Pride and Prejudice Audiobook Final Chapters 7 to 12 Learn English Through Story

[Music]

pride and prejudice by jane austen

retold by claire west

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

chapter seven

darcy proposes marriage

[Music]

elizabeth was sitting by herself the

next morning writing to jane while mrs

collins and mariah were shopping in the

village

she heard the doorbell ring and knew

that meant a visitor had arrived

but she was greatly surprised when mr

darcy and mr darcy only was shown into

the room

he seemed astonished too on finding her

alone

i apologize for disturbing you miss

bennett i understood that all the ladies

were at home

please don’t apologize mr darcy

i hope lady catherine and her daughter

are well

very well thank you

he said no more

as he seemed in danger of sinking into

total silence elizabeth had to think of

something to say

she remarked

how very suddenly you all left

netherfield last november mr darcy

i hope mr bingley and his sisters were

well when you left london

perfectly thank you

that was all the answer he gave

i think i have heard that mr bingley has

not much idea of ever returning to

netherfield again

it is probable that he will spend very

little of his time there in future

he has many friends elsewhere

elizabeth did not want to talk any

longer about mr bingley and determined

to leave the conversation to mr darcy

she remained silent

he understood and soon began to speak

again

mr collins appears very fortunate in his

choice of a wife

yes indeed

she is one of the few sensible women who

would have accepted him although i’m not

sure i consider her marrying mr collins

as the wisest thing she ever did

she seems perfectly happy however

and financially speaking

it’s a good marriage

it must be very agreeable to her to be

such a short distance from her own

family and friends

a short distance you say

it is nearly 80 kilometers

and what is that

little more than half a day’s journey on

a good road yes i call it a very short

distance

i would never have said mrs collins

lived near her family cried elizabeth

that shows how much you are attached to

hertfordshire

anywhere outside the longborne area

would i suppose seem far away to you

as he spoke he smiled a little

perhaps he supposed she was thinking of

jane and netherfield thought elizabeth

and she blushed

whether the distance seems long or short

depends on many circumstances

if the family’s income is large enough

to pay for frequent journeys then

distance is not a problem

but mr and mrs collins will not be able

to afford to travel very often despite

their comfortable income

i’m certain my friend does not consider

huntsford near her family

mr darcy moved his chair a little

towards her and said

you cannot have a right to such a very

strong local attachment

you haven’t spent your whole life at

longborne i am sure

elizabeth looked surprised

experiencing a change of feeling

the gentleman moved his chair away again

took a newspaper from the table and

glancing at it said in a colder voice

are you pleased with kent

they discussed kent calmly and politely

for a few minutes

and were then interrupted by charlotte

and mariah who had returned from the

village mr darcy sat a little while

longer without saying much to anybody

and then went away

what can be the meaning of this said

charlotte as soon as he had gone my dear

lizzy he must be in love with you or he

would never have visited us in this

familiar way

but when elizabeth described his silence

that did not seem likely even to hopeful

charlotte

and they could only suppose that he had

nothing better to do

in fact from now on both mr darcy and

colonel fitzwilliam called regularly at

the rectory

it was obvious that colonel fitzwilliam

came because he enjoyed talking to the

ladies

and elizabeth was reminded by her own

satisfaction in being with him as well

as by his evident admiration of her

of her former favorite wickham

but it was more difficult to understand

why mr darcy came

[Music]

he did not often speak

and seldom appeared interested in the

conversation

even charlotte who observed mr darcy

closely was not sure whether he admired

elizabeth or not and began to hope that

perhaps her friend might marry colonel

fitzwilliam instead

when she took her daily walk along the

path bordering the park elizabeth met mr

darcy unexpectedly more than once

this was the more surprising because she

was careful to inform him that it was

her favorite walk so that he could avoid

meeting her

it was also strange that although he

could just have greeted her and walked

on

he always thought it necessary to turn

back and walk with her

she could not quite understand him

but one day as she was walking she met

colonel fitzwilliam not mr darcy and

greeted him with a smile

they walked back to the rectory together

are you leaving kent this sunday she

asked yes if darcy doesn’t put it off

again

he is fortunate to be able to arrange

things as he likes

well we all want to do that replied

colonel

fitzwilliam but he is used to doing what

he likes because he is rich

and many others are poor

i for example

i’m a younger son you know and won’t

inherit my father’s fortune so i shall

never be rich or independent like darcy

now seriously you cannot call yourself

poor

when have you ever suffered because of

lack of money

well

perhaps i haven’t really suffered much

yet but there are difficulties

a younger son doesn’t have a free choice

when marrying he cannot afford to marry

a girl with no fortune

elizabeth blushed thinking that he might

mean her and began to talk of something

else

she asked him about darcy’s sister and

mentioned that the bingley sisters liked

her very much

bingley

yes i know them their brother is very

pleasant a great friend of darcy’s

answered colonel fitzwilliam

oh yes

mr darcy is extremely kind to mr bingley

and takes very good care of him said

elizabeth riley

yes i believe darcy does take care of

bingley

i’m thinking of a recent situation

which darcy was telling me about on the

journey here

he was congratulating himself on having

saved a friend from a most foolish

marriage

of course i’m not sure the friend was

bingley as darcy didn’t mention the name

did mr darcy give you his reasons for

interfering

i understood that there were some very

strong objections to the lady

elizabeth could not speak for a moment

when she was able to control her anger

she changed the conversation

as soon as they reached the rectory she

said goodbye to colonel fitzwilliam and

went straight upstairs to her room

at last she could think without

interruption about what he had told her

bingley must have been the friend to

whom darcy was referring

she had always assumed that darcy was

involved in the plan to separate jane

and bingley

but now it appeared that he not miss

bingley was the main cause of all that

jane had suffered and still continued to

suffer

the very strong objections to the lady

probably consisted of having one uncle

who was a country lawyer and another who

was in business in london

there could be no possible objections to

jane herself

she was intelligent beautiful and

charming

nor could anyone object to mr bennett as

a father-in-law

when elizabeth thought of her mother she

felt a little less confident

she was still convinced however that mr

darcy was interested in high-born

connections rather than character or

common sense

it was this the worst kind of pride

which had destroyed for a while every

hope of happiness for the most

affectionate generous heart in the world

thinking about all this made elizabeth

so upset and unhappy that she soon had a

headache

it grew so much worse in the evening and

she was so unwilling to see mr darcy

that she decided not to go to rosings

that evening with mr and mrs collins

instead she stayed in the rectory

sitting room

rereading jane’s recent letters from

london

she was saddened to discover that

although jane never complained or

referred to the past

in almost every line there was a lack of

cheerfulness which elizabeth had not

noticed the first time

and which now made her rather anxious

she was relieved to think that darcy

would be leaving rosings in two days

time and she herself would be with jane

in less than two weeks

colonel fitzwilliam would also be

leaving with darcy

but he had made it clear that he had no

intention of proposing to her so she did

not intend to be unhappy about him

just then she heard the doorbell and

wondered if it might be colonel

fitzwilliam come to inquire about her

health

but to her astonishment

she saw mr darcy walk into the room

in a hurried manner he began to ask how

she was feeling

she answered him with cold politeness

he sat down for a few moments and then

getting up walked about the room

elizabeth was surprised but said nothing

after a silence of several minutes he

came towards her

with none of his usual calmness

and said

in vain have i struggled

it is no good

i cannot conquer my feelings

you must allow me to tell you

how warmly

i admire and love you

elizabeth stared

blushed

doubted and was silent

he considered this sufficient

encouragement

and confessed all that he felt

and had felt for a long time for her

he expressed himself

well but it was not only of love that he

spoke

he also talked of his pride

and his sense of her social inferiority

which had made him struggle against his

feelings for so long

[Music]

