Pride and Prejudice 3 (Pages 76 - 118)

 SPOILERS!!!

Mr Collins, the cousin, has come with the intention of marrying one of the Bennet sisters. When Mrs Bennet hints that Jane is as good as engaged, he turns his eye to Elizabeth. Collins is a pompous, silly man, who amuses Mr Bennet, and when Lizzy realises what his intentions are, she hopes that he will get tired at some point.

The sisters except for Mary go to the village with Mr Collins, and Lydia wants to make the acquaintance of the new officer. So Mr Denny introduces her and her sisters to Mr Wickham. It is during their casual encounter that Bingley and Darcy appear, and Elizabeth notices that on seeing Wickham both Darcy and Bingley react awkwardly and leave at once.

Mr Wickham is invited to dinner by the Bennet's aunt, and the girls are also invited. It is then that Elizabeth gets to know Mr Wickham, who tells her that he and Darcy grew up together as his father was the old Mr Darcy's foreman. Old Mr Darcy promised to make provisions for Wickham, and when his father died, he took him under his wing and grew fond of the boy. It seems that young Darcy was jealous of him, and old Darcy had arranged for Wickham to have a position in a vicarage, but after the death of the old man, young Darcy stopped the arrangement from happening, so that is why he has turned to the military. On hearing his story, Elizabeth is outraged and her bad opinion of Darcy gets even worse. Darcy also tells him that Mr Collin's patron, Lady Catherine de Bourgh is Mr Darcy's aunt, and Wickham doesn't have a very good opinion of the woman.

Elizabeth tells Jane what she has learnt, and the latter doesn't understand how sweet Bingley could be friends with someone like that, so maybe what Wickham has said is not totally accurate. Mr Bingley holds a ball and the Bennets go. Elizabeth has to put up with Mr Collins, who requests the first two dances. Mr Wickham is not there, which disappoints Lizzy as she seems to be interested in him, and she learns that he has gone to London. Jane makes inquiries about Wickham, and what the Bingleys tell her is that they trust Mr Wickham, and they know that there is a story between him and Wickham but they do not know the particulars.

One of the things that I like most about Jane Austen's novels is the way she portrays those characters that brings us humour for the way they behave. In this case it is Mrs Bennet, who is horribly pushy, and Mr Collins, who is too pushy. In general Elizabeth's family are all a joke, and Elizabeth acknowledges that they embarrass her. Apart from her mother, Mary always tries to show off as a fine singer in gatherings, but the truth is that she doesn't sing well, and her younger sisters are always chasing men without any discretion.