第81章[第1页/共5页]

“I know not, Miss Elizabeth,”said he,“whether Mrs. Collins has yet expressed her sense of your kindness in coming to us;but I am very certain you will not leave the house without receiving her thanks for it.The favor of your company has been much felt, I assure you.We know how little there is to tempt anyone to our humble abode.Our plain manner of living,our small rooms and few domestics,and the little we see of the world,must make Hunsford extremely dull to a young lady like yourself;but I hope you will believe us grateful for the condescension, and that we have done everything in our power to prevent your spending your time unpleasantly.”

“Good gracious!”cried Maria, after a few minutes' silence,“it seems but a day or two since we first came! and yet how many things have happened!”

“You may, in fact, carry a very favourable report of us into Hertfordshire,my dear cousin.I flatter myself at least that you will be able to do so. Lady Catherine's great attentions to Mrs. Collins you have been a daily witness of;and altogether I trust it does not appear that your friend has drawn an unfortunate―but on this point it will be as well to be silent.Only let me assure you, my dear Miss Elizabeth,that I can from my heart most cordially wish you equal felicity in marriage.My dear Charlotte and I have but one mind and one way of thinking.There is in everything a most remarkable resemblance of character and ideas between us. We seem to have been designed for each other.”