The drama of Mr. Collins’s proposal slowly came to an end. Elizabeth still felt uncomfortable, and her mother continued to make angry remarks about her refusal. As for Mr. Collins, he did not act sad or embarrassed. Instead, he became very stiff and silent. He stopped talking to Elizabeth and spent the rest of the day talking to Charlotte Lucas. Charlotte was very polite and listened to him patiently, which was a relief to everyone.
The next day, Mrs. Bennet was still in a bad mood, and Mr. Collins was still acting proud and angry. Elizabeth had hoped he would leave early, but he stayed until Saturday as he had originally planned.
After breakfast, the girls walked to Meryton. They wanted to find out if Mr. Wickham had returned. They met him as they entered the town, and he walked with them to their aunt’s house. He told Elizabeth that he had stayed away from the ball on purpose.
"I decided it was better not to meet Mr. Darcy," he explained. "Being in the same room with him for many hours would have been too difficult for me. It might have caused an unpleasant scene."
Elizabeth admired his self-control. Later, Wickham and another officer walked the girls back to Longbourn. During the walk, he paid special attention to Elizabeth, and she was happy to introduce him to her parents.
Soon after they got home, a letter arrived for Jane from Netherfield. Elizabeth watched her sister’s face turn pale as she read it. When they were alone in their room, Jane showed Elizabeth the letter. It was from Caroline Bingley.
"The whole party has left Netherfield," Jane said sadly. "They are on their way to London and have no plans to come back."
Jane read part of the letter aloud. Caroline wrote that they wanted to be with their brother, Charles. She also wrote that they did not expect to return to Hertfordshire all winter. But the most painful part was about Mr. Darcy’s sister, Georgiana. Caroline wrote about how much she hoped her brother would marry Georgiana Darcy. She praised the girl’s beauty and skills, claiming that a marriage between them would make everyone happy.
"It is clear," Jane said. "Caroline does not want me to be her sister. She is sure her brother does not care for me, and she wants to warn me."
"I have a different opinion," Elizabeth replied. "Miss Bingley sees that her brother is in love with you, and she wants him to marry Miss Darcy instead. She followed him to town to keep him away from you. She is trying to persuade you that he doesn't care."
Jane shook her head. "No, Caroline wouldn't deceive me. I think she is just telling me the truth."
"Jane, you must believe me," Elizabeth insisted. "Anyone who saw you together knows he loves you. But we are not rich or grand enough for his sisters. They want him to marry into the Darcy family to increase their own importance. Do not let Caroline’s letter make you doubt his feelings."
Jane tried to feel better, and she gradually began to hope that Mr. Bingley would return. They decided to tell their mother that the Bingleys had left, but they didn't tell her the details about Miss Darcy. Mrs. Bennet was upset that the Bingleys were gone, but she felt sure that Mr. Bingley would soon come back to see Jane.