yesterday to thank me? She finds Miss Pope a treasure. 'Lady Catherine,' said she, 'you have given me
17a treasure.' Are any of your younger sisters out, Miss Bennet?" "Yes, ma'am, all." "All! What, all five out at once?
18Very odd! And you only the second. The younger ones out before the elder are married! Your younger sisters must be very
19young?" "Yes, my youngest is not sixteen. Perhaps she is full young to be much in company. But really, ma'am, I think it
20would be very hard upon younger sisters that they should not have their share of society and amusement, because the
21elder may not have the means or inclination to marry early. The last born has as good a right to the pleasures of youth
22as the first. And to be kept back on such a motive! I think it would not be very likely to promote sisterly affection or
23delicacy of mind." "Upon my word," said her Ladyship, "you give your opinion very decidedly for so young a person. Pray,
24what is your age?" "With three younger sisters grown up," replied Elizabeth, smiling, "your Ladyship can hardly expect
25me to own it." Lady Catherine seemed quite astonished at not receiving a direct answer; and Elizabeth suspected herself
26to be the first creature who had ever dared to trifle with so much dignified impertinence. "You cannot be more than
27twenty, I am sure,--therefore you need not conceal your age." "I am not one-and-twenty." When the gentlemen had joined
28them, and tea was over, the card tables were placed. Lady Catherine, Sir William, and Mr. and Mrs. Collins sat down to
29quadrille; and as Miss De Bourgh chose to play at cassino, the two girls had the honour of assisting Mrs. Jenkinson to
30make up her party. Their table was superlatively stupid. Scarcely a syllable was uttered that did not relate to the
31game, except when Mrs. Jenkinson expressed her fears of Miss De Bourgh's being too hot or too cold, or having too much
32or too little light. A great deal more passed at the other table. Lady Catherine was generally speaking--stating the
33mistakes of the three others, or relating some anecdote of herself. Mr. Collins was employed in agreeing to everything
34her Ladyship said, thanking her for every fish he won, and apologizing if he thought he won too many. Sir William did
35not say much. He was storing his memory with anecdotes and noble names. When Lady Catherine and her daughter had played
36as long as they chose, the tables were broken up, the carriage was offered to Mrs. Collins, gratefully accepted, and
37immediately ordered. The party then gathered round the fire to hear Lady Catherine determine what weather they were to
38have on the morrow. From these instructions they were summoned by the arrival of the coach; and with many speeches of
39thankfulness on Mr. Collins's side, and as many bows on Sir William's, they departed. As soon as they had driven from
40the door, Elizabeth was called on by her cousin to give her opinion of all that she had seen at Rosings, which, for
41Charlotte's sake, she made more favourable than it really was. But her commendation, though costing her some trouble,
42could by no means satisfy Mr. Collins, and he was very soon obliged to take her Ladyship's praise into his own hands.
43[Illustration] CHAPTER XXX. [Illustration] Sir William stayed only a week at Hunsford; but his visit was long enough to
44convince him of his daughter's being most comfortably settled, and of her possessing such a husband and such a neighbour
45as were not often met with. While Sir William was with them, Mr. Collins devoted his mornings to driving him out in his
46gig, and showing him the country: but when he went away, the whole family returned to their usual employments, and
47Elizabeth was thankful to find that they did not see more of her cousin by the alteration; for the chief of the time
48between breakfast and dinner was now passed by him either at work in the garden, or in reading and writing, and looking
49out of window in his own book room, which fronted the road. The room in which the ladies sat was backwards. Elizabeth at
50first had rather wondered that Charlotte should not prefer the dining parlour for common use; it was a better sized
51room, and had a pleasanter aspect: but she soon saw that her friend had an excellent reason for what she did, for Mr.
52Collins would undoubtedly have been much less in his own apartment had they sat in one equally lively; and she gave
53Charlotte credit for the arrangement. From the drawing-room they could distinguish nothing in the lane, and were
54indebted to Mr. Collins for the knowledge of what carriages went along, and how often especially Miss De Bourgh drove by
55in her phaeton, which he never failed coming to inform them of, though it happened almost every day. She not
56unfrequently stopped at the Parsonage, and had a few minutes' conversation with Charlotte, but was scarcely ever
57prevailed on to get out. Very few days passed in which Mr. Collins did not walk to Rosings, and not many in which his
58wife did not think it necessary to go likewise; and till Elizabeth recollected that there might be other family livings
59to be disposed of, she could not understand the sacrifice of so many hours. Now and then they were honoured with a call
60from her Ladyship, and nothing escaped her observation that was passing in the room during these visits. She examined
61into their employments, looked at their work, and advised them to do it differently; found fault with the arrangement of
62the furniture, or detected the housemaid in negligence; and if she accepted any refreshment, seemed to do it only for
63the sake of finding out that Mrs. Collins's joints of meat were too large for her family. Elizabeth soon perceived, that
64though this great lady was not in the commission of the peace for the county, she was a most active magistrate in her
65own parish, the minutest concerns of which were carried to her by Mr. Collins; and whenever any of the cottagers were
66disposed to be quarrelsome, discontented, or too poor, she sallied forth into the village to settle their differences,
67silence their complaints, and scold them into harmony and plenty. [Illustration: "he never failed to inform them" ]
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