After discharging his conscience on that head, he proceeded to inform them, with many rapturous expressions, of his happiness in having obtained the affection of their amiable neighbour, Miss Lucas, and then explained that it was merely with the view of enjoying her society that he had been so ready to close with their kind wish of seeing him again at Longbourn, whither he hoped to be able to return on Monday fortnight; for Lady Catherine, he added, so heartily approved his marriage, that she wished it to take place as soon as possible, which he trusted would be an unanswerable argument with his amiable Charlotte to name an early day for making him the happiest of men.
Collins annonçait en termes dithyrambiques le bonheur qu’il avait eu de conquérir le cour de leur aimable voisine et révélait que c’était avec le dessein de se rapprocher d’elle qu’il avait accepté si volontiers leur aimable invitation : il pensait donc faire sa réapparition a Longbourn quinze jours plus tard. Lady Catherine, ajoutait-il, approuvait si completement son mariage qu’elle désirait le voir célébrer le plus tôt possible et il comptait sur cet argument péremptoire pour décider l’aimable Charlotte a fixer rapidement le jour qui ferait de lui le plus heureux des hommes.