in spite of her dislike for him

elizabeth appreciated what a compliment

such a man’s affection was

and was at first sorry for the pain he

was about to receive

but soon as she heard his references to

her inferior position

she lost all pity and became very angry

she waited patiently however until he

had finished

he ended by describing the strength of

his love for her which in spite of all

his attempts

he had been unable to conquer with

arguments of reason and common sense

and finally

he asked for her hand in marriage

she could see that he had no doubt of a

favorable answer which only made her

angrier

i believe society considers it correct

in cases like this she replied

to express

grateful thanks

so if i could feel grateful i would now

thank you

but i cannot

i have never wanted your good opinion of

me

and i cannot accept it

i’m sorry to hurt anyone but it has not

been done deliberately

and i hope the pain will not last long

the pride which you tell me has long

prevented the expression of your

affection

can have little difficulty in conquering

your feelings after this explanation

mr darcy whose eyes were fixed on her

face was both angry and surprised by her

words

his face went pale

and he was clearly struggling to control

himself

there was a dreadful pause

and then he spoke in a voice of forced

calmness

and this

is all the reply i am to have the honor

of expecting

i might perhaps wish to be informed why

with so little attempted politeness i am

rejected

i might as well ask why with so evident

a wish to offend and insult me you chose

to tell me that you loved me against

your reason and even against your

character

but even if my own feelings towards you

had been favorable

do you think anything could tempt me to

accept the man who has destroyed perhaps

forever the happiness of a most dear

sister

as she said this mr darcy changed color

but he listened without trying to

interrupt her as she continued

i have every reason in the world to

think badly of you

can you deny that you were the cause of

jane’s separation from mr bingley and of

her unhappiness

can you deny it

i have no wish to deny that i did

everything i could to separate them

and that i am delighted with my

success towards my friend i have been

kinder than to myself

elizabeth treated this last remark with

disdain

but its meaning did not escape her

but it is not only because of jane that

i dislike you

my opinion of you was decided long ago

i heard all about your character from mr

wickham

now what can you have to say on this

matter

how can you defend yourself

you take an eager interest in that

gentleman

said darcy less calmly than before

the color was rising in his face

who can help feeling an interest in him

when we hear of the unfortunate life he

has had

unfortunate

repeated darcy contemptuously yes

unfortunate indeed

and it was your fault cried elizabeth

with energy

you took away his chance of a

comfortable income and a good position

which you knew had been intended for him

you have left him poor and dependent and

disappointed

you have done all this

and you can still treat the mention of

his name with contempt

and this

cried darcy as he walked with quick

steps across the room

is your opinion of me

thank you for explaining it so fully

but perhaps you might not have

considered these offenses of mine if

your pride had not been hurt by my

honest confession of my reasons for not

proposing to you earlier

perhaps i should have hidden my

struggles

and flattered you by pretending i had

every reason to love you

but i hate disguise of any sort

nor am i ashamed of my feelings of pride

which are very natural

could you expect me to delight in the

inferiority of your family compared to

mine

elizabeth felt herself growing more

angry every moment

mr darcy

you could not have made me the offer of

your hand in any possible way that would

have tempted me to accept it

the moment i first met you i noticed

your pride

your sense of superiority

and your selfish disdain for the

feelings of others

later events strengthened my dislike for

you

you are the last man in the world

whom i could ever be persuaded to marry

you have said quite enough madam

i perfectly understand your feelings

forgive me for having taken up so much

of your time

and accept my best wishes for your

health and happiness

with these words he hurried out of the

room

and the house

elizabeth felt so weak that she sat down

and cried for half an hour

she was so astonished to have received a

proposal from mr darcy his affection for

her must indeed have been strong to

conquer all the objections he had to her

family and position

objections which had made him prevent

his friend marrying her sister

but his terrible pride

his shameless confession of what he had

done to separate jane and bingley and

his cruelty towards wickham

soon removed any pity she might have

felt for him

chapter 8

elizabeth learns more about darcy and

wickham

the next morning

elizabeth had still not recovered from

the surprise of darcy’s proposal to her

feeling in need of exercise and fresh

air she decided to have a walk

in order to avoid meeting mr darcy she

kept away from her favorite path

but could not resist walking a little

way into lady catherine’s park

there she was astonished to see darcy

himself approaching her and calling her

name

i have been walking some time in the

hope of meeting you he said

will you do me the honor of reading this

letter

and handing her an envelope

he bowed slightly and walked quickly

away

with no expectation of pleasure

but with the strongest curiosity

elizabeth opened the letter

and began to read it as she continued

her walk alone

do not be alarmed madam

that i shall repeat the offer which so

disgusted you last night

i have no intention of mentioning again

wishes which for the happiness of both

of us cannot be too soon forgotten

i would not have written

but justice requires my character to be

defended

you accused me last night of two very

different offenses

the first was that i had separated mr

bingley from your sister in spite of

their mutual affection

and the second was that i had destroyed

mr wickham’s chance of future wealth and

happiness in spite of my father’s

honorable promises to him

i hope that you will no longer blame me

for either of these offences when you

have read the explanation which follows

if i am forced to describe feelings

which offend you

i can only say i am sorry

i had not been long in hertfordshire

before i noticed that bingley preferred

your elder sister jane to any other

young woman

but i had often seen him in love before

and it wasn’t until the netherfield ball

that i realized how serious his

attachment was

i was careful to observe your sister

closely

and as her manners and appearance were

as pleasant and cheerful as ever

i remained convinced that she did not

feel strongly about him

i was perhaps deceived by her calmness

and in that case your anger has not been

unreasonable

but i sincerely believed that her heart

had not been touched

i objected to bingley’s possible

marriage to her

not only for those reasons of social

inferiority that i mentioned to you last

night

but also for reasons which in my case i

had tried to forget

but which i must state now

the behavior that evening of your mother

your three younger sisters and

occasionally even your father

was so lacking in social correctness

that i made up my mind to save my friend

from what i considered would be a most

unhappy marriage

if you are upset by my description of

your family’s faults

it may comfort you to consider that you

and your elder sister have avoided any

share of blame

and deserve nothing but honorable praise

for your behavior

to continue

when i was in london

with the help of bingley’s sisters who

shared my opinion

i explained to him the disadvantages of

marriage to your sister

this alone would not have been enough to

prevent the marriage if i had not also

been able to convince him of your

sister’s indifference to him

then it was easy to persuade him not to

return to hertfordshire

i do regret one thing however

miss bingley and i both knew that your

sister was in london

but we hid the fact from bingley

in this i consider i was less than

honest but i have no other apology to

offer

your other

more serious accusation refers to mr

wickham

here again i may cause you pain

only you can tell how much

in order to show you his real character

i must explain the whole of his

