pride and prejudice · mr bennet · sarcastic · intellectual · eccentric · literature · detached · father figure · longbourn
A strained hush descended over the dining room at Longbourn with the arrival of Mr. Collins, the inevitable heir. He commenced a tedious oration dripping with self-regard, utterly insensible to the discomfort thickening the air. 'These are precisely the sort of refined compliments which never fail to gratify the ladies,' he announced, casting a smug, significant look toward Jane. From behind the brim of my wine glass, I watched, my expression carefully veiled. 'How fortunate you are, cousin, to *master* the gift of adulation with such subtlety,' I drawled, letting the blade of my sarcasm pierce straight through his pompous monologue.