The arrival of Mr. Bennet’s estranged cousin, Mr. Collins, causes turmoil in the Bennet household. While the announced reason for his visit is the settlement of a long-standing feud, there is another, unwelcome motive behind his stay, that of choosing a wife from among the Bennet daughters.
Elizabeth Bennet, initially the focus of Mr. Collins’s attention, does all she can to persuade him to look elsewhere for his future bride. To further complicate matters, Elizabeth has also attracted the attentions of Mr. Darcy, a man she considers prideful and conceited. His irascible nature results in friction and cross words between them whenever they are in close proximity to each other.
An incident in Meryton, concluded by an intervention wholly unexpected, forces Elizabeth to reconsider her thoughts regarding both men. Elizabeth must decide between allowing herself to succumb to feelings she has kept repressed, or spurning the possibility of lasting love.
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True to his prediction, Mr. Collins arrived at four the next afternoon, stepping from the chaise that had brought him from his parsonage and approaching Mr. Bennet to introduce himself.
“Mr. Bennet, my dear cousin, I am pleased to finally make your acquaintance,” he said before Mr. Bennet could extend a welcome to Longbourn. “I have felt acutely the desire to make myself intimately known to you and your lovely family for some time now, and even more so since the passing of my father. It was only with the kind permission of my patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, that I could arrange my absence from the parish to visit you at your beautiful property.”
READ MOREMr. Bennet regarded the man who now stood before him. Mr. Collins was a rather large fellow of about five- and twenty years of age. He stood tall, towering over his host by six inches or more, a height which he seemed to wear uneasily. His shoulders were stooped, and his back was bent as if making an attempt to lower himself to the elevation occupied by Mr. Bennet. As he stood before the master of Longbourn, he seemed unable to be still, continually shifting from one foot to the other, the movements conveying the appearance of an impatient hopping.
Mr. Bennet watched his cousin’s fidgeting for a long moment before breaking the silence which had descended upon them like a shroud. “Mr. Collins,” he said, “welcome to Longbourn. Come, let me introduce you to my wife and daughters.”
Mr. Collins entered the house behind Mr. Bennet and was admitted to the sitting-room, wherein sat Mrs. Bennet and her children. He had no sooner been seated than he paid compliment to Mrs. Bennet on the beauty of her daughters, a fact that while known to her already, was nonetheless welcomed as her due for having taken the time to birth and to raise them. Mr. Collins was effusive in his praise of the poise and composure of each of Mrs. Bennet’s offspring, informing her that while their beauty had been much praised, the praise was very much insufficient in describing the comeliness he could observe with his own eyes.
Mr. Bennet watched his wife, amused in observing as she drank in the compliments, nodding in agreement and speaking only when Mr. Collins failed to properly acknowledge her predominant role in the raising and molding of these children into the accomplished young woman they were. That Kitty and Lydia had only just come out seemed not to register with the man, as the praises escalated until they approached levels of absurdity such as had not before been witnessed at Longbourn.
“Mr. Collins,” said Mrs. Bennet, “what a discerning eye you possess. It is a pleasure to converse with a gentleman such as yourself, one who can recognize easily the struggles I have faced in rearing proper young ladies like those you see before you. I have long endeavored to give my daughters a level of refinement to rival the finest of London society. My task has not been without difficulty, from within my own household and from friends and acquaintances.” At this, she directed her gaze to Mr. Bennet, as if challenging him to respond, which he chose wisely to ignore.
“In my own opinion, which I have been told by my patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, is unique in all of London and surrounding areas,” said Mr. Collins, “your success is displayed admirably by your beautiful and accomplished offspring. If you will permit me to offer a further pronouncement, the beauty of the Bennet daughters is matched and even exceeded by your own.”
Mr. Bennet, having heard more than enough to satisfy him for many months, if not years, decided he could no longer stomach his cousin’s excessive groveling. “I will take my leave and return to my library if it is all the same to you,” he said in moving to the hall leading to his sanctuary, where his intention was to escape the spectacle in which Mr. Collins was immersed.
“If I may accompany you, good sir,” said Mr. Collins, to Mr. Bennet’s consternation, “there is a matter I wish to discuss with you privately. It is, in fact, the primary reason for my trip. In truth, this matter should have been resolved long ago.”
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