Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 15

Mr. Collins was not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature

had been but little assisted by education or society; the greatest

part of his life having been spent under the guidance of an

illiterate and miserly father; and though he belonged to one of

the universities, he had merely kept the necessary terms, without

forming at it any useful acquaintance. The subjection in which

his father had brought him up had given him originally great

humility of manner; but it was now a good deal counteracted by

the self-conceit of a weak head, living in retirement, and the

consequential feelings of early and unexpected prosperity. A

fortunate chance had recommended him to Lady Catherine de

Bourgh when the living of Hunsford was vacant; and the respect

which he felt for her high rank, and his veneration for her as his

patroness, mingling with a very good opinion of himself, of his

authority as a clergyman, and his right as a rector, made him

altogether a mixture of pride and obsequiousness,

self-importance and humility.

Having now a good house and a very sufficient income, he

intended to marry; and in seeking a reconciliation with the

Longbourn family he had a wife in view, as he meant to choose

one of the daughters, if he found them as handsome and amiable

as they were represented by common report. This was his plan

of amends--of atonement--for inheriting their father's estate;

and he thought it an excellent one, full of eligibility and

suitableness, and excessively generous and disinterested on his

own part.

His plan did not vary on seeing them. Miss Bennet's lovely face

confirmed his views, and established all his strictest notions of

what was due to seniority; and for the first evening _she_ was his

settled choice. The next morning, however, made an alteration;

for in a quarter of an hour's tete-a-tete with Mrs. Bennet before

breakfast, a conversation beginning with his parsonage-house,

and leading naturally to the avowal of his hopes, that a mistress

might be found for it at Longbourn, produced from her, amid

very complaisant smiles and general encouragement, a caution

against the very Jane he had fixed on. "As to her _younger_

daughters, she could not take upon her to say--she could not

positively answer--but she did not _know_ of any prepossession;

her _eldest_ daughter, she must just mention--she felt it

incumbent on her to hint, was likely to be very soon engaged."

Mr. Collins had only to change from Jane to Elizabeth--and it

was soon done--done while Mrs. Bennet was stirring the fire.