Mr. Collins was not left alone for long to think about his successful proposal.
Mrs. Bennet had been waiting nearby, hoping to hear how the conversation ended. The moment she saw Elizabeth leave the room and hurry toward the stairs, she rushed into the breakfast room.
She warmly congratulated Mr. Collins—and herself—on the happy news that their families would soon be more closely connected.
Mr. Collins was delighted by her congratulations. He then explained everything that had happened.
He was completely satisfied with Elizabeth’s refusal.
As far as he was concerned, her rejection was simply a sign of modesty. He believed that a young woman of good character was expected to refuse at first.
Mrs. Bennet, however, was alarmed.
She would have loved to believe that Elizabeth had actually encouraged him by refusing his proposal, but she could not convince herself of that.
“Depend on me, Mr. Collins. Lizzy will change her mind. I’ll speak to her myself.”
“She is such a stubborn, foolish girl, and she doesn’t understand what is best for her. But I will make her understand.”
“Please forgive me for interrupting you, madam,” Mr. Collins said.
“But if she really is stubborn and foolish, I’m not sure she would make a very good wife for a man like me.”
“I naturally expect marriage to bring me happiness.”
“If she truly continues to reject me, perhaps we should not force her to accept.”
“If she really has such a difficult temper, she would hardly make me happy.”
Mrs. Bennet was frightened by this possibility.
“You completely misunderstand me, Mr. Collins.”
“Lizzy is only stubborn about things like this. In every other way, she is one of the sweetest girls you could ever meet.”
“I’ll speak to Mr. Bennet immediately. I’m sure we can settle this very quickly.”
Before Mr. Collins could answer, Mrs. Bennet hurried to her husband’s library.
“Oh, Mr. Bennet! You must come at once. Everything is in chaos!”
“You must make Lizzy marry Mr. Collins. She says she absolutely refuses him.”
“And if you don’t hurry, he may change his mind and refuse her too!”
Mr. Bennet looked up from his book.
His expression remained perfectly calm.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand you.”
“What exactly are you talking about?”
“Mr. Collins and Lizzy!”
“Lizzy says she won’t marry Mr. Collins, and now Mr. Collins is starting to say that he won’t marry Lizzy.”
“And what would you like me to do about it?”
“It sounds like a hopeless situation.”
“You must speak to Lizzy yourself.”
“Tell her that you insist she marry Mr. Collins.”
“Very well. Send for her.”
“She can come down and hear what I have to say.”
Mrs. Bennet rang the bell, and Elizabeth was soon called into the library.
“Come here, my dear,” Mr. Bennet said when she entered.
“I sent for you because we have an important matter to discuss.”
“I understand that Mr. Collins has proposed to you. Is that true?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you refused him?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Now we come to the real problem.”
“Your mother insists that you accept him. Isn’t that right, Mrs. Bennet?”
“Yes!”
“And if she refuses, I will never speak to her again.”
Mr. Bennet looked at Elizabeth.
“My dear Elizabeth, you now face a very unhappy choice.”
“From this day forward, you must lose one of your parents.”
“Your mother will never speak to you again if you refuse to marry Mr. Collins.”
“And I will never speak to you again if you accept him.”
Elizabeth could not help smiling at her father’s conclusion.
Mrs. Bennet, however, had completely misunderstood him. She had assumed that he was going to force Elizabeth into the marriage, and she was furious.
“What do you mean by talking like this, Mr. Bennet?”
“You promised me you would insist that she marry him!”
“My dear,” Mr. Bennet replied, “I have two small requests.”
“First, please allow me to use my own judgment in this matter.”
“And second, please allow me to have my library to myself.”
“I would very much like you to leave as soon as possible.”
Even though her husband had disappointed her, Mrs. Bennet refused to give up.
She spoke to Elizabeth again and again.
Sometimes she begged her.
Sometimes she threatened her.
She even tried to get Jane to support her.
But Jane gently refused to interfere.
