The Bennets were engaged to dine with the Lucases, and again during the chief of the day, was Miss Lucas so kind as to listen to Mr. Collins. Elizabeth took an opportunity of thanking her. "It keeps him in good humour," said she, "and I am more obliged to you than I can express." Charlotte assured her friend of her satisfaction in being useful, and that it amply repaid her for the little sacrifice of her time. This was very amiable, but Charlotte's kindness extended farther than Elizabeth had any conception of; -- its object was nothing less than to secure her from any return of Mr. Collins's addresses, by engaging them towards herself. Such was Miss Lucas's scheme; and appearances were so favourable that when they parted at night, she would have felt almost sure of success if he had not been to leave Hertfordshire so very soon. But here, she did injustice to the fire and independence of his character, for it led him to escape out of Longbourn House the next morning with admirable slyness, and hasten to Lucas Lodge to throw himself at her feet. He was anxious to avoid the notice of his cousins, from a conviction that if they saw him depart, they could not fail to conjecture his design, and he was not willing to have the attempt known till its success could be known likewise; for though feeling almost secure, and with reason, for Charlotte had been tolerably encouraging, he was comparatively diffident since the adventure of Wednesday. His reception however was of the most flattering kind. Miss Lucas perceived him from an upper window as he walked towards the house, and instantly set out to meet him accidentally in the lane. But little had she dared to hope that so much love and eloquence awaited her there.
In as short a time as Mr. Collins's long speeches would allow, every thing was settled between them to the satisfaction of both; and as they entered the house, he earnestly entreated her to name the day that was to make him the happiest of men; and though such a solicitation must be waved for the present, the lady felt no inclination to trifle with his happiness. The stupidity with which he was favoured by nature must guard his courtship from any charm that could make a woman wish for its continuance; and Miss Lucas, who accepted him solely from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment, cared not how soon that establishment were gained.
Sir William and Lady Lucas were speedily applied to for their consent; and it was bestowed with a most joyful alacrity. Mr. Collins's present circumstances made it a most eligible match for their daughter, to whom they could give little fortune; and his prospects of future wealth were exceedingly fair. Lady Lucas began directly to calculate with more interest than the matter had ever excited before, how many years longer Mr. Bennet was likely to live; and Sir William gave it as his decided opinion that whenever Mr. Collins should be in possession of the Longbourn estate, it would be highly expedient that both he and his wife should make their appearance at St. James's. The whole family, in short, were properly overjoyed on the occasion. The younger girls formed hopes of coming out a year or two sooner than they might otherwise have done; and the boys were relieved from their apprehension of Charlotte's dying an old maid. Charlotte herself was tolerably composed. She had gained her point, and had time to consider of it. Her reflections were in general satisfactory. Mr. Collins to be sure was neither sensible nor agreeable; his society was irksome, and his attachment to her must be imaginary. But still, he would be her husband. -- Without thinking highly either of men or of matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want. This preservative she had now obtained; and at the age of twenty-seven, without having ever been handsome, she felt all the good luck of it. The least agreeable circumstance in the business was the surprise it must occasion to Elizabeth Bennet, whose friendship she valued beyond that of any other person. Elizabeth would wonder, and probably would blame her; and though her resolution was not to be shaken, her feelings must be hurt by such disapprobation. She resolved to give her the information herself, and therefore charged Mr. Collins, when he returned to Longbourn to dinner, to drop no hint of what had passed before any of the family. A promise of secrecy was of course very dutifully given, but it could not be kept without difficulty; for the curiosity excited by his long absence burst forth in such very direct questions on his return, as required some ingenuity to evade, and he was at the same time exercising great self-denial, for he was longing to publish his prosperous love.
As he was to begin his journey too early on the morrow to see any of the family, the ceremony of leave-taking was performed when the ladies moved for the night; and Mrs. Bennet, with great politeness and cordiality, said how happy they should be to see him at Longbourn again, whenever his other engagements might allow him to visit them.
"My dear Madam," he replied, "this invitation is particularly gratifying, because it is what I have been hoping to receive; and you may be very certain that I shall avail myself of it as soon as possible."
