Charlotte most probably would be concerned for her friend and she would have the ability to hold her tounge and use her influence over her husband in a kinder, more even tempered way. I still think that the shock would have been great and she who knows the Bennets most would probably not be surprised, and know where the blame lay. And as for Adrian's note about a frying pan having a collision with Mr. Collins head, I agree a nasty thought in real life but fun to imagine with such a fictional man! Sometimes you kind of wish womens lib took hold of some of the people JA writes about and Charlotte is one of them!