[00:01.49]5 Mr Collins proposes twice5
[00:05.37]At Longbourn the next day，
[00:09.19]soon after breakfast，
[00:10.40]Mr Collins asked Mrs Bennet
[00:12.79]for permission to speak prvately to Elizabeth
[00:15.83]Mrs Bennet was delighted，
[00:17.32]and hurried the other girls out of the room，
[00:19.78]so that Elizabeth and Mr Collins
[00:21.11]were left alone together.
[00:23.89]Elizabeth did not want to stay，
[00:26.7]and got up to leave，
[00:27.25]but after a moment's thought，
[00:29.52]sat down again quietly，
[00:31.60]determined to listen and reply politely.
[00:34.78]‘My dear Miss Elizabeth，“
[00:36.39]said Mr Collins seriously，
[00:38.0]‘this little unwillingness to hear me，“
[00:41.39]this modesty of yours，
[00:42.90]can only add to your other charms.
[00:45.54]You can hardly doubt the purpose of my speech.
[00:49.60]Almost as soon as I entered the house，
[00:52.14]I chose you as the companion of my future life.
[00:55.55]But before I am carried away by my feelings，
[00:58.46]I think I should state my reasons for marrying.
[01:01.95]Elizabeth was trying so hard not to laugh
[01:05.84]at the idea of Mr Collins being carried away by his feelings
[01:09.5]that she was unable to reply.
[01:11.49]‘First，’he continued，
[01:14.10]‘it is right for a priest to marry， “
[01:16.55]as an example to other people
[01:18.67]Secondly，I'm sure marriage will
[01:22.87]add greatly to my happiness，
[01:25.35]and thirdly，
[01:26.84]which perhaps I should have mentioned earlier，
[01:29.86]my generous patron
[01:31.23]has advised me to marry.
[01:35.64]“Find an active，useful sort of person，” ‘
[01:37.44]she told me，
[01:38.56]“a woman who can make a small income go a long way. ‘
[01:41.99]Bring her to Hunsford as your wife，
[01:44.69]and I’ll visit her.”
[01:46.31]So I decided to choose a wife from among my Bennet cousins，
[01:50.50]to lessen the loss to the family when the sad event of your father's death takes place.
[01:55.39]I flatter myself that you will appreciate my motives.
[01:58.54]And now，nothing remains
[02:01.38]but to convince you of the violence of my affection.
[02:04.56]I am quite indifferent to the fact that you bring little money with you into our marringe，
[02:10.6]and promise you that
[02:11.42]I shall make no ungenerous reference to this after we are married.’
[02:14.62]It was absolutely necessary to interrupt him now.
[02:18.53]‘Sir，you forget I have given no answer. “
[02:21.59]Accept my thanks for the compliment you are paying me，
[02:24.96]but it is impossible for me to accept your proposal.’
[02:28.31]‘Of course I understand，’said Mr Collins，“
[02:32.7]‘that young ladies often do not accept a proposal of marriage the first time. “
[02:37.11]I am therefore not at all discouraged，
[02:39.47]and sincerely hope we shall be married soon.’
[02:42.52]‘Sir，’cried Elizabeth，“
[02:44.69]‘your hope is rather extraordinary after what I've said! “
[02:48.33]I am perfectly serious.
[02:50.42]You could not make me happy，
[02:52.95]and I'm convinced I'm the last woman in the world who would make you happy.
[02:57.30]And I'm sure that if Lady Catherine knew me，
[03:00.40]she would find me poorly qualified for the situation.’
[03:03.20]‘If I knew Lady Catherine thought so—’“
[03:07.20]began Mr Collins，looking very worried.
[03:09.82]‘But I cannot imagine she would disapprove of you. “
[03:12.38]And when I have the honour of seeing her again，
[03:14.79]I shall certainly tell her how modest，economical and practical you are.’
[03:19.34]‘Indeed，Mr Collins，all praise of me will be unnecessary. “
[03:23.75]Pay me the compliment of believing what I say.
[03:26.69]I hope you will be very happy and very rich，
[03:29.84]but I cannot accept your proposal.’
[03:32.14]She got up and was going to leave the room，
[03:35.27]but Mr Collins was speaking to her again.
[03:37.94]‘I am far from accusing you of cruelty in refusing me，“
[03:41.54]as I know it is the custom with elegant ladies in society
[03:45.0]to refuse a gentleman the first time.