They were all astonished; and Mr. Bennet, who could by no means wish for so speedy a return, immediately said,
"But is there not danger of Lady Catherine's disapprobation here, my good sir? -- You had better neglect your relations, than run the risk of offending your patroness."
"My dear sir," replied Mr. Collins, "I am particularly obliged to you for this friendly caution, and you may depend upon my not taking so material a step without her ladyship's concurrence."
"You cannot be too much on your guard. Risk any thing rather than her displeasure; and if you find it likely to be raised by your coming to us again, which I should think exceedingly probable, stay quietly at home, and be satisfied that we shall take no offence."
"Believe me, my dear sir, my gratitude is warmly excited by such affectionate attention; and depend upon it, you will speedily receive from me a letter of thanks for this, as well as for every other mark of your regard during my stay in Hertfordshire. As for my fair cousins, though my absence may not be long enough to render it necessary, I shall now take the liberty of wishing them health and happiness, not excepting my cousin Elizabeth."
With proper civilities the ladies then withdrew; all of them equally surprised to find that he meditated a quick return. Mrs. Bennet wished to understand by it that he thought of paying his addresses to one of her younger girls, and Mary might have been prevailed on to accept him. She rated his abilities much higher than any of the others; there was a solidity in his reflections which often struck her, and though by no means so clever as herself, she thought that if encouraged to read and improve himself by such an example as her's, he might become a very agreeable companion. But on the following morning, every hope of this kind was done away. Miss Lucas called soon after breakfast, and in a private conference with Elizabeth related the event of the day before.
The possibility of Mr. Collins's fancying himself in love with her friend had once occurred to Elizabeth within the last day or two; but that Charlotte could encourage him, seemed almost as far from possibility as that she could encourage him herself, and her astonishment was consequently so great as to overcome at first the bounds of decorum, and she could not help crying out,
"Engaged to Mr. Collins! my dear Charlotte, -- impossible!"
The steady countenance which Miss Lucas had commanded in telling her story, gave way to a momentary confusion here on receiving so direct a reproach; though, as it was no more than she expected, she soon regained her composure, and calmly replied,
"Why should you be surprised, my dear Eliza? -- Do you think it incredible that Mr. Collins should be able to procure any woman's good opinion, because he was not so happy as to succeed with you?"
But Elizabeth had now recollected herself, and making a strong effort for it, was able to assure her with tolerable firmness that the prospect of their relationship was highly grateful to her, and that she wished her all imaginable happiness.
"I see what you are feeling," replied Charlotte, -- "you must be surprised, very much surprised, -- so lately as Mr. Collins was wishing to marry you. But when you have had time to think it all over, I hope you will be satisfied with what I have done. I am not romantic, you know. I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins's character, connections, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state."
Elizabeth quietly answered "Undoubtedly;" -- and after an awkward pause, they returned to the rest of the family. Charlotte did not stay much longer, and Elizabeth was then left to reflect on what she had heard. It was a long time before she became at all reconciled to the idea of so unsuitable a match. The strangeness of Mr. Collins's making two offers of marriage within three days, was nothing in comparison of his being now accepted. She had always felt that Charlotte's opinion of matrimony was not exactly like her own, but she could not have supposed it possible that, when called into action, she would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage. Charlotte the wife of Mr. Collins, was a most humiliating picture! -- And to the pang of a friend disgracing herself and sunk in her esteem, was added the distressing conviction that it was impossible for that friend to be tolerably happy in the lot she had chosen.
