Pride and Prejudice Audiobook Final Chapters 7 to 12 Learn English Through Story
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pride and prejudice by jane austen
retold by claire west
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[Applause]
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chapter seven
darcy proposes marriage
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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
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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
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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
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you