During dinner, Mr. Bennet said very little. But after the servants left, he decided to draw Mr. Collins into conversation. He asked about Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Collins’s wealthy patroness, because he expected Mr. Collins would enjoy praising her.
Mr. Collins immediately spoke with great seriousness and admiration. He said Lady Catherine treated him with wonderful kindness and attention. She had listened to his sermons, invited him to dinner at Rosings, and even advised him to marry as soon as possible, provided he chose wisely.
Mrs. Bennet asked about Lady Catherine’s family. Mr. Collins explained that she had one daughter, Miss de Bourgh, who would inherit Rosings and a large fortune. He praised Miss de Bourgh as a charming young lady, though he admitted that her poor health kept her from enjoying many accomplishments.
Mr. Collins also proudly explained how carefully he offered compliments to Lady Catherine. He said he often prepared elegant remarks but tried to make them sound natural. Mr. Bennet was delighted, for Mr. Collins was exactly as foolish and self-important as he had hoped.
After tea, Mr. Bennet invited Mr. Collins to read aloud to the ladies. At first, a novel was brought to him, but Mr. Collins refused to read novels. Instead, he chose a serious book of sermons and began reading in a dull, solemn voice.
Lydia quickly became bored. Before Mr. Collins had read many pages, she interrupted him to talk about news from Meryton and the officers. Her older sisters told her to be quiet, but Mr. Collins was offended.
He said young ladies often showed little interest in serious books, even though such books were written for their improvement. Then he closed the book and refused to continue reading.
To end the matter, Mr. Collins offered to play backgammon with Mr. Bennet. Mr. Bennet accepted, pleased to leave the girls to their own amusements. Although Mrs. Bennet and her daughters apologized for Lydia’s interruption, Mr. Collins chose not to resume his reading.
Vocabulary List
- patroness — a woman who gives support or help.
- wealthy — rich; having a lot of money.
- admiration — strong respect or liking.
- sermon — a religious speech.
- provided — if; on the condition that.
- inherit — to receive property or money after someone dies.
- fortune — a large amount of money.
- accomplishments — skills, especially social or artistic skills.
- compliments — polite words of praise.
- self-important — thinking too highly of oneself.
- solemn — very serious.
- interrupted — stopped someone while they were speaking or doing something.
- offended — upset or insulted.
- improvement — the act of becoming better.
- resume — to begin again after stopping.
True or False
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Mr. Bennet asks about Lady Catherine because he thinks Mr. Collins will enjoy praising her.
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Mr. Collins says Lady Catherine has treated him kindly.
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Miss de Bourgh is described as poor and without property.
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Mr. Collins happily reads a novel to the ladies.
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Lydia interrupts Mr. Collins while he is reading.
Fill in the Blanks
- Mr. Collins praises Lady Catherine de .
- Miss de Bourgh will inherit Rosings and a large .
- Mr. Collins refuses to read a .
- Lydia interrupts Mr. Collins to talk about news from .
- Mr. Collins plays with Mr. Bennet.