[03:47.48]I hope to receive a more favourable answer next time I speak to you of marriage.’
[03:52.16]‘Really，Mr Collins，’cried Elizabeth with some warmth，“
[03:55.62]‘you do puzzle me! ’ “
[03:57.47]I do not know how to express my refusal so that it convinces you!
[04:02.13]‘You must allow me to flatter myself，dear cousin，“
[04:05.36]that you do not intend to refuse me for long.
[04:08.50]My situation in life，
[04:10.7]my connections with the de Bourgh family，
[04:12.29]and my relationship to your own，
[04:14.58]all make my proposal a very suitable one.
[04:17.68]And you should remember that
[04:20.50]in spite of your many admirable qualities，
[04:22.19]it is not certain that you will receive any other offer of marriage，
[04:25.43]as you have very little money of your own.’
[04:28.11]‘Sir，thank you again for the honour you have done me，“
[04:33.31]but to accept your proposal is absolutely impossible.
[04:36.11]Can I speak plainer than that?
[04:38.30]Don't think of me as an elegant female，
[04:41.67]but as a thinking creature speaking the truth from her heart!’
[04:45.95]‘You are charming!he cried，“
[04:48.82]‘and I'm sure that when both your excellent parents agree，“
[04:52.42]you will accept my proposal!’
[04:54.84]Elizabeth did not reply，
[04:58.0]but left the room silently，
[05:00.11]determined to ask her father，
[05:02.5]if necessary，
[05:02.98]to make her refusal clear to the self-deceiving Mr Collins.
[05:07.24]Mrs Bennet had been waiting eagerly for
[05:11.74]the end of the interview，
[05:14.24]and when she saw Elizabeth leave the room，
[05:17.22]she hurried into offer her congratulations to Mr Collins.
[05:17.68]He received them with pleasure，
[05:19.74]adding that he was sure his cousin's refusal
[05:21.42]was a natural result of her modesty and delicacy of character.
[05:25.92]‘Refusal?’repeated Mrs Bennet，shocked. “
[05:28.90]‘Lizzy refused you?Do not worry，Mr Collins. “
[05:33.7]I shall speak to her at once.
[05:34.98]She's a very obstinate，foolish girl，
[05:37.20]but I’ll make her accept you.
[05:39.19]‘Pardon me，madam，’cried Mr Collins，“
[05:42.4]‘but if she's really obstinate and foolish，“
[05:44.52]I do not think she would be a suitable wife for a man in my situation.’
[05:48.25]‘Sir，you quite misunderstand me，“
[05:51.48]’said Mrs Bennet， alarmed.
[05:53.22]‘She's only obstinate in a matter like this. “
[05:56.11]In everything else she is very agreeable.
[05:58.92]I’ll see Mr Bennet
[06:00.83]and we’ll arrange it with her，I'm sure.’
[06:03.4]She did not give him time to reply，
[06:05.95]but hurried to the library，
[06:07.64]where she knew she would find her husband.
[06:09.39]‘Oh，Mr Bennet，we need you urgently! “
[06:11.66]We're all in such confusion!
[06:13.81]You must come and make Lizzy marry Mr Collins!’
[06:16.36]Mr Bennet raised his eyes from his book as she entered，
[06:20.65]and stared at her with calm unconcern、
[06:22.93]‘I do not have the pleasure of understanding you，’“
[06:25.84]he said.‘What are you talking about?’
[06:29.4]‘Lizzy declares she won't have him，“
[06:32.69]and if you don't hurry，
[06:33.51]he’ll change his mind and not have her.’
[06:35.67]‘So what should I do? “
[06:37.88]It seems a hopeless business.’
[06:39.36]‘Speak to her about yourself. “
[06:41.55]Tell her you insist on her marrying him.’
[06:44.21]‘Call her in here.She shall hear my opinion.’“
[06:47.42]Mrs Bennet gladly rang the bell，
[06:50.58]and the servant brought Elizabeth into the library.
[06:52.75]‘Come here，child，
[06:55.7]said her father as she appeared.
[06:56.99]‘I've sent for you on a very important matter. “
[07:00.1]I understand that Mr Collins has made you an offer of marriage，
[07:04.59]and you have refused?’
[07:06.2]When Elizabeth nodded，he continued,
[07:09.26]Very well. Now，your mother insists on your accepting. “
[07:14.27]Isn't that right， Mrs Bennet?’
