by Austen, Jane
“I do assure you, Sir, that I have no pretension whatever to that kind of elegance which consists in tormenting a respectable man. I would rather be paid the compliment of being believed sincere. I thank you again and again for the honour you have done me in your proposals, but to accept them is absolutely impossible. My feelings in every respect forbid it. Can I speak plainer? Do not consider me now as an elegant female intending to plague you, but as a rational creature speaking the truth from her heart.”40
“You are uniformly charming!” cried he, with an air of awkward gallantry; “and I am persuaded that when sanctioned by the express authority of both your excellent parents, my proposals will not fail of being acceptable.”
To such perseverance in wilful self-deception Elizabeth would make no reply, and immediately and in silence withdrew; determined, if he persisted in considering her repeated refusals as flattering encouragement, to apply to her father, whose negative might be uttered in such a manner as must be decisive, and whose behaviour at least could not be mistaken for the affectation and coquetry of an elegant female.
1. This chapter marks the beginning of a section without Darcy. His relationship with Elizabeth has reached an impasse, in which he likes her but is also determined to avoid the danger of a romantic involvement, and she is determined not to like him at all. Mr. Collins's proposal offers an appropriate commencement of a new section, for it both presents a contrast to the proposal Darcy will make in the next main section, and begins the sequence of events that eventually brings Elizabeth and Darcy together again—when she visits the bride Mr. Collins chooses after her refusal—and thereby makes that proposal possible.
2. in form: formally, according to the prescribed rules. The contrast here is with his earlier expressions of interest in Elizabeth, unaccompanied by a formal declaration.
3. the business: a term that signals Mr. Collins's attitude; in fact, both in this phrase and below, he consistently follows what he considers established custom, even to the extent of using the most formulaic phrases. As for his not suffering any feelings of diffidence or nervousness, that is not difficult since he has no genuine feelings of love to distract or fluster him.
4. interest: influence.
5. work: needlework.
6. A proposal is normally made with only the two concerned present, which is why Elizabeth so earnestly wishes not to be left alone with Mr. Collins.
7. sensible: conscious, aware.
8. incessant employment: probably this means needlework.
9. The idea that a woman should be modest, and shy away from a proposal (even one she welcomed), was a standard one at the time, for such modesty was considered a prime feminine virtue. Female conduct books regularly counseled women not to be too forward in their dealings with men or to encourage male advances, though these books did not generally encourage the deceptive modesty that Mr. Collins will shortly attribute to Elizabeth.
10. address: speech or act of courtship.
11. purport: purpose.
12. delicacy: modesty, sense of propriety. Mr. Collins will use this term repeatedly during his proposal.
13. In fact, he first expressed an interest in Jane.
14. Despite all his talk of feelings, Mr. Collins is thoroughly businesslike and orderly in how he proceeds. He forms the complete contrast with the other man who proposes to Elizabeth, Darcy. One man is full of sentimental words, but has no actual passion; the other is reticent and careful in speech, but has genuine feelings toward her. In one respect, however, the two are similar, for they both assume smugly that Elizabeth is certain to accept their proposal.
15. easy: comfortable, prosperous.
16. Mr. Collins makes sure to mention his own prosperity. He is clearly proud of it; moreover, he probably thinks that reminding Elizabeth of it will ensure her acceptance of his proposal.
17. Other instances appear where Mr. Collins organizes his thoughts numerically. It is possible he uses a similar rhetorical device in his sermons.
18. When talking of Lady Catherine Mr. Collins actually departs somewhat from the studied and formal phrases that he otherwise employs. This is the one subject that seems capable of exciting strong and spontaneous emotion in him.
19. pools at quadrille: games of quadrille (see p. 305, note 41).
20. brought up high: raised in a wealthy environment, and thus with expensive habits that would make her unsuited to live on a modest income.
21. This suggests Lady Catherine's peremptory and dictatorial nature. Jane Austen often uses reported speech like this to reveal people's character.
