Page 24 of New World Tea Company
“Has Mr Bingley ordered a clergyman to come and pray over his farms?” one man asked of his wife.
In the tavern, patrons exchanged remarks, “Is Mr Bennet replacing the parson at the chapel? That’s his living to grant.”
Another man shared, “I thought Mr Smyth preached a good sermon on Sundays these many years.”
~~~
The pony cart with Mr William Collins and his trunk arrived at Longbourn to begin an afternoon and evening of frustration for the Bennet family. The stable boy guiding the pony cart pulled the man’s trunk off the back and left it in the dirt when Mr Collins did not offer any gratuity for bringing him to his destination.
Perturbed, Collins left the trunk where it lay and approached the door, taking a moment to look over the manor house he would inherit someday. He decided the red brick-and-mortar structure was more than one hundred but less than two hundred years old.
‘And the gardens appear well established with pastures for sheep on either side of the drive. Do they have many sheep here?’
He knocked on the door, and after a moment, a man pulled the door open. Immediately, Collins bowed and declared, “Cousin! I have come!”
However, the man did not change his expression but stepped back to allow Mr Collins to enter the hall, where a second man stood. This man was dressed in newer clothes with a smirk on his face.
“Mr Collins, I see you have met Hill, my valet and butler. I am Thomas Bennet, your father’s cousin, and I welcome you to Longbourn.”
Collins managed another bow but then motioned toward the outdoors. “Can your man retrieve my trunk? The boy dumped it on the ground.”
“Certainly. Do you require a moment to refresh yourself?”
Not understanding Bennet’s question, Collins smiled and said, “Tea would be welcome. It has been a long time since breakfast in London.”
“In good time, sir,” Bennet said, motioning toward an open door. “Come and sit with me for a few moments. Then I shall take you to meet my lady and our daughters.”
“Your ‘lady’? Is Mrs Bennet a member of the nobility? Sir, I had no idea,” Collins asked as he prepared to apologise.
“Nobility? Frannie?” asked Mr Bennet with a twinkle in his eye. “Mrs Bennet is a gentleman’s wife, and I consider her the most important lady in my world.”
“But we must maintain the distinctions of rank at all times, Mr Bennet. Allow me to instruct you…” Collins said as the door to the office closed. Across the hall, Elizabeth quietly closed the parlour door and turned to her sisters and mother with a look of amusement on her face.
~~~
After an hour’s instruction on the different ranks of the nobility as arranged by Lady Catherine de Bourgh in her initial lessons with Mr William Collins, Thomas Bennet was certain his heir was a poorly educated fool.
‘What damage will he do to Longbourn when he inherits?’Bennet wondered before rising, interrupting the visitor’s unending speech and leading him to meet his wife and daughters.
In the parlour, where late tea was finally served, Mr Collins dominated the conversation and could not discern that his hostess wished to ask questions, and his host now watched him with a glare that was not friendly. Very shortly, the daughters of the house universally dreaded the forthcoming days of this man’s visit. Kitty and Lydia excused themselves above stairs after drinking tea and eating a few cakes, but Mary, Elizabeth, and Jane remained, unwilling to desert their mother and father.
“And my patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, surveyed the parsonage and made many improvements to the carpets,the windows, and the closets above stairs when I arrived at Hunsford. She told me that it was the duty of the patron to ensure the clergyman and his family were cared for properly. I am certain when I interview the parson here, he will give me an excellent report to carry back to Lady Catherine.”
‘Why does he plan to interview our parson and report to this Lady Catherine?’wondered Elizbeth.
Collins continued without pausing in his praise of his patroness. “Again, when Lady Catherine de Bourgh, the widow of Sir Louis de Bourgh, awarded me the living at Hunsford, she instructed me to earnestly endeavour to demean myself before her and all persons of the higher ranks. My role is to perform the rites and ceremonies mandated by the Church of England while encouraging those around me to ensure we fulfil our roles in this life while preparing for the next.”
The jumble of phrases and words left Elizabeth confused and unsure if the man understood what he was saying. Glancing at her sisters, she saw they sat with glazed eyes, her mother dozed, and her father was frustrated–any entertainment in the visitor’s behaviour lost in the flood of nonsense from his mouth. All the while, Mr Collins continued to speak of his patroness, how elegantly Lady Catherine dressed and wisely she spoke on all matters common and grand. He mentioned that he had twice been to dine at Rosings in the weeks since his appointment and even played quadrille at the grand house the previous Saturday.
By this time in his speeches, no one in the parlour was completely listening to the parson; Elizabeth knew she would fall asleep if she ever had to listen to that voice preaching in a chapel. Then Mr Collins's words caught Mr and Mrs Bennet's attention: “And in our last conversation, Lady Catherine advised me to marry as soon possible…of course after choosing a young woman of suitable temperament and education.”
Mrs Bennet spoke up and interrupted the man, “Marry? You are to marry?”
“Yes, madam. It is the wish of my patroness. That is why she allowed this fortnight in Hertfordshire so that I might find a wife from among my several cousins,” Collins explained, smiling at the three young ladies frozen in place upon hearing those words.
“That is most kind of Lady Catherine,” Mrs Bennet said as she rose to refresh the teacup before Mr Collins while her husband’s frown grew darker.
Mary leaned closer to Elizabeth and Jane, whispering, “I wonder why Mr Collins does not marry Lady Catherine. He appears to worship the ground on which she walks.”