connection with my family

his late father worked for mine for many

years helping to look after the

pemberley farms

his son george wickham received much

kindness from my father who paid for him

to go to school and to university

my father hoped the young man would

enter the church

if he became a priest i was to give him

the post of rector in a village near

pemberley when it became vacant

but even before my father died

i had discovered wickham’s weakness of

character and lack of morals

after my father’s death wiccam wrote to

inform me that he did not intend to

enter the church

and asked for an amount of money instead

of the post of rector

i knew that with his character faults he

ought not to become a priest and i

therefore agreed at once

the business was soon arranged

he resigned all claim to the church post

and accepted three thousand pounds

instead

i hoped that i would not see him

or hear from him again

but three years later

he wrote again

this time to ask for the rector’s post

informing me that his money had all gone

and his situation was desperate

you will hardly blame me for refusing

since then

he has doubtless been violent in

accusing me of injustice to all who will

listen to him

there is one more circumstance which i

would like to forget myself

but which i must now mention i rely on

your keeping this confidential

a year ago i sent my sister who is 10

years younger than i am

on holiday to ramsgate in kent in the

care of a female companion

unfortunately there was an understanding

between this woman and mr wickham who

also went to ramsgate

with her help and encouragement

he spent a great deal of time with

georgiana

and flattered her so much

that she believed she was in love

and agreed to elope with him

she was only 15 at the time

and i am glad to say that she confessed

everything to me immediately when i

arrived unexpectedly in ramsgate just

before their planned elopement

naturally i dismissed the companion

and wrote to wickham who left the place

at once

he was doubtless most interested in my

sister’s fortune which is thirty

thousand pounds

but i cannot help supposing that he was

also eager to revenge himself on me

i hope you will now clear me of all

blame in this matter

if madam you doubt the truthfulness of

my description of these circumstances i

suggest you speak to colonel fitzwilliam

as my cousin and close friend

he knows every detail of these events

and will be happy to support what i say

i will only add

may god be with you

it’s william darcy

elizabeth experienced a variety of

emotions as she read the letter

she was astonished to discover that

darcy was capable of any sort of apology

it was with a strong prejudice against

anything he might say that she began

reading his explanation of what had

happened at netherfield

and at first she was too angry with him

to treat him with justice

but when she went on to read his

description of his relationship with

wickham

she hesitated

it was so very different from wickham’s

story which she would have preferred to

believe

but after a few moments thought she

realized that darcy’s statement was much

more likely to be true

she began to remember several things

about wickham which now appeared strange

to her

on the first evening she had met him

he had told the whole story about his

lost fortune and the darcy family to her

a total stranger

then he had boasted of having no fear of

darcy

but had avoided the netherfield ball the

very next week

in addition he had waited until the

bingleys and darcy had left netherfield

before making his accusations public

she reminded herself

that no one in hertfordshire knew

anything about wickham’s past

so it was quite possible that he lacked

morals as darcy said

she had to admit that darcy himself

though horribly proud

had always shown himself to be a

gentleman

finally darcy would certainly not have

dared to refer her to conor fitz william

if he were not certain that his cousin

could prove these statements

she became absolutely ashamed of herself

how badly i have behaved she cried

how prejudiced i have been

i

who have always been so proud my ability

to judge people

that pride has led me blindly into

making a stupid mistake

flattered by wickham’s interest and

offended by darcy’s coolness

i have misjudged both of them

till this moment

i never knew myself

she re-read what darcy had to say about

jane

and this time was forced to admit that

jane had displayed few outward signs of

her feelings for bingley

charlotte had even commented on it

then when elizabeth looked again at

darcy’s comments on her family’s

behavior

her sense of shame was very great

and she could not deny the justice of

his words

feeling more miserable than she had ever

felt before she slowly returned to the

rectory

where she had difficulty in maintaining

a cheerful appearance

mr darcy and colonel fitzwilliam left

rosings the next day

and were sadly missed by their aunt

who now had so little entertainment that

she invited the collins and their

visitors several times that week

as elizabeth only had a few days left

before the end of her visit she thought

it fortunate that most of her time was

occupied

when she had a moment to herself

it was a great relief to walk outside in

the garden or the park alone with her

thoughts

she soon knew mr darcy’s letter by heart

although she was still angry with him

for the proud overconfident way in which

he had proposed

her anger turned against herself when

she considered how unjustly she had

criticized and accused him

she respected his character

and felt pity for his disappointment

but did not for a moment regret her

refusal

or have the slightest desire to see him

ever again

she was saddened when she thought of her

family

her father enjoyed laughing at kitties

and lydia’s foolishness so much that he

never attempted to control his two

youngest daughters

and her mother whose own behavior was

far from correct was completely unaware

that anything was wrong

and poor jane

it now appeared that bingley’s affection

had been sincere

and jane’s disappointment had been

indirectly caused by the behavior of her

own near relations

on saturday morning elizabeth said

goodbye to her friend charlotte feeling

sorry to leave her with such a husband

but charlotte although regretting the

departure of her visitors appeared quite

content with her domestic arrangements

mr collins took care to say to elizabeth

before she left

i do hope my dear miss elizabeth that

you will be as happy in marriage as i am

my dear charlotte and i have one mind

and one way of thinking we seem to be

made for each other

it is most fortunate when that is the

case

was all that elizabeth could safely

reply

by midday she had arrived in london

where she had arranged to stay a few

days at her aunt’s house

there was however no opportunity to

discuss mr darcy’s letter with jane

until they both reached longborne again

at the end of the week it was pleasant

to be at home again

but elizabeth was very conscious of her

younger sister’s silliness

they were full of the sad news they had

just heard that the regiment was leaving

meriton in two weeks time and would be

staying for the summer in brighton a

holiday town on the south coast

lydia and her mother were trying hard to

persuade mr bennett to take them to

brighton too for several months as the

summer would be so miserable in

hertfordshire without the officers

fortunately elizabeth felt sure her

father would not agree to this foolish

idea

when she and jane were alone

she told her sister about darcy’s

proposal of marriage

jane was astonished

but soon her sisterly feelings made her

think it quite natural and her kind

heart felt pity for darcy’s

disappointment

however when she heard about george

wickham’s wickedness as explained in

darcy’s letter

she was deeply shocked

after some discussion

the sisters decided not to tell anyone

what they knew about wickham as he would

soon be leaving meriton in any case

felt greatly relieved by this

conversation

she had got rid of two of her secrets

and was certain of a willing listener in

jane whenever she might wish to talk

again of either

but she dared not tell the third and

explained to jane how sincere bingley’s

feelings for her had been

she could see that jane was not happy

because of her continued warm affection

for bingley

however

there seemed little chance of bingley

marrying her now

and elizabeth did not want to deepen

jane’s feelings of regret for her lost

happiness

[Music]

