Mr. Collins was absolutely delighted by the invitation to Rosings.
This was exactly the opportunity he had been hoping for.
He would be able to show Elizabeth, Maria, and Sir William how grand his patroness was and how kindly she treated him and Charlotte.
And the fact that Lady Catherine had invited them so soon after Elizabeth’s arrival seemed to Mr. Collins like the greatest proof of her generosity.
“I admit I would not have been surprised if Lady Catherine had invited us to Rosings for tea on Sunday.”
“Given how kind she is, I rather expected something like that.”
“But who could have imagined that she would invite all of us to dinner so soon after your arrival?”
Sir William nodded knowingly.
“I am not nearly as surprised as you are.”
“My position in life has given me some understanding of how the great behave.”
“At court, people of high rank often show this kind of elegant hospitality.”
For the rest of that day and the following morning, almost nothing was discussed except their visit to Rosings.
Mr. Collins carefully explained what they were likely to see.
He wanted them to be prepared for the huge rooms, numerous servants, and magnificent dinner so that they would not be completely overwhelmed.
When the ladies went upstairs to dress, Mr. Collins spoke privately to Elizabeth.
“Do not worry too much about what you are going to wear, my dear cousin.”
“Lady Catherine does not expect us to dress as elegantly as she and her daughter do.”
“Just choose your best clothes.”
“That will be quite enough.”
“She will not think less of you for dressing simply.”
“In fact, she prefers everyone to remember the difference between their social positions.”
While they were getting ready, Mr. Collins came to their rooms several times.
Each time, he urged them to hurry.
“Lady Catherine dislikes being kept waiting for dinner.”
Maria found these warnings extremely intimidating.
She had little experience with people of such high social standing.
She looked as nervous about meeting Lady Catherine as Sir William had once been about appearing at court.
Fortunately, the weather was beautiful.
They enjoyed a pleasant half-mile walk through the park.
Elizabeth thought the grounds were attractive, but she was not nearly as impressed as Mr. Collins expected her to be.
He pointed out every detail of Rosings with great enthusiasm.
He even told them how many windows were on the front of the house and how much all the glass had originally cost Sir Lewis de Bourgh.
Elizabeth listened politely.
When they climbed the steps into the entrance hall, Maria became even more nervous.
Even Sir William looked slightly uncomfortable.
Elizabeth, however, remained perfectly calm.
She had heard plenty about Lady Catherine, but none of it suggested that she possessed extraordinary intelligence or remarkable virtue.
Elizabeth believed she could handle a woman who relied mainly on wealth, rank, and a commanding personality.
Mr. Collins proudly pointed out the beautiful proportions and expensive decorations of the entrance hall.
Then they followed the servants through another room and into the drawing room.
Lady Catherine was there with her daughter and Mrs. Jenkinson.
Lady Catherine stood up to receive them.
Charlotte had arranged with her husband that she would introduce everyone.
She did so smoothly and politely, without any of the unnecessary apologies and explanations Mr. Collins would probably have added.
Sir William was completely overwhelmed by the grandeur around him.
Despite having been to court before, he could barely manage a very deep bow.
Then he sat down without saying a word.
Maria was almost terrified.
She sat stiffly on the edge of her chair, unsure where she should look.
Elizabeth, however, felt perfectly comfortable.
She calmly studied the three women sitting before her.
Lady Catherine was tall and heavily built.
Her features were strong and commanding, and they might once have been considered attractive.
But there was nothing warm or welcoming about her appearance.
Even the way she received her guests made it clear that she expected everyone to remember that she was their social superior.
She did not need to remain silent to seem intimidating.
Whenever she spoke, her tone was so confident and authoritative that Elizabeth immediately thought of Wickham.
The more Elizabeth observed her, the more she believed Wickham’s description of Lady Catherine had been completely accurate.
Then Elizabeth looked at Lady Catherine’s daughter.
She was almost as surprised as Maria had been.
Miss de Bourgh was extremely thin and small.
She looked pale and unhealthy.
Her features were not ugly, but they were weak and unremarkable.
There was hardly any resemblance between mother and daughter.
Miss de Bourgh spoke very little.
