Chapter 18 98 deserved to lose Mr . Darcy ' s regard ."
" Mr . Bingley does not know Mr . Wickham himself ?" " No ; he never saw him till the other morning at Meryton ."
" This account then is what he has received from Mr . Darcy . I am satisfied . But what does he say of the living ?"
" He does not exactly recollect the circumstances , though he has heard them from Mr . Darcy more than once , but he believes that it was left to him conditionally only ."
" I have not a doubt of Mr . Bingley ' s sincerity ," said Elizabeth warmly ; " but you must excuse my not being convinced by assurances only . Mr . Bingley ' s defense of his friend was a very able one , I dare say ; but since he is unacquainted with several parts of the story , and has learnt the rest from that friend himself , I shall venture to still think of both gentlemen as I did before ."
She then changed the discourse to one more gratifying to each , and on which there could be no difference of sentiment . Elizabeth listened with delight to the happy , though modest hopes which Jane entertained of Mr . Bingley ' s regard , and said all in her power to heighten her confidence in it . On their being joined by Mr . Bingley himself , Elizabeth withdrew to Miss Lucas ; to whose inquiry after the pleasantness of her last partner she had scarcely replied , before Mr . Collins came up to them , and told her with great exultation that he had just been so fortunate as to make a most important discovery .
" I have found out ," said he , " by a singular accident , that there is now in the room a near relation of my patroness . I happened to overhear the gentleman himself mentioning to the young lady who does the honours of the house the names of his cousin Miss de Bourgh , and of her mother Lady Catherine . How wonderfully these sort of things occur ! Who would have thought of my meeting with , perhaps , a nephew of Lady Catherine de Bourgh in this