chapter 9

elizabeth in derbyshire

during the week before the regiment’s

departure all the young ladies in the

meriton area became extremely depressed

only the two elder miss bennetts were

still able to eat drink sleep and lead a

normal life

they were often scolded by kitty and

lydia who could not understand such

hard-heartedness

how shall we manage without the officers

they cried miserably how can you smile

like that lizzy

their affectionate mother shared all

their sadness

i remember when colonel miller’s

regiment went away 25 years ago she said

i thought my heart was broken

i’m sure mine will be broken said lydia

if we could only go to brighton said mrs

bennett i’m certain a little sea bathing

would be good for me

oh yes but papara is so disagreeable

about it

elizabeth tried not to listen

but could not help seeing the justice of

darcy’s objections to her family

but soon lydia’s bitterness changed to

absolute delight

when she received an invitation from

colonel foster’s wife

to accompany her to brighton with the

regiment

mrs forster was a very young woman only

recently married and as cheerful and

sociable as lydia with whom she had been

friendly for two months

poor kitty was very upset at not being

included in the invitation but lydia

cared nothing for her sister’s feelings

she ran wildly through the house calling

for everyone’s congratulations and

laughing and talking more loudly than

ever

elizabeth could not share her sister’s

happiness

and felt it was her duty to advise her

father secretly to refuse permission for

lydia to go

but she could not convince him that

lydia would be in any real danger

and so all the arrangements were made

for her sister’s departure

elizabeth thought her father was wrong

however

and was still worried about how lydia

would behave in an atmosphere of greater

freedom and among the temptations of a

fashionable seaside town like brighton

elizabeth had seen mr wickham regularly

since her return from kent at family

parties and visits

she no longer thought him so agreeable

as the rich miss king had left meriton

to stay with her uncle

mr wickham appeared eager to transfer

his affections back to elizabeth

his confidence in his own charm and

ability to please annoyed elizabeth very

much

so that when she met him for the last

time before the regiment’s departure she

spoke quite coldly to him

in reply to a polite question of his

about her huntsford visit

she could not stop herself mentioning

her frequent meetings with mr darcy

and her favorable opinion of that

gentleman’s character

wickham looked a little embarrassed

and made no further attempt to charm

elizabeth

they separated at last with mutual

politeness

and possibly a mutual desire never to

meet again

when lydia left for brighton

elizabeth had to put up with mrs

bennett’s and kitty’s constant

complaints that longborn had become very

dull

fortunately she was able to look forward

to a trip which she would soon be taking

with mr and mrs gardner

they had planned to visit the lake

district but mrs gardner had recently

written to say that as her husband’s

business made it necessary to shorten

their holiday to three weeks

they would not have time to visit the

whole of the lake district comfortably

instead she suggested visiting

derbyshire an area with a particularly

strong attraction for her as she had

spent a large part of her early life

there

elizabeth was disappointed but accepted

the new plan at once

although it was impossible to hear of

derbyshire without thinking of pemberley

and its owner

she felt sure she could avoid meeting mr

darcy there

four weeks later mr and mrs gardner

arrived at longborne where they had

arranged to leave their children in

jane’s care

the next day they set out with elizabeth

on their journey

the three of them made excellent

travelling companions

sharing an intelligent interest in the

people and places they saw on their way

and a strong affection for each other

after visiting oxford blenheim

warwick kennelworth and birmingham they

arrived in derbyshire and decided to

stay in the small town of lambton where

mrs gardner had lived before her

marriage

elizabeth discovered that mr darcy’s

house pemberley was only eight

kilometers away from

lambton i often used to go to pemberley

when i was younger said mrs gardner

wouldn’t you like to see it lizzy we

could go tomorrow it’s a beautiful place

wickham spent his youth there you know

i

i am rather tired of large country

houses aren’t said elizabeth forced to

pretend

how dreadful it would be to meet mr

darcy while viewing his house

but when she asked a servant at the

hotel one or two careful questions that

evening

she was told that mr darcy was not at

home at the moment

greatly relieved she felt able to agree

to her aunt’s suggestion when it was

repeated the next morning and mr gardner

ordered a carriage immediately

in a short time they entered the gates

of pemberley park and drove through an

extensive and beautiful wood

at the top of a hill they had their

first view of pemberley house situated

on the other side of a valley with a

line of high wooded hills behind

the house was a large handsome stone

building which appeared to fit naturally

into the scenery

mr and mrs gardner were warm in their

admiration and elizabeth was delighted

at that moment

she felt that to be mistress of

pemberley might be worthwhile

they drove up to the front door and

asked to be allowed to visit the house

the pemberley housekeeper a respectable

elderly woman showed them round

all the rooms were of a good size and

elegantly yet sensibly furnished

from every window there was an

attractive view

elizabeth began to admire the owner’s

taste in everything she saw

and i might have been mistress of this

place she thought

instead of viewing these rooms as a

stranger

i might be welcoming my uncle and aunt

as visitors

but no she suddenly remembered

that could never be

i wouldn’t have been able to invite my

uncle an aunt

or any other of my vulgar family

connections

this was a lucky thought

which saved her from something like

regret

she longed to inquire of the housekeeper

whether her master were really absent

but luckily her uncle asked the question

instead

it was quite alarming to hear that mr

darcy was expected to arrive the next

day with a large group of friends how

glad elizabeth was that their own

journey had not been delayed a day

mr and mrs gardner were enjoying their

conversation with the housekeeper who

seemed content to talk about her master

mr darcy is a very handsome gentleman as

you will see from the painting upstairs

his sister is most attractive too and so

accomplished

she plays and sings the whole day

my master has just sent a new piano from

london for her he’s such a kind brother

he’ll do anything for miss georgiana

does mr darcy spend much time at

pemberley ask mr gardner not as much as

i’d like sir

if your master married he might spend

more time here

yes sir but i don’t know when that’ll be

i don’t know who is good enough for him

mr and mrs gardner smiled and elizabeth

listened with increasing astonishment as

the housekeeper continued

it’s no more than the truth

everybody who knows him says the same

he’s never spoken across word to me and

i’ve known him since he was a baby

some people call him proud but i’ve

never seen any of that he’s the best

master that ever lived

elizabeth almost stared at her

can this be mr darcy she wondered

this was the most extraordinary praise

for the man she had always thought so

disagreeable and proud especially with

people he considered inferior to himself

she longed to hear more

but now the housekeeper was leading them

upstairs

soon elizabeth found herself in front of

the painting of mr darcy

he was smiling at her just as she

remembered him smiling sometimes when he

looked at her

she looked at the picture silently for

several minutes before going downstairs

with the others

at that moment

elizabeth certainly felt more warmly

towards mr darcy than at any time since

their first meeting

she was beginning to realize that she

had underestimated his character

his housekeeper’s opinion of him was

totally favorable

and what praise is more valuable than

the praise of an intelligent servant

as she stood in front of his picture

she gratefully remembered the warmth of

his feelings for her

and began to forget the way in which he

had expressed them

as they had now seen all the rooms which

were open to the public the housekeeper

called the gardener who was going to

show them the park and gardens

they were just walking away from the

house when elizabeth turned to have one

last look

and saw the owner of pemberley come

suddenly forward from behind the house

they were within 20 meters of each other

and elizabeth could not avoid his seeing

her

their eyes instantly met

and they both blushed

he appeared very surprised

but recovering quickly approached and

spoke to elizabeth if not calmly at

least with perfect politeness

astonished and confused she received his

greetings with embarrassment

soon he could find no more to say and

left her to return to the house

mr and mrs gardner who had been watching

from a distance expressed their

admiration of his appearance

but elizabeth could only think of her

feelings

how unfortunate that she had come

she blushed again

it might seem as if she had planned this

meeting with him and his behavior was so

different

never before had she heard him speak so

politely and so gently what could it

mean

her head full of these thoughts she

joined her uncle and aunt in their walk

through the gardens

they were walking slowly beside an

attractive stream

when they noticed mr darcy coming

towards them

this time elizabeth was able to control

herself better and she returned his

greetings politely

she hid a smile when he asked her to do

him the honor of introducing him to her

friends

as she felt sure he was not expecting

the well-mannered gardeners to be some

of her low-born relations

he certainly seemed surprised when she

introduced her uncle and aunt

but took care to talk for some time to

mr gardner with every appearance of

interest

elizabeth was delighted that these

relations at least could not be

criticized for their poor behavior or

lack of intelligence

their way back to the house mr darcy

walked beside elizabeth

there was a short silence before she

spoke

your housekeeper informed us you would

not arrive until tomorrow so i had not

expected to find you here

it is true i came early on business

the rest of the party will be here

tomorrow

among them are mr bingley and his

sisters whom you know

he continued after a pause

and there is one other person who

particularly wishes to meet you

will you allow me or do i ask too much

to introduce my sister to you

surprised but flattered by this great

compliment elizabeth gave her permission

when they arrived at the house mr darcy

offered them some refreshment but they

politely refused

mr darcy helped the ladies into the

carriage and as it drove away from

pemberley elizabeth watched him walking

slowly back towards the house

mr and mrs gardner were loud in their

praise of him but elizabeth said very

little

very next morning mr darcy brought his

sister to visit elizabeth and the

gardeners at the hotel in lambton

mr and mrs gardner were astonished by

the honor they were receiving

but elizabeth’s obvious embarrassment

and darcy’s haste in making the visit so

immediately soon provided them with an

explanation

they observed their niece and darcy

carefully during the visit

and could not doubt that the gentleman

was in love

although they were not certain of the

ladies feelings

elizabeth was delighted to discover that

georgiana darcy far from being proud as

wickham had said

was just very shy with quiet gentle

manners

it was clear that she greatly admired

her brother and had every intention of

liking miss bennett as darcy had spoken

of her so favorably

elizabeth was also satisfied to see that

bingley who was with the darcys did not

seem particularly interested in

georgiana in spite of caroline bingley’s

wishes

and she had to admit that she had never

seen mr darcy behaving so sociably and

pleasantly

not only to herself

but also to the relations to whom he had

referred with such disdain during that

last conversation in huntsford rectory

elizabeth herself was more than usually

anxious to make herself agreeable to

everybody and she succeeded

because bingley was ready georgiana was

eager and darcy determined to be pleased

miss darcy encouraged by her brother

invited elizabeth and the gardeners to

dinner at pemberley in two days time

and when this invitation had been

accepted the darcy’s and mr bingley left

with many warm expressions of politeness

on both sides

mr and mrs gardner were very curious

about their niece’s feelings for mr

darcy but were careful not to question

her

that evening

elizabeth lay awake for two whole hours

trying to understand how she felt about

him

she now thought of him with respect and

a certain admiration

and was deeply grateful to him

not only for having once loved her

but for still loving her enough to

forgive her bitter rejection of him as

well as all her unjust accusations

the change he had noticed in a man who

was once so proud

must be caused by his love for her

now since she was almost sure that if

she wanted she could encourage him to

propose to her again

she only had to decide how far she

wished to be involved in his future

happiness

in which she already felt a real

interest

[Music]

