MR.COLLINS was not left long to the silent contemplation of his successful love;for Mrs. Bennet, having dawdled about in the vestibule to watch for the end ofthe conference, no sooner saw Elizabeth open the door and with quick step passher towards the staircase, than she entered the breakfast room, andcongratulated both him and herself in warm terms on the happy prospect of theirnearer connection. Mr. Collins received and returned these felicitations withequal pleasure, and then proceeded to relate the particulars of theirinterview, with the result of which he trusted he had every reason to besatisfied, since the refusal which his cousin had stedfastly given him wouldnaturally flow from her bashful modesty and the genuine delicacy of hercharacter.
Thisinformation, however, startled Mrs. Bennet; -- she would have been glad to beequally satisfied that her daughter had meant to encourage him by protestingagainst his proposals, but she dared not to believe it, and could not helpsaying so.
"Butdepend upon it, Mr. Collins," she added, "that Lizzy shall be broughtto reason. I will speak to her about it myself directly. She is a veryheadstrong foolish girl, and does not know her own interest; but I will makeher know it."
"pardonme for interrupting you, Madam," cried Mr. Collins; "but if she isreally headstrong and foolish, I know not whether she would altogether be avery desirable wife to a man in my situation, who naturally looks for happinessin the marriage state. If therefore she actually persists in rejecting my suit,perhaps it were better not to force her into accepting me, because if liable tosuch defects of temper, she could not contribute much to my felicity."
"Sir,you quite misunderstand me," said Mrs. Bennet, alarmed. "Lizzy isonly headstrong in such matters as these. In every thing else she is as goodnatured a girl as ever lived. I will go directly to Mr. Bennet, and we shallvery soon settle it with her, I am sure."
请教老师：
1. nosooner 句首这里为何没倒装？应该是 no soonerdid Elizabeth see...吧？
2. 这里的darednot to believe 是实义动词，为何不是didn't dare to believe呢？
3. 这里用了were,而没用was，是不是是虚拟语气？用虚拟语气were和was，在这里比较含义的不同，如何理解这种差异？
4. 如何理解asever lived 含义？这里是需要省略的主语，那样ever lived, 就是字面意思是过去存在的意思吗？
谢谢老师！
你的这个内容是“傲慢与偏见”的第20章。
1.for Mrs. Bennet, , no sooner saw Elizabeth open the door and with quick step pass her towardsthe staircase, than she entered the breakfast-room, and congratulated both himand herself in warm terms on the happy prospect of their nearer connection.
看了解什么是主语问题就好解决了。譬如：
We no sooner sat down in the train than I felt sick.
The poor woman......no sooner looked at the Serjeant, thanshe presently recollected him.
2.daren’t（dare not）当成情态动词的使用方法只用在英国英语中（见PEU）：
I daren't go out at night.
I daren't look.
She daren't tell him what she thinks.
你提到的“she dared not believe it”是古老的使用方法，目前基本看不到了：
She dared not to tell herself that such an impulse was love for the man whose honour she had played with. （English Accidence and Syntax3.
He is asgreat a statesman as ever lived.
He isbrave a man as ever lived.