{"id":"01KJRRE0MQQYQPX3F7XZ57HNCS","cid":"bafkreibrv73qwwsh5lsm2a5nuwdvwrfpaaeohe4436hxukqzmdksvn7aqe","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":165148,"char_start":157192,"chunk_index":22,"chunk_total":108,"estimated_tokens":1989,"label":"mingling with a very good opinion of himself, of h","source_file_key":"pride-and-prejudice","text":"mingling with a very good opinion of himself, of his authority as a\r\nclergyman, and his right as a rector, made him altogether a mixture of\r\npride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility.\r\n\r\nHaving now a good house and a very sufficient income, he intended to\r\nmarry; and in seeking a reconciliation with the Longbourn family he had\r\na wife in view, as he meant to choose one of the daughters, if he found\r\nthem as handsome and amiable as they were represented by common report.\r\nThis was his plan of amends--of atonement--for inheriting their father’s\r\nestate; and he thought it an excellent one, full of eligibility and\r\nsuitableness, and excessively generous and disinterested on his own\r\npart.\r\n\r\nHis plan did not vary on seeing them. Miss Bennet’s lovely face\r\nconfirmed his views, and established all his strictest notions of what\r\nwas due to seniority; and for the first evening _she_ was his settled\r\nchoice. The next morning, however, made an alteration; for in a quarter\r\nof an hour’s _tête-à-tête_ with Mrs. Bennet before breakfast, a\r\nconversation beginning with his parsonage-house, and leading naturally\r\nto the avowal of his hopes, that a mistress for it might be found at\r\nLongbourn, produced from her, amid very complaisant smiles and general\r\nencouragement, a caution against the very Jane he had fixed on. “As to\r\nher _younger_ daughters, she could not take upon her to say--she could\r\nnot positively answer--but she did not _know_ of any prepossession;--her\r\n_eldest_ daughter she must just mention--she felt it incumbent on her to\r\nhint, was likely to be very soon engaged.”\r\n\r\nMr. Collins had only to change from Jane to Elizabeth--and it was soon\r\ndone--done while Mrs. Bennet was stirring the fire. Elizabeth, equally\r\nnext to Jane in birth and beauty, succeeded her of course.\r\n\r\nMrs. Bennet treasured up the hint, and trusted that she might soon have\r\ntwo daughters married; and the man whom she could not bear to speak of\r\nthe day before, was now high in her good graces.\r\n\r\nLydia’s intention of walking to Meryton was not forgotten: every sister\r\nexcept Mary agreed to go with her; and Mr. Collins was to attend them,\r\nat the request of Mr. Bennet, who was most anxious to get rid of him,\r\nand have his library to himself; for thither Mr. Collins had followed\r\nhim after breakfast, and there he would continue, nominally engaged with\r\none of the largest folios in the collection, but really talking to Mr.\r\nBennet, with little cessation, of his house and garden at Hunsford. Such\r\ndoings discomposed Mr. Bennet exceedingly. In his library he had been\r\nalways sure of leisure and tranquillity; and though prepared, as he told\r\nElizabeth, to meet with folly and conceit in every other room in the\r\nhouse, he was used to be free from them there: his civility, therefore,\r\nwas most prompt in inviting Mr. Collins to join his daughters in their\r\nwalk; and Mr. Collins, being in fact much better fitted for a walker\r\nthan a reader, was extremely well pleased to close his large book, and\r\ngo.\r\n\r\nIn pompous nothings on his side, and civil assents on that of his\r\ncousins, their time passed till they entered Meryton. The attention of\r\nthe younger ones was then no longer to be gained by _him_. Their eyes\r\nwere immediately wandering up the street in quest of the officers, and\r\nnothing less than a very smart bonnet, indeed, or a really new muslin in\r\na shop window, could recall them.\r\n\r\nBut the attention of every lady was soon caught by a young man, whom\r\nthey had never seen before, of most gentlemanlike appearance, walking\r\nwith an officer on the other side of the way. The officer was the very\r\nMr. Denny concerning whose return from London Lydia came to inquire, and\r\nhe bowed as they passed. All were struck with the stranger’s air, all\r\nwondered who he could be; and Kitty and Lydia, determined if possible\r\nto find out, led the way across the street, under pretence of wanting\r\nsomething in an opposite shop, and fortunately had just gained the\r\npavement, when the two gentlemen, turning back, had reached the same\r\nspot. Mr. Denny addressed them directly, and entreated permission to\r\nintroduce his friend, Mr. Wickham, who had returned with him the day\r\nbefore from town, and, he was happy to say, had accepted a commission in\r\ntheir corps. This was exactly as it should be; for the young man wanted\r\nonly regimentals to make him completely charming. His appearance was\r\ngreatly in his favour: he had all the best parts of beauty, a fine\r\ncountenance, a good figure, and very pleasing address. The introduction\r\nwas followed up on his side by a happy readiness of conversation--a\r\nreadiness at the same time perfectly correct and unassuming; and the\r\nwhole party were still standing and talking together very agreeably,\r\nwhen the sound of horses drew their notice, and Darcy and Bingley were\r\nseen riding down the street. On distinguishing the ladies of the group\r\nthe two gentlemen came directly towards them, and began the usual\r\ncivilities. Bingley was the principal spokesman, and Miss Bennet the\r\nprincipal object. He was then, he said, on his way to Longbourn on\r\npurpose to inquire after her. Mr. Darcy corroborated it with a bow, and\r\nwas beginning to determine not to fix his eyes on Elizabeth, when they\r\nwere suddenly arrested by the sight of the stranger; and Elizabeth\r\nhappening to see the countenance of both as they looked at each other,\r\nwas all astonishment at the effect of the meeting. Both changed colour,\r\none looked white, the other red. Mr. Wickham, after a few moments,\r\ntouched his hat--a salutation which Mr. Darcy just deigned to return.