“Hunsford,” and “Lady Catherine de Bourgh.” It vexed her to see him

expose himself to such a man. Mr. Darcy was eyeing him with

un{125}restrained wonder; and when at last Mr. Collins allowed him to speak,

replied with an air of distant civility. Mr. Collins, however, was not

discouraged from speaking again, and Mr. Darcy’s contempt seemed

abundantly increasing with the length of his second speech; and at the

end of it he only made him a slight bow, and moved another way: Mr.

Collins then returned to Elizabeth.
“I have no reason, I assure you,” said he, “to be dissatisfied with my

reception. Mr. Darcy seemed much pleased with the attention. He answered

me with the utmost civility, and even paid me the compliment of saying,

that he was so well convinced of Lady Catherine’s discernment as to be

certain she could never bestow a favour unworthily. It was really a very

handsome thought. Upon the whole, I am much pleased with him.”
As Elizabeth had no longer any interest of her own to pursue, she turned

her attention almost entirely on her sister and Mr. Bingley; and the

train of agreeable reflections which her observations gave birth to made

her perhaps almost as happy as Jane. She saw her in idea settled in that

very house, in all the felicity which a marriage of true affection could

bestow; and she felt capable, under such circumstances, of endeavouring

even to like Bingley’s two sisters. Her mother’s thoughts she plainly

saw were bent the same way, and she determined not to venture near her,

lest she might hear too much. When they sat down to supper, therefore,

she considered it a most unlucky perverseness which placed them within

one of each other; and deeply was she vexed to find that her mother was

talking to that one person (Lady Lucas) freely, openly, and of nothing

else but of her expectation that Jane would be soon married to Mr.

Bingley. It was an animating subject, and Mrs. Bennet{126} seemed incapable