5 Mr. Collins proposes twice (5-3)
DAY 17
The next day a letter was delivered to Jane from Netherfield, Elizabeth saw her sister's expression change as she read it，and when they were alone，she asked about it．
‘It's from Caroline Bingley，’ said Jane，‘and it has surprised me very much．The whole party have left Netherfield， and are on their way back to London，probably for the winter． They may not return to Netherfield at all．She says the only thing she sincerely regrets is leaving me behind in Hertford- shire，and promises to write very frequently．’
Elizabeth did not trust Miss Bingley's apparent affection（喜爱） for Jane．‘I really don't think their departure matters very much，she said．‘Mr. Bingley won't be kept in London by his sisters．I'm sure he’ll be back at Netherfield soon．’
‘But perhaps he prefers to stay in London，where many of his friends are．But I haven't told you everything yet．Let me read you the part which particularly hurts me—’
Mr. Darcy is impatient to see his sister，and we confess we are also eager to see her again. Nobody is more beautiful，elegant or accomplished than Georgiana Darcy．Louisa and I have great affection for her，and hope one day to call her sister．My brother admires her very much．He will have frequent opportunities of seeing her，and although I am his sister I must say I think he is most capable of winning any woman's heart．
‘What do you think of this，dear Lizzy? Isn't it clear enough? Caroline doesn't wish or expect me to become her sister-in-law；she's convinced of her brother's indifference towards me, and, perhaps because she suspects my feelings for him，she （most kindly！）warns me that he's very likely to marry someone else！’
‘I have a totally different opinion．Miss Bingley sees her brother is in love with you，while she wants him to marry Miss Darcy．We aren't rich enough or grand enough for them，and she is eager to have a family connection with the Darcys，so that it may be easier for her to marry Mr. Darcy. So she follows her brother to London，hoping to keep him there，and tries to persuade you he doesn't care about you．But of course he's in love with you！’
‘I really can't agree with you about Caroline. I think she's incapable of deceiving anyone. But Lizzy, my dear sister, even if she's wrong about her brother，and he does care for me，could I be happy in accepting a man whose sisters and friends all wish him to marry someone else？’
‘You must decide for yourself，and if you consider it more important to do what his sisters want，than to gain the happiness of being his wife，I certainly advise you to refuse him．’
‘How can you say that？’said Jane，smiling a little．‘You know I wouldn't hesitate，although I'd be sad if they disapproved of me．But，oh dear，if he doesn't come back to Netherfield，I’ll never have to make the decision！’
But Elizabeth was sure Mr. Bingley could not be kept away from Jane by his sisters，and soon persuaded Jane to take a more hopeful view of the situation．
That day the Bennets，with Mr. Collins，went to dinner with the Lucas family at Lucas Lodge．Again it was Charlotte who spent most of the evening listening to Mr. Collins．Elizabeth was very relieved(解脱），and thanked her friend gratefully for the trouble she was taking．But Charlotte's kindness had a particular aim，which Elizabeth was unaware of．Her plan was to encourage Mr. Collins to transfer his attentions to herself．In fact， she was managing so well that，when she said goodnight to him after dinner，she would have felt sure of success if he had been staying in Hertfordshire for another week．But she did not fully appreciate the fire and independence of his character，which caused him to get up very early the next morning and escape from Longbourn House，in a great hurry to reach Lucas Lodge and throw himself at her feet．She did not keep him waiting for an answer，and the happy couple found themselves engaged as quickly as Mr. Collins’ long speeches would allow．
Charlotte's parents were delighted to agree to the marriage， and Lady Lucas began to work out，with more interest than she had ever felt before，how many more years Mr. Bennet was likely to live．Charlotte herself was quite satisfied．Mr. Collins， certainly，was neither sensible nor agreeable，but still he would be a husband．She did not think highly of men or of marriage， but she had always intended to marry. Although marriage might not always bring happiness，it was the only honourable way in which a well-educated woman with little income could provide a home for herself． Now twenty-seven， and lacking beauty， she felt she was lucky to have found a husband．
Task for Pride and Prejudice 17
NOTES:
to throw oneself at someone's feet公开对sb表示爱慕;拜倒在...石榴裙下
To throw oneself at someone's feet 这个俗语可以解释为：公开对某人表示爱慕。比如说，一个男子在幻想自己未来的婚事，他对他的朋友说：
"I'm still looking for the right girl to marry. And when I find her, I'll throw myself at her feet and ask her to spend the rest of her life with me."
他说："我现在还在物色一个我认为合适的女孩作为我的妻子。一旦我找到了，我就要拜倒在她的石榴裙下，恳求她作为我的终身伴侣。"
To throw oneself at someone's feet 还可以解释为：为了得到一些好处而溜须拍马，或拜倒在某人脚下。下面的例子是说一个被判了罪的犯人：
"The prisoner who has been convicted as a traitor threw himself at the feet of the judge and beg for mercy."
这句话的意思是："那个被定罪为叛徒的犯人拜倒在法官的面前，求他发发慈悲。"