[07:16.22]‘Yes，or I’ll never see her again.’“
[07:19.14]‘You now have an unhappy choice to make，Elizabeth. “
[07:23.1]From this day on，
[07:25.2]you must be a stranger to one of your parents.
[07:27.58]Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr Collins，
[07:31.86]and I will never see you again if you do.’
[07:34.63]Elizabeth could not help smiling，
[07:37.51]but Mrs Bennet，who had been sure her husband supported her，
[07:41.5]was very disappointed.
[07:42.62]‘What do you mean，Mr Bennet? “
[07:44.41]You promised me you would insist on her marrying him.’
[07:47.57]‘My dear，’replied her husband，“
[07:51.24]‘I have two small requests to make. “
[07:54.70]First，that you will accept that I know what I promised or did not promise，
[08:00.80]and secondly，that you will all leave me in peace as soon as possible.’
[08:06.28]That afternoon，Charlotte Lucas came to visit Elizabeth，
[08:11.51]and found the family still in great confusion.
[08:14.26]The younger girls were quite excited by the news of Mr Collins’proposal，
[08:17.91]and Mrs Bennet was most annoyed with Elizabeth.
[08:21.42]‘Oh dear Miss Lucas，’cried Mrs Bennet，“
[08:23.98]can't you persuade Elizabeth to accept Mr Collins? “
[08:26.81]Nobody else wants to help me!Oh，how ill I feel!
[08:30.96]And look at Lizzy now!She's so unconcerned!
[08:34.67]But I tell you，Miss Lizzy，
[08:36.69]if you go on refusing every offer of marriage like this，
[08:39.86]you’ll never get a husband at all!
[08:41.75]And I won't be able to provide for you when your father is dead，I warn you now.
[08:47.34]I told you in the library that I wouldn't speak to you again，and I won't.
[08:51.83]I have no pleasure in talking to an undutiful child like you.
[08:55.84]Not that I have much pleasure in talking to anybody，with my headaches.
[09:00.76]Nobody knows how I suffer!
[09:03.60]But of course those who do not complain are never pitied.’
[09:08.14]Her daughters listened in silence，
[09:11.4]aware that any attempt to calm her would only increase her annoyance.
[09:15.9]Elizabeth，however，was determined not to marry Mr Collins,
[09:20.12]and in the end Mrs Bennet was obliged to accept that fact.
[09:24.91]When Mr Collins realized that Elizabeth had meant what she said，
[09:28.82]his manner towards her became coldly and stiffly polite.
[09:32.49]His long speeches and flattering compliments were transferred for the rest of the day to kind Charlotte Lucas，
[09:39.29]who took on herself the trouble of listening to him，
[09:41.90]for which all the Bennets were very grateful.
[09:44.63]The next day a letter was delivered to Jane from Netherfield
[09:49.98]Elizabeth saw her sister's expression change as she read it，
[09:53.72]and when they were alone，
[09:55.50]she asked about it.
[09:56.99]‘It's from Caroline Bingley，’said Jane，“
[09:59.30]‘and it has surprised me very much. “
[10:02.8]The whole party have left Netherfield，
[10:04.95]and are on their way back to London，
[10:06.95]probably for the winter.
[10:08.68]They may not return to Netherfield at all.
[10:11.22]She says the only thing she sincerely regrets is leaving me behind in Hertfordshire，
[10:16.20]and promises!to write very frequently.’
[10:18.33]Elizabeth did not trust Miss Bingley's apparent affection for Jane.
[10:22.39]‘I really don't think their departure matters very much，she said. “
[10:32.6]‘Mr Bingley won't be kept in London by his sisters. “
[10:34.94]I'm sure he’ll be back at Netherfield soon.’
[10:35.58]‘But perhaps he prefers to stay in London，“
[10:37.30]where many of his friends are.
[10:40.61]But I haven't told you everything yet.
[10:41.24]Let me read you the part which particularly hurts me—’
[10:43.85]Mr Darcy is impatient to see his sister，
[10:47.71]and we confess we are also eager to see her again
[10:50.53]Nobody is more beautiful，elegant or accomplished than Georgiana Darcy.
[10:55.45]Louisa and I have great affection for her，
[10:58.34]and hope one day to call her sister.
[11:00.91]My brother admires her very much.
