the strength of his attachment.
As for Jane, her anxiety under this suspense was, of course, more

painful than Elizabeth’s: but whatever she felt she was desirous of

concealing; and between herself and Elizabeth, therefore, the subject

was never alluded to. But as no such delicacy restrained her mother, an

hour seldom passed in which she did not talk of Bingley, express her

impatience for his arrival, or even require Jane to confess that if he

did not come back she should think herself very ill-used. It needed all

Jane’s steady mildness to bear these attacks with tolerable

tranquillity.
Mr. Collins returned most punctually on the Monday fortnight, but his

reception at Longbourn was not quite so gracious as it had been on his

first introduction. He was too happy, however, to need much attention;

and,{166} luckily for the others, the business of love-making relieved them

from a great deal of his company. The chief of every day was spent by

him at Lucas Lodge, and he sometimes returned to Longbourn only in time

to make an apology for his absence before the family went to bed.

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“Whenever she spoke in a low voice”

Mrs. Bennet was really in a most pitiable state. The very mention of

anything concerning the match threw her into an agony of ill-humour, and

wherever she went she was sure of hearing it talked of. The sight of

Miss Lucas was odious to her. As her successor in that house, she{167}

regarded her with jealous abhorrence. Whenever Charlotte came to see

them, she concluded her to be anticipating the hour of possession; and

whenever she spoke in a low voice to Mr. Collins, was convinced that

they were talking of the Longbourn estate, and resolving to turn herself

and her daughters out of the house as soon as Mr. Bennet was dead. She

complained bitterly of all this to her husband.
“Indeed, Mr. Bennet,” said she, “it is very hard to think that Charlotte