Oct 9, 1812
Darcy asks Mr. Bennet for his consent
MR. BENNET
You want what?!
DARCY
Your daughter's hand, sir. She has accepted me, and --
MR. BENNET
Um, excuse me a minute, Mr. Darcy. Am I to understand that my second daughter, my Elizabeth, has accepted an offer of marriage?
DARCY
Yes, sir.
MR. BENNET
Marriage to you.
DARCY
Um, yes sir, to me.
MR. BENNET
Well I must say, Mr. Darcy, that I find this most unexpected. Quite frankly, sir, I thought that she had found you to be somewhat, well, um ... but tell me, Mr. Darcy, how is it that you even know her? You spent a few months here last autumn and then escaped from Netherfield immediately after your ball.
DARCY
Sir, I met her again last April, at Rosings Park, where I visit my aunt each year. Elizabeth was there visiting with her friend Mrs. Collins.
MR. BENNET
I see. You call her Elizabeth now. So what happened in April to change my daughter's opinion?
DARCY
Well, nothing actually, sir.
MR. BENNET
Nothing? Then what caused this sudden reversal of her opinion? Or perhaps I should speak to her myself.
DARCY
Sir, if I may say, we also met at Pemberley last month --
MR. BENNET
Oh, yes, with the Gardiners. I had forgotten. Just before Lydia ..., well, never mind about that. So she was exposed to the grandeur of Pemberley, was she?
DARCY
Sir, believe me, it was more than Pemberley that --
MR. BENNET
Let me be frank, Mr. Darcy. There is no one more important to me in the entire world than my little Lizzy. The last thing I would want, or that she would want, would be for her to marry someone that she didn't love and respect. If you open your eyes and look about you you'll see many sad examples of marriages between people who don't... Oh, Mr. Darcy, please let me speak to Elizabeth alone. Could you send her in, please?
Next dialogue: with Mrs. Bennet
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