[11:03.45]He will have frequent opportunities of seeing her，
[11:06.42]and although I am his sister I must say I think
[11:09.61]he is most capable of winning any woman's heart.
[11:12.44]‘What do you think of this，dear Lizzy? “
[11:15.48]Isn't it clear enough?
[11:16.96]Caroline doesn't wish or expect me to become her sister-in- law;
[11:20.35]she's convinced of her brother's indifference towards me，
[11:23.28]and，perhaps because she suspects my feelings for him，
[11:26.60]she (most kindly!)warns me that he's very likely to marry someone else!’
[11:31.25]‘I have a totally different opinion. “
[11:34.31]Miss Bingley sees her brother is in love with you，
[11:36.97]while she wants him to marry Miss Darcy.
[11:39.0]We aren't rich enough or grand enough for them，
[11:42.18]and she is eager to have a family connection with the Darcys，
[11:45.23]so that it may be easier for her to marry Mr Darcy.
[11:48.58]So she follows her brother to London，
[11:51.15]hoping to keep him there，
[11:52.29]and tries to persuade you
[11:53.93]he doesn't care about you.
[11:55.30]But of course he's in love with you!’
[11:57.21]‘I really can't agree with you about Caroline. “
[12:00.47]I think she's incapable of deceiving anyone.
[12:03.25]But Lizzy，my dear sister，
[12:05.35]even if she's wrong about her brother，
[12:07.67]and he does care for me，
[12:09.44]could I be happy in accepting a man whose sisters and friends all wish him to marry someone else?’
[12:14.78]‘You must decide for yourself，“
[12:18.11]and if you consider it more important to do what his sisters want，than to gain the happiness of being his wife，
[12:23.50]I certainly advise you to refuse him.’
[12:26.30]‘How can you say that?’said Jane，smiling a little. “
[12:30.32]‘You know I wouldn't hesitate，“
[12:32.23]although I'd be sad if they disapproved of me.
[12:35.10]But，oh dear，if he doesn't come back to Netherfield，
[12:38.61]I’ll never have to make the decision!’
[12:41.20]But Elizabeth was sure Mr Bingley could not be kept away from Jane by his sisters，
[12:46.66]and soon persuaded Jane to take a more hopeful view of the situation.
[12:51.24]That day the Bennets，with Mr Collins，
[12:55.26]went to dinner with the Lucas family at Lucas Lodge.
[12:58.38]Again it was Charlotte who spent most of the evening listening to Mr Collins.
[13:02.38]Elizabeth was very relieved，
[13:04.80]and thanked her friend gratefully for the trouble she was taking.
[13:08.27]But Charlotte's kindness had a particular aim，
[13:12.99]which Elizabeth was unaware of.
[13:14.25]Her plan was to encourage Mr Collins
[13:17.10]to transfer his attentions to herself.
[13:19.55]In fact， she was managing so well that，
[13:22.83]when she said goodnight to him after dinner，
[13:25.62]she would have felt sure of success if he had been staying in Hertfordshire for another week.
[13:30.66]But she did not fully appreciate the fire and independence of his character，
[13:35.68]which caused him to get up very early the next morning and escape from Longbourn House，
[13:39.37]in a great hurry to reach Lucas Lodge and throw himself at her feet.
[13:45.72]She did not keep him waiting for an answer，
[13:48.64]and the happy couple found themselves engaged as quickly as Mr Collins’long speeches would allow.
[13:54.20]Charlotte's parents were delighted to agree to the marriage，
[13:58.32]and Lady Lucas began to work out，with more interest than she had ever felt before
[14:02.45]how many more years Mr Bennet was likely to live.
[14:04.81]Charlotte herself was quite satisfied.
[14:08.19]Mr Collins，certainly， was neither sensible nor agreeable，
[14:12.8]but still he would be a husband.
[14:15.6]She did not think highly of men or of marriage，
[14:18.57]but she had always intended to marry.
[14:20.93]Although marriage might not always bring happiness，
[14:23.76]it was the only honourable way in which a well-educated woman with little income could provide a home for herself.
[14:31.65]Now twenty-seven， and lacking beauty，
[14:34.33]she felt she was lucky to have found a husband.
[14:37.38]She knew，however，that Elizabeth，whose friendship she greatly valued，
[14:41.92]would be astonished and possibly disapproving.
[14:44.73]So she decided to go to Longbourn House to tell her friend the news herself.
