Chapter 28 — Teaching Companion

What it asks It asks the student to read two sentences from the parlour. “When Mr. Collins said anything of which his wife might reasonably be ashamed, which certainly was not seldom, she involuntarily turned her eye on Charlotte. Once or twice she could discern a faint blush; but in general Charlotte wisely did not hear.” Here “involuntarily” means without meaning to, and “discern” means make out. The student decides whether the blush answers her husband’s words or her friend’s look. The card does not say what Charlotte feels in private; the chapter gives a blush and a manner, nothing more.

One reading

Yes. The blush answers him. His remarks are things “of which his wife might reasonably be ashamed”, and they come often. Even a wife who has trained herself not to hear will sometimes hear. On this reading the blush is a rare crack in her calm, and it would show whether anyone was looking or not.

• of which his wife might reasonably be ashamed,
• Once or twice she could discern a faint blush;

Another reading

Less often. In the sentence, Elizabeth’s look comes first and the blush after it. Charlotte is being watched by the friend who refused this man, the one guest whose opinion of him matters most. On this reading what makes her colour is being seen, and on an ordinary day, with no one watching, she “wisely did not hear”.

• she involuntarily turned her eye on Charlotte.
• in general Charlotte wisely did not hear.

Listen for

• Notices the order: Elizabeth looks, then sees the blush.
• Weighs “involuntarily”: Elizabeth cannot stop herself watching, so Charlotte is watched often.
• Hears “wisely” as the narrator’s praise, and asks what not hearing protects.
• Does not say what Charlotte feels in private.

If stuck

• What does Elizabeth do whenever Mr. Collins says something foolish?
• What does Charlotte usually do?
• Is a foolish remark harder to bear when a friend is watching you hear it?

A strong answer A strong response chooses a cause for the blush and rests it on the order of the sentences. One reader finds real shame at his words, breaking through her calm only now and then. Another notices that Elizabeth’s look comes first, and finds the blush a response to being watched. The best answers notice how little the chapter gives, a blush once or twice and a habit of not hearing, and keep that in mind for the last written question.

What it asks It asks the student to read where the garden tour ends. “Here, leading the way through every walk and cross walk, and scarcely allowing them an interval to utter the praises he asked for, every view was pointed out with a minuteness which left beauty entirely behind. He could number the fields in every direction, and could tell how many trees there were in the most distant clump. But of all the views which his garden, or which the country or the kingdom could boast, none were to be compared with the prospect of Rosings, afforded by an opening in the trees that bordered the park nearly opposite the front of his house. It was a handsome modern building, well situated on rising ground.” Here “minuteness” means attention to the smallest detail, to “number” the fields is to count them, and a “prospect” is a view. The student decides why the tour ends on Rosings, and whether Austen is only laughing at him. The card does not say what Lady Catherine is like; she has not yet been met. Nor does it say what Charlotte feels as she listens.

One reading

Because he values rank above beauty. The tour “left beauty entirely behind”: he counts fields and trees as if a view were something to own, and the crown of it is the great house across the lane. On this reading the view is the joke. A man who cannot see the beauty of his own garden finds it in the house he looks up to, and Austen walks the reader down every path so we feel what it is to be shown round by him.

• with a minuteness which left beauty entirely behind.
• He could number the fields in every direction,

Another reading

Because it is the truth about the household. The narrator grants that Rosings is “a handsome modern building, well situated on rising ground”, so it may really be the finest view. And the Parsonage lives facing it: they dine there “twice every week”, come home in its carriage, and the chapter ends with an invitation to it. On this reading Austen is not only laughing at him. The view shows which way every life in the house is turned, Charlotte’s included.

• It was a handsome modern building, well situated on rising ground.
• the whole party was asked to dine at Rosings the next day.

Listen for

• Notices that the narrator’s next sentence describes Rosings plainly, even with praise.
• Sets the counted trees beside the one view he ranks above all the rest.
• Asks what it means for a household to live facing a great house, and notices how the chapter ends.
• Does not describe Lady Catherine in person, or say what Charlotte feels.