\r\nWhat could be the meaning of it? It was impossible to imagine; it was\r\nimpossible not to long to know.\r\n\r\nIn another minute Mr. Bingley, but without seeming to have noticed what\r\npassed, took leave and rode on with his friend.\r\n\r\nMr. Denny and Mr. Wickham walked with the young ladies to the door of\r\nMr. Philips’s house, and then made their bows, in spite of Miss Lydia’s\r\npressing entreaties that they would come in, and even in spite of Mrs.\r\nPhilips’s throwing up the parlour window, and loudly seconding the\r\ninvitation.\r\n\r\nMrs. Philips was always glad to see her nieces; and the two eldest, from\r\ntheir recent absence, were particularly welcome; and she was eagerly\r\nexpressing her surprise at their sudden return home, which, as their own\r\ncarriage had not fetched them, she should have known nothing about, if\r\nshe had not happened to see Mr. Jones’s shopboy in the street, who had\r\ntold her that they were not to send any more draughts to Netherfield,\r\nbecause the Miss Bennets were come away, when her civility was claimed\r\ntowards Mr. Collins by Jane’s introduction of him. She received him with\r\nher very best politeness, which he returned with as much more,\r\napologizing for his intrusion, without any previous acquaintance with\r\nher, which he could not help flattering himself, however, might be\r\njustified by his relationship to the young ladies who introduced him to\r\nher notice. Mrs. Philips was quite awed by such an excess of good\r\nbreeding; but her contemplation of one stranger was soon put an end to\r\nby exclamations and inquiries about the other, of whom, however, she\r\ncould only tell her nieces what they already knew, that Mr. Denny had\r\nbrought him from London, and that he was to have a lieutenant’s\r\ncommission in the ----shire. She had been watching him the last hour,\r\nshe said, as he walked up and down the street,--and had Mr. Wickham\r\nappeared, Kitty and Lydia would certainly have continued the occupation;\r\nbut unluckily no one passed the windows now except a few of the\r\nofficers, who, in comparison with the stranger, were become “stupid,\r\ndisagreeable fellows.” Some of them were to dine with the Philipses the\r\nnext day, and their aunt promised to make her husband call on Mr.\r\nWickham, and give him an invitation also, if the family from Longbourn\r\nwould come in the evening. This was agreed to; and Mrs."},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KJRRD3TNE5A6AKAVXSRFT9RC","peer_label":"pride-and-prejudice","peer_type":"text","predicate":"derived_from"},{"peer":"01KJRRC2C7K6XERRJES8143XGV","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KJRREYT564P5405ZE4Q76ZF5","peer_label":"mrs bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY6ZWGAT4FYVDEM6VE2E","peer_label":"mr collins","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZKG263C7SQSDV3TZ5MX","peer_label":"elizabeth bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYW2V9QH9GNRQRJT67GK","peer_label":"mr bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY6RHWPTVXJ7SHB3NE6F","peer_label":"lydia bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZJBEM6MWHW485H9DS9F","peer_label":"mr darcy","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY5SSJCQ67QYG0XTG9A8","peer_label":"mr bingley","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGXA5G45WS8FVH5R7BE","peer_label":"netherfield","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF0V27VZ765A0967R07KJ","peer_label":"mr denny","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF03HV8WK7S25SR34XZ4G","peer_label":"meryton","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"town","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF03EKPCZWK39EPRV4X1Y","peer_label":"mr wickham","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF0RKGVFRAN8B0999YK6Y","peer_label":"hunsford parsonage","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"residence","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF0QSJRNCPVPFD64ZGBHP","peer_label":"bennet family","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"family","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF0PVV14PS661AK6210XM","peer_label":"longbourn estate","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF0NTEBB97KY6KYD4761H","peer_label":"miss jane bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF1BBS2X0TJJEBX6BHZ5D","peer_label":"london","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF1AJ6WME8KFADRPK0GW0","peer_label":"mr philipss house","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"residence","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF1A42FY2HZTFF6WCFG11","peer_label":"mrs philips","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF19D6WK005N260N31J8Z","peer_label":"military corps","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"military_unit","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:36.305Z"}}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:01.207Z","ts":"2026-03-03T02:29:37.162Z","edited_by":{"method":"system","user_id":"01KJ60XQBHJ0GBGTP9X8HXAPPM"}}