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comparison that did not at first convey much gratification; but

when Mrs. Philips understood from him what Rosings was, and

who was its proprietor, when she had listened to the description

of only one of Lady Catherine's drawing-rooms, and found that

the chimney-piece alone had cost eight hundred pounds, she felt

all the force of the compliment, and would hardly have resented

a comparison with the housekeeper's room.

In describing to her all the grandeur of Lady Catherine and

her mansion, with occasional digressions in praise of his own

humble abode, and the improvements it was receiving, he was

happily employed until the gentlemen joined them; and he found

in Mrs. Philips a very attentive listener, whose opinion of his

consequence increased with what she heard, and who was

resolving to retail it all among her neighbours as soon as she

could. To the girls, who could not listen to their cousin, and

who had nothing to do but to wish for an instrument, and examine

their own indifferent imitations of china on the mantelpiece, the

interval of waiting appeared very long. It was over at last,

however. The gentlemen did approach; and when Mr. Wick'

ham walked into the room, Elizabeth felt that she had neither

been seeing him before, nor thinking of him since, with the

smallest degree of unreasonable admiration. The officers of the

shire were in general a very creditable, gentlemanlike set, and

the best of them were of the present party; but Mr. Wickham was

as far beyond them all in person, countenance, air, and walk, as

they were superior to the broad^faced stuffy uncle Philips, breathing

port wine, who followed them into the room.

Mr. Wickham was the happy man towards whom almost

every female eye was turned, and Elizabeth was the happy woman

by whom he finally seated himself; and the agreeable manner in

which he immediately fell into conversation, though it was only

on its being a wet night, and on the probability of a rainy season,

made her feel that the commonest, dullest, most threadbare topic

might be rendered interesting by the skill of the speaker.

With such rivals for the notice of the fair as Mr. Wickham and

the officers, Mr. Collins seemed to sink into insignificance; to the

young ladies he certainly was nothing; but he had still at intervals

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