Nodiver d.o.o. · Pride & Prejudice · page 183 of 640

Pride & Prejudice – page 183

Pride and Prejudice

“Believe me, my dear Miss Elizabeth, that your

modesty, so far from doing you any disservice, rather

adds to your other perfections. You would have been

less amiable in my eyes had there not been this

little unwillingness; but allow me to assure you, that

I have your respected mother’s permission for this

address. You can hardly doubt the purport of my

discourse, however your natural delicacy may lead you

to dissemble; my attentions have been too marked to

be mistaken. Almost as soon as I entered the house,

I singled you out as the companion of my future life.

But before I am run away with by my feelings on this

subject, perhaps it would be advisable for me to state

my reasons for marryingand, moreover, for coming

into Hertfordshire with the design of selecting a wife,

as I certainly did.”

The idea of Mr. Collins, with all his solemn

composure, being run away with by his feelings, made

Elizabeth so near laughing, that she could not use the

short pause he allowed in any attempt to stop him

further, and he continued:

“My reasons for marrying are, first, that I think it a

right thing for every clergyman in easy circumstances

(like myself) to set the example of matrimony in

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