Everything Elizabeth saw on the journey the next day seemed fresh and interesting.
She was in a particularly good mood.
Jane had looked so healthy that Elizabeth no longer worried about her.
And the thought of her summer trip to the north filled her with constant excitement.
When they finally left the main road and turned onto the smaller lane leading to Hunsford, everyone began looking for the parsonage.
Every bend in the road seemed as if it might reveal the house.
On one side, they could see the fence surrounding Rosings Park.
Elizabeth smiled as she remembered everything she had heard about the people who lived there.
At last, the parsonage came into view.
The garden stretched down toward the road, with the house standing in the middle of it.
The green fence and rows of laurel bushes made it clear that they had arrived.
Mr. Collins and Charlotte were waiting at the door.
The carriage stopped at the small gate, and everyone greeted one another with smiles and friendly nods.
Elizabeth and the others quickly climbed out.
Charlotte welcomed Elizabeth with genuine happiness.
Elizabeth immediately felt glad that she had come.
She could see that Charlotte was truly pleased to have her there.
Mr. Collins, however, had not changed at all after his marriage.
His manners were still just as formal as ever.
He kept Elizabeth at the gate for several minutes, asking detailed questions about every member of her family.
Only after he had heard everything he wanted to know did he lead them inside.
As soon as they entered the sitting room, he formally welcomed them once again.
He proudly described the house as his humble home and repeated all the refreshments Charlotte had already offered them.
Elizabeth had expected to see Mr. Collins enjoying his new position as master of the house.
She could not help thinking that he was especially eager to show her everything.
Perhaps he wanted her to see what she had lost by refusing his proposal.
The room was comfortable and everything was neatly arranged.
But Elizabeth felt no regret at all.
Instead, she found herself wondering how Charlotte could look so cheerful while living with such a man.
Whenever Mr. Collins said something particularly embarrassing, Elizabeth instinctively looked at Charlotte.
Once or twice, she noticed a slight blush on her friend’s face.
Most of the time, however, Charlotte wisely acted as though she had heard nothing.
After Mr. Collins had spent enough time showing them every piece of furniture in the room, they told him about their journey and everything that had happened in London.
Then he invited them to take a walk through the garden.
The garden was large and carefully planned.
Mr. Collins took great pride in looking after it himself.
Working in the garden was one of his favorite respectable activities.
Elizabeth admired Charlotte’s ability to remain calm as she talked about how healthy gardening was.
Charlotte even admitted that she encouraged her husband to spend as much time there as possible.
Mr. Collins led them along every path and every little side path.
He pointed out every view in great detail, leaving hardly any room for them to enjoy the scenery for themselves.
He could tell them how many fields could be seen in every direction.
He even knew the exact number of trees in distant groups.
But there was one view he considered far more impressive than anything else.
It was the view of Rosings.
Through an opening in the trees along the edge of the park, the great house could be seen clearly.
Rosings was a handsome modern building standing on high ground.
Mr. Collins was eager to continue the tour and show them his two fields.
But the ladies were not wearing shoes suitable for walking across the frozen ground.
So they decided to turn back.
Sir William stayed with Mr. Collins.
Charlotte then took Elizabeth and Maria inside to show them the rest of the house.
She seemed especially happy to have the chance to show them around without her husband’s constant explanations.
The house was rather small, but it was well built and comfortable.
Everything had been arranged neatly and sensibly.
Elizabeth could see that Charlotte deserved all the credit.
Whenever Mr. Collins was not around, the house felt surprisingly peaceful.
And judging by how happy Charlotte seemed there, Elizabeth suspected that her husband was often successfully ignored.
Elizabeth already knew that Lady Catherine was still staying in the area.
The subject came up again during dinner.
Mr. Collins immediately joined the conversation.
“Yes, Miss Elizabeth, you will have the great honor of seeing Lady Catherine at church this Sunday.”
“I am sure you will be delighted to meet her.”
“She is extremely gracious and kind.”
“I have no doubt that she will take notice of you.”
“In fact, I would hardly be surprised if she invited you and Maria to every gathering she holds while you are here.”
“Her Ladyship is especially kind to my dear Charlotte.”
“We dine at Rosings twice every week.”
“And whenever we go, we are never permitted to walk home.”
“Her Ladyship always sends her carriage for us.”
“Actually, I should say one of her carriages, because she has several.”
“Lady Catherine is certainly a very respectable and intelligent woman,” Charlotte added.
“She is also an extremely considerate neighbor.”
“Exactly, my dear.”
“That is precisely what I have been saying.”
“She is the kind of woman who deserves the greatest respect.”
The rest of the evening was spent discussing news from Hertfordshire.
They talked about things Elizabeth had already heard about in letters, but everyone repeated the stories anyway.
Later, when Elizabeth was finally alone in her bedroom, she began thinking about Charlotte.
She wondered how satisfied her friend really was with her marriage.
Elizabeth had already noticed how skillfully Charlotte managed Mr. Collins and how calmly she endured his behavior.
She had to admit that Charlotte handled him remarkably well.
Elizabeth also began imagining what the coming weeks would be like.
There would be quiet days at home, ordinary walks and conversations, Mr. Collins interrupting everything from time to time, and frequent visits to Rosings.
Her imagination quickly filled in the rest.
The following day, Elizabeth was getting ready for a walk when she suddenly heard a great deal of noise downstairs.
The whole house seemed to be in confusion.
Then she heard someone running rapidly up the stairs and calling for her.
Elizabeth opened the door.
Maria was standing there, completely out of breath.
“Oh, my dear Eliza!”
“Please hurry and come downstairs!”
“There is something incredible to see!”
“I won’t tell you what it is.”
“You have to come and see for yourself!”
Elizabeth asked what had happened.
But Maria refused to explain.
So they hurried downstairs into the dining room, which faced the lane.
There, at the garden gate, stood two ladies in a small carriage.
Elizabeth looked at them.
“Is that all?”
“I was expecting something much more exciting.”
“I thought perhaps the pigs had escaped into the garden.”
“But it’s only Lady Catherine and her daughter!”
“My dear, that’s not Lady Catherine!” Maria exclaimed.
“The older woman is Mrs. Jenkinson. She lives with them.”
“And the other one is Miss de Bourgh.”
“Just look at her!”
“She is so tiny.”
“I never imagined she could be so thin and small.”
“She is terribly rude to keep Charlotte standing outside in this cold wind.”
“Why doesn’t she come inside?”
“Charlotte says she hardly ever does.”
“It is considered a great honor whenever Miss de Bourgh actually comes into the house.”
Elizabeth looked more closely at the young woman.
“I rather like her appearance.”
“She looks sickly and bad-tempered.”
“Yes, she will suit Mr. Collins perfectly.”
“She would make a very proper wife for him.”
Outside, Mr. Collins and Charlotte were standing at the gate, talking with the two visitors.
Sir William was standing in the doorway.
To Elizabeth’s great amusement, he looked completely overwhelmed by the presence of Lady Catherine’s daughter.
Every time Miss de Bourgh happened to glance in his direction, he immediately bowed.
Eventually, there was nothing more to discuss.
The ladies drove away, and everyone returned to the house.
The moment Mr. Collins saw Elizabeth and Maria, he began congratulating them on their good fortune.
Charlotte explained what he meant.
The entire party had been invited to dinner at Rosings the following day.