Hurst and Miss Bingley both cried out against the injustice of herimplied doubt, and were both protesting that they knew many women whoanswered this description, when Mr. Hurst called them to order, withbitter complaints of their inattention to what was going forward.
Upon this signal, the youngest ofher daughters put herself forward.
(Jane Austen - Pride and prejudice ) Elizabeth, feeling it incumbent on her to relieve him from so unpleasanta situation, now put herself forward to confirm his account, bymentioning her prior knowledge of it from Charlotte herself; andendeavoured to put a stop to the exclamations of her mother and sistersby the earnestness of her congratulations to Sir William, in which shewas readily joined by Jane, and by making a variety of remarks on thehappiness that might be expected from the match, the excellent characterof Mr. Collins, and the convenient distance of Hunsford from London.
Such formidable accounts ofher ladyship, and her manner of living, quite frightened Maria Lucaswho had been little used to company, and she looked forward to herintroduction at Rosings with as much apprehension as her father had doneto his presentation at St.
But the person who advanced was nownear enough to see her, and stepping forward with eagerness, pronouncedher name.
She saw the indelicacy of puttinghimself forward as he had done, and the inconsistency of his professionswith his conduct.
His fear of her has alwaysoperated, I know, when they were together; and a good deal is to beimputed to his wish of forwarding the match with Miss de Bourgh, which Iam certain he has very much at heart.
The housekeeper came forward, and told them it was a picture of a younggentleman, the son of her late master's steward, who had been broughtup by him at his own expense.