--正文
本内特家约好了和卢卡斯一家吃饭，约饭这天大部分时间，都是卢卡斯小姐热心得听柯林斯说话。伊丽莎白找了个机会谢了她。“你这样听他说，能让他有个好心情，”伊丽莎白说，“我真是不知道怎么感谢你才好。”夏洛特让她朋友放心，她十分高兴能帮上忙，聊聊天只不过花了点时间，但是获得了极大的未接。这真是件大好事，但是夏洛特的热情其实别有目的，而这是伊丽莎白所远远没有想到的。她其实就是有意让柯林斯一直跟自己聊天，不跟他跟别人聊。这就是卢卡斯小姐的策略。那晚告别的时候，他们都很开心，她几乎可以确认要不是柯林斯早早就要离开赫特福德，她就能成功了。但是她错估了柯林斯那火急火燎，特立独行的性格。第二天一早，柯林斯就狡黠地溜出了蘑菇屯，赶去卢卡斯的门厅拜访卢卡斯小姐。柯林斯害怕自己被堂妹们发现，因为假如堂妹们发现他溜走，一定能猜出来他跑去见卢卡斯小姐了。而在事情成功以前，他不想被堂妹们知道自己去找过卢卡斯。但尽管夏洛特小姐对她耐心鼓励，他感觉也十拿九稳，但是因为周三求婚的事情，他多少有些不太自信。不过他倒是被巴结似的接待了。卢卡斯小姐从楼上窗户看到他朝家里走过来，就连忙跑到门前小路上去见他了，假装是偶遇的样子。但是她万万没想到，柯林斯在那儿准备了长篇大论和很多爱意等着她。
短短一会，柯林斯就发表了一番长篇大论，事情便都谈妥了，他们互相都很满意。他们俩刚进屋，柯林斯就急切地恳求卢卡斯小姐，订个婚期。尽管求婚之事应该稍后再提，但是卢卡斯并不想把他的幸福当儿戏。柯林斯天生的蠢样子让他的求爱没有一丝魅力，没有一个女人会想答应他。而卢卡斯小姐答应他，只是单纯地想求个居所，至于什么时候能得到她，她并不关心。
很快，柯林斯就向威廉姆先生和卢卡斯太太提亲，老两口子非常高兴地同意了。他们本来也没多少嫁妆给女儿，柯林斯有个体面的职业，不错的居所，对他们女儿来说再合适不过了，而柯林斯将来还很可能发一笔大财。卢卡斯太太从没有像现在这样，兴致盎然的计算本内特老爷还有多少年可活。而威廉姆先生则笃信，只要柯林斯哪天继承了蘑菇屯的地产，他们就大有希望去皇宫见见国王了。卢卡斯一大家子听说这事，都有些欣喜若狂了。年轻些的妹妹们想着，姐姐嫁出去自己说不定早一两年嫁出去了。而男孩子们原来以为夏洛特会孤独终老，现在也终于放下心来。而夏洛特自己则十分冷静。她已经达成了自己的目的，还有时间去慢慢考虑。总体上来说，她是满意的。而柯林斯呢，看起来既不通情达理，也不惹人喜爱，他给人的感觉是让人厌烦的，而他对于卢卡斯的爱都是幻象，是空中楼阁。但是不论怎样，他还是会做她的丈夫。婚姻一直是卢卡斯的追求，她对于男人或者婚姻并没有多么高的期待。对于有些许家财，知书达理的年轻姑娘来说，婚姻是她们唯一的体面选择。尽管婚姻并不一定能给她幸福，但是总算给自己安排了个后路，免得以后忍饥挨饿。而现在，她得到了这个后路。她已经二十七岁，从没有美丽的面容，柯林斯已经让她觉得十分幸运了。现在这件事里唯一不好的地方就是如何跟伊丽莎白说，跟她提这件事她一定会十分惊讶，而卢卡斯无比珍视伊丽莎白的友情。伊丽莎白可能会莫名其妙，甚至可能会怪她。尽管她跟柯林斯结婚的决心已定，但是伊丽莎白反对的话仍然会让她难过。她决定亲自告诉伊丽莎白这个消息，所以她就命令柯林斯回去吃晚饭的时候，对今天发生的事情只字不提。柯林斯当然唯命是从，答应保守这个秘密，但是让他遵守可是难度不小。因为他离开了蘑菇屯那么久，一回来，本内特家便问长问短。这可是得花费些心思才能躲过去的，此时柯林斯其实也在强压自己不要说出来，因为他早就想宣布自己求婚成功的喜讯了。
