[00:00.56]6 Elizabeth visits Mr and Mrs Collins6
[00:05.57]The following Monday
[00:07.87]Mrs Bennet had the pleasure of receiving her brother and his wife， who came as usual to spend Christmas at Longbourn.
[00:15.5]Mr Gardiner was a sensible， gentlemanlike man.
[00:18.56]The Netherfield ladies would have had difficulty in believing
[00:22.60]that a man who lived by buying and selling could be so well-mannered and agreeable.
[00:26.94]Mrs Gardiner， who was several years younger than Mrs Bennet and Mrs Philips，
[00:31.86]was a pleasant，intelligent，elegant woman，
[00:34.55]and a grest favourite with her Longbourn nieces，
[00:37.43]especially the two eldest， who often stayed with her in London.
[00:41.78]When Mrs Gardiner had given the presents she had brought with her，
[00:44.89]and described the newest fashions，
[00:46.84]she was obliged to listen to Mrs Bennet's complaints.
[00:50.21]‘I've suffered greatly since your last visit， sister!’cried Mrs Bennet. “
[00:55.28]‘Just imagine!Two of my daughters were very close to marriage—and then—nothing! “
[01:00.22]I do not blame Jane， who would have got Mr Bingley if she could， but Lizzy!
[01:05.45]Oh，sister! It is hard to think
[01:08.19]she might have been Mrs Collins by now，if she hadn't been so obstinate!
[01:11.80]The result is that Lady Lucas will have a daughter married before me.
[01:16.71]It makes me quite ill， to have such a disobedient daughter and such selfish neighbours.
[01:22.42]But your coming just now is a great comfort to me，
[01:25.84]and I am very glad to hear what you tell us，about long sleeves.’
[01:29.58]Mrs Gardiner made a suitably sympathetic reply to her sister-in-law，
[01:34.59]and later that day
[01:36.81]found the opportunity to discuss the matter in more detail with Elizabeth，alone.
[01:40.18]‘I am sorry for Jane，’she said kindly，“
[01:43.82]‘but，Lizzy，these things happen often! “
[01:46.27]A young man like Mr Bingley frequently falls in love with a pretty girl，
[01:50.12]and when chance separates them， he forgets her very quickly.’
[01:53.41]‘Yes， aunt，’said Elizabeth，‘but in this case it was not chance，“
[01:58.86]but the young man's interfering friends，who separated Jane and Mr Bingley.
[02:03.18]I'm sure he was violently in love with her.’
[02:06.29]‘Poor Jane!She's so sensitive. “
[02:09.64]I'm afraid she may not get over it for some time.
[02:12.67]Now，if it had been you，Lizzy， you would have recovered more quickly，
[02:16.32]by finding humour in the situation.
[02:18.11]But do you think I could persuade Jane to come back with us to London?
[02:21.71]Perhaps a change of air would make her feel better.’
[02:24.51]Elizabeth was extremely grateful to her aunt for this kind suggestion，
[02:28.68]and felt sure Jane would gladly agree.
[02:31.57]‘I hope，’added Mrs Gardiner，“
[02:34.11]‘that she will not be influenced by the hope of seeing the young man. “
[02:37.36]We live in such a different part of town that it is very unlikely they will meet，
[02:42.36]unless he actually comes to see her.’
[02:44.52]‘that is quite impossible，“
[02:47.0]because his friend Mr Darcy would not allow him to visit so unfashionable an address!’
[02:51.15]But despite her protest，
[02:53.81]Elizabeth secretly thought that Jane might see Bingley in London
[02:57.69]and that a meeting would probably reawaken his affection for her.
[03:00.78]The Gardiners stayed at Longbourn for a week，
[03:04.70]and MrsBennet made sure there was always some entertainment for her brother and sister-in-law.
[03:09.70]Whenever there was a dinner party at Longbourn House，
[03:12.55]some of the officers were always invited.
