Pride and Prejudice - Chapter 7
Kiêu hãnh và Định kiến - Chương 7
Mr. Collins, a distant cousin of Mr. Bennet, was the heir to the Bennet estate. He was a clergyman, employed by Lady Catherine de Bourgh, a wealthy and aristocratic lady.
Ông Collins, người anh họ sẽ thừa kế điền trang Longbourn, đến thăm. Ông là một người đàn ông huênh hoang và xu nịnh, một mục sư tôn sùng người bảo trợ của mình, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
When Mr. Bennet received a letter from Mr. Collins announcing his intention to visit, Mrs. Bennet was delighted. She hoped that Mr. Collins might marry one of her daughters, which would provide for their future.
Ông ta có ý định kết hôn với một trong những cô con gái nhà Bennet để "sửa chữa" sự bất công của việc thừa kế. Ban đầu ông để mắt đến Jane, nhưng bà Bennet nói với ông rằng cô ấy có thể sẽ sớm đính hôn. Vì vậy, ông chuyển mục tiêu sang Elizabeth.
"He is a clergyman," she told her husband excitedly. "That is a respectable profession. And he will inherit this estate when you die. It would be perfect if he married one of our girls!"
Mr. Bennet was amused by his wife's excitement. "We shall see what kind of man he is," he said.
Mr. Collins arrived a few days later. He was a tall, heavy-looking young man, with a formal manner and a tendency to speak in long, complicated sentences.
He was full of praise for Lady Catherine and her estate, Rosings Park. He spoke of her wealth and her generosity, and he seemed to consider himself very important by association.
"Lady Catherine is the most benevolent of women," he told the Bennets. "She has shown me great kindness and consideration. I am truly grateful to be in her service."
Elizabeth found Mr. Collins ridiculous. He was obviously trying to flatter Lady Catherine and gain her favor. But she said nothing, observing him with amusement.
When Mr. Collins asked which of the Bennet sisters he might address as his future wife, Mrs. Bennet immediately suggested Jane.
"Jane is the eldest," she said. "And the most beautiful. Any man would be fortunate to marry her."
But Mr. Collins was informed that Jane was likely to be engaged to Mr. Bingley, so he turned his attention to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth, however, had no intention of marrying Mr. Collins. She found him tedious and pompous, and she could not imagine spending her life with such a man.
But Mrs. Bennet was determined that Elizabeth should accept him, and she began to put pressure on her daughter.