If stuck

• Where does the garden tour end?
• What does the narrator say about Rosings itself?
• How often does the household go to Rosings, and where are they asked at the end of the chapter?

A strong answer A strong response gives a reason and rests it on the garden paragraph. One reader finds the joke: a man who counts trees instead of looking at them saves his highest praise for the great house across the lane. Another notices that the narrator calls Rosings handsome, and that the whole household lives facing it, from the dinners twice a week to the invitation that ends the chapter. The best answers ask what it means for Charlotte’s home to face Rosings, without saying what she feels about it, and carry that into the next question, on the gardening she encourages.

What it asks It asks the student to judge one sentence from the garden. “To work in his garden was one of his most respectable pleasures; and Elizabeth admired the command of countenance with which Charlotte talked of the healthfulness of the exercise, and owned she encouraged it as much as possible.” Here “command of countenance” means control over one’s face, keeping a straight face, and “owned” means admitted. The student decides whether Charlotte’s encouragement is fair to her husband. The card does not say why Charlotte encourages it; the chapter gives her words and Elizabeth’s admiration, not her motive.

One reading

Fair. The gardening is something he does well: the garden is “large and well laid out”, and the narrator calls it “one of his most respectable pleasures”. Exercise is healthy. If it also gives the house some quiet, both of them gain. On this reading Charlotte finds the best thing in her husband and gives it room, which is a kindness.

• which was large and well laid out,
• To work in his garden was one of his most respectable pleasures;

Another reading

Not quite. Elizabeth admires her “command of countenance”, and a person needs that only when the face might say something the words do not. The reason Charlotte gives aloud may not be her whole reason. On this reading she handles her husband with a reason he will like, and the other reason, if there is one, stays unspoken.

• Elizabeth admired the command of countenance with which Charlotte talked of the healthfulness of the exercise,
• owned she encouraged it as much as possible.

Listen for

• Notices that the straight face is what Elizabeth admires, and asks what Elizabeth thinks it holds back.
• Weighs “respectable”: of all his pleasures, this is one the narrator can praise.
• Asks whether a kind act can have a second reason and still be kind.
• Does not say why Charlotte encourages it.

If stuck

• What reason does Charlotte give for the gardening?
• What does Elizabeth admire as Charlotte says it?
• Is a true reason still fair if it is not the only one?

A strong answer A strong response judges the arrangement and rests on the paragraph’s words. One reader finds it fair: the exercise is healthy, the garden is something he does well, and a wife who gives that room does him good. Another hears in Elizabeth’s admiration of a straight face a second reason left unsaid, and finds him being handled. The best answers ask whether being handled for his own good is unfair to him at all, and notice that the chapter never lets Charlotte say.

What it asks It asks the student to weigh one word in the house tour. “while Sir William accompanied him, Charlotte took her sister and friend over the house, extremely well pleased, probably, to have the opportunity of showing it without her husband’s help.” The narrator tells Elizabeth’s thoughts from the inside, but of Charlotte says only “probably”. The student decides why the narrator guesses here instead of telling. The card does not say what Charlotte feels in private; the narrator does not say either.

One reading

To share a joke. Of course she is pleased: what pleases her is showing the house “without her husband’s help”, and two sentences later the house has its “great air of comfort” only when he “could be forgotten”. The “probably” is said with a straight face, the way Charlotte talks of the healthfulness of gardening. On this reading the narrator is not unsure at all, and the guess is a polite way of laughing at Mr. Collins.

• to have the opportunity of showing it without her husband’s help.
• When Mr. Collins could be forgotten, there was really a great air of comfort throughout,

Another reading

To keep the reader where Elizabeth stands. The chapter gives Elizabeth’s feelings straight out: she is “more and more satisfied with coming”. Charlotte it sees only from outside. Elizabeth “supposed” and “could discern”, and the narrator says “probably”. On this reading the word is honest. No one in the chapter, not even the narrator, looks inside Charlotte, so the reader has to judge her as Elizabeth does, from her manner.