Elizabeth answered her mother sometimes seriously and sometimes with playful humor.
Her manner changed, but her decision never did.
Meanwhile, Mr. Collins sat alone, thinking about what had happened.
He thought so highly of himself that he could not understand why Elizabeth would refuse him.
His pride had certainly been hurt, but he did not feel truly heartbroken.
In reality, he had never loved Elizabeth.
And because he was beginning to wonder whether Elizabeth really was as stubborn as her mother claimed, he felt very little regret about losing her.
While the whole family was caught up in this confusion, Charlotte Lucas arrived to spend the day with them.
Lydia met her in the entrance hall and immediately rushed over.
“I’m so glad you came!”
“There’s something very funny happening here.”
“Guess what happened this morning.”
“Mr. Collins proposed to Lizzy, and she refused him!”
Charlotte barely had time to answer before Kitty appeared and repeated the same news.
When they entered the breakfast room, Mrs. Bennet was there alone.
She immediately began complaining to Charlotte as well.
“Oh, Miss Lucas, please feel sorry for me.”
“You must help me persuade Lizzy to do what her family wants.”
“Nobody is on my side.”
“Nobody supports me.”
“I’m being treated terribly, and no one cares about my poor nerves.”
Before Charlotte could respond, Jane and Elizabeth entered the room.
“There she is!” Mrs. Bennet continued.
“She looks as calm as if nothing has happened.”
“She cares about nobody but herself, as long as she gets her own way.”
“But let me tell you something, Lizzy.”
“If you continue refusing every marriage proposal you receive, you may never get married at all.”
“And what will you do when your father is gone?”
“I won’t be able to support you.”
“So I’m warning you now.”
“I’m finished with you from this very day.”
“I told you in the library that I would never speak to you again, and I intend to keep my word.”
“I have no pleasure in speaking to disobedient children.”
“Actually, I hardly enjoy speaking to anyone.”
“People who suffer from nerves as badly as I do have little desire to talk.”
“No one can understand how much I suffer!”
“But that is always the way.”
“People who complain the most are the ones who receive sympathy. Those who suffer quietly are completely ignored.”
Jane, Elizabeth, and the others listened without saying anything.
They knew that trying to calm Mrs. Bennet down would only make her more upset.
So they allowed her to continue until Mr. Collins entered the room.
He appeared more serious and dignified than usual.
Mrs. Bennet immediately turned to the girls.
“Now, all of you must be quiet.”
“I insist that you leave Mr. Collins and me alone so we can have a private conversation.”
Elizabeth quietly left the room.
Jane and Kitty followed her.
Lydia stayed where she was, determined to hear everything.
Charlotte also remained.
At first, Mr. Collins politely asked about her and her family in such detail that she could hardly leave.
Then her curiosity got the better of her.
She walked over to the window and pretended not to listen.
Mrs. Bennet began the conversation in a miserable voice.
“Oh, Mr. Collins!”
“My dear madam,” he replied, “let us never speak of this matter again.”
“I have no intention of blaming your daughter for what she has done.”
“We all have to accept the things in life that cannot be changed.”
“That is especially true for a young man in my fortunate position, since I have already received such an excellent position in life.”
“I assure you, I am prepared to accept the situation.”
“Perhaps I can accept it even more easily because I have begun to wonder whether marrying your daughter would really have made me as happy as I first imagined.”
“I have often noticed that we accept the loss of something more easily once we begin to think it was not as valuable as we believed.”
“I hope you will not think I am showing disrespect to your family by withdrawing my proposal without first asking you and Mr. Bennet to use your authority on my behalf.”
“I admit that perhaps I should have accepted your daughter’s refusal only after speaking with you.”
“But we all make mistakes.”
“I can honestly say that I meant well throughout this entire matter.”
“My intention was simply to find a pleasant wife for myself while also doing something that would benefit your whole family.”
“If my behavior has been improper in any way, I sincerely apologize.”