{"id":"01KJRRE0THCCK2S5SENYVS6WAS","cid":"bafkreigksfmjyllbizer57nsudxkawbiwgqhbo3k5wdtg6ffg6rzr46zpy","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":698355,"char_start":690409,"chunk_index":97,"chunk_total":108,"estimated_tokens":1987,"label":"till she recollected that _his_ being the intimate","source_file_key":"pride-and-prejudice","text":"till she recollected that _his_ being the intimate friend of Bingley,\r\nand _her_ being the sister of Jane, was enough, at a time when the\r\nexpectation of one wedding made everybody eager for another, to supply\r\nthe idea. She had not herself forgotten to feel that the marriage of her\r\nsister must bring them more frequently together. And her neighbours at\r\nLucas Lodge, therefore, (for through their communication with the\r\nCollinses, the report, she concluded, had reached Lady Catherine,) had\r\nonly set _that_ down as almost certain and immediate which _she_ had\r\nlooked forward to as possible at some future time.\r\n\r\nIn revolving Lady Catherine’s expressions, however, she could not help\r\nfeeling some uneasiness as to the possible consequence of her persisting\r\nin this interference. From what she had said of her resolution to\r\nprevent the marriage, it occurred to Elizabeth that she must meditate an\r\napplication to her nephew; and how he might take a similar\r\nrepresentation of the evils attached to a connection with her she dared\r\nnot pronounce. She knew not the exact degree of his affection for his\r\naunt, or his dependence on her judgment, but it was natural to suppose\r\nthat he thought much higher of her Ladyship than _she_ could do; and it\r\nwas certain, that in enumerating the miseries of a marriage with _one_\r\nwhose immediate connections were so unequal to his own, his aunt would\r\naddress him on his weakest side. With his notions of dignity, he would\r\nprobably feel that the arguments, which to Elizabeth had appeared weak\r\nand ridiculous, contained much good sense and solid reasoning.\r\n\r\nIf he had been wavering before, as to what he should do, which had often\r\nseemed likely, the advice and entreaty of so near a relation might\r\nsettle every doubt, and determine him at once to be as happy as dignity\r\nunblemished could make him. In that case he would return no more. Lady\r\nCatherine might see him in her way through town; and his engagement to\r\nBingley of coming again to Netherfield must give way.\r\n\r\n“If, therefore, an excuse for not keeping his promise should come to his\r\nfriend within a few days,” she added, “I shall know how to understand\r\nit. I shall then give over every expectation, every wish of his\r\nconstancy. If he is satisfied with only regretting me, when he might\r\nhave obtained my affections and hand, I shall soon cease to regret him\r\nat all.”\r\n\r\nThe surprise of the rest of the family, on hearing who their visitor had\r\nbeen, was very great: but they obligingly satisfied it with the same\r\nkind of supposition which had appeased Mrs. Bennet’s curiosity; and\r\nElizabeth was spared from much teasing on the subject.\r\n\r\nThe next morning, as she was going down stairs, she was met by her\r\nfather, who came out of his library with a letter in his hand.\r\n\r\n“Lizzy,” said he, “I was going to look for you: come into my room.”\r\n\r\nShe followed him thither; and her curiosity to know what he had to tell\r\nher was heightened by the supposition of its being in some manner\r\nconnected with the letter he held. It suddenly struck her that it might\r\nbe from Lady Catherine, and she anticipated with dismay all the\r\nconsequent explanations.\r\n\r\nShe followed her father to the fireplace, and they both sat down. He\r\nthen said,--\r\n\r\n“I have received a letter this morning that has astonished me\r\nexceedingly. As it principally concerns yourself, you ought to know its\r\ncontents. I did not know before that I had _two_ daughters on the brink\r\nof matrimony. Let me congratulate you on a very important conquest.”\r\n\r\nThe colour now rushed into Elizabeth’s cheeks in the instantaneous\r\nconviction of its being a letter from the nephew, instead of the aunt;\r\nand she was undetermined whether most to be pleased that he explained\r\nhimself at all, or offended that his letter was not rather addressed to\r\nherself, when her father continued,--\r\n\r\n“You look conscious. Young ladies have great penetration in such matters\r\nas these; but I think I may defy even _your_ sagacity to discover the\r\nname of your admirer. This letter is from Mr. Collins.”\r\n\r\n“From Mr. Collins! and what can _he_ have to say?”\r\n\r\n“Something very much to the purpose, of course. He begins with\r\ncongratulations on the approaching nuptials of my eldest daughter, of\r\nwhich, it seems, he has been told by some of the good-natured, gossiping\r\nLucases. I shall not sport with your impatience by reading what he says\r\non that point. What relates to yourself is as follows:--‘Having thus\r\noffered you the sincere congratulations of Mrs. Collins and myself on\r\nthis happy event, let me now add a short hint on the subject of another,\r\nof which we have been advertised by the same authority. Your daughter\r\nElizabeth, it is presumed, will not long bear the name of Bennet, after\r\nher eldest sister has resigned it; and the chosen partner of her fate\r\nmay be reasonably looked up to as one of the most illustrious personages\r\nin this land.’ Can you possibly guess, Lizzy, who is meant by this?\r\n‘This young gentleman is blessed, in a peculiar way, with everything the\r\nheart of mortal can most desire,--splendid property, noble kindred, and\r\nextensive patronage. Yet, in spite of all these temptations, let me warn\r\nmy cousin Elizabeth, and yourself, of what evils you may incur by a\r\nprecipitate closure with this gentleman’s proposals, which, of course,\r\nyou will be inclined to take immediate advantage of.’ Have you any idea,\r\nLizzy, who this gentleman is? But now it comes out. ‘My motive for\r\ncautioning you is as follows:--We have reason to imagine that his aunt,\r\nLady Catherine de Bourgh, does not look on the match with a friendly\r\neye.’ _Mr. Darcy_, you see, is the man! Now, Lizzy, I think I _have_\r\nsurprised you. Could he, or the Lucases, have pitched on any man, within\r\nthe circle of our acquaintance, whose name would have given the lie more\r\neffectually to what they related? Mr. Darcy, who never looks at any\r\nwoman but to see a blemish, and who probably never looked at _you_ in\r\nhis life! It is admirable!”\r\n\r\nElizabeth tried to join in her father’s pleasantry, but could only force\r\none most reluctant smile. Never had his wit been directed in a manner so\r\nlittle agreeable to her.\r\n\r\n“Are you not diverted?”\r\n\r\n“Oh, yes. Pray read on.”\r\n\r\n“‘After mentioning the likelihood of this marriage to her Ladyship last\r\nnight, she immediately, with her usual condescension, expressed what she\r\nfelt on the occasion; when it became apparent, that, on the score of\r\nsome family objections on the part of my cousin, she would never give\r\nher consent to what she termed so disgraceful a match. I thought it my\r\nduty to give the speediest intelligence of this to my cousin, that she\r\nand her noble admirer may be aware of what they are about, and not run\r\nhastily into a marriage which has not been properly sanctioned.’ Mr.\r\nCollins, moreover, adds, ‘I am truly rejoiced that my cousin Lydia’s sad\r\nbusiness has been so well hushed up, and am only concerned that their\r\nliving together before the marriage took place should be so generally\r\nknown. I must not, however, neglect the duties of my station, or refrain\r\nfrom declaring my amazement, at hearing that you received the young\r\ncouple into your house as soon as they were married. It was an\r\nencouragement of vice; and had I been the rector of Longbourn, I should\r\nvery strenuously have opposed it. You ought certainly to forgive them as\r\na Christian, but never to admit them in your sight, or allow their\r\nnames to be mentioned in your hearing.’ _That_ is his notion of\r\nChristian forgiveness! The rest of his letter is only about his dear\r\nCharlotte’s situation, and his expectation of a young olive-branch. But,\r\nLizzy, you look as if you did not enjoy it. You are not going to be\r\n_missish_, I hope, and pretend to be affronted at an idle report. For\r\nwhat do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them\r\nin our turn?”\r\n\r\n“Oh,” cried Elizabeth, “I am exceedingly diverted."},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KJRRD3TNE5A6AKAVXSRFT9RC","peer_label":"pride-and-prejudice","peer_type":"text","predicate":"derived_from"},{"peer":"01KJRRC2C7K6XERRJES8143XGV","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KJRREZKG263C7SQSDV3TZ5MX","peer_label":"elizabeth bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:25.273Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY7G184NZ401P9V4JV87","peer_label":"lady catherine de bourgh","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:25.273Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZJBEM6MWHW485H9DS9F","peer_label":"mr darcy","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:25.273Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY6ZWGAT4FYVDEM6VE2E","peer_label":"mr collins","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:25.273Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGM87R12EADFF6YZZG3","peer_label":"jane bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:25.273Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREYW2V9QH9GNRQRJT67GK","peer_label":"mr bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:25.273Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRFG0K5SREGAFMDG85V7D7","peer_label":"mrs collins","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:25.273Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY6RHWPTVXJ7SHB3NE6F","peer_label":"lydia bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:25.273Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREZGXA5G45WS8FVH5R7BE","peer_label":"netherfield","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"estate","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:25.273Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRREY5SSJCQ67QYG0XTG9A8","peer_label":"mr bingley","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:25.273Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGH766J21E62EZQN77DK6","peer_label":"letter from mr collins to mr bennet","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"document","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:25.273Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGH9EE25DF0RH8E2G8TQQ","peer_label":"jane bennets nuptials","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"event","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:25.273Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGH7JDCA58HGJF65Z39KE","peer_label":"lucas lodge","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"residence","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:25.273Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGHCCKNACRCZ1FNKQTGYV","peer_label":"lydia bennets elopement","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"event","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:25.273Z"}},{"peer":"01KJRRGHBT7J821XKMH389RNG8","peer_label":"expected child of the collinses","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-03T02:30:25.273Z"}}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-03-03T02:29:01.393Z","ts":"2026-03-03T02:30:26.003Z","edited_by":{"method":"system","user_id":"01KJ60XQBHJ0GBGTP9X8HXAPPM"}}