[03:14.94]Mrs Gardiner，who had noticed that Mr Wickham was a very frequent visitor
[03:19.95]and that Elizabeth spoke admiringly of him， took care to observe them both.
[03:24.7]She saw enough to make her a little anxious，
[03:27.10]and decided to speak to Elizabeth about him when they were alone.
[03:30.28]‘Lizzy，’she began，‘I can see that you and Mr Wickham like each other. “
[03:36.71]But I must warn you not to get seriously involved with him.
[03:39.81]I admit he's a most interesting young man， but sadly he has no fortune.
[03:45.0]You are a sensible girl，
[03:46.74]and must realize that you would disappoint your father by agreeing to marry a penniless young man.’
[03:51.81]‘My dear aunt， do not worry. “
[03:54.68]I’ll take care of myself， and Mr Wickham too.
[03:57.91]He won't be in love with me，if I can prevent it.’
[04:00.44]‘Elizabeth，be serious.’“
[04:03.18]‘I'm sorry，aunt，I’ll try again. “
[04:06.64]At present I'm certainly not in love with him.
[04:10.71]But he is by far the most agreeable man I've ever met，
[04:13.98]and if he really loved me…
[04:16.24]But I would hate to disappoint my father
[04:19.27]or make any of you unhappy.
[04:20.62]I cannot promise what I will do，
[04:22.83]but I will really try to do what I think is wisest.
[04:25.95]I hope you are satisfied with that.’
[04:28.17]Her aunt replied that she was， and received Elizabeth's thanks for her kind advice.
[04:33.84]Several days after this， the Gardiners returned to London， taking Jane with them.
[04:39.85]The day of Mr Collins’wedding soon arrived，
[04:44.23]and Mrs Bennet had to watch Charlotte Lucas become Mrs Collins.
[04:49.2]Before the bride left Longbourn for Hunsford，however，
[04:53.6]she asked Elizabeth to come and visit her in her new home as soon as possible.
[04:57.5]Elizabeth could not refuse， although she did not imagine it would be an enjoyable visit.
[05:02.34]It was arranged that
[05:04.0]Elizabeth would accompany Sir William Lucas and Maria，one of his other daughters，on their intended visit to Hunsford in March.
[05:11.38]A week after Jane's departure， Elizabeth received a letter from her sister，
[05:14.45]saying that she had seen Miss Bingley，
[05:18.40]and hoped to continue their friendship.
[05:20.29]Elizabeth shook her head over this.
[05:22.88]She was not surprised to hear from Jane a few weeks later that Caroline Bingley had made no further attempts to communicate with her former dear friend.
[05:31.77]Elizabeth was sad- dened to read of Jane's disappointment，
[05:35.98]but felt more cheerful when she told herself that Jane would no longer be deceived， by the sister at least.
[05:43.7]All expectation from the brother was now absolutely over.
[05:47.64]As a punishment for him，
[05:50.11]she seriously hoped he would soon marry Mr Darcy's sister，
[05:53.58]who，according to Wickham，
[05:55.13]would make him quickly regret what he had thrown away.
[05:58.23]At about this time，
[06:01.52]Elizabeth also received a letter from Mrs Gardiner，
[06:04.57]asking about Wickham，
[06:06.56]and she was able to reply quite honestly that
[06:09.1]there was no danger of her marrying him.
[06:11.69]He had transferred his affections to a Miss King，
[06:14.71]who had recently inherited ten thousand pounds.
[06:18.39]Elizabeth saw exactly what was happening，
[06:20.81]but her heart had only been slightly touched，
[06:23.77]and she was able to convince herself
[06:26.14]that it was quite natural for such an agreeable young man to wish for fortune and independence.
[06:31.58]January and February passed， 1
[06:35.53]and the time for Elizabeth's visit to Mr and Mrs Collins approached.
[06:38.94]She had improved the plan，
[06:41.24]by arranging to spend a night in London at her uncle and aunt's house，
[06:45.21]before continuing the journey into Kent.
