{"id":"01KJRRE0P6TEVFTGXBRVPPNKX6","cid":"bafkreidecemzppvac2uiyghli6r6mqdw2zegq76mc3zldhmp26ufsvmaiu","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":349595,"char_start":341664,"chunk_index":48,"chunk_total":108,"estimated_tokens":1983,"label":"in her own parish, the minutest concerns of which","source_file_key":"pride-and-prejudice","text":"in her own parish, the minutest concerns of which were carried to her by\r\nMr. Collins; and whenever any of the cottagers were disposed to be\r\nquarrelsome, discontented, or too poor, she sallied forth into the\r\nvillage to settle their differences, silence their complaints, and scold\r\nthem into harmony and plenty.\r\n\r\n[Illustration:\r\n\r\n     “he never failed to inform them”\r\n]\r\n\r\nThe entertainment of dining at Rosings was repeated about twice a week;\r\nand, allowing for the loss of Sir William, and there being only one\r\ncard-table in the evening, every such entertainment was the counterpart\r\nof the first. Their other engagements were few, as the style of living\r\nof the neighbourhood in general was beyond the Collinses’ reach. This,\r\nhowever, was no evil to Elizabeth, and upon the whole she spent her time\r\ncomfortably enough: there were half hours of pleasant conversation with\r\nCharlotte, and the weather was so fine for the time of year, that she\r\nhad often great enjoyment out of doors. Her favourite walk, and where\r\nshe frequently went while the others were calling on Lady Catherine, was\r\nalong the open grove which edged that side of the park, where there was\r\na nice sheltered path, which no one seemed to value but herself, and\r\nwhere she felt beyond the reach of Lady Catherine’s curiosity.\r\n\r\nIn this quiet way the first fortnight of her visit soon passed away.\r\nEaster was approaching, and the week preceding it was to bring an\r\naddition to the family at Rosings, which in so small a circle must be\r\nimportant. Elizabeth had heard, soon after her arrival, that Mr. Darcy\r\nwas expected there in the course of a few weeks; and though there were\r\nnot many of her acquaintance whom she did not prefer, his coming would\r\nfurnish one comparatively new to look at in their Rosings parties, and\r\nshe might be amused in seeing how hopeless Miss Bingley’s designs on him\r\nwere, by his behaviour to his cousin, for whom he was evidently destined\r\nby Lady Catherine, who talked of his coming with the greatest\r\nsatisfaction, spoke of him in terms of the highest admiration, and\r\nseemed almost angry to find that he had already been frequently seen by\r\nMiss Lucas and herself.\r\n\r\nHis arrival was soon known at the Parsonage; for Mr. Collins was walking\r\nthe whole morning within view of the lodges opening into Hunsford Lane,\r\nin order to have\r\n\r\n[Illustration:\r\n\r\n“The gentlemen accompanied him.”\r\n\r\n[_Copyright 1894 by George Allen._]]\r\n\r\nthe earliest assurance of it; and, after making his bow as the carriage\r\nturned into the park, hurried home with the great intelligence. On the\r\nfollowing morning he hastened to Rosings to pay his respects. There were\r\ntwo nephews of Lady Catherine to require them, for Mr. Darcy had brought\r\nwith him a Colonel Fitzwilliam, the younger son of his uncle, Lord ----;\r\nand, to the great surprise of all the party, when Mr. Collins returned,\r\nthe gentlemen accompanied him. Charlotte had seen them from her\r\nhusband’s room, crossing the road, and immediately running into the\r\nother, told the girls what an honour they might expect, adding,--\r\n\r\n“I may thank you, Eliza, for this piece of civility. Mr. Darcy would\r\nnever have come so soon to wait upon me.”\r\n\r\nElizabeth had scarcely time to disclaim all right to the compliment\r\nbefore their approach was announced by the door-bell, and shortly\r\nafterwards the three gentlemen entered the room. Colonel Fitzwilliam,\r\nwho led the way, was about thirty, not handsome, but in person and\r\naddress most truly the gentleman. Mr. Darcy looked just as he had been\r\nused to look in Hertfordshire, paid his compliments, with his usual\r\nreserve, to Mrs. Collins; and whatever might be his feelings towards her\r\nfriend, met her with every appearance of composure. Elizabeth merely\r\ncourtesied to him, without saying a word.\r\n\r\nColonel Fitzwilliam entered into conversation directly, with the\r\nreadiness and ease of a well-bred man, and talked very pleasantly; but\r\nhis cousin, after having addressed a slight observation on the house and\r\ngarden to Mrs. Collins, sat for some time without speaking to anybody.\r\nAt length, however, his civility was so far awakened as to inquire of\r\nElizabeth after the health of her family. She answered him in the usual\r\nway; and, after a moment’s pause, added,--\r\n\r\n“My eldest sister has been in town these three months. Have you never\r\nhappened to see her there?”\r\n\r\nShe was perfectly sensible that he never had: but she wished to see\r\nwhether he would betray any consciousness of what had passed between the\r\nBingleys and Jane; and she thought he looked a little confused as he\r\nanswered that he had never been so fortunate as to meet Miss Bennet. The\r\nsubject was pursued no further, and the gentlemen soon afterwards went\r\naway.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n[Illustration:\r\n\r\n“At Church”\r\n]\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER XXXI.\r\n\r\n\r\n[Illustration]\r\n\r\nColonel Fitzwilliam’s manners were very much admired at the Parsonage,\r\nand the ladies all felt that he must add considerably to the pleasure of\r\ntheir engagements at Rosings. It was some days, however, before they\r\nreceived any invitation thither, for while there were visitors in the\r\nhouse they could not be necessary; and it was not till Easter-day,\r\nalmost a week after the gentlemen’s arrival, that they were honoured by\r\nsuch an attention, and then they were merely asked on leaving church to\r\ncome there in the evening. For the last week they had seen very little\r\nof either Lady Catherine or her daughter. Colonel Fitzwilliam had called\r\nat the Parsonage more than once during the time, but Mr. Darcy they had\r\nonly seen at church.