Party at Thatchwood Manor

Chapter 2

An entire week passed by before Mr. Mason's path crossed with Miss Weston's again. In that week, Miss Evans managed to take her friend nearly all the way around Chawton, but she insisted there was so much more to see and do. They had attended dinner at the homes of a few neighbors, and tea with Mr. Collins nearly every day. Often, these tea visits included a game of whist with Mr. Collins's grandfather. Mr. Collins and Miss Evans often became so engrossed in conversation that they lost the flow of the game, and soon abandoned their cards, leaving Miss Weston and the senior Mr. Collins to play against each other. This turned out to be quite a suitable arrangement, as Miss Weston wasn't apt to provide any talk, so Mr. Collins didn't have to try to hear anything.

Another favored haunt of the two ladies was the park Miss Evans praised so highly. Besides the large field perfect for picnics and rounds of shuttlecock, the park boasted a lovely walking path around a sparkling lake. One sunny afternoon, a week after Miss Weston's arrival in Chawton, she and Miss Evans were enjoying this walking path once again. A heron flew overhead, blocking out the sun for just a moment, and a small fish leapt out of the water and splashed back down, casting ripples outward across the surface of the lake.

"I just adore watching nature. Don't you, Jane?" Miss Evans asked. Miss Weston nodded, stopping to allow a small rabbit to cross in front of them. "They're so peaceful, all the birds and fish. I'm even fond of insects, really. Mostly butterflies and ladybugs, of course, but perhaps there are others that I simply need to get better acquainted with. Oh, and flowers! Flowers are just darling. Mother asks father to bring home a bouquet of wildflowers whenever he goes out, and he always obliges. They really brighten up a home, flowers do. Perhaps we should pick some wildflowers today. Mother would be so pleased if we brought home bouquets for her. What do you think, Jane?"

"That would be nice," Miss Weston said.

Just then, the pair rounded a bend in the path, and who should they find walking the path towards them but Mr. Collins. Miss Evans greeted him as enthusiastically as ever, telling him all about their plan to pick wildflowers that he had just interrupted. She said it was quite rude of him to do such a thing, but she supposed she could forgive him the transgression just this once. Mr. Collins apologized for his accidental rudeness, then turned to Miss Weston and inquired after how she was faring. Miss Weston assured him she was well in as few words as possible, a manner Mr. Collins was used to by that time.

"That is wonderful to hear," Mr. Collins announced. "My grandfather bid me ask when you would next be visiting, Miss Weston. He says you've beaten him at whist the past four rounds in a row, and he is determined to break your record."

"We'll see about that." Miss Weston smiled.

"We can't come to tea today, Mr. Collins," Miss Evans said. "I promised mother that we'd come straight home after our walk. She says you've been keeping us hostage long enough. Though I'm sure we can visit tomorrow. Mother's having a neighbor over, and their talk is always so dreadfully boring, it'll be nice to have an excuse to get out of it."

At the mention of how much time Miss Evans had been spending at Brimley Hall, Mr. Collins turned slightly pink. "Tomorrow it is. I'll leave you two to your walk, then."

"Oh, do walk with us, Mr. Collins. You can spare a short while, can't you?" Mr. Collins brightened and, assuring Miss Evans that he could, joined them. After a few minutes of pleasant walking, Miss Weston began to slow in order to allow Miss Evans and Mr. Collins to walk ahead. Miss Evans would not hear of this, insisting Miss Weston required a companion despite her friend's protestations. It was during this argument, one which Miss Evans was sure to win, as Miss Weston was already on the verge of conceding, that Mr. Mason came strolling down the lane.