[06:47.73]She was very much looking forward to seeing Jane，
[06:50.32]who was still staying with the Gardiners.
[06:52.47]The journey seemed long to Elizabeth，
[06:55.66]because Sir William and Maria had nothing to say worth hearing.
[06:59.7]But when the coach arrived at the Gardiners house’at lunch-time，
[07:02.59]Elizabeth was delighted to see that her sister looked as healthy and lovely as before.
[07:07.38]In a private conversation with her aunt later， however，
[07:11.70]Elizabeth discovered that Jane had been suffering from periods of depression，
[07:16.3]although she always tried bravely to appear cheerful.
[07:20.65]The afternoon and evening passed only too quickly，
[07:23.47]and the next day Elizabeth and the other travellers set off again.
[07:27.24]When the coach arrived in Hunsford，
[07:30.6]they were all quite excited to see，on one side of the road，Lady Catherine's great park， which they had heard so much about.
[07:37.35]At last， on the other side， they came to the Rectory，
[07:41.39]where they were warmly welcomed by Mr Collins and Charlotte.
[07:44.96]Elizabeth was more and more pleased she had come，
[07:49.51]when she found herself so affectionately received.
[07:52.28]She saw instantly that marriage had not changed her cousin's manners.
[07:56.91]He insisted on greeting them all with formal politeness and long speeches，
[08:01.54]and showed them round the house，
[08:03.58]explaining its many good points in exhausting detail.
[08:06.63]Elizabeth could not help thinking
[08:09.87]that perhaps he was speaking particularly to her，
[08:11.70]as if wishing to make her feel what she had lost in refusing him.
[08:15.20]But although everything seemed neat and comfortable，
[08:18.35]she was unable to please him with a sigh of regret.
[08:21.58]In fact， she wondered how Charlotte could look so cheerful， with such a companion.
[08:26.11]But whenever Mr Collins said anything of which his wife might be ashamed，which was quite often，
[08:32.17]Charlotte wisely did not appear to be listening.
[08:34.84]And when Mr Collins showed them proudly round his garden，
[08:38.44]in which he himself enjoyed working，
[08:40.64]Elizabeth admired the serious way in which Charlotte praised gardening as a most healthy exercise，
[08:46.86]and admitted encouraging her husband to work outdoors as much as possible.
[08:51.59]Elizabeth had to confess to herself that， surprisingly，
[08:55.50]Charlotte really appeared to be happy.
[08:58.28]When Mr Collins could be forgotten，
[09:00.83]the house seemed very pleasant and comfortable，
[09:03.94]and from Charlotte's evident enjoyment of her home，
[09:06.47]Elizabeth supposed he must often be forgotten.
[09:09.53]The visitors had only been in the house for a day
[09:13.27]when a message came form Lady Catherine，
[09:15.99]inviting them all to dinner at Rosings Park the next day.
[09:19.34]Mr Collins was delighted， and congratulated his guests on their good luck.
[09:24.90]‘I confess that I might have expected her ladyship to invite us all to drink tea at Rosings on Sunday，’ “
[09:31.90]he said.‘But to invite the whole party to dinner!
[09:35.39]So soon after your arrival，too!
[09:38.35]What a generous and considerate lady she is!’
[09:41.41]The whole of the rest of that day and the next morning
[09:45.84]were spent discussing their visit to Rosings.
[09:48.64]This made Sir William and Maria quite nervous when the moment came to walk across the park and enter the great lady's house.
[09:55.57]Elizabeth，however， was unimpressed by what she had heard of Lady Catherine，
[10:00.56]and remained calm.
[10:02.15]She was interested to see that Lady Catherine
[10:06.12]was a tall， large woman， who held herself stiffly and proudly，
[10:10.80]and received her guests with an air of disdain.
[10:13.72]She spoke loudly and decidedly on every matter，
[10:17.84]and was clearly convinced of her superiority over other people.