\r\n\r\nThe invitation was accepted, of course, and at a proper hour they joined\r\nthe party in Lady Catherine’s drawing-room. Her Ladyship received them\r\ncivilly, but it was plain that their company was by no means so\r\nacceptable as when she could get nobody else; and she was, in fact,\r\nalmost engrossed by her nephews, speaking to them, especially to Darcy,\r\nmuch more than to any other person in the room.\r\n\r\nColonel Fitzwilliam seemed really glad to see them: anything was a\r\nwelcome relief to him at Rosings; and Mrs. Collins’s pretty friend had,\r\nmoreover, caught his fancy very much. He now seated himself by her, and\r\ntalked so agreeably of Kent and Hertfordshire, of travelling and staying\r\nat home, of new books and music, that Elizabeth had never been half so\r\nwell entertained in that room before; and they conversed with so much\r\nspirit and flow as to draw the attention of Lady Catherine herself, as\r\nwell as of Mr. Darcy. _His_ eyes had been soon and repeatedly turned\r\ntowards them with a look of curiosity; and that her Ladyship, after a\r\nwhile, shared the feeling, was more openly acknowledged, for she did not\r\nscruple to call out,--\r\n\r\n“What is that you are saying, Fitzwilliam? What is it you are talking\r\nof? What are you telling Miss Bennet? Let me hear what it is.”\r\n\r\n“We were talking of music, madam,” said he, when no longer able to avoid\r\na reply.\r\n\r\n“Of music! Then pray speak aloud. It is of all subjects my delight. I\r\nmust have my share in the conversation, if you are speaking of music.\r\nThere are few people in England, I suppose, who have more true\r\nenjoyment of music than myself, or a better natural taste. If I had ever\r\nlearnt, I should have been a great proficient. And so would Anne, if her\r\nhealth had allowed her to apply. I am confident that she would have\r\nperformed delightfully. How does Georgiana get on, Darcy?”\r\n\r\nMr. Darcy spoke with affectionate praise of his sister’s proficiency.\r\n\r\n“I am very glad to hear such a good account of her,” said Lady\r\nCatherine; “and pray tell her from me, that she cannot expect to excel,\r\nif she does not practise a great deal.”\r\n\r\n“I assure you, madam,” he replied, “that she does not need such advice.\r\nShe practises very constantly.”\r\n\r\n“So much the better. It cannot be done too much; and when I next write\r\nto her, I shall charge her not to neglect it on any account."},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KJRRD3TNE5A6AKAVXSRFT9RC","peer_label":"pride-and-prejudice","peer_type":"text","predicate":"derived_from"},{"peer":"01KJRRC2C7K6XERRJES8143XGV","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KJRRF826ZSJSKKBWG7SK2KSN","peer_label":"rosings","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:53.059Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZKG263C7SQSDV3TZ5MX","peer_label":"elizabeth bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:53.059Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY6ZWGAT4FYVDEM6VE2E","peer_label":"mr collins","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:53.059Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY7G184NZ401P9V4JV87","peer_label":"lady catherine de bourgh","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:53.059Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZJBEM6MWHW485H9DS9F","peer_label":"mr darcy","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:53.059Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF06V9ABE1JZWJHE56BCY","peer_label":"miss bingley","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:53.059Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF12Y1DAF33TFMWWRKDV2","peer_label":"miss lucas","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:53.059Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF7YPKAMRSS5AR5RC8DQN","peer_label":"colonel fitzwilliam","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:53.059Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGM87R12EADFF6YZZG3","peer_label":"jane bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:53.059Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRF9M2538MHHJ98FNAFJA7","peer_label":"georgiana darcy","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:53.059Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFH24ZM3VNXDJY9TG1GWQ","peer_label":"charlotte lucas collins","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:53.059Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFH3T3WN814ABA4YMK844","peer_label":"bingleys","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"group_of_people","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:53.059Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFH386RK2X7MDEF3F3GF6","peer_label":"hunsford lane","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"road","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:53.059Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFH39ADBV0ZKJFMMEFFWR","peer_label":"village","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"settlement","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:53.059Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFH1RFZ4DGN75Y0GWAYQR","peer_label":"parsonage","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"residence","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:53.059Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFHC5CTVZYXQ65G2ZNFTB","peer_label":"anne de bourgh","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:53.059Z"}}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:01.254Z","ts":"2026-03-03T02:29:53.893Z","edited_by":{"method":"system","user_id":"01KJ60XQBHJ0GBGTP9X8HXAPPM"}}