Sir William stayed only a week at Hunsford, but his visit was long enough to convince him of his daughter's being most comfortably settled, and of her possessing such a husband and such a neighbour as were not often met with.While Sir William was with them,Mr.Collins devoted his morning to driving him out in his gig,and showing him the country;but when he went away, the whole family returned to their usual employments, and Elizabeth was thankful to find that they did not see more of her cousin by the alteration, for the chief of the time between breakfast and dinner was now passed by him either at work in the garden or in reading and writing,and looking out of the window in his own book-room, which fronted the road.The room in which the ladies sat was backwards.Elizabeth had at first rather wondered that Charlotte should not prefer the dining-parlour for common use; it was a better sized room, and had a more pleasant aspect; but she soon saw that her friend had an excellent reason for what she did, for Mr. Collins would undoubtedly have been much less in his own apartment, had they sat in one equally lively; and she gave Charlotte credit for the arrangement.
From the drawing-room they could distinguish nothing in the lane, and were indebted to Mr. Collins for the knowledge of what carriages went along, and how often especially Miss de Bourgh drove by in her phaeton, which he never failed coming to inform them of,though it happened almost every day.She not unfrequently stopped at the Parsonage, and had a few minutes' conversation with Charlotte,but was scarcely ever prevailed upon to get out.
Very few days passed in which Mr. Collins did not walk to Rosings, and not many in which his wife did not think it necessary to go likewise; and till Elizabeth recollected that there might be other family livings to be disposed of,she could not understand the sacrifice of so many hours. Now and then they were honoured with a call from her ladyship, and nothing escaped her observation that was passing in the room during these visits. She examined into their employments, looked at their work,and advised them to do it differently;found fault with the arrangement of the furniture;or detected the housemaid in negligence;and if she accepted any refreshment,seemed to do it only for the sake of finding out that Mrs.Collins's joints of meat were too large for her family.
Elizabeth soon perceived,that though this great lady was not in commission of the peace of the county,she was a most active magistrate in her own parish, the minutest concerns of which were carried to her by Mr. Collins; and whenever any of the cottagers were disposed to be quarrelsome,discontented,or too poor,she sallied forth into the village to settle their differences, silence their complaints,and scold them into harmony and plenty.
