It is by no means certain...

Today's quote is from The Jane Austen info page at The Republic of Pemberley

Mr. Collins and his dreadful proposal...

"You must give me leave to flatter myself, my dear cousin, that your refusal of my addresses is merely words of course. My reasons for believing it are briefly these: -- It does not appear to me that my hand is unworthy your acceptance, or that the establishment I can offer would be any other than highly desirable. My situation in life, my connections with the family of De Bourgh, and my relationship to your own, are circumstances highly in its favor; and you should take it into farther consideration that in spite of your manifold attractions, it is by no means certain that another offer of marriage may ever be made you. Your portion is unhappily so small that it will in all likelihood undo the effects of your loveliness and amiable qualifications. As I must therefore conclude that you are not serious in your rejection of me, I shall chuse to attribute it to your wish of increasing my love by suspense, according to the usual practice of elegant females."

Pride and Prejudice, volume 1, chapter 19

Thanks to Mollands for the illustration.

Comments

[Judy A.M.]

Oh, this is the perfect quote to bring a smile to my face at the end of a grueling day of working on a grad school paper! Poor Mr. Collins didn’t seem to possess that part of the brain that filters thoughts before they are spoken. As I read this, I can’t help but think of the actor David Bamber playing Mr. Collins in the A&E movie version of the book. The actor’s mannerisms were so appropriate for the character, and I laughed out loud the first time I saw his extreme comb over hairdo (which I think is making a comeback with the hip club-hopping crowd). I am enjoying Lori’s book immensely and am pleased to find this blog.

[Luciana]

Poor Lizzie! All the proposals that she recieved were terrible!

[judy a.m.]

This is great. I just read the last sentence to my husband (a serious football fan, non-literary type) and he laughed very much!

[Lori Smith]

Thanks, Judy! Yeah, I love David Bamber as Mr. Collins.