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 rights 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 chuse 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 tête-à-tête with Mrs.Bennet before breakfast,a conversation beginning with his parsonage- house, and leading naturally to the avowal of his hopes that a mistress for it might be found 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. Elizabeth, equally next to Jane in birth and beauty, succeeded her of course.
Mrs. Bennet treasured up the hint, and trusted that she might soon have two daughters married; and the man whom she could not bear to speak of the day before was now high in her good graces.
柯林斯先生并不是個通情達理的人,他雖然也受過教育,也踏進了社會,但是先天的缺陷卻簡直沒有得到什么彌補。他大部分日子是在他那守財奴的文盲父親的教導(dǎo)下度過的。他也算進過大學(xué),實際上不過照例住了幾個學(xué)期,并沒有結(jié)交一個有用的朋友。他的父親管束得他十分嚴厲,因此他的為人本來很是謙卑,不過他本是個蠢材,現(xiàn)在生活又過得很悠閑,當然不免自高自大,何況年紀輕輕就發(fā)了意外之財,更其自視甚高,哪里還談得上謙卑。當時漢斯福教區(qū)有個牧師空缺,他鴻運亨通,得到了咖苔琳·德·包爾夫人的提拔。他看到他的女施主地位頗高,便悉心崇拜,備加尊敬;另方面又自命不凡,自以為當上了教士,該有怎樣怎樣的權(quán)力,作為一個教區(qū)的主管牧師,又該享受怎樣怎樣的權(quán)利,于是他一身兼有了驕傲自大和謙卑順從的兩重性格。
他現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)有了一幢好房子,一筆可觀的收入,想要結(jié)婚了。他所以要和浪搏恩這家人家講和修好,原是想要在他們府上找個太太。要是這家人家的幾位小姐果真象大家所傳聞的那么美麗可愛,他一定要挑選一個。這就是他所謂補償?shù)挠媱?,贖罪的計劃,為的是將來繼承她們父親的遺產(chǎn)時可以問心無愧。他認為這真是個獨出心裁的辦法,既極其妥善得體,又來得慷慨豪爽。
他看到這幾位小姐之后,并沒有變更本來的計劃。一看到吉英那張可愛的臉蛋兒,他便拿定了主張,而且更加確定了他那些老式的想法,認為一切應(yīng)當先盡最大的一位小姐。頭一個晚上他就選中了她。不過第二天早上他又變更了主張,因為他和班納特太太親親密密地談了一刻鐘的話,開頭談?wù)勊约耗谴蹦翈熥≌?,后來自然而然地把自己的心愿招供了出來,說是要在浪搏恩找一位太太,而且要在她的令媛們中間找一位。班納特太太親切地微笑著,而且一再鼓勵他,不過談到他選定了吉英,她就不免要提請他注意一下了。“講到我?guī)讉€小女兒,我沒有什么意見——當然也不能一口答應(yīng)——不過我還沒有聽說她們有什么對象;至于我的大女兒,我可不得不提一提——我覺得有責任提醒你一下——大女兒可能很快就要訂婚了?!?/p>
柯林斯先生只得撇開吉英不談,改選伊麗莎白,一下子就選定了——就在班納特太太撥火的那一剎那之間選定的。伊麗莎白無論是年齡。美貌,比吉英都只差一步,當然第二個就要輪到她。
班納特太太得到這個暗示,如獲至寶,她相信很快就可以嫁出兩個女兒了:昨天她提都不愿意提到的這個人,現(xiàn)在卻叫她極為重視了。
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