Pride and Prejudice Volume 1, Chapter 14

Mr. Bennet generally talks very little, but during dinner he leads Collins to talk about Lady Catherine De Bourgh, his patroness. Amidst his glowing descriptions of the great lady and her home, Rosings, Mr. Bennet tricks Collins into admitting that he's a suck-up without Collins ever realizing what he's done.

After dinner Collins tries to entertain the family by reading aloud, but the book he reads from is boring and Lydia interrupts him to talk about the soldiers who are quartered in Meryton. Snubbed by the interruption and the complete lack of interest in the book that he is reading, Mr. Collins refuses to read despite the Bennet family's polite request and apologies for interrupting. Instead, Mr. Collins plays backgammon with Mr. Bennet. And so a lively evening in the Bennet home passes.