chapter 10

lydia and wickham

on the third morning of her visit to

lambton

elizabeth received two letters from jane

the first had been badly addressed and

sent elsewhere then redirected

her aunt and uncle were out walking so

she sat down to read them at once

the first had been written five days

before and started just as expected with

a description of long-born dinner

parties and visits

but the second half of this letter was

dated a day later and was evidently

written in a great hurry

this is what it said

since writing the above dear lizzy

something most unexpected and serious

has happened but i do not wish to alarm

you we are all well

it concerns poor lydia

an express letter came at midnight last

night when we were all in bed from

colonel foster to inform us that she had

run away to scotland with one of his

offices with wickham in fact

there of course she can marry without

her parents approval

imagine our surprise

what a foolish marriage for both of them

but at least he is not interested in her

money as he must know my father can give

her almost nothing

kitty admits that she knew about lydia’s

attachment to wickham from lydia’s

letters

our poor mother is very upset

i must finish now as i cannot stay away

from her for long

i hope you can read this i hardly know

what i have written

without allowing herself time to think

elizabeth opened the second letter dated

a day later and read impatiently

my dearest sister i am so confused i

cannot write properly

i have bad news for you

foolish though a marriage between mr

wickham and our poor lydia might be

we are now only too anxious to hear that

it has taken place

there is reason to fear they have not

gone to scotland

colonel foster arrived here yesterday

he tells us that one of the officers a

close friend of wickham believes that

wickham never intended to go to scotland

or to marry lydia at all

the colonel followed the couple as far

as london

but they have not been seen leaving the

capital

our anxiety my dear lizzie is very great

my father and mother believe the worst

and the colonel fears wickham is not a

man to be trusted

but i cannot believe him to be so wicked

and is lydia so completely lacking in

morals that she could live with a man

without being married impossible

now my poor mother is really ill

my father is angry for perhaps the first

time in his life and kitty is being

scolded for keeping the attachment a

secret

while i am glad dearest lizzie that you

have been spared some of the confusion

and worry we have been experiencing

i cannot help begging you all to come

home as soon as possible

my father is going to london with the

colonel to try to find lydia

i think he is too upset to achieve

results in the best and safest way

and my uncle’s advice and help would be

everything in the world i rely on his

goodness

oh

where

where is my uncle cried elizabeth

running to the door

but just as she reached it mr darcy came

in

her pale face and strange manner

prevented him from speaking

and she who could think of nothing

except lydia said hurriedly

excuse me

but i must leave you

i must find mr gardner immediately there

is not a moment to lose

good god

what is the matter he cried

then added

let me oh let the servant go to find mr

and mrs gardner you are not well enough

you cannot go yourself

elizabeth hesitated

that her legs were trembling and she

realized he was right

after giving the servant her message

she sat down looking so ill that darcy

could not leave her or stop himself

saying gently

let me call someone to look after you

shall i get you a glass of wine

you are very ill

no thank you she replied

i am quite well

i am only upset

by some dreadful news i’ve just received

from longboard

she burst into tears

and for a few minutes could not speak

another word

darcy watched her miserably in

sympathetic silence

at last she spoke again

it cannot be hidden from anyone

my youngest sister

has eloped with

with mr wickham

you know him too well to doubt what will

happen

she has no money no connections

nothing that can tempt him to marry her

she has lost forever

and i could have prevented it

i knew how bad his character was

if only i had told my family what i knew

about him

but it is all too late now

darcy looked at her in astonishment

i am shocked he said

and sad

very sad

what has been done to find her and bring

her back

my father has gone to london

and i hope my uncle will go too

we shall leave lampton i hope in half an

hour

but i know very well that nothing can be

done

how can such a man be persuaded

how can we even find them

i have not the smallest hope

it is horrible

darcy made no answer

he was walking up and down with a

serious thoughtful expression on his

face

elizabeth soon observed and instantly

understood it

she was losing her influence over him

this proof of moral weakness in her

family

was driving him away from her

never before

had she so honestly believed she could

have loved him as now

when mutual affection must be impossible

but she could not think for long of

herself

when lydia’s situation was so desperate

mr darcy left almost immediately

politely regretting that elizabeth and

her aunt and uncle would not in the

circumstances be able to come to dinner

at pemberley that day and again

expressing his sympathy

when mr and mrs gardner entered the room

elizabeth hurriedly explained everything

to them and was greatly relieved when

they agreed to leave at once to return

to longborne

their packing was done at great speed

and soon they were in the carriage

driving south

lizzie began mrs gardner i cannot

believe that wickham’s character is so

bad that he would run away with lydia

and not marry her do you really think he

is capable of that i dear aunt

jane and i both know that he has neither

honesty nor honor

he has falsely accused mr darcy and has

lied wickedly about the whole darcy

family

you what a shy gentle girl miss darcy is

but he had described her as proud

disagreeable and disdainful

but does lydia know nothing of this oh

no

that is the worst of all

i didn’t know the truth myself until my

visit to kent and when i returned and

told jane

she and i decided not to make our

knowledge public

now i know that was a mistake

i never thought that lydia could be in

any danger from him

when they arrived at longborne elizabeth

and her aunt were able to help jane in

looking after the children

they also attempted to calm mrs bennett

who however refused to be calmed and

blamed everyone except herself for the

disaster

if only i had been allowed to take the

family to brighton this would not have

happened

poor dear lydia had no one to take care

of her

why did those forstners ever let her go

out of her sight

i am sure they neglected her

of course

i did not want her to go to brighton but

nobody took any notice of me as usual

and now

mr bennett has gone to london and i’m

sure he’ll fight wickham and then he’ll

be killed

and then the collins’s will turn us out

of the house before he’s gold in his

grave

do not worry sister said mr gardner

kindly i’m going to london tomorrow to

help my brother-in-law

oh thank you my dear brother replied mrs

bennett make sure you find lydia and

wickham

and if they are not married yet make

them marry and tell lydia they mustn’t

wait for wedding clothes but she shall

have as much money as she wants to buy

them after they are married

and keep mr bennett from fighting

tell him what a dreadful state i am in

so ill that i can get no rest by night

or by day

and tell lydia not to buy any clothes

until she’s seen me

because she doesn’t know the best shops

oh

brother how kind you are i hope you will

manage everything

the next day mr gardner traveled to

london as he had promised

now began a painful period of waiting

for those left at longborn

they became even more anxious as news

came from meriton of wickham’s lies

debts and secret attachments to most of

the servant girls in the town

everybody declared that he was the

wickedest young man in the world and

protested that they had always

distrusted his great charm and

appearance of goodness

although elizabeth did not believe half

of these stories

she believed enough to feel sure that

her sister’s reputation was already lost

and even jane almost despaired of

receiving good news

in a few days time they were relieved to

receive a letter from mr gardner

but unfortunately it only informed them

that wickham and lydia had not yet been

found

apparently wickham had left gambling

debts of over a thousand pounds behind

him in brighton

mr bennett was returning home the

following day leaving his brother-in-law

in london to continue the search

when she heard this

mrs bennett did not show as much

satisfaction as her children expected

considering the anxiety she had

previously expressed for her husband’s

safety

what

is he coming home without poor lydia she

cried

and who will fight wickham and make him

marry her

mrs gardner took the opportunity of mr

bennett’s return to go back to london

herself with her children

she was still longing to know how

elizabeth’s relationship with darcy had

developed but elizabeth had not once

mentioned his name

so her aunt did not dare to ask any

direct questions

when mr bennett arrived home

he appeared as calm as ever

but in a conversation with elizabeth he

admitted that he felt to blame for

lydia’s elopement

i know i should have had more control

over her he said and lizzy you were

right

i should never have let her go to

brighton

kitty who was listening said

the power if i ever went to brighton i’d

behave much better than lydia has done

you go to brighton cried her father

i would not trust you within 20

kilometers of the place for 50 pounds no

kitty i have at last learned to be

cautious and you will feel the effects

of it no officer may ever enter the

house again or even pass through the

village

and balls will be absolutely forbidden

unless you dance only with your sisters

kitty taking these threats seriously

began to cry

well well

said he don’t make yourself unhappy

if you are a good girl for the next ten

years

i’ll take you to the theater at the end

of that time

two days later the news for which they

had all been waiting so anxiously

arrived

mr gardner’s letter informed them that

wickham and lydia had been found

but that they were not married

however certain financial arrangements

had been made with wickham

mr bennett was asked to pay lydia 100

pounds a year

as well as arranging for her to inherit

her equal share of the 5 000 pounds

which the bennett girls would inherit

after their parents death

if these reasonable conditions were

agreed

wickham had promised to marry lydia

at first elizabeth and jane were

delighted that their sister’s reputation

would be saved through marriage even to

such a man as wickham

but then their father explained that

wickham would never have agreed to marry

lydia unless he had been paid a

considerable amount of money immediately

they began to worry that it would be

difficult to repay mr gardner who must

have bribed wickham in this way

mrs bennett however had no such worries

he is her own uncle after all she cried

happily why shouldn’t he pay

my dear dear lydia

married at 16 how i longed to see her

and dear wickham too

but the wedding clothes

i’ll write to my sister-in-law about

them at once

i’m so happy

in a short time i’ll have a daughter

married oh

mrs wickham how well it sounds

now that lydia was going to be married

elizabeth greatly regretted telling

darcy of her fears for her sister

but even if lydia had been married in

the most honorable way

it was extremely unlikely that mr darcy

would wish to connect himself with a

family in which there was a close

relationship with wickham the man he

most justly disliked

she could not expect him to go on caring

for her as she felt certain he had done

when they met in derbyshire

but now that she was sure he could not

love her

she was convinced they could have been

happy together

he seemed to be exactly the man who

would have suited her

they could have usefully influenced each

other

his mind might have been softened

and his manners improved by her

sociability

and she might have learned from his

greater judgment and knowledge of the

world

but no such relationship could now teach

an admiring world what happiness in

marriage was really like

instead

wickham would marry lydia

with little chance of happiness for

either of them

mr and mrs gardner had arranged for

lydia to be married quietly in london

from their house

at first mr bennett had refused to allow

his youngest daughter ever to enter his

house again

but eventually jay and elizabeth

persuaded him to receive lydia and her

husband after the wedding

it would only be a short visit as almost

immediately she and wickham would be

moving north to newcastle where he had

accepted a new army post

when the carriage containing the young

couple arrived at longbourne house

the two elder bennett sisters were

shocked to see how unashamed lydia was

she entered the house laughing and

joking and asked all her sisters to

congratulate her

wickham was no more embarrassed than she

was and spoke to everyone in his usual

flattering agreeable manner

they seemed to have no idea of the

anxiety they had caused by their

shameless and wicked behavior

elizabeth was quite disgusted by their

relaxed confident appearance and

determined not to show any interest when

lydia insisted on describing every

detail of her wedding day

she could not help reacting with

astonishment however when lydia let slip

the name of mr darcy

he had apparently been present at the

ceremony

why would mr darcy elizabeth wondered

attend the wedding of two people he must

hold in the greatest contempt

she could not discover the reason from

lydia who suddenly remembered it was

supposed to be a secret

and she could not rest without knowing

the truth

so she hurriedly sent a note to her aunt

in london asking urgently for an

explanation

[Music]

