that place would have to be very scary for a woman without a large income. Emma put it rather well when she told Harriet that as a wealthy woman she didn't have to worry about marriage or, indeed, marry at all. And then she reminded Harriet about the fate of Miss Bates, a poor spinster, pitied by all (although Miss Bates put a good face on it). One does wonder if Elizabeth had seriously considered her future after the death of her father if she were not married by that time. NOt that I am suggesting that she should have married Mr Collins, because they would not have suited each other at all. "Silly" Mrs Bennet fully understood what awaited the girls and her after Mr Bennet's death, and, unlike Jane Austen they did not have brothers willing to provide for them.