22. notice: acknowledgment, favor.
23. The clear implication is that Lady Catherine dislikes wit and vivacity. This will be confirmed once Elizabeth meets Lady Catherine; what will not be confirmed, however, is Mr. Collins's hope that this characteristic of Lady Catherine will cause Elizabeth to suppress her wit and vivacity.
24. Mr. Bennet's death, and how long it will be until then, is clearly a subject that is on Mr. Collins's mind. He has already knocked his estimate of death down, from “many years longer” to “several years.”
25. It is significant that, amidst his lengthy explanations as to why he has decided to marry, Mr. Collins has said almost nothing in praise of Elizabeth herself; clearly she has little to do with his decision. All this makes his next sentence, speaking of his violent affection for her, especially ludicrous.
26. violence of my affection: a standard phrase in declarations of love. It is as if Mr. Collins realized that he needed at some point to speak in more emotional and personal terms—since he is proposing after all—but can only, when he finally gets to that, declare that he is using animated language, without actually doing so, and toss in the most obvious cliché available. He shows how little meaning such words have for him when he immediately moves on to discuss, in much greater detail, Elizabeth's financial condition.
27. 4 per cents.: a type of government bond. There were also the 5 per cents, and the 3 per cents. The existence of 3 or 4 per cent, bonds does not contradict the general reality of a prevailing return on investments of approximately 5%, for bonds were normally sold at a substantial discount off their face value. For example, 3 per cent, bonds, which were the most popular type, might be sold at a 60% discount. This meant that bonds with a nominal value of 1,000 pounds would only cost 600 pounds (because they were 99-year bonds, the investor could not simply turn around and cash them in for the nominal value). This in turn would raise their effective yield: in the above example, the investor would receive an annual return of 3% of the nominal value of 1,000, i.e. 30 pounds, a sum that would represent 5% of the actual investment of 600. In the period of the novel, when the government's need for investor money was high due to the financial demands of its war with Napoleon, effective yields were often greater than 5%.
Mr. Collins's mentioning not just how much money Elizabeth has, but the specific fund in which it is invested, is unique in the novel. It places his professed indifference to fortune in an ironic light, and suggests that he might not be so silent about such matters if they were married.
28. The idea of a woman initially rejecting any offer out of modesty was also a standard one, often found in novels. It was a convention Jane Austen satirized. Ironically, Elizabeth will eventually be asked a second time by the same man, but her expectation of that in no way influences her initial refusal.
29. situation: position as your wife.
30. economy: being economical. This was a trait that was often praised, though normally it would not head the list of amiable qualifications in a beloved; it is, however, something that Lady Catherine has insisted is vital in his wife, and that makes it supremely important to Mr. Collins.
31. falls: falls to you, i.e., when you [Mr. Collins] inherit it.
32. Female cruelty in rejecting and tormenting a lover was another convention of much romantic literature.
33. The speculative nature of this phrase, along with the absurdity of what Mr. Col
lins continues to assert, indicates how little his opinion of female character is based on any actual experience or observation.
34. being one: being an actual refusal.
35. establishment: settled condition or livelihood—something a woman marrying Mr. Collins would have.
36. g motivated only by such material considerations himself, Mr. Collins undoubtedly finds it hard to imagine anyone else spurred by different motives.
37. Now that he has been thwarted in his plan, Mr. Collins begins to reveal the crassness beneath his extravagantly polite exterior.
38. suspense: delay, suspension of a decision—often done to maintain someone in a state of uncertainty.
39. elegant females: women of fashion or high social position.
40. In contrast to her later rejection of Darcy, Elizabeth always remains courteous in her language to Mr. Collins. Partly this is because Mr. Collins, even with his crassness about money and his blind persistence, does not openly insult her or speak in a truly harsh way. Partly it is because Mr. Collins is simply too ridiculous a figure to inspire any strong emotion in her besides contempt.