When she did speak, she usually spoke quietly to Mrs. Jenkinson.
Mrs. Jenkinson spent most of her time watching Miss de Bourgh.
She carefully adjusted a screen whenever the light became uncomfortable for her.
After they had been sitting for a few minutes, Lady Catherine sent them all to the windows to look at the view.
Mr. Collins eagerly followed them and pointed out everything he thought was worth seeing.
Lady Catherine casually informed them that the view was much better during the summer.
Dinner was everything Mr. Collins had promised.
There were many servants and an impressive amount of expensive silverware.
As expected, Lady Catherine had Mr. Collins sit at the end of the table.
He looked as though he had been given the greatest honor imaginable.
He happily carved the meat, ate enthusiastically, and praised every dish.
Whenever he praised something, Sir William quickly agreed with him.
Elizabeth was amazed that Lady Catherine could tolerate so much admiration.
But Lady Catherine seemed to enjoy it.
She smiled graciously, especially whenever they showed surprise at some unfamiliar dish.
There was not much real conversation during dinner.
Elizabeth was willing to talk whenever she had an opportunity.
But she was seated between Charlotte and Miss de Bourgh.
Charlotte was busy listening to Lady Catherine.
Miss de Bourgh did not say a single word to Elizabeth.
Mrs. Jenkinson was too busy worrying about Miss de Bourgh’s health.
She watched every bite her young companion ate.
She repeatedly encouraged her to try another dish and worried that she might be feeling unwell.
Maria was far too nervous to speak.
The men were mainly occupied with eating and admiring everything around them.
After dinner, the ladies returned to the drawing room.
There was little for anyone to do except listen to Lady Catherine.
She talked almost constantly until coffee was served.
She expressed her opinion on every possible subject with such confidence that it was obvious she was not accustomed to being contradicted.
She questioned Charlotte closely about her household.
Then she gave her advice about almost everything.
She explained how a small household should be managed.
She even instructed Charlotte on how to look after her cows and chickens.
Elizabeth quickly realized that Lady Catherine considered nothing too unimportant to discuss if it gave her an excuse to tell someone else what to do.
From time to time, she also questioned Elizabeth and Maria.
She was particularly interested in Elizabeth because she knew less about her family.
At one point, she turned to Charlotte.
“Your cousin is a very pretty and well-mannered young woman.”
Then she looked directly at Elizabeth.
“How many sisters do you have?”
“Four.”
“Are they older or younger than you?”
“Most of them are younger.”
“Are any of them likely to marry soon?”
“I believe that is possible.”
“Are they pretty?”
“Some people think so.”
“Where were you educated?”
“We were educated mostly at home.”
“What kind of carriage does your father keep?”
“We have one.”
“And what was your mother’s maiden name?”
Elizabeth found the questions extremely personal.
But she answered them calmly.
Lady Catherine continued.
“Your father’s estate is entailed to Mr. Collins, is it not?”
“Yes, it is.”
Turning to Charlotte, Lady Catherine added,
“For your sake, I am pleased about that.”
“But personally, I see no reason why an estate should be prevented from passing through the female side of a family.”
“It was never necessary in Sir Lewis de Bourgh’s family.”
She then returned her attention to Elizabeth.
“Do you play the piano and sing, Miss Bennet?”
“A little.”
“Then we must hear you sometime.”
“Our piano is an excellent one.”
“It is probably better than the one you are accustomed to.”
“You must try it while you are here.”
“Do your sisters play and sing?”
“One of them does.”
“Why did you not all learn?”
“You should all have learned.”
“The Miss Webbs all play, and their father has less money than yours.”
“Do you draw?”
“No, I don’t.”
“None of you?”
“None of us.”
Lady Catherine looked surprised.
“That is very strange.”
“I suppose your family never had the opportunity.”
“Your mother should have taken you to London every spring and hired teachers for you.”
“My mother would not have objected.”
“But my father dislikes London.”
“Did you have a governess?”
“No, we never did.”
“No governess?”
“How was that possible?”
“Five daughters raised without a governess?”
“I have never heard of such a thing.”
“Your mother must have spent all her time managing your education.”
