much less in his own apartment had they sat in one equally lively; and

she gave Charlotte credit for the arrangement.
From the drawing-room they could distinguish nothing in the lane, and

were indebted to Mr. Collins for the knowledge of what carriages went

along, and how often especially Miss De Bourgh drove by in her phaeton,

which he never failed coming to inform them of, though it happened

almost every day. She not unfrequently stopped at the Parsonage, and had

a few minutes’ conversation with Charlotte, but was scarcely ever

prevailed on to get out.
Very few days passed in which Mr. Collins did not walk to Rosings, and

not many in which his wife did not think it necessary to go likewise;

and till Elizabeth recollected that there might be other family livings

to be disposed of, she could not understand the sacrifice of so many

hours. Now and then they were honoured with a call from her Ladyship,

and nothing escaped her observation that was passing in the room during

these visits. She examined into their employments, looked at their work,

and advised them to do it differently; found fault with the arrangement

of the furniture, or detected the housemaid in negligence; and if she

accepted any refreshment, seemed to do it only for the sake of finding

out that Mrs. Collins’s joints of meat were too large for her family.{211}
Elizabeth soon perceived, that though this great lady was not in the

commission of the peace for the county, she was a most active magistrate

in her own parish, the minutest concerns of which were carried to her by

Mr. Collins; and whenever any of the cottagers were disposed to be

quarrelsome, discontented, or too poor, she sallied forth into the

village to settle their differences, silence their complaints, and scold

them into harmony and plenty.

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“he never failed to inform them”

The entertainment of dining at Rosings was repeated about twice a week;