Chapter Twenty
Mr. Collins was not left long to the silent contemplation of his successful love; for Mrs. Bennet, having dawdled about in the vestibule to watch for the end of the conference, no sooner saw Elizabeth open the door and with quick step pass her towards the staircase, than she entered the breakfast-room, and congratulated both him and herself in warm terms on the happy prospect of their nearer connection.1 Mr. Collins received and returned these felicitations with equal pleasure, and then proceeded to relate the particulars of their interview, with the result of which he trusted he had every reason to be satisfied, since the refusal which his cousin had stedfastly given him would naturally flow from her bashful modesty2 and the genuine delicacy of her character.
This information, however, startled Mrs. Bennet;—she would have been glad to be equally satisfied that her daughter had meant to encourage him by protesting against his proposals, but she dared not to believe it, and could not help saying so.
“But depend upon it, Mr. Collins,” she added, “that Lizzy shall be brought to reason. I will speak to her about it myself directly.3 She is a very headstrong foolish girl, and does not know her own interest; but I will make her know it.”
“Pardon me for interrupting you, Madam,” cried Mr. Collins; “but if she is really headstrong and foolish, I know not whether she would altogether4 be a very desirable wife to a man in my situation, who naturally looks for happiness in the marriage state. If therefore she actually persists in rejecting my suit, perhaps it were better not to force her into accepting me, because if liable to such defects of temper,5 she could not contribute much to my felicity.”
“Sir, you quite misunderstand me,” said Mrs. Bennet, alarmed. “Lizzy is only headstrong in such matters as these. In every thing else she is as good natured a girl as ever lived. I will go directly to Mr. Bennet, and we shall very soon settle it with her, I am sure.”
She would not give him time to reply, but hurrying instantly to her husband, called out as she entered the library,
“Oh! Mr. Bennet, you are wanted immediately; we are all in an uproar. You must come and make Lizzy marry Mr. Collins, for she vows she will not have him, and if you do not make haste he will change his mind and not have her.”
Mr. Bennet raised his eyes from his book as she entered, and fixed them on her face with a calm unconcern which was not in the least altered by her communication.
“I have not the pleasure of understanding you,” said he, when she had finished her speech. “Of what are you talking?”
“Of Mr. Collins and Lizzy. Lizzy declares she will not have Mr. Collins, and Mr. Collins begins to say that he will not have Lizzy.”
“And what am I to do on the occasion? —It seems an hopeless business.”
“Speak to Lizzy about it yourself. Tell her that you insist upon her marrying him.”
“Let her be called down. She shall hear my opinion.”
Mrs. Bennet rang the bell, and Miss Elizabeth was summoned to the library.6
“Come here, child,” cried her father as she appeared. “I have sent for you on an affair of importance. I understand that Mr. Collins has made you an offer of marriage. Is it true?” Elizabeth replied that it was. “Very well—and this offer of marriage you have refused?”
“I have, Sir.”
“Very well. We now come to the point. Your mother insists upon your accepting it. Is not it so, Mrs. Bennet?”7
“Yes, or I will never see her again.”
“An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents.—Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.”8
Elizabeth could not but smile at such a conclusion of such a beginning; but Mrs. Bennet, who had persuaded herself that her husband regarded the affair as she wished, was excessively disappointed.
“What do you mean, Mr. Bennet, by talking in this way? You promised me to insist upon her marrying him.”
“My dear” replied her husband, “I have two small favours to request. First, that you will allow me the free use of my understanding on the present occasion; and secondly, of my room. I shall be glad to have the library to myself as soon as may be.”9
Not yet, however, in spite of her disappointment in her husband, did Mrs. Bennet give up the point. She talked to Elizabeth again and again; coaxed and threatened her by turns. She endeavoured to secure Jane in her interest,10 but Jane with all possible mildness declined interfering; —and Elizabeth sometimes with real earnestness and sometimes with playful gaiety replied to her attacks. Though her manner varied however, her determination never did.
