During the visit, Elizabeth is embarrassed by her mother’s inane talk and the foolish behavior of her sisters. Lydia continuously presses Mr. Bingley to give a ball at Netherfield Park. After Mrs. Bennet and her two daughters depart, Elizabeth goes to attend to Jane. The Bingley sisters chat disparagingly about the inappropriate behavior of Mrs. Bennet and her daughters.
Chapter 10
Jane feels a little better by evening, so Elizabeth again joins the party in the drawing-room. Darcy is trying to write a letter to his sister, but Miss Bingley repeatedly interrupts him by calling out messages from her to include in his letter to his sister. When Darcy finally finishes the letter, he turns his attention to the conversation in the room. He notices that Elizabeth talks animatedly on every subject and is impressed by her sharp observations and succinct way of wording ideas. Darcy is also magnetically drawn towards Elizabeth’s fine eyes. Elizabeth notices that he frequently stares at her.
Darcy asks Elizabeth to dance with him, but she flatly refuses, much to the relief of Miss Bingley, who has been jealously watching the two of them. Darcy does not feel thwarted by her refusal; instead, he is so bewitched by Elizabeth’s unconventional charms that he feels that had it not been for ‘the inferiority of her connections’, he would have been in danger of falling in love with her.
The following morning Jane is feeling much better. Elizabeth goes for a stroll in the garden with Mrs. Hurst. They come upon Darcy and Miss Bingley in the garden. The path on which they are walking is spacious enough for three people only, so Elizabeth is rudely left behind by the two sisters to walk by herself. Darcy is annoyed at how Elizabeth is treated.
Chapter 11&12
When Jane is feeling better, Elizabeth takes her to the Netherfield drawing room. Mr. Bingley is delighted to see her. Darcy is immersed in a book, and Miss Bingley seems more interested in peeking in his book rather than reading hers. Darcy tries to ignore her; exasperated, she tries to draw Darcy’s attention by walking around the room, but Darcy does not even look up. Caroline invites Elizabeth to walk with her and invites Darcy to go along. Darcy and Elizabeth enjoy a good-humored conversation, and Darcy, progressively enchanted by her, begins to feel the danger of paying the young lady too much attention. The next morning Elizabeth is determined to leave and asks to borrow Mr. Bingley’s carriage for the purpose. She and Jane depart the next day. As they leave, Darcy avoids Elizabeth, and Miss Bingley is noticeably polite to her. Mr. Bennet is happy to have his daughters back, but his wife does not seem to share his happiness and is not very cordial in her welcome
Chapter 13
The next morning Mr. Bennet informs his wife that they will be having a guest for dinner. Mr. Bennet has received a letter from his cousin, Mr. Collins, who will inherit Longbourn after Mr. Bennet’s death. Mr. Collins, a clergyman, hopes to reconcile the differences between Mr. Bennet and himself. He comes, offering an olive branch of peace, and hopes that his efforts will be accepted. Mrs. Bennet is perturbed over the visit and complains about the cruelty of "settling an estate away from a family of five daughters, in favor of a man whom nobody cared anything about".
When Mr. Collins, a tall, swarthy young man of twenty-five, arrives, he heaps indiscriminate praise on everything. He compliments Mrs. Bennet on her cooking and speaks highly of everything about the girls. In every way, he appears to be a peculiar figure.
Chapter 14
Mr. Collins has secured his parish through the patronage of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, a wealthy widow with an only daughter. As a result, his attitude towards her is one of fawning subservience, and during his visit at the Bennets, he never stops praising her. Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s daughter is a young lady of delicate health, which precludes her from taking her rightful place in society.
Mr. Collins repeats some of the compliments he has paid to his patroness and her daughter; Mr. Bennet is thoroughly amused -- " his cousin was as absurd as he had hoped."
After teatime, Mr. Bennet takes his guest into the drawing room, and a book is offered to him. On discovering that the book is a novel, he cringes in horror and proceeds to read aloud from Fordyce’s sermons. He is interrupted by Lydia, who makes a flippant comment about an army officer. Mr. Collins is offended by the interruption and puts down his book. He spends the remainder of the evening playing backgammon.
Chapter 15
As a rector, Mr. Collins has a sufficient income and a good house. He visits Longbourn with the purpose of choosing one of the Bennet girls as a wife, "if he found them as handsome and amiable as they were represented by common report". Jane’s lovely face attracts him, and she seems to be his "settled choice". Mrs. Bennet, however, makes it clear that Jane’s affections are pledged elsewhere. Mr. Collins then turns his attention to Elizabeth.
The sisters walk into Meryton, accompanied by Mr. Collins. They meet Mr. Denny, an officer, who introduces them to his colleague Mr. Wickham. He is a young man with a fine countenance and a good figure. The group encounters Bingley and Darcy, who are riding down the street on their way to Longbourn to inquire after Jane’s health. Darcy and Wickham seem flustered on seeing each other, exchanging a strange look. Darcy and Bingley ride on while Denny and Wickham escort the girls and Mr. Collins to Mrs. Philips’ house. Mrs. Philips promises to invite Wickham and the girls to dinner the next evening, which thrills the girls. On returning to Longbourn, Mr. Collins lavishes exaggerated praise on Mrs. Philips’ excellent manners and hospitality.
Chapter 16
The following evening, the Bennet girls, Mr. Collins, and Wickham assemble at Mrs. Philips’ house. Collins finds an earnest listener in Mrs. Philips and rambles on about Lady Catherine and her grandiose mansion.
Wickham seats himself next to Elizabeth, and the two start conversing. Wickham tells her that he has been connected to Darcy’s family from infancy. Darcy’s late father, an excellent man, had bequeathed him a good part of his estate, but Darcy had treated him scandalously. Disregarding his father’s wishes, he gave away Wickham’s share to someone else. This act of backstabbing, Wickham says, compelled him to join the army, although he was brought up to take a role in the Church. When Elizabeth asks Wickham about Darcy’s sister, he replies that she is as proud as Darcy; she is now sixteen years old and is ‘highly accomplished’. He also reveals that Lady Catherine is Darcy’s aunt, and it is believed that Darcy will marry her daughter and, thereby, unite the two estates. Elizabeth returns home with her mind full of Wickham and what he has told her. She wonders how a sweet-tempered man like Bingley could take for a friend a disagreeable man like Darcy.