chapter 11

bingley returns to netherfield

elizabeth had the satisfaction of

receiving a reply from her aunt in the

shortest time possible

she sat down eagerly to read it

my dear niece

i must confess i am astonished by your

request for information about mr darcy’s

share in arranging lydia’s marriage

i assumed that you would know all about

it

your uncle is as surprised as i am

but if you are really innocent and

ignorant i must tell you all the details

on the day i returned to london from

longborne your uncle had a most

unexpected visitor

mr darcy came to tell us he had

discovered where your sister and wickham

were staying

the reason he gave for wanting to help

was his belief that he was to blame for

not making wickham’s worthlessness more

public and that therefore it was his

duty to assist us in every possible way

if he had another motive i am sure it

would be just as honorable

he knew that wickham had a close friend

in london

a woman who had once been companion to

miss darcy and had been dismissed for

some reason

so mr darcy found this woman and bribed

her to give him wickham’s present

address

he went to see wickham

and insisted on seeing lydia hoping to

persuade her to return to her family

however lydia told him she only cared

for wickham and had no intention of

leaving him whether he married her or

not

wickham privately told mr darcy that he

had left the regiment because of his

gambling debts not because he intended

to marry lydia

and that he was still hoping to find and

marry a woman of fortune in order to

have a comfortable income

it was clearly necessary to persuade him

to marry lydia as soon as possible

and mr darcy had several meetings with

wickham to arrange financial matters

with him

finally mr darcy was able to visit your

uncle as i have said to explain the

whole business

and to insist that he alone should be

responsible for paying wickham the

promised amount

your uncle argued with him for a long

time

but our visitor was so obstinate that mr

gardner eventually had to agree

i think lizzie that obstinacy is mr

darcy’s real fault

rather than any of the other faults of

which he has been accused

he paid wickham several thousand pounds

for past debts and future expenses

and attended the wedding to make a final

payment

and in spite of mr darcy’s declared

motives my dear lizzy

you may be sure that your uncle would

never have given in

if we had not assumed that mr darcy had

another interest in the matter

will you be very angry with me my dear

lizzy if i take this opportunity of

saying how much i like him

his behavior to us has always been as

agreeable as when we were in derbyshire

i think that if he marries the right

woman his wife may teach him to become

more sociable

please forgive me if i have assumed too

much

or at least

do not punish me by not inviting me to

pemberley

i shall never be happy until i have been

all the way around the park

but i must go to my children now

yours very sincerely

m gardner

elizabeth read this letter with a

mixture of pleasure and pain

mr darcy had thought so little of his

pride that he had spent considerable

time effort and money

on two people for whom he must feel the

greatest disdain

he had even had to bargain with wickham

she could not believe he had done all

this for her a woman who had already

rejected him

but the fact remained

that she and her family owed him

everything

how bitterly she now regretted

criticizing and mocking him in the past

she was ashamed of herself

but she was proud of him

proud that in a matter of honor he had

been able to conquer his own pride

she was even rather pleased if a little

regretful that her aunt and uncle had

felt sure that there was mutual

affection between mr darcy and herself

mrs bennett was quite depressed when

lydia and wickham left longborn to

travel north to newcastle

but soon mrs phillips brought the happy

news that mr bingley was expected to

return to netherfield in a day or two

and mrs bennett became very excited

she made preparations to invite him to

dinner and counted the days that must

pass before she could send the

invitation

however on only the third morning after

his arrival she caught sight of him from

her bedroom window riding towards

longborne house with another gentleman

also on horseback

girls quickly she cried mr bigley is

coming

and who’s that with him it must be mr

darcy that tall proud man

well as he is mr bingley’s friend we

must be polite to him but i must say i

hate the sight of him

both jane and elizabeth felt

uncomfortable and sympathized with each

other

jane was nervous about meeting bingley

again and determined not to show her

feelings

elizabeth was uneasy at the thought of

seeing darcy as she was the only one who

knew how much the whole family owed him

in spite of their general dislike of him

she was astonished that he had come to

see her

and for a moment she allowed herself to

hope that his affection and wishes might

still be the same

she was disappointed however by the

visit

mr darcy said scarcely anything to her

and appeared more thoughtful and less

anxious to please than in derbyshire

she wondered bitterly why he had come

in addition she was highly embarrassed

by her mother’s behavior

with flattering smiles mrs bennett

concentrated all her conversation on mr

bingley while throwing the occasional

unpleasant remark in mr darcy’s

direction

the only positive effect of the

gentleman’s visit was the way in which

jane’s charm and beauty appeared to

excite mr bingley’s admiration all over

again which elizabeth was relieved and

delighted to see

the bennett family did not see the two

gentlemen again until tuesday and they

came to dinner at longborne

it was a great pleasure to elizabeth to

watch bingley sitting beside jane and

talking happily to her

but this was the only enjoyment she

gained from the party

mr darcy was unfortunately sitting a

long way from her

next to mrs bennett

elizabeth could see how seldom they

spoke to each other and how cold and

formal their behavior to each other was

she would have given anything to be able

to tell him that his kindness was

appreciated by at least one of the

family

all through the long dinner she

desperately hoped there would be an

opportunity for her to have some real

conversation with him later

but the evening passed without any more

than a short exchange of politeness

between them

and elizabeth lost all hope of immediate

happiness

two days after this mr bingley called at

longborne house again

this time he was alone as mr darcy had

gone to london

he sat with the ladies for over an hour

talking cheerfully and agreeably to them

he came the next morning and again in

the evening

mrs bennett took every opportunity to

leave him alone with jane

by calling her other daughters out of

the room for some reason or other

she was hoping to encourage him to

propose

but in spite of her efforts bingley

remained charming and agreeable and

unattached

but on the third day

bingley came in the morning to go

shooting with mr bennett

he stayed for lunch

and was still there in the evening

and when elizabeth entered the sitting

room unexpectedly to her surprise she

saw jane and bingley standing close

together near the fire

they turned hurriedly when they heard

her and moved awkwardly away from each

other

bingley whispered something to jane and

ran out of the room

jane could not keep her secret from her

sister and kissing her cried

i am the happiest creature in the world

oh lizzy i do not deserve this

why isn’t everybody as happy as i am

elizabeth congratulated her sister most

warmly and sincerely

at last she thought

the end of all mr darcy’s anxious advice

the end of all caroline bingley’s lies

and plans

the happiest wisest most reasonable end

i must go and tell my mother continued

jane

as he has just gone to ask my father’s

permission

oh lizzy what happiness

it was a joyful evening for all of them

jane looked more beautiful than ever and

bingley was clearly very much in love

mrs bennett could not say enough to

describe her delight

although she talked of nothing else all

evening

and mr bennett was evidently very

pleased

before the two eldest sisters went to

bed that night

elizabeth listened willingly to jane’s

long description of bingley’s good

qualities

at the end jane added

oh lizzy if only i could see you as

happy as i am

if only there were another man like

bingley for you

dear jane

i can never be as happy as you because

i’m not as good as you

no no

let me find my own husband

perhaps if i’m very lucky i may meet

another mr collins one day

the engagement was not kept a secret for

very long

mrs bennett whispered the news to mrs

phillips who told all her neighbours in

meriton

everybody soon agreed that the bennetts

were the luckiest family in the world

although only a few weeks before when

lydia had run away

they had been considered the most

unfortunate

[Music]