• Elizabeth was more and more satisfied with coming,
• Elizabeth supposed he must be often forgotten.

Listen for

• Notices that at the gate the narrator gives Charlotte “the liveliest pleasure” with no “probably”, and asks why this pleasure is the one left in doubt.
• Notices what the pleasure is about: showing the house “without her husband’s help”.
• Sets “probably” beside Elizabeth’s “supposed” in the same paragraph.
• Does not say what Charlotte feels in private.

If stuck

• Where is Mr. Collins while Charlotte shows the house?
• What would the sentence say without “probably”?
• How does the narrator describe Charlotte’s welcome at the gate?

A strong answer A strong response gives a reason for the word and rests it on the house paragraph. One reader hears a straight-faced joke: of course she is pleased, and the narrator smiles at Mr. Collins by pretending to be unsure. Another hears an honest limit: the chapter sees Charlotte only from outside, as Elizabeth does, and the narrator will not claim more. The best answers notice that the narrator states Charlotte’s pleasure at the gate plainly and leaves in doubt only her pleasure at being without her husband, the one pleasure that would be unkind to say aloud.

What it asks It asks the student to set two speeches at dinner side by side. Mr. Collins says, “She is all affability and condescension, and I doubt not but you will be honoured with some portion of her notice when service is over.” He goes on: “We dine at Rosings twice every week, and are never allowed to walk home. Her Ladyship’s carriage is regularly ordered for us. I _should_ say, one of her Ladyship’s carriages, for she has several.” Charlotte adds, “Lady Catherine is a very respectable, sensible woman, indeed,” and “a most attentive neighbour.” He answers, “Very true, my dear, that is exactly what I say. She is the sort of woman whom one cannot regard with too much deference.” Here “affability” means easy friendliness, “condescension” in Austen’s sense means a person of high rank treating someone of lower rank with gracious kindness (in her time praise, not an insult), and “deference” means respectful giving way. Gutenberg’s underscores mark italics, so his voice leans on “_should_”. The student decides whether Charlotte says what her husband says. The card does not say what Lady Catherine is like; she has not yet been met.

One reading

Yes. Charlotte praises the same woman in the same direction. She dines at Rosings twice a week too, and “a most attentive neighbour” is warm praise from a careful speaker. On this reading husband and wife agree, and Charlotte says it with fewer words and more sense.

• a very respectable, sensible woman, indeed,
• and a most attentive neighbour.

Another reading

No. He offers “affability and condescension”, honours to come, and a count of carriages. She offers “respectable” and “sensible”, plain words for a good neighbour. She brings his praise down a step, and he takes it for agreement. On this reading the exchange is a small sample of the “address in guiding” Elizabeth sees in her that night.

• She is all affability and condescension,
• I should say, one of her Ladyship’s carriages, for she has several.

Listen for

• Sets the words side by side: “affability and condescension” against “respectable, sensible”.
• Notices that she speaks just after the count of carriages.
• Weighs whether “attentive” is plain praise.
• Does not say what Lady Catherine is like.

If stuck

• What does Mr. Collins say about Lady Catherine?
• What words does Charlotte choose?
• Would he ever call her only “sensible”?

A strong answer A strong response compares the two speeches word by word. One reader hears agreement, the same praise in a quieter voice from a woman who also dines at Rosings. Another hears a correction he takes for agreement: she lowers his grand words to plain ones, and he answers “Very true, my dear” and carries on. The best answers notice that either way the evening runs smoothly, and ask what keeping it smooth takes.