[14:49.56]Elizabeth was indeed shocked at first，
[14:53.74]and could not help crying out in surprise，
[14:55.86]but when Charlotte explained her reasons for accepting Mr Collins，
[14:59.40]Elizabeth tried hard to understand.
[15:01.93]When the rest of the Bennet family heard the news，they were also astonished.
[15:06.73]Mrs Bennet was quite horrified，
[15:08.53]and could not stop complaining bitterly about Charlotte's wickedness，
[15:12.93]Mr Collins'stupidity and Elizabeth's obstinacy.
[15:16.39]Mr Bennet was much calmer，
[15:18.68]only saying he was pleased to discover that Charlotte， whom he used to consider quite sensible， was as foolish as his wife，
[15:25.88]and more foolish than his daughter!
[15:27.49]That day was Mr Collins’last at Longbourn，
[15:32.58]and he left with many speeches of thanks，
[15:35.11]as well as a promise to return very soon.
[15:37.39]Mr Bennet warned him to be careful
[15:41.63]not to offend his patron，
[15:43.99]by being absent from his duties too often，
[15:45.98]but Mr Collins，although extremely grateful for this sign of Mr Bennet's cousinly affection for him，
[15:50.43]was naturally eager to return to Hertfordshire，
[15:53.7]to see his future wife.
[15:55.37]Only two weeks later he did，in fact，
[15:58.89]come back to stay at Longbourn，
[16:00.49]but spent most of his time at Lucas Lodge，
[16:02.54]making arrangements for the wedding.，
[16:04.81]Mrs Bennet still felt very offended by him，
[16:08.54]but she was now becoming anxious about something even more important—
[16:12.1]Mr Bingley's continued absence.
[16:15.81]Day after day had passed with no news since the arrival of Caroline Bingley’ s letter.
[16:20.95]Elizabeth was now rather worried，
[16:23.87]and Jane feared the worst.
[16:26.2]Finally a second letter arrived from Caroline Bingley，
[16:30.15]and when Jane read it，
[16:32.1]she realized that all hope was over.
[16:34.37]The Bingley family were staying in London for the whole winter，
[16:37.96]and Georgiana Darcy was a frequent member of their circle.
[16:42.6]Miss Bingley boasted joyfully of this friendship，
[16:45.48]and looked forward to her brother's probable marriage to Miss Darcy.
[16:48.98]Although she was deeply upset，
[16:51.83]Jane bravely tried to control her feelings.
[16:55.20]‘Do not worry，Lizzy，“
[16:56.79]I shall be able to forget him in a while.
[16:59.79]I have nothing to complain of，
[17:02.23]as he made no promises to me.
[17:04.11]I just thought he cared for me，
[17:06.48]but I was wrong.
[17:07.95]Luckily， no one is hurt except myself.’
[17:10.29]‘My dear Jane!’ said Elizabeth. “
[17:13.90]‘You are too good. “
[17:15.53]You always think the best of everybody.
[17:17.91]Now I think the worst of most people，
[17:20.8]and do not see much real value or common sense around me.
[17:23.70]Mr Bingley， for example.
[17:25.34]He may not be intending to hurt you，
[17:27.60]but misery can be caused by someone being just weak and indecisive.
[17:32.2]I'm convinced his sisters and his friend， Mr Darcy， are trying to influence him against you.
[17:37.88]Another example is Charlotte.
[17:40.36]I can't understand how she could agree to marry such a self-important， proud， silly man!’
[17:45.43]‘Dear Lizzy，’said Jane，“
[17:48.6]‘we must respect Charlotte's decision. “
[17:50.54]She may well be happy with Mr Collins.
[17:53.10]And as for Mr Bingley，
[17:57.6]we shouldn't expect a sociable young man to be so careful of his behaviour.
[18:00.1]Women often imagine admiration means more than it really does.’
[18:04.19]‘And men want that to happen.’“
[18:07.49]‘I prefer to believe that I was mistaken in thinking he cared for me，“
[18:11.40]and that his sisters love him
[18:14.27]and approve of his wish to marry Miss Darcy.
[18:16.41]I don't want to think badly of him or his sisters.
[18:19.23]That would be worse than anything.’
[18:21.68]Elizabeth had to accept Jane's wishes，
[18:25.3]and from then on，Mr Bingley's name was seldom mentioned between them.