[Pride and Prejudice] Liz's Little Vest

Chapter 23 Collins vs Wickham

The plan couldn't keep up with the changes. In the afternoon, Mr. Collins planned to accompany his cousins ​​to buy hats the next day, so as to enhance their relationship; in the evening, he would replace the target of the raid, wishing that his cousin offered not to use him.

Or when going to Meryton, the carriage happened to pass Netherfield Manor; when the carriage happened to pass Netherfield Manor, the tire happened to be broken.In this way, he can visit his just-decided fiancée—oh no, just an admirer for now—Miss Bingley, and chat with her about how noble and elegant Lady Catherine is. noble.

In this way, Collins thought, they would find that they had a lot in common, that they had very compatible personalities, and that they had the same people to admire.And within a few days, to be precise, at the ball at Netherfield next Tuesday, he would propose to Miss Bingley.Then the two returned to Hertfordshire together, and with the blessing of Lady Catherine, the object of mutual admiration, they marched towards the palace of marriage.

One night is enough for Collins to imagine his married life for the next 50 years.They were housekeepers, he preached at church, and Miss Bingley took care of the little house at home.Of course, in about ten years or so, they will be able to take over the Longbourn estate, and Miss Bingley—oh no, Mrs. Collins—may be more busy by then.

But no matter how busy he was, he visited Rosings Gardens twice a week and spent at least ten hours paying compliments.With Mrs. Collins helping him rehearse at home, his level of flattery to Mrs. Catherine will definitely be improved in the future.

This is so wonderful, so perfect.

……

Collins had a pleasant dream and fell into a deep sleep.

the next day.

The carriages were spacious, two rows of six seats, and of good quality, and the coachmen were hired from a well-known dealer in Meryton, and the quality was excellent.His wish came true without incident.

What made Collins even more annoyed was that shortly after the carriage left Ben's house, he heard Elizabeth begging the coachman to detour to Lucas Village, just to pick up a lady.

Why not fetch Miss Bingley?

Collins was full of dissatisfaction, and he didn't think he had the answer until he saw this ordinary-looking lady.

She looks to be 27 or [-] years old, past the beautiful age of a young lady, her complexion is yellow, and she does not have the youthful vigor of her cousins.Ladies often like to use others to set off their beauty, and he thought that Miss Charlotte Lucas in front of him had such a role.Just as Lady Catherine disliked visitors wearing fancy clothes.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with such a scheming, but it just made him admire Miss Bingley all the more.

Cousins ​​would never dare to go with the pretty Miss Bingley, thought Collins, for there was no other lady like her at Longbourne.

Thinking up to this point, Collins thought he looked at the five ladies in the carriage transparently, and for the first time, he did not chirp or chatter, but twisted his nose and looked out the window, imagining the next time he would meet Miss Bingley moment.

--

After Charlotte greeted the stupid gentleman politely, she stopped talking; Collins was obviously not interested in this plain lady.

Elizabeth secretly observed the two for a minute, and found that there was no eye contact or collision, and she was quietly relieved.

In all fairness, she didn't want her friend to marry Collins, so she "arranged" them to meet in advance.

Charlotte is a kind and intelligent lady. She often sees things very clearly and has her own independent point of view, but she is not so thorough as to be foolish.In addition, because of birth restrictions and appearance defects, these internal advantages of her were not discovered.

Over time, she was turned into an ugly girl who only had a dowry of five hundred pounds. She was also powerless because of these external reactions, and she didn't have much hope for the future.And powerlessness can completely corrupt a person[1].So in her previous life, even if she had no feelings, she would choose to marry Collins.

Ironically, after marriage, Charlotte likes her own house best, because there is no stupid husband there.At that time, if you want to correct your mistakes and make a new choice, it will be too late.

Now that she has started again, Elizabeth still hopes that Charlotte can witness Collins' ignorance and see more clearly before succumbing to fate.She sincerely wished his stupidity would keep her from thinking about spending her life with him.

Now it seems that Collins has always performed "stupid" very well, which is worthy of praise.

--

When the carriage arrived at Meryton, Lydia immediately spotted Officer Danny on the street with sharp eyes.

It's just that she was very abnormal and didn't immediately wave in disregard of etiquette, but even more disregarded etiquette, pulling Kitty and sneaking to the opposite shop.In the name of shopping, he secretly looked over there.

Elizabeth saw the reason at once.

It turned out that Officer Danny was not walking alone, he was accompanied by a handsome stranger today.Of course, Elizabeth was no stranger to this man. He robbed her sister and killed her father.

She will never forget this kind of hatred in two lifetimes.

But revenge is not a matter of a day or two, and besides, she has no way to think of the matter now, so waiting for it to change temporarily is the best policy.

While Elizabeth waited and watched, Lydia and Kitty met Mr. Denny and his friend.

"Mr. Danny!" Lydia waved her handkerchief excitedly.

"Miss Lydia! Permit me to introduce to you my friend, George Wickham, who has just arrived from town today and has been commissioned an officer in the regiment."

It has to be said that Wickham has never lost his hand among little girls since he was a teenager, so he is very confident.He has an extremely beautiful face, with charming peach blossom eyes and blue eyes, like a sea that absorbs the soul.His features are delicate and his figure is burly.The red and white military uniform seemed to be tailor-made for him, it was perfect and there was no fault in it.

What's even more frightening is that he has a perfect grasp of the skills of teasing young girls. He is gentle and elegant, and his conversation is funny. No matter how boring the topic is, he can talk about it with a lot of fun.

As now, his eyes were on Elizabeth as if he were looking at prey, because in judgment, this lady was probably the most seductive value; but the body still responded very gracefully to Lydia and Kitty's greetings, until Elizabeth, Jane and Collins came towards him.

"Miss Lydia, may I introduce you to your family?" Wickham asked very politely, he knew how to read words.

"Okay." Lydia was a little disappointed that her sister snatched Wickham's attention, "This is Cousin Collins, this is my two sisters Jane and Elizabeth, and this is Charlotte Lucas .”

"George Wickham, last in the Legion."

He naturally showed a dissatisfied but free and easy look on his face, and looked at Elizabeth seriously.If it is an ordinary lady, I am afraid that she will soon fall into his bitter scheme, ask him the reason for his dissatisfaction, and then give him sympathy and love.

It's a pity that Elizabeth is a person who has a deep understanding of how bad he is to the bone. She nodded slightly in response.

Her indifferent attitude aroused Wickham's desire to conquer even more, but just as he wanted to provoke further, the right to speak was taken away by Collins on the side.

"George Wickham?" Collins raised his chin, as if confirming something.

"Mr. Collins?"

"People like me shouldn't talk to you, but God has blessed me with kindness, so I still have to bow down and remind you, please don't disturb my cousins ​​for a person with such bad deeds like you."

"I'm sorry I don't understand what you're talking about, Mr. Collins, please tell me where such absurd news comes from, and I will surely prove my innocence to you." He pretended to be very humble, like a powerless victim .

The author has something to say:

Note:

[1].The discussion about Charlotte in this passage came to mind when I read Haruki Murakami's "1Q84" today. The original text of "1Q84" is: This is by no means a superficial issue such as the loss of virginity, but it is about the sanctity of the human soul.No one has the right to trample on this sanctity roughly, and a sense of powerlessness will completely corrode a person.