What it asks It asks the student to read Elizabeth’s two remarks in the dining-room. First: “She is abominably rude to keep Charlotte out of doors in all this wind. Why does she not come in?” Then, after Maria explains: “I like her appearance,” said Elizabeth, struck with other ideas. “She looks sickly and cross. Yes, she will do for him very well. She will make him a very proper wife.” Here “abominably” means dreadfully, and “struck with other ideas” means a new thought has come to her. The chapter does not name the man; Elizabeth has Mr. Darcy in mind. The student decides who the joke is on. The card must not say that Mr. Darcy is engaged to Miss De Bourgh or will marry her; “she will do for him” is Elizabeth’s jibe, not a fact.

One reading

On Mr. Darcy. Her mind has jumped to him: she is “struck with other ideas”. A “sickly and cross” wife would be a fitting match for a man she dislikes, and “a very proper wife” sounds like praise while meaning the opposite. On this reading the joke shows that her feeling about him has come with her to Kent.

• struck with other ideas.
• She will make him a very proper wife.

Another reading

On Miss De Bourgh. Elizabeth has seen her only from the dining-room, and has just called her “abominably rude”. She calls “sickly and cross” a girl Maria calls “thin and small”, who has not said a word in Elizabeth’s hearing. On this reading the joke lands hardest on the stranger in the phaeton, who cannot hear it or answer it.

• She is abominably rude to keep Charlotte out of doors in all this wind.
• She looks sickly and cross.

Listen for

• Notices “struck with other ideas”: the joke begins with a thought the chapter does not spell out.
• Hears how quickly “abominably rude” becomes “I like her appearance”.
• Weighs whether a joke about a stranger’s health can be harmless.
• Does not say that Mr. Darcy will marry Miss De Bourgh.

If stuck

• What does Elizabeth say first about Miss De Bourgh, and what does she say next?
• How much has she seen of her?
• Who would be hurt if the joke were overheard?

A strong answer A strong response names who the joke is on and rests on Elizabeth’s own words. One reader finds it aimed at Mr. Darcy, a sign that her feeling about him came with her to Kent. Another finds it lands on Miss De Bourgh, judged sickly and cross from the dining-room. The best answers notice that the joke tells as much about the speaker as about either target, and carry that into the first written question.

What it asks It asks the student to judge Elizabeth as the reader’s eyes in this chapter. That night, “in the solitude of her chamber”, she has “to meditate upon Charlotte’s degree of contentment, to understand her address in guiding, and composure in bearing with, her husband, and to acknowledge that it was all done very well. She had also to anticipate how her visit would pass, the quiet tenour of their usual employments, the vexatious interruptions of Mr. Collins, and the gaieties of their intercourse with Rosings. A lively imagination soon settled it all.” Earlier, in the parlour, she “could not help fancying” that Mr. Collins shows the room to her in particular. Of the house she gives Charlotte “all the credit”, and of its comfort she “supposed he must be often forgotten.” The next day she sees two ladies at the gate and cries, “here is nothing but Lady Catherine and her daughter!” Maria answers, “it is not Lady Catherine.” Here “address” means skill in handling people, “composure” means calm, and “anticipate” means look ahead to. The student builds a thesis on how far Elizabeth’s judgment of the people at Hunsford can be trusted, meets the strongest objection, and revises. The card must not say that Elizabeth has changed her mind about the marriage; “all done very well” praises Charlotte’s management, not the match. It must not say what Charlotte feels in private.

One reading

Not far. The chapter keeps marking her views as guesses: she “could not help fancying”, she “supposed”, and her imagination “settled it all” in a sentence. The next morning she names Lady Catherine at the gate and is wrong. On this reading she is a quick, confident reader of people, and the narrator lets us watch her get ahead of the facts.

• A lively imagination soon settled it all.
• here is nothing but Lady Catherine and her daughter!

Another reading

Further than that. On the question that matters most she lets the evidence count against what she expected. She looks “with wonder” at Charlotte’s cheerful air, which she had not expected to find. She gives Charlotte “all the credit” for the house, and alone she has “to acknowledge” that it was done well. A witness who reports what goes against her own view is worth trusting. On this reading her mistakes are about strangers, and about her friend she is careful.