[10:21.53]Her daughter， Anne，was completely different—
[10:25.5]a small， thin， ill-looking lady，
[10:27.90]who spoke very little， and only in a whisper.
[10:30.83]The dinner was very good，
[10:33.39]and was highly praised by Mr Collins.
[10:36.14]His repeated compliments，which Elizabeth thought were embarrassing，
[10:39.76]appeared to please Lady Catherine very much.
[10:42.9]After dinner her ladyship talked continuously，
[10:45.94]giving her opinions without any fear of contradiction or even comment.
[10:49.10]She then asked Elizabeth many detailed questions
[10:53.75]about her education， her sisters，and her father's income.
[10:57.55]Although Elizabeth considered these questions extremely personal and almost rude，
[11:01.71]she answered them politely and calmly.
[11:04.93]At the end of the long evening，
[11:06.44]the visitors were driven home in Lady Catherine's carriage，
[11:09.45]while Mr Collins praised his patron for her elegance，intelligence and hospitality.
[11:16.7]This visit was repeated twice a week，
[11:19.67]but there was little other entertainment in Hunsford.
[11:22.75]Elizabeth had pleasant conversations with Charlotte，
[11:27.27]or read books，
[11:29.87]or walked along a narrow path by Lady Catherine's park，
[11:30.87]which no one else seemed to use.
[11:33.87]It was a quiet life， but she was satisfied with it.
[11:36.98]However， two weeks after her arrival in Hunsford，
[11:41.75]she heard that some visitors were coming to stay at Rosings.
[11:45.62]Lady Catherine's nephew， Mr Darcy， was expected soon，
[11:49.41]accompanied by his cousin， Colonel Fitzwilliam.
[11:52.55]The next day， the two gentlemen arrived，
[11:56.20]and came almost immediately to the Rectory.
[11:58.84]Colonel Fitzwilliam was about thirty， not handsome，
[12:03.1]but very gentlemanly，and he talked pleasantly to the ladies.
[12:06.95]But Mr Darcy looked as cold and proud as ever，
[12:10.93]and after greeting Mrs Collins，
[12:13.19]spoke only a few stiffly polite words to Elizabeth.
[12:16.75]She took the opportunity of
[12:19.0]asking him if he had by any chance seen Jane in London recently，
[12:23.24]and thought he looked a little confused when he answered that he had not had that pleasure.
[12:28.19]Soon after that， the two gentlemen returned to Rosings.
[12:32.36]Colonel Fitzwilliam's manners were very much admired by the ladies，
[12:37.99]who felt that he would add considerably to the enjoyment of their evenings at Rosings.
[12:42.40]But it was not until Easter Day that they received an invitation from Lady Catherine，
[12:48.5]and when they arrived in her sitting-room，
[12:50.30]it was clear that she was far more interested in her nephews than in her other guests.
[12:55.29]Colonel Fitzwilliam，however，seemed really glad to see them，
[12:59.36]and he came at once to sit beside Elizabeth.
[13:02.14]They talked so agreeably and amusingly together
[13:05.70]that Mr Darcy turned his eyes towards them and looked curiously at them several times.
[13:11.36]When her ladyship also noticed，
[13:14.11]she called loudly across the room，
[13:16.90]‘Fitzwilliam，what are you talking about with Miss Bennet? “
[13:20.87]Let me hear what it is.’
[13:23.11]‘We're speaking of music，madam，’“
[13:26.20]he said，when no longer able to avoid a reply.
[13:29.34]‘Of music!Then please speak to all of us. “
[13:33.85]I must have my share in the conversation，if you are speaking of music.
[13:39.64]There are few people in England，I suppose， who have more true enjoyment of music than myself，
[13:47.31]or a better natural taste.
[13:55.48]But I often tell young ladies，practice is very important.
[14:00.59]I have told Miss Bennet several times that she will never play really well unless she practises more.