Elizabeth could hardly keep from smiling.
“That was not really the case.”
“Then who taught you?”
“Who supervised your education?”
“Without a governess, you must have been terribly neglected.”
“Compared with some families, perhaps we were.”
“But anyone who wanted to learn was given every opportunity.”
“We were encouraged to read.”
“We also had all the teachers we needed.”
“Of course, anyone who wanted to be lazy could simply choose not to learn.”
Lady Catherine nodded.
“Exactly.”
“That is precisely why a governess is necessary.”
“If I had known your mother, I would have strongly advised her to hire one.”
“I always say that education requires regular and constant supervision.”
“And a governess is the only person who can provide it properly.”
“I have helped many families find excellent governesses.”
“I am always pleased when I can find a young woman a good position.”
“Mrs. Jenkinson has several nieces who have found wonderful positions through me.”
“Just recently, I recommended another young woman to a family.”
“They are absolutely delighted with her.”
Lady Catherine suddenly turned to Charlotte.
“Mrs. Collins, did I tell you about Lady Metcalfe’s visit yesterday?”
“She came to thank me personally.”
“She said Miss Pope was a treasure.”
“Are any of your younger sisters out in society, Miss Bennet?”
“Yes, all of them.”
“All five?”
“All of them?”
“At the same time?”
“How unusual!”
“And you are only the second daughter.”
“The younger ones have entered society before the older ones are married?”
“Your youngest sisters must be very young.”
“My youngest sister is not yet sixteen.”
“She may perhaps be a little young for so much social activity.”
“But I think it would be unfair to keep younger sisters at home simply because their older sisters are not ready or willing to marry.”
“Why should the younger daughters be denied the pleasures of youth?”
“The youngest has just as much right to enjoy herself as the oldest.”
“And forcing her to stay at home for that reason would hardly encourage affection or good manners between sisters.”
Lady Catherine stared at her.
“My goodness!”
“You express your opinions very confidently for such a young woman.”
“May I ask how old you are?”
Elizabeth smiled.
“With three younger sisters already grown up, surely you cannot expect me to reveal my age.”
Lady Catherine looked genuinely surprised.
Elizabeth suspected she might be the first person who had ever dared to joke around with her in this way.
“You cannot possibly be more than twenty.”
“So there is no reason to hide your age.”
“I am not yet twenty-one.”
After the gentlemen joined them and tea was finished, the card tables were brought out.
Lady Catherine, Sir William, and Mr. and Mrs. Collins sat down to play cards.
Miss de Bourgh chose a different game.
That left Elizabeth and Maria to join Mrs. Jenkinson.
Their game was painfully dull.
Almost every word spoken had something to do with the cards.
The only interruptions came when Mrs. Jenkinson worried about Miss de Bourgh.
Was she too hot?
Was she too cold?
Was the light too bright?
Was there enough light?
At the other table, however, there was much more conversation.
Lady Catherine did most of the talking.
She pointed out the mistakes of the other players and told stories about herself.
Mr. Collins agreed with everything she said.
Whenever he won a card, he thanked her as though she had personally given it to him.
If he won too often, he even apologized.
Sir William said very little.
Instead, he quietly memorized all the important names and stories he heard.
Eventually, Lady Catherine and her daughter decided they had played long enough.
The card tables were put away.
Lady Catherine offered her carriage to Charlotte.
Charlotte gratefully accepted.
The carriage was immediately ordered.
Everyone then gathered around the fire.
Lady Catherine began explaining what she expected the weather to be like the following day.
Before she could finish, the arrival of the carriage interrupted her.
The Collinses prepared to leave.
Mr. Collins thanked Lady Catherine repeatedly.
Sir William responded with an equally impressive number of bows.
Finally, they departed.
The moment they were out of sight, Mr. Collins turned eagerly to Elizabeth.
“Well, my dear cousin, what did you think of Rosings?”
Elizabeth knew Charlotte would be happier if she spoke kindly of the visit.
So she gave a much more favorable opinion than she truly felt.
But even her generous praise was not enough for Mr. Collins.
He soon took over the conversation himself and began praising Lady Catherine even more enthusiastically than Elizabeth ever could.