• rather looked with wonder at her friend,
• and to acknowledge that it was all done very well.

Listen for

• Gathers the chapter’s marks of guessing: “fancying”, “supposed”, “A lively imagination”.
• Notices that she “had to” acknowledge, and weighs whether that means against her will.
• Separates her judgments of strangers from her judgments of Charlotte.
• Does not say that Elizabeth has changed her mind about the marriage.

If stuck

• What does Elizabeth think about, alone in her room?
• Whom does she take the visitors at the gate to be, and who are they?
• Is she quicker to judge Charlotte or Miss De Bourgh?

A strong answer A strong response might argue that Elizabeth is an unreliable witness, because the chapter marks her views as fancies and guesses and shows her wrong the next day about who is at the gate. Key evidence includes “could not help fancying”, “supposed”, and “A lively imagination soon settled it all.” The strongest objection is that about Charlotte she reports what goes against her own expectation, looking “with wonder” and giving “all the credit”. A revised thesis might hold that she is quick and unreliable with strangers but honest about her friend, and then ask whether honesty is enough when all she can see is the surface.

What it asks It asks the whole question of the chapter. Elizabeth “looked with wonder at her friend, that she could have so cheerful an air with such a companion.” In the parlour, “Once or twice she could discern a faint blush; but in general Charlotte wisely did not hear.” In the garden, Charlotte talks “of the healthfulness of the exercise” and owns “she encouraged it as much as possible.” In the house, “When Mr. Collins could be forgotten, there was really a great air of comfort throughout, and by Charlotte’s evident enjoyment of it, Elizabeth supposed he must be often forgotten.” That night Elizabeth must “acknowledge that it was all done very well.” The student builds a thesis on whether Charlotte is content or only skilled at seeming so, meets the strongest objection, and revises. The card must not say what Charlotte feels in private; the chapter shows her manner, a faint blush, and what Elizabeth supposes. It must not say that Elizabeth now approves the match; “all done very well” praises the management, not the marriage.

One reading

Content. The narrator gives Charlotte the “liveliest pleasure” at the gate and an “evident enjoyment” of her house, and the house has “a great air of comfort”. Her cheer is enough to surprise Elizabeth. She seems to have made a home she enjoys, and to encourage the gardening that keeps her husband busy. On this reading the skill is how she reached contentment, and the two are not opposites.

• Mrs. Collins welcomed her friend with the liveliest pleasure,
• by Charlotte’s evident enjoyment of it,

Another reading

Skilled at seeming. Everything the chapter shows is surface. Her “air” is cheerful, the house has an “air” of comfort, her face is under “command”, and her not hearing is a choice the narrator calls wise. The blush is the one moment the surface slips. Even Elizabeth’s verdict praises how a thing is done: “all done very well.” On this reading the chapter proves the skill and leaves the contentment unproved.

• she could have so cheerful an air with such a companion.
• Charlotte wisely did not hear.

Listen for

• Notices the word “air” used twice, for Charlotte and for her house.
• Weighs whether skill and contentment are opposites, or whether skill could be the road to contentment.
• Separates what the narrator shows (a manner, a blush, a well-kept house) from what Elizabeth supposes.
• Does not say what Charlotte feels in private, or that Elizabeth now approves the match.

If stuck

• What does Charlotte do when Mr. Collins says something foolish?
• When does the house seem most comfortable?
• Can a person be content and still work hard to stay that way?

A strong answer A strong response might argue that Charlotte is content, pointing to her “evident enjoyment” of the house and the cheer that surprises Elizabeth. Key evidence also includes the gardening she encourages, which keeps her husband busy. The strongest objection is that all of this is surface: an “air”, a straight face, a habit of not hearing, broken once or twice by a blush. A revised thesis might hold that the chapter proves the skill and leaves the contentment open, or that the skill is itself the clearest sign of a life Charlotte has chosen to make work.