Audio. Pride and Prejudice. Chapter XX.
Inglés. Orgullo y prejuicio.
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Chapter XX.
Collins was not left long to reflect in silence on the success of his love; for Mrs. Bennet, who had remained in the hall awaiting the end of the conversation, as soon as she saw Elizabeth open the door and hurry to the stairs, entered the dining room and congratulated Collins, rejoicing in the auspicious prospect of their impending union. After accepting and returning these congratulations with equal enthusiasm, Collins proceeded to explain the details of the meeting, the outcome of which he was pleased with, for his cousin's firm refusal could only have stemmed from her timid modesty and the delicacy of her character.
But his news startled Mrs. Bennet. She, too, would have liked to believe that her daughter had merely tried to encourage Collins by rejecting his proposals; but she dared not admit it, and so she told Collins.
“The important thing,” he added, “is that Lizzy comes to her senses. I will speak
with her personally about this matter. She is a very stubborn and rather foolish girl
and doesn’t know what is good for her, but I will make her understand.”
“Forgive me for interrupting,” exclaimed Collins, “but if she really is stubborn and foolish, I don’t know if, all in all, she is a desirable wife for a man in my situation, who naturally seeks happiness in marriage. Therefore, if she insists on rejecting my proposal, perhaps it is better not to force her to accept me, because if she has these faults, she would not contribute much to my happiness.”
“You have misunderstood me,” said Mrs. Bennet, alarmed. “Lizzy is stubborn
only in these matters. In everything else, she is the most reasonable girl
in the world. I will go directly to Mr. Bennet, and I have no doubt that we will soon
reach an agreement with her.”
Without giving him time to reply, she flew to meet her husband and, upon entering the library, exclaimed: “Oh, Mr. Bennet! We need you urgently!”
We're in a bind. You must go and persuade Elizabeth
to marry Collins, for she has sworn she won't, and if you don't hurry, Collins will change his mind and no longer want her.
As his wife entered, Mr. Bennet looked up from his book and fixed her
face with a calm indifference that the news did not disturb in the slightest.
"I haven't had the pleasure of understanding you," he said when she finished her
rant. "What are you talking about?" "Mr. Collins and Lizzy. Lizzy
says she won't marry Mr. Collins, and Mr. Collins is beginning
to say he won't marry Lizzy."
"What am I to do? It seems to me there's no remedy."
"Speak to Lizzy yourself. Tell her you want her to marry him."
"Send her downstairs. She'll hear my opinion."
Mrs. Bennet rang the bell, and Elizabeth was summoned to the library. “Come, my child,” said her father as soon as the young woman entered. “I have sent for you regarding an important matter. They say Collins has proposed to you, is that true?”
Elizabeth said yes.
“Very well; and they say you have refused him.”
“That’s right, Father.”
“Good. Now let’s get down to brass tacks. Your mother wishes you to accept him. Isn’t that right, Mrs. Bennet?”
“Yes, or else I don’t want to see her again.”
“You have a sad choice before you, Elizabeth. From this day forward, you will have to give up one of your parents. Your mother doesn’t want to see you again if you don’t marry Collins, and I don’t want to see you again if you do.”
Elizabeth could not help but smile at such a beginning; but Mrs. Bennet, who had been convinced that her husband would advocate for the marriage, was disappointed.
“What does this talk mean, Mr. Bennet? You promised me you would force her to marry Mr. Collins.”
“My dear,” replied her husband, “I have two small favors to ask of you: first, that you allow me to use my understanding freely in this matter, and second, that you allow me to enjoy my library alone as soon as you can.”
However, Mrs. Bennet, despite her disappointment with her husband, did not give up. She spoke to Elizabeth again and again, flattering and threatening her alternately. She tried to get Jane on her side; but Jane, as gently as possible, preferred to stay out of it. Elizabeth, sometimes quite seriously, sometimes jokingly, replied to her attacks; and though her mood changed, her determination remained unshaken. Collins, meanwhile, silently pondered all that had happened.
He had too high an opinion of himself to understand what
motives his cousin could have had for rejecting him, and, although wounded in his
pride, he didn't suffer in the slightest. His interest in his cousin was
merely imagined; the possibility that she might deserve his mother's
reproaches prevented him from feeling any sorrow.
While this confusion reigned in the family, Charlotte Lucas arrived
to spend the day with them. She met Lydia in the hall, who
rushed over to her to tell her in a low voice what was happening.
"I'm so glad you came, because there's quite a commotion here...! What
do you think happened this morning? Mr. Collins proposed to
Elizabeth, and she turned him down."
Before Charlotte had time to reply,
Kitty appeared, bringing the same news. And as soon as they entered the
dining room, where Mrs. Bennet was alone, she too began
to tell her about it. He begged her to have compassion and try to persuade Lizzy to yield to the wishes of the whole family.
“I beg you to intercede, dear Charlotte,” he added in a melancholy tone, “since no one is on my side, I am treated cruelly, no one takes pity on my poor nerves.”
Charlotte spared herself the reply, for at that moment Jane and Elizabeth entered.
"There she is," Mrs. Bennet continued, "acting as if nothing were wrong, she couldn't care less about us, she washes her hands of everything as long as she gets her way. Let me tell you something: if you get it into your head to keep rejecting every marriage proposal like that, you'll end up an old maid; and I don't know who's going to support you when your father dies. I won't be able to, I'm warning you. From today on, I'm done with you for good. I told you in the library that I'd never speak to you again; and what I say, I mean. I don't find any pleasure in talking to disobedient daughters. Or anyone, for that matter. People like me who suffer from nerves aren't fond of small talk. Nobody knows how much I suffer! But it's always the same." Those who don't complain are never pitied.
The daughters listened silently to their mother's lamentations. They knew that if they tried to reason with her or calm her down, they would only irritate her more.
So she continued talking without interruption, until Mr. Collins entered, looking more solemn than usual. Seeing him, Mrs. Bennet said to the girls:
"Now I ask you to be quiet and leave Mr. Collins and me alone so we can talk for a while."
Elizabeth quietly left the room; Jane and Kitty followed, but Lydia remained still, determined to listen as much as she could. Charlotte, deterred by Mr. Collins's politeness—his questions about her and her family came without interruption—and also a little by curiosity, simply went to the window, pretending not to hear. In a sad voice, Mrs. Bennet began her conversation:
"Oh, Mr. Collins!"
“My dear lady,” he replied, “not another word on this matter. I am far from,” he continued, his tone revealing his indignation, “from harboring resentment toward your daughter’s attitude. It is everyone’s duty to resign themselves to inevitable evils; and it is especially a duty
For me, who have been fortunate enough to find myself so young in such a high position, I trust I will be able to resign myself to it. Perhaps my beautiful cousin, by not honoring me with her hand, has not diminished my positive happiness. I have often observed that resignation is never so perfect as when the denied happiness begins to lose some of its value in our estimation. I hope you will not suppose that I am disrespecting your family, my dear lady, by withdrawing my plans concerning your daughter without asking you and Mr. Bennet to interpose your authority on my behalf. I fear that my conduct, in accepting my rejection from your daughter's lips and not from yours, may be reprehensible. But we are all capable of making mistakes. I am sure I acted with the best intentions in this matter. My aim was to secure a suitable companion with due consideration for the advantages this would bring to your entire family. If my conduct has been reprehensible, I beg your pardon.
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