Plot Summary
Chapter 21 of Pride and Prejudice opens in the aftermath of Elizabeth's refusal of Mr. Collins's proposal. Collins responds not with heartbreak but with stiff resentment, transferring his attentions from Elizabeth to Charlotte Lucas, whose willingness to listen provides relief to the entire household. Mrs. Bennet remains in a state of ill-humour and ill health, while Collins stubbornly keeps to his original plan of staying through Saturday.
Wickham's Confession
The Bennet sisters walk to Meryton to ask about Mr. Wickham, who had been conspicuously absent from the Netherfield ball. When they find him, Wickham voluntarily admits that his absence was self-imposed. He explains that being in the same room as Mr. Darcy for so many hours "might be more than I could bear," and that unpleasant scenes might have resulted. Elizabeth approves of what she sees as noble forbearance. Wickham walks back to Longbourn with the sisters, and Elizabeth takes pleasure in introducing him to her parents, further deepening her attachment to him.
Caroline Bingley's Letter
The chapter's central event arrives when Jane receives a letter from Caroline Bingley, written on elegant hot-pressed paper. The letter delivers startling news: the entire Bingley party has left Netherfield for London with no intention of returning. Caroline expresses hope for continued correspondence with Jane but makes it clear that the family has moved on. Most devastatingly, a later passage in the letter reveals Caroline's true purpose: she praises Georgiana Darcy's beauty and accomplishments and hints strongly that she expects Mr. Bingley to marry Georgiana, not Jane.
Elizabeth and Jane's Debate
Jane is deeply hurt, interpreting the letter as proof that Caroline neither expects nor wishes her to become a sister-in-law. Elizabeth, however, reads the situation with characteristic sharpness. She argues that Caroline sees her brother's love for Jane perfectly well and is scheming to separate them by pushing him toward Miss Darcy. Elizabeth insists that Bingley's feelings cannot be so easily redirected by his sister's manipulations. Jane, ever generous, refuses to think Caroline capable of deliberate deception, preferring to believe she is merely "deceiving herself."
Hope and Anxiety
The sisters discuss whether Jane could be happy marrying a man whose family opposes the match. Elizabeth's forceful reassurances gradually restore Jane's hope that Bingley will return to Netherfield. They decide to tell Mrs. Bennet only about the family's departure, not about Caroline's hints regarding Bingley and Miss Darcy. Mrs. Bennet laments the timing but consoles herself with the conviction that Bingley will soon return to dine at Longbourn, cheerfully planning a meal of two full courses despite his having been invited only for a family dinner.