Mr. Collins was incredibly proud to receive the invitation to Rosings. He wanted to show his guests the grand house and prove how much Lady Catherine liked him. He spent the whole day talking about the visit. He warned Elizabeth and Maria not to be afraid of the grand rooms or the many servants.
"Do not worry about your clothes, Elizabeth," he said. "Lady Catherine does not expect us to dress like her. Just wear your best dress. She likes to see the difference between her rank and ours."
As they walked across the park to the great house, Maria was very nervous. Elizabeth, however, remained calm. She was not afraid of a woman just because she was rich and had a title.
When they entered the house, they were led to a room where Lady Catherine, her daughter, and a companion, Mrs. Jenkinson, were sitting. Sir William was so nervous that he could only bow and sit down in silence. Maria was also terrified. Elizabeth looked around at the three women. Lady Catherine was tall and large, with a very loud and bossy voice. She acted as if she were the most important person in the world. Her daughter, Miss de Bourgh, was very thin, pale, and quiet. She didn't say a word all evening.
During dinner, Mr. Collins sat at the bottom of the table and praised every dish. Lady Catherine seemed to enjoy his compliments. After dinner, the group returned to the drawing-room, where Lady Catherine talked without stopping. She gave Charlotte a lot of advice about how to run a house, how to look after cows, and how to manage her servants.
Then, Lady Catherine turned to Elizabeth and asked many personal questions. "How many sisters do you have? Are they handsome? Where were you educated? Did you have a governess?"
"We never had a governess," Elizabeth replied.
"No governess!" Lady Catherine cried. "How is that possible? Five daughters at home without a governess! Your mother must have been a slave to your education."
Elizabeth smiled. "No, she wasn't. Those of us who wanted to learn were encouraged to read. We had teachers when we needed them, but we were left to ourselves most of the time."
Lady Catherine was shocked. She thought the Bennet sisters had been neglected. She then asked Elizabeth’s age.
"With three younger sisters grown up," Elizabeth said with a smile, "your Ladyship can hardly expect me to tell you."
Lady Catherine was surprised. No one had ever spoken to her like that before. "You must be about twenty," she said.
"I am not twenty-one yet," Elizabeth answered.
The rest of the evening was spent playing cards. Lady Catherine continued to talk, telling everyone when they made a mistake in the game. When the night ended, Mr. Collins thanked her many times. On the way home, he asked Elizabeth what she thought of Rosings. For Charlotte’s sake, Elizabeth said she had spent a very pleasant evening.