I am having trouble understanding a passage from "Pride And Prejudice"

Question

A paragraph from Chapter 38 of Pride and Prejudice

Elizabeth could safely say that it was a great happiness where that was the case, and with equal sincerity could add, that she firmly believed and rejoiced in his domestic comforts. She was not sorry, however, to have the recital of them interrupted by the entrance of the lady from whom they sprung. Poor Charlotte! it was melancholy to leave her to such society! But she had chosen it with her eyes open; and though evidently regretting that her visitors were to go, she did not seem to ask for compassion. Her home and her housekeeping, her parish and her poultry, and all their dependent concerns, had not yet lost their charms.

I somehow could not manage to understand what the bold sentence actually means. Does that exemplify her detest towards Lady Catherine de Bourgh? Or that just shows Elejabeth's concern over her friend any one confirm that?

Answer 1

Elizabeth doesn't particularly like talking to Mr Collins about how great his marriage to Charlotte is. She is described in the previous paragraph as having to try "to unite civility and truth" -- this suggests that telling the truth about her feelings would not be polite.

The particular sentence you have bolded says that she was glad his speech about "his domestic comforts" was interrupted when Charlotte herself arrived. It doesn't particularly speak to detesting Lady Catherine. The rest of the paragraph is clear that Elizabeth thinks Charlotte is in an unpleasant situation but doesn't realize it yet.