(This conversation will contain spoilers for the current chapters and possibly for future chapters.)

S: So much happens in this section! I knew I liked Mrs. Gardiner and I’m glad she’s made another appearance. I still find it strange that, though she can’t quite put her finger on it, there’s something about Mr. Wickham she doesn’t like and proceeds to caution Elizabeth against falling in love with and encouraging him. Elizabeth’s answers to her are funny, but also respectful, and we see toward the end of the chapter that Mrs. Gardiner’s suspicions were somewhat founded because Mr. Wickham moves on to another young lady. It reminds me of the verses in Song of Solomon (2:7; 3:5; 8:4) that say, ‘…do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time’ (HCSB). So many times it’s easy for us to push for something that we want and the timing is not right, is not God’s timing, and I think Mrs. Gardiner sees that with Elizabeth and Mr. Wickham’s relationship. 

R: I think Austen set up Mrs. Gardiner to be Mrs. Bennet’s complete opposite, someone that the Bennet girls all could have modeled themselves after; however, we can see that only Jane and Elizabeth seem to have done so. Mary seems to be somewhere in the middle, which, as the middle child, is hardly surprising; she wants to be taken seriously, but seems to crave attention like her younger sisters. 

S: So true! I hadn’t picked up on any of those observations. 

I’m still sad over Elizabeth’s feelings toward Charlotte, but she is observant enough to see that Charlotte really does need someone to write to her, to encourage her; perhaps she’s more nervous than she lets on!

R: I’m glad Elizabeth is able to set aside her feelings about Charlotte’s choice enough to continue to be a good friend to her by writing and visiting, as much as she must have hated the idea of having to be in Mr. Collins’ home for any length of time. 

S: Being treated so rudely by someone you really thought was your friend and to whom you had been giving the benefit of the doubt is not a nice position to be in. At least Jane now knows truly where she stands with Miss Bingley and is thinking about it rationally (though, as we read later, she’s still sad about Mr. Bingley). 

R: Poor Jane! She not only lost the man she cared for, but also the friends she thought she had. It’s a difficult position to be in. 

S: I’m so glad Elizabeth is looking forward to visiting the Collins’s home. It’s interesting to me that her aunt still seems cautious about Mr. Wickham, but Elizabeth is ready to defend his actions in seeking out Miss King (and, apparently, her inheritance!) so quickly after her father died. I hate to say it, but he does remind me a little of Mr. Willoughby. I know we’re only halfway through the story, so there is still time to see if Mr. Wickham is actually a good person, though, so I’m trying to reserve judgment. Funny thought: Elizabeth’s impassioned speech over taking the ‘tour of pleasure’ with her aunt and uncle reminds me of Maryanne – so much emotion!

R: I wonder if Elizabeth is being flippant or ironic when discussing Wickham’s behavior with her aunt. Her replies could be sincere, but based on earlier conversations, it reads as being somewhat sarcastic to me. And in the same way, her response to the trip also seems to be a parody of her mother’s behavior. It could be Elizabeth covering up her disappointment in ‘losing’ Mr. Wickham.

S: That is very true; it’s difficult to tell with Elizabeth sometimes. 

It’s obvious to me that Charlotte can take care of herself, though I suspect from her absolute delight at seeing her family, Elizabeth included, that she’s very lonely. It doesn’t seem to me that she regrets marrying Mr. Collins, but I think she may not have quite expected that Lady Catherine de Burgh would be as involved in her life as she is!

R: Charlotte definitely seems to have settled into her new situation and made the best of it that she can. She’s fortunate that her family has the means to be able to visit, and are apparently quite as silly as Mrs. Bennet and her younger daughters. They seem to appreciate the fastidious attention paid by Lady Catherine. 

S: If I were Charlotte, I believe I would go absolutely crazy in that house, on that estate. Constantly being told what you’re doing is not the ‘right way’ to go about it, being criticised, knowing your husband continually embarasses himself – it would be too much for me, though many times we can handle more than we think we can. 

I wonder why Lady Catherine acts as she does; is it because she feels she must control everything because her husband’s death caused her such grief, or is it simply part of the prevalent idea of the time that the upper class knows best and is best equipped to help?

R: I agree. The expectation when a woman married was that she would run her own household thereafter, but with Lady Catherine around, Charlotte has no chance to actually do so. She is, mostly, a sensible person, so even without interference, I imagine she would have done well enough in keeping house frugally and neatly, as would have been expected of a parson’s wife.

S: Interesting thing I noticed, not just from this section but also as I thought back to earlier chapters – Sir William and Mr. Collins seem to be cut from a similar cloth, so perhaps it’s no wonder Charlotte is able to cope well enough. Elizabeth notes how she’s rearranged the house, how she encourages Mr. Collins to work outside most of the day, and how she doesn’t embarrass him in front of others, but remains, though embarrassed at times herself, loyal. It may not be the romantic love we’re used to reading about or seeing or being told we must have, but I think it is a type of love nonetheless. 

R: That’s a good point. Charlotte does seem better prepared to handle Mr. Collins than Elizabeth would have been.

S: In spite of awkward conversations, Elizabeth is also able to hold her own against Lady Catherine and even finds a little-used path on which to walk in order to have some peace. 

R: Imagine if it had been Elizabeth married to Mr. Collins! Elizabeth can’t seem to help making sarcastic replies to Lady Catherine, and I can’t see that she would have been able to control the tendency if she’d married him. Maybe at first, but just a couple of weeks of it and Elizabeth is ready to get out of there.

S: Now that would have been a sight! 

I did not expect Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam to visit. (Colonel Fitzwilliam’s description is rather amusing – he’s ugly to look at but nice to talk to.) I can’t tell if Mr. Darcy really doesn’t know that Jane has been in London or if he’s embarrassed because he does know. So many unanswered questions and so many unsatisfying answers! 

R: This section puts us at just under halfway through the book. We can look forward to some exciting revelations coming up soon!