The novel opens with the sentence: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." The arrival of such a man in the neighborhood greatly excites Mrs. Bennet, whose only interest in life is to see her five daughters marry. The wealthy young man in question, Mr. Bingley, has rented the Netherfield estate and plans to settle down for a while with his two sisters and brother-in-law. The new arrivals arouse great interest locally, particularly among mothers of marriageable girls. They attend a public ball in the village of Meryton, where Mr. Bingley is amiable and unpretentious, dancing with many young women and showing his decided admiration for Jane Bennet. His friend Mr Darcy, however, makes himself unpopular despite his good figure and income of £10,000 a year, being proud and unpleasant. He is heard saying of Elizabeth Bennet: "She is tolerable, but not beautiful enough to tempt me." » After the ball, Jane is invited for a party at Netherfield, but catches a bad cold and is forced to stay there for a few days. Elizabeth comes to nurse her, attracting the cautious attention of Darcy and the not-so-cautious hostility of Miss Bingley, who seems to be interested in Darcy herself. Mr. Collins, a cousin who will inherit the Bennet estate as Mr. Bennet's closest male relative, arrives for a visit. He also "needs a wife" and intends to marry one of his cousins, thus atoning for his position as heir apparent and healing the breach in the family. A pompous buffoon of a clergyman, he has been ordered by his imperious patron, Lady Catherine de Bourgh (who is also Darcy's aunt), to find a suitable wife. Realizing that Jane seems destined for Bingley, he turns to Elizabeth, who categorically refuses him despite her mother's threats and pleas. Eventually, to Elizabeth's surprise, he is accepted by her friend Charlotte Lucas, who neither likes nor respects him, but wishes to escape the fate of an old maid. Elizabeth does not regret the loss of her suitor, but is disappointed in Charlotte and is unsure how happy she will be as Mrs. Collins. For some time, Meryton has been home to a regiment of soldiers, delighting the young Bennet sisters, Kitty and Lydia. . Elizabeth is introduced to a pleasant young officer, Mr. Wickham, who tells her that he has known Mr. Darcy since childhood and was cheated by him out of a bequest from Darcy's late father..