Chapter 23
Charlotte's engagement made public
English edition
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1 Longbourn rests among damp, bare fields beneath a grey winter sky.
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2 Sir William Lucas announces Charlotte’s engagement to the astonished Bennet family.
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4 Mrs. Bennet sweeps aside the news of Charlotte’s engagement with an indignant gesture.
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5 Lydia half-rises at the card-table, loudly challenging Sir William’s announcement.
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6 Sir William preserves his courteous smile under the family’s impertinence.
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7 Elizabeth confirms Charlotte’s engagement and offers Sir William carefully earnest congratulations.
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9 Mrs. Bennet directs her restless complaints at Elizabeth, seeking sympathy from the family.
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11 Mrs. Bennet crushes a handkerchief, listing a fourth complaint over Charlotte's engagement
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12 Mr. Bennet rests his chin on his hand beside the fire, quietly gratified by Charlotte’s engagement.
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13 Jane expresses her sincere hopes for Charlotte and Mr. Collins’s happiness.
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15 Lydia delights in Charlotte's engagement as gossip, and Kitty leans closer, giggling
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16 Lady Lucas leans forward to celebrate Charlotte's engagement, her smile edged with triumph
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17 Elizabeth and Charlotte sit apart in restrained silence, the empty chintz between them
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19 Mr. Bennet unhurriedly opens Collins’s densely written letter across his knees.
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20 Mr. Bennet reads Collins's ceremonious letter aloud as Mrs. Bennet listens resentfully
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22 Mrs. Bennet complains directly to her husband about Mr. Collins’s promised return.
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23 Mrs. Bennet indignantly contradicts the rumour that Bingley will remain away all winter.
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25 Mrs. Bennet insists that Jane acknowledge Bingley’s neglect.
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26 Jane maintains an even stitch while enduring her mother’s repeated pressure.
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27 Mr. Collins bows at the drawing-room door, buoyed by his engagement to Charlotte.
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29 Mrs. Bennet sits rigidly by the hearth while Collins beams serenely beyond her shoulder
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30 Charlotte murmurs to Mr. Collins beside the closed card-table at Longbourn.
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31 Mrs. Bennet grips her chair arm as she watches Charlotte and Collins whisper together.
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32 Mrs. Bennet bitterly protests the prospect of Charlotte taking her place at Longbourn.
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33 Mr. Bennet gently raises a finger as he suggests that he might outlive his wife.
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34 Mrs. Bennet gestures at Longbourn's comforts, claiming the home she fears losing
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35 Mr. Bennet pauses over his book to deliver a courteous, quietly cutting reply.
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36 Mrs. Bennet knots her hands around a handkerchief as she protests the entail.
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37 Mrs. Bennet leans forward, wounded, demanding why Mr. Collins should inherit their home
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38 Longbourn falls quiet after the dispute over its inheritance.
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