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She had been watching him the last hour , she said , as he walked up and down the street , — and had Mr . Wickham appeared , Kitty and Lydia would certainly have continued the occupation ; but unluckily no one passed the windows now except a few of the officers , who , in comparison with the stranger , were become “ stupid , disagreeable fellows . ” Some of them were to dine with the Philipses the next day , and their aunt promised to make her husband call on Mr . Wickham , and give him an invitation also , if the family from Longbourn would come in the evening . This was agreed to ; and Mrs . Philips protested that they would have a nice comfortable noisy game of lottery tickets , and a little bit of hot supper afterwards . The prospect of such delights was very cheering , and they parted in mutual good spirits . Mr . Collins repeated his apologies in quitting the room , and was assured , with unwearying civility , that they were perfectly needless . As they walked home , Elizabeth related to Jane what she had seen pass between the two gentlemen ; but though Jane would have defended either or both , had they appeared to be wrong , she could no more explain such behaviour than her sister . Mr . Collins on his return highly gratified Mrs . Bennet by admiring Mrs . Philips’s manners and politeness . He protested that , except Lady Catherine and her daughter , he had never seen a more elegant woman ; for she had not only received him with the utmost civility , but had even pointedly included him in her invitation for the next evening , although utterly unknown to her before . Something , he supposed , might be attributed to his connection with them , but yet he had never met with so much attention in the whole course of his life . CHAPTER XVI . AS no objection was made to the young people’s engagement with their aunt , and all Mr . Collins’s scruples of leaving Mr . and Mrs . Bennet for a single evening during his visit were most steadily resisted , the coach conveyed him and his five cousins at a suitable hour to Meryton ; and the girls had the pleasure of hearing , as they entered the drawing - room , that Mr . Wickham had accepted their uncle’s invitation , and was then in the house . When this information was given , and they had all taken their seats , Mr . Collins was at leisure to look around him and admire , and he was so much struck with the size and furniture of the apartment , that he declared he might almost have supposed himself in the small summer breakfast parlour at Rosings ; a 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 .
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