Summary: Chapter 18
Much to Elizabeth’s dismay, Wickham does not attend the
ball. Mr. Denny tells Elizabeth and Lydia that Darcy’s presence
keeps Wickham away from Netherfield. Elizabeth’s unhappiness increases
during two clumsy dances with Mr. Collins and reaches its peak when she
finds herself dancing with Darcy. Their conversation is awkward,
especially when she mentions Wickham, a subject Darcy clearly wishes
to avoid. At the end of the dance, Elizabeth encounters Miss Bingley,
who warns her not to trust Wickham. Elizabeth assumes that Bingley’s
sister is only being spiteful, however, and chooses to ignore the
warning. Jane then tells her sister that she has asked Bingley for
information about Wickham. But everything Bingley knows about the
officer comes from Darcy and is therefore (in Elizabeth’s mind)
suspect.
Mr. Collins, meanwhile, realizes that Darcy is related
to his patroness, Lady Catherine. In spite of Elizabeth’s best attempts
to dissuade him, he introduces himself. Darcy treats Mr. Collins
with contempt, but Mr. Collins is so obtuse that he does not notice.
At supper, Mrs. Bennet discusses the hoped-for union of
Bingley and Jane so loudly that Elizabeth criticizes her, noting
that Darcy is listening. Mrs. Bennet, however, ignores Elizabeth
and continues rambling about the impending marriage. At the end
of the meal, Mary performs a terrible song for the company, and
Mr. Collins delivers a speech of epic and absurd pomposity. Elizabeth
feels that her family has completely embarrassed itself.
Summary: Chapters 19–21
The next day, Mr. Collins proposes marriage to Elizabeth,
assuming that she will be overjoyed. She turns him down as gently
as possible, but he insists that she will change her mind shortly.
Mrs. Bennet, who regards a match between her daughter and Mr. Collins
as advantageous, is infuriated. She tells Elizabeth that if she
does not marry Mr. Collins she will never see her again, and she
asks Mr. Bennet to order Elizabeth to marry the clergyman. Her husband
refuses and, befitting his wit and his desire to annoy his wife,
actually informs his daughter that if she were to marry Mr. Collins,
he would refuse to see her again.
A few days after the refused proposal, Elizabeth encounters Wickham
in Meryton. He apologizes for his absence from the ball and walks
her home, where Elizabeth introduces him to her parents. That same
day, a letter arrives for Jane from Miss Bingley, informing her
that Bingley and his party are returning to the city indefinitely and
implying that Bingley plans to marry Darcy’s sister, Georgiana. Elizabeth
comforts Jane, telling her that this turn of events is all Miss
Bingley’s doing, not her brother’s, and that Bingley will return to
Netherfield.
Summary: Chapters 22–23
Suddenly, news arrives that Mr. Collins has
proposed to Charlotte Lucas and that Elizabeth’s friend has accepted.
Elizabeth is shocked, despite Charlotte’s insistence that the match
is the best for which she could hope. Mrs. Bennet, of course, is
furious with her daughter for allowing a husband to escape her,
and as the days go by with no word from Bingley, Jane’s marriage
prospects, too, begin to appear limited.
