Soon after Jane and Elizabeth return home from Netherfield,
Mr. Collins, a cousin of
Mr. Bennet and the legal heir to the Bennet estate, arrives for a visit. Mr.
Collins is the rector of Hunsford, a small country parsonage, and is under the
patronage of Lady Catherine De Bourgh. He turns out to be a pompous and tiresome
man who seems to be incapable of much original thought.
The object of Mr. Collins’ visit is to find himself a wife. After learning
that Jane may soon be engaged to Bingley, he shifts his attentions to Elizabeth,
who is forced to endure his attempts at courtship. Mr. Collins accompanies the
Bennet sisters on a walk into Meryton, the nearby town. 
There, they are introduced
to George Wickham, a handsome and charming officer who has just arrived.
That night, there is a supper party at the Philipses - the aunt and uncle of the Bennet sisters. At the party, Wickham reveals to Elizabeth that he and Darcy grew up together. He then relates a scandalous story about how the present Mr. Darcy ruined his prospects by refusing to give him a valuable church living that had been bequeathed to him in the late Mr. Darcy’s will. Elizabeth is shocked at Mr. Darcy’s callous nature and her dislike of him increases.
The next day, the Bennets receive an invitation from Mr. Bingley and his sisters to a ball at Netherfield. Everyone is pleased and Mr. Collins immediately solicits Elizabeth’s hand for the first two dances. She reluctantly accepts but continues to look forward to the ball.
For Elizabeth, the long-awaited ball does not turn out as expected.
Wickham, with whom she had hoped to dance, does not show up and her dances
with Mr. Collins are disastrous. In addition, she is forced to dance with
Mr. Darcy after he takes her by surprise in his application for her hand.
Later on, she is greatly embarrassed by the unguarded and impolite behavior
of her sisters, her mother, Mr. Collins and even her father.
Elizabeth’s troubles do not end with the ball. The next morning, Mr. Collins proposes to her. When she refuses his offer, her mother, Mrs. Bennet, is upset and angry. She tries to force Elizabeth to change her mind but Elizabeth is unmoved. The offended Mr. Collins quickly leaves the house to go dine at the neighbouring Lucas estate.
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Pride and Prejudice Paradise: Main
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