Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice

espect" will always betray his lack of breeding to just
those he wishes to impress.
His father, who could be as close to Mr. Bennet as a
brother-in-law, could be relatively close in rank and
stature to Mr. Bennet. Mrs. Bennet speaks of hating such
"false friends," while Mr. Bennet finds Collins to have
"some filial scruples," indicating there is a legitimate
relationship between the two men (55). Had they been
distant relatives, separated widely by marriage, Mr.
Bennet would have little reason to know Collins's father
at all. However, they were close enough to have argued
and to have resolved never to see each other or speak to
each other again. Collins knew of the rift between his
father and Mr. Bennet, which he admits he "frequently
wished to heal . . . but for some time I was kept back .
. . fearing lest it might seem disrespectful to his
memory" (55). Mr. Bennet had never seen the elder
Collins's son, but he knew upon receipt of his letter
that the future inheritor of his estate was aware of the
entail and aware that Mr. Bennet had only daughters. Mr.
Bennet and the elder Mr. Collins had been intimate on
some footing in order for both Collins men to be aware of
their eligibility in the entail, and therefore, they had
to be closely related to Mr. Bennet.