Mr. Collins, meanwhile, was meditating in solitude on what had passed. He thought too well of himself to comprehend on what motive his cousin could refuse him; and though his pride was hurt, he suffered in no other way.11 His regard for her was quite imaginary; and the possibility of her deserving her mother's reproach prevented his feeling any regret.
While the family were in this confusion, Charlotte Lucas came to spend the day with them. She was met in the vestibule by Lydia, who, flying to her, cried in a half whisper, “I am glad you are come, for there is such fun here!—What do you think has happened this morning? —Mr. Collins has made an offer to Lizzy, and she will not have him.”12
Charlotte had hardly time to answer, before they were joined by Kitty, who came to tell the same news, and no sooner had they entered the breakfast-room, where Mrs. Bennet was alone, than she likewise began on the subject, calling on Miss Lucas for her compassion, and entreating her to persuade her friend Lizzy to comply with the wishes of all her family. “Pray do, my dear Miss Lucas,” she added in a melancholy tone, “for nobody is on my side, nobody takes part with me, I am cruelly used, nobody feels for my poor nerves.”
Charlotte's reply was spared by the entrance of Jane and Elizabeth.
“Aye, there she comes,” continued Mrs. Bennet, “looking as unconcerned as may be, and caring no more for us than if we were at York,13 provided she can have her own way.—But I tell you what, Miss Lizzy,14 if you take it into your head to go on refusing every offer of marriage in this way, you will never get a husband at all —and I am sure I do not know who is to maintain you when your father is dead.15—I shall not be able to keep you —and so I warn you. —I have done with you from this very day.—I told you in the library, you know, that I should never speak to you again, and you will find me as good as my word. I have no pleasure in talking to undutiful children. —Not that I have much pleasure indeed in talking to any body. People who suffer as I do from nervous complaints16 can have no great inclination for talking. Nobody can tell what I suffer!—But it is always so. Those who do not complain are never pitied.”
Her daughters listened in silence to this effusion,17 sensible18 that any attempt to reason with or sooth her w
ould only increase the irritation. She talked on, therefore, without interruption from any of them till they were joined by Mr. Collins, who entered with an air more stately19 than usual, and on perceiving whom, she said to the girls,
“Now, I do insist upon it, that you, all of you, hold your tongues, and let Mr. Collins and me have a little conversation together.”
Elizabeth passed quietly out of the room, Jane and Kitty followed, but Lydia stood her ground, determined to hear all she could; and Charlotte, detained first by the civility of Mr. Collins, whose inquiries after herself and all her family were very minute,20 and then by a little curiosity,21 satisfied herself with walking to the window and pretending not to hear.22 In a doleful voice Mrs. Bennet thus began the projected conversation. —”Oh! Mr. Collins!”—
“My dear Madam” replied he, “let us be for ever silent on this point. Far be it from me,” he presently continued in a voice that marked his displeasure, “to resent the behaviour of your daughter. Resignation to inevitable evils is the duty of us all; the peculiar23 duty of a young man who has been so fortunate as I have been in early preferment;24 and I trust I am resigned. Perhaps not the less so from feeling a doubt of my positive happiness had my fair cousin honoured me with her hand; for I have often observed that resignation is never so perfect as when the blessing denied begins to lose somewhat of its value in our estimation.25 You will not, I hope, consider me as shewing any disrespect to your family, my dear Madam, by thus withdrawing my pretensions to your daughter's favour, without having paid yourself and Mr. Bennet the compliment of requesting you to interpose your authority in my behalf26 My conduct may I fear be objectionable in having accepted my dismission27 from your daughter's lips instead of your own. But we are all liable to error. I have certainly meant well through the whole affair. My object has been to secure an amiable companion for myself, with due consideration for the advantage of all your family, and if my manner has been at all reprehensible, I here beg leave to apologise.”