因为第二天柯林斯早早就得走，没法跟本内特家告别，所以当天晚上姑娘们睡觉前，本内特一家人就跟柯林斯道了别。本内特太太十分礼貌热情的说，多希望能在蘑菇屯再见到他，以后有什么事路过一定要来拜访他们。
“我亲爱的太太，”他回复说，“你可真是让我受宠若惊，因为我也想常来拜访。可瞧好了吧您嘞，后面我很快就会来拜访你们。”
大家伙都很惊讶。而本内特老爷可不想他那么早就回来，立即开口说：“
我的好先生，你老来我这卡瑟林夫人不会有意见吗？咱们这亲戚可比不得你那赞助人，可别把人家得罪了。”
“我的好老爷，”柯林斯说，“十分感谢你的善意提醒。请你放心，没有夫人的允许，我是不会擅作主张的。”
“小心驶得万年船嘛，你可千万别冒险顶撞她。她要是不喜欢你到我这儿来，我觉得这事也很有可能，那你就待在家里，你放心，我们不会介意的。”
“相信我，亲爱的老爷，你这么关心我真是让我无比感谢。我会写封感谢信给您，谢谢您的这番话，还谢谢您在我待在蘑菇屯期间对我的照顾。至于我漂亮的堂妹们，尽管我此去不久即回，本来没有这番隆重的必要，但我还是希望她们身体健康，天天开心吧，我的伊丽莎白堂妹也是一样。”
行了礼后，姑娘们就都回屋了。她们都很惊讶柯林斯想着很快就回来。本内特太太自顾自的以为，他是要回来找某个年轻些的姑娘，可能是玛丽，玛丽说不定会被他说动，嫁给他。玛丽比几个姐姐更看重柯林斯的能力，他性格里稳妥的一面经常给她留下深刻印象。尽管她觉得柯林斯没自己那么聪明，但是如果让他像自己一样多读书，提高自己，说不定也能把他变成个讨喜的伴侣。但是第二天一早，这类希望都破灭了。早饭后没多久，卢卡斯小姐登门拜访，私底下把昨天的事情跟伊丽莎白说了。
柯林斯在的最后一两天，伊丽莎白也想过，柯林斯是不是以为自己在跟卢卡斯谈恋爱呢。而她转念又想到，夏洛特鼓励柯林斯追她，就跟伊丽莎白鼓励柯林斯追自己一样不可能。所以当最终得知结果的时候，伊丽莎白惊讶到忘记了礼数，大叫道：“你要跟柯林斯订婚？哦，我的夏洛特！不可能。。。这不可能。。”
卢卡斯小姐在讲这件事的时候，表情一直很冷静，但是看到伊丽莎白那么直接的责备自己，她脸上也有些挂不住。不过这也是她意料之中的事情，所以她很快调整了表情，冷静地回复道：“
你为什么惊讶呢，亲爱的伊利？就因为他没能获得你的好评（翻译君：淘宝店主卢卡斯小姐上线），所以他得到别的女人的好评，你觉得不可思议是吗？”
但是伊丽莎白此时经过努力调整，已经从震惊中恢复过来，她用十分肯定的口吻告诉卢卡斯，她很高兴卢卡斯能和柯林斯订婚，并祝卢卡斯无比幸福。
“我知道你的想法，”夏洛特说，“你肯定非常惊讶，无比惊讶，就跟最近柯林斯向你求婚时候那样惊讶。但是在你花时间把这事想清楚之前，我希望你能赞同我的做法。我不是个浪漫的人，我从来都不是。我只想要个舒服的家。而且考虑道柯林斯的性格，人脉和地位，我十分确定与他结婚让我幸福的机会，跟与其他人结婚一样多。”
伊丽莎白轻轻地回答说，“毫无疑问”。一番尴尬的停顿了，她们回到了其余人之中。夏洛特没有再待太久，伊丽莎白就一个人慢慢回想着刚才发生的事情。她花了好久，才终于确信了柯林斯和卢卡斯是多么得不般配。柯林斯三天之内求了两次婚，已经足够古怪，但这比不上他第二次求婚被接受更古怪。她能感觉到，一直以来卢卡斯得婚恋观跟自己的不一样，但是她无论如何都想不到，真的事到临头了，卢卡斯竟然会为了一些物质利益，而牺牲掉自己的内心。夏洛特做了柯林斯的妻子，多么让人难堪的画面！想到自己的朋友放弃了自尊，伊丽莎白十分痛苦，她还很担心的断定卢卡斯选择柯林斯，几乎不可能幸福。
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