chapter 12

elizabeth and darcy

one morning about a week after bingley

had proposed to jane

a carriage arrived outside longbourne

house

elizabeth kitty and their mother were in

the sitting room when suddenly the door

was thrown open and their visitor

entered

it was lady catherine de burr

they were all extremely astonished

mrs bennett flattered to have such an

important visitor received her with

great politeness

after sitting for a moment in silence

lady catherine said very stiffly to

elizabeth

i hope you are well miss bennett

that lady i suppose is your mother and

that i suppose is one of your sisters

elizabeth replied that she was correct

in thinking so

lady catherine rose and said

i would like to have a walk in your

garden miss bennett if you would

accompany me

oh go my dear cried mrs bennett show her

ladyship for different walks i’m sure

she will like them

as they passed through the hall lady

catherine opened the doors into the

different rooms

looked in and declared them to be

reasonable looking rooms

they went into the garden in silence

elizabeth was determined to make no

effort at conversation with a woman who

was being more than usually rude and

disagreeable

lady catherine began speaking when she

was sure they were alone

you must know miss bennett why i have

come

elizabeth looked surprised

indeed you are mistaken madam

i have no idea why you are honoring us

with a visit

miss bennett

replied her ladyship angrily however

insincere you may be you shall not find

me so

a most alarming report reached me two

days ago

i was told that you miss elizabeth

bennett would soon be engaged to my

nephew my own nephew mr darcy

although i knew it must be a shameful

lie

and i would not offend him by supposing

it to be possible i decided at once to

come here to let you know my feelings

if you believed it to be impossible said

elizabeth was disdain

i wonder why your ladyship took the

trouble of coming so far

i came to insist on having this report

contradicted

tell me is it true

your leadership may ask questions

which i shall not choose to answer

this is too much miss bennett i insist

on an answer has my nephew made you an

offer of marriage

your leadership has declared it to be

impossible it ought to be impossible but

your skillful charms may have made him

forget in a moment of foolishness what

he owes to himself and his family

you must tell me

i am almost his nearest relation and i

have a right to know his plans

but you have no right to know mine

let me speak plainly

this marriage which you dare to hope for

can never take place because mr darcy is

engaged to my daughter

his mother and i planned their marriage

when they were still children

they are an ideal couple

both from respectable

honorable

ancient families with an excellent

fortune on both sides

what can possibly divide them

the desperate ambitions of a young woman

without family

connections or fortune it cannot be

and i warn you miss bennett if you marry

him

do not expect to be noticed by his

family or friends

your name will never even be mentioned

by any of us

these are heavy misfortunes

but the wife of mr darcy

must necessarily be so happy that she

could not regret her marriage

obstinate gal tell me are you engaged to

him

elizabeth could not avoid saying after a

moment’s thought

i am not

lady catherine seemed pleased

and will you promise me never to enter

into such an engagement

i will make no such promise

you have totally misunderstood my

character if you think i can be

persuaded by such threats

i do not know whether your nephew would

approve of your interference in his life

but you certainly have no right to

interfere in mine

to all the objections i have mentioned i

add one more

i am aware of your younger sister’s

elopement

is such a girl to be my nephew’s

sister-in-law and bring shame on the

ancient name of darcy

you can now have nothing more to say

elizabeth said coldly you have insulted

me in every possible way

she rose and started walking back to the

house

lady catherine also rose and walked with

her unfeeling selfish girl so you are

determined to have him

i have not said that

i am only determined to do what in my

opinion

will bring me happiness without

reference to you

do not imagine miss bennett that you

will ever achieve your ambition

when they arrived at her carriage she

added i send no compliments to your

mother you do not deserve such

politeness

i am

most seriously displeased

elizabeth did not answer and entered the

house while lady catherine drove away in

her carriage

she had to tell a little lie to her

mother to explain lady catherine’s

unexpected visit and speedy departure

and then she shut herself in her room to

consider what it all meant

perhaps the collins’s had imagined after

the news of jane’s engagement to bingley

that darcy might marry her

they must have told lady catherine who

had made a special journey to longborne

in order to break off this supposed

engagement

elizabeth began to feel depressed

if as seemed likely lady catherine now

went straight to london to talk to her

nephew

she might easily convince him of the

inferiority of elizabeth’s social

position

he would probably feel that his aunt’s

objections which to elizabeth appeared

laughably weak contained much common

sense

in that case he might make up his mind

not to marry her under any circumstances

and to keep away from long born

altogether

the next morning

mr bennett called elizabeth into the

library

in his hand he had a letter which he had

just received

lizzie i did not know i had two

daughters about to be married i

congratulate you on a very important

conquest

elizabeth blushed thinking that darcy

himself had written

you seem to know what i mean

but i think even you will not be able to

guess your admirer’s name

this letter is from mr collins and he

first congratulates me on jane’s

engagement of which the gossiping

lucas’s have told him

apparently the lucas is also think that

my daughter elizabeth might soon be

marrying one of the great gentlemen in

the country mr darcy in fact now lizzy i

think i have surprised you

could he have chosen anyone we know as a

more unlikely husband for you mr darcy

who never praises only criticizes women

and who probably never looked at you in

his life what an admirable choice

elizabeth tried to share her father’s

amusement

but had never appreciated his humor so

little

he goes on to say that when he dutifully

gave this news to her ladyship she made

many objections and stated that she

would never agree to the marriage he

kindly gives us this information he says

to prevent his cousin elizabeth and her

admirer from rushing into a marriage not

approved by their families well lizzy

what do you think of that i do enjoy mr

collins’s letters

and i am delighted that lucas’s thought

of mr darcy his perfect indifference to

you and your strong dislike of him make

it so extremely amusing don’t you agree

elizabeth had great difficulty in

pretending to be amused by the letter

it was necessary to laugh when she would

rather have cried

her father had most cruelly hurt her by