[14:07.77]And she is very welcome to come to Rosings
[14:11.36]and practise on the piano in the servants’hall.
[14:14.55]She won't be in anyone's way there，I can promise her.’
[14:18.71]Mr Darcy looked a little ashamed of his aunt’s insensitive words.
[14:24.89]Meanwhile， Colonel Fitzwilliam had persuaded Elizabeth to play some music，
[14:30.20]and she sat down at the piano.
[14:31.82]But when she had started playing，
[14:34.15]Mr Darcy went to stand in front of the piano，
[14:37.26]where he had a good view of her face.
[14:38.76]At the end of her first piece of music， Elizabeth said，smiling，
[14:43.13]‘You intend to frighten me， Mr Darcy， by coming to listen to me? “
[14:47.80]But I'm obstinate， and won't be frightened.’
[14:50.45]‘I don't think you really believe I intend to alarm you，“
[14:54.9]and I've had the pleasure of knowing you long enough
[14:57.35]to be aware that you occasionally enjoy stating opinions which are not your own.
[15:01.60]Elizabeth laughed at this picture of herself，
[15:06.80]and said to Colonel Fitzwilliam，
[15:08.10]‘Your cousin will teach you not to believe a word I say. “
[15:11.18]Indeed，Mr Darcy，it is very ungenerous of you to mention all my faults，
[15:16.41]and perhaps rather foolish too，
[15:18.90]because I may take my revenge，
[15:20.98]and tell things about you which your relations will be shocked to hear.’
[15:24.67]‘I am not afraid of you，’said Darcy，smiling.“
[15:28.0]‘But let me hear your accusation，’cried Colonel Fitzwilliam. “
[15:32.84]‘I'd like to hear how he behaves among strangers.’ “
[15:36.20]‘Well， prepare yourself for something very dreadful. “
[15:41.23]The first time I ever saw him was at a ball in Hertfordshire，
[15:45.3]and at this ball， what do you think he did?
[15:48.66]He danced only four dances!
[15:52.13]I'm sorry to cause you pain，but that is what happened.
[15:56.9]He danced only four dances，although gentlemen were scarce，and to my certain knowledge，more than one young lady was sitting down， waiting for a partner
[16:05.76]Mr Darcy， you must admit it.’
[16:08.81]‘I had not at that time the honour of knowing anybody at the ball， “
[16:13.98]apart from my own group of friends.
[16:15.85]I should perhaps have asked to be introduced，
[16:19.8]but I do not like to recommend myself to strangers.
[16:21.57]I do not find it easy to talk to people I don't know.’
[16:25.92]‘You don't want to take the trouble to do it，
[16:28.88]Darcy，that’s why!’said Colonel Fitzwilliam.“
[16:31.50]‘I cannot play this piano as well as some other women，’said Elizabeth，“
[16:36.34]‘but I've always assumed it is my own faultbecause “
[16:40.44]I don't take the trouble to practise.
[16:42.43]I know that I am capable of playing as well as anyone.’
[16:45.61]Darcy smiled and said，‘You are perfectly right.
[16:49.65]You have spent your time in a much better way.
[16:52.66]No one who hears you could imagine any possible improvement.
[16:56.62]We neither of us perform to strangers.’
[17:00.28]Just then Lady Catherine interrupted them，to comment on Elizabeth's playing.
[17:05.90]‘Miss Bennet would play quite well，if she had a London teacher. “
[17:10.89]Of course，Anne would have been a delightful performer，if her health had allowed her to learn.’
[17:17.41]Elizabeth looked at Darcy to see his reaction to Anne de Bourgh's name，
[17:23.89]but neither at that moment nor at any other
[17:26.93]could she observe any sign of love or even interest in his cousin.
[17:31.61]Lady Catherine continued to give Miss Bennet advice on her playing，
[17:36.20]but at the request of the gentlemen，
[17:38.73]Elizabeth stayed at the piano for the rest of the evening.