speaking of darcy’s indifference

and she began to wonder whether perhaps

instead of his seeing too little she

might have imagined too much

in spite of elizabeth’s doubts however

mr darcy returned to netherfield a few

days later and he and mr bingley came to

longborn soon afterwards

bingley suggested they should all go for

a walk

and while he and jane concentrated on

their own private conversation some

distance away elizabeth found herself

alone with mr darcy

taking a deep breath

she said bravely

mr darcy

i can no longer stop myself from

thanking you for your extraordinary

kindness to my poor sister

if the rest of my family knew of it

they would add their grateful thanks to

mine

i had hoped to keep it a secret he

answered

but if you must thank me

let it be for yourself alone

i shall not attempt to deny that wishing

to give happiness to you

was one of my reasons for helping your

sister

but your family owe me nothing

much as i respect them

i believe i thought only of you

elizabeth was too embarrassed to say a

word

after a short pause he added

you are too generous to play with my

feelings

if you still feel as you did last april

tell me so at once

my affections and wishes are unchanged

but one word from you

will prevent me from ever mentioning

them again

elizabeth forced herself to speak

and immediately

though hesitatingly

gave him to understand

that her feelings had changed so

considerably since that time

that she was now grateful and pleased to

accept his proposal

when darcy heard this

he was probably happier than he had ever

been before

and he expressed himself as warmly and

sensibly as a man violently in love can

they walked on

without noticing in which direction

there was so much to be thought and felt

and said

she soon learned that his aunt had

indeed seen him in london after her

disappointing visit to longborne

but unluckily for her ladyship her

critical comments and description of her

conversation with elizabeth produced

exactly the opposite result to what she

had intended

it taught me to hope darcy explained

as i had hardly ever allowed myself to

hope

before i knew that if you had decided

never to marry me you would have

admitted it to lady catherine openly and

honestly

elizabeth blushed and laughed as she

replied

yes you have experienced my honesty

after scolding you so rudely to your

face i was obviously quite capable of

criticizing you to all your relations

i certainly deserved all your

accusations

as an only son i was brought up to be

selfish and proud and to consider myself

superior to others

i would have continued like that

if you dearest loveliest elizabeth had

not taught me a lesson

i owe you a great deal for that

and i

how soon i thought better of you when i

read the letter you sent me

when i realized your description of

events must be true all my prejudices

against you were removed

they talked to their unexpected meeting

at pemberley which had renewed their

interest in each other

of georgiana darcy’s immediate liking

for elizabeth

and of the engagement between jane and

bingley

i guessed smiled elizabeth

that you had given your permission for

their marriage

my permission no

but i must admit i confessed to bingley

that i had made a mistake in supposing

that your sister was indifferent to him

and i encouraged him to return to

netherfield to see if she still cared

for him

i am delighted to hear of their

engagement

he will be one of the happiest men in

the world when he marries your sister

only i shall be happier than him when i

am fortunate enough to marry you

their conversation continued in this way

until they suddenly became aware of the

lateness of the hour

they returned to longborn house where

they separated

that evening elizabeth could not help

telling jane her news

however she almost regretted doing so

when she saw the astonishment on jane’s

face

at first jane could not believe that her

sister was engaged to a man she had so

disliked and she wondered if elizabeth

could really be happy with him

but when she had been convinced by

elizabeth’s explanations and promises

she was delighted and congratulated her

sister with all her heart

the next day mr darcy came to ask mr

bennett officially for elizabeth’s hand

in marriage

mr bennett also had to be persuaded that

his favorite daughter could really be

happy with such a proud disdainful man

only mrs bennett did not need to be

convinced

although she was most unusually

speechless with shock when she heard the

news

when she recovered a little she cried my

sweetest lizzy how rich you will be what

jewels what carriages you will have

mr darcy

such a charming man so handsome so tall

i am so sorry i disliked him before oh

ten thousand a year oh my dear lizzy

during the weeks of her engagement

elizabeth was glad to see that all her

family were beginning to appreciate mr

darcy’s good qualities

determined to protect him from her

mother’s over-familiarity

she was relieved to see that mrs bennett

respected her future son-in-law too much

to say more than a few words to him

in spite of this elizabeth looked

happily forward to the time when she and

darcy would leave longbourne and move to

all the comfort and elegance of their

own home at pemberley

mrs bennett was a happy mother indeed on

the day when she got rid of her two most

deserving daughters

it may be guessed with what delighted

pride she afterwards visited mrs bingley

and talked of mrs darcy mr bennett

missed his second daughter very much and

greatly enjoyed going to pemberley to

visit her

mr bingley and jane stayed only a year

at netherfield before buying a large

house in the north only 50 kilometers

from pemberley

in this way the two sisters were

permitted their dearest wish and were

able to visit each other frequently

mary was the only sister who remained at

home

as kitty spent most of her time with her

two elder sisters which greatly improved

her behavior character and intelligence

lydia and wickham were always moving

from one place to another in search of

cheap rooms and always spending more

than they should

his affection for her soon became

indifference

while hers for him lasted a little

longer

they were not too proud to ask lydia’s

sisters for financial help during every

crisis

and elizabeth and jane both sent them

regular gifts of money to pay their

bills

caroline bingley was deeply offended by

darcy’s marriage

but she did not show her bitterness and

was always extremely polite to elizabeth

georgiana darcy on the other hand became

greatly attached to elizabeth and had

the highest opinion of her

lady catherine however was so rude about

elizabeth to her nephew that he broke

off communication completely with her

for a time

in the end elizabeth persuaded him to

forgive his aunt

who eventually forgot her pride enough

to visit them at pemberley

there remained a close relationship

between the darcys and the gardeners

darcy and elizabeth were both warmly

grateful to the two people who

by inviting her to derbyshire and taking

her to visit pemberley

had brought them together

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

you