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Chapter XLVIII · Pride and Prejudice | Audiobook

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  Speaker 1: Chapter 48 The whole party were in hopes of a
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  Speaker 1: letter from Mr Bennett the next morning, but the post
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  Speaker 1: came in without bringing a single line from him. His
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  Speaker 1: family knew him to be, on all common occasions, a
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  Speaker 1: most negligent and dilatory correspondent, but at such a time
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  Speaker 1: they had hoped for exertion. They were forced to conclude,
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  Speaker 1: that he had no pleasing intelligence to send. But even
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  Speaker 1: of that, they would have been glad to be certain.
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  Speaker 1: Mr Gardner had waited only for the letters before he
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  Speaker 1: set off. When he was gone, they were certain at
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  Speaker 1: least of receiving constant information of what was going on,
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  Speaker 1: and their uncle promised, at parting, to prevail on Mr
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  Speaker 1: Bennet to return to Longbourn as soon as he could.
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  Speaker 1: to the great consolation of his sister, who considered it
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  Speaker 1: as the only security for her husband's not being killed
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  Speaker 1: in a duel. Mrs Gardiner and the children were to
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  Speaker 1: remain in Hertfordshire a few days longer, as the former
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  Speaker 1: thought her presence might be serviceable to her nieces. She
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  Speaker 1: shared in their attendance on Mrs Bennet, and was a
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  Speaker 1: great comfort to them in their hours of freedom. their
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  Speaker 1: other aunt also visited them frequently, and always, as she said,
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  Speaker 1: with the design of cheering and heartening them up. Though,
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  Speaker 1: as she never came without reporting some fresh instance of
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  Speaker 1: Wickham's extravagance or irregularity, she seldom went away without leaving
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  Speaker 1: them more dispirited than she found them. All Meryton seemed
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  Speaker 1: striving to blacken the man who, but three months before,
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  Speaker 1: had been almost an angel of light. He was declared
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  Speaker 1: to be in debt to every tradesman in the place,
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  Speaker 1: and his intrigues, all honoured with the title of seduction,
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  Speaker 1: had been extended into every tradesman's family. Everybody declared that
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  Speaker 1: he was the wickedest young man in the world, and
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  Speaker 1: everybody began to find out that they had always distrusted
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  Speaker 1: the appearance of his goodness. Elizabeth, though she did not
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  Speaker 1: credit above half of what was said, believed enough to
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  Speaker 1: make her former assurance of her sister's ruin still more certain,
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  Speaker 1: and even Jane, who believed still less of it, became
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  Speaker 1: almost hopeless, more especially as the time was now come, when,
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  Speaker 1: if they had gone to Scotland... which she had never
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  Speaker 1: before entirely despaired of, they must in all probability have
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  Speaker 1: gained some news of them. Mr Gardner left Longbourn on Sunday.
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  Speaker 1: On Tuesday, his wife received a letter from him. It
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  Speaker 1: told them that on his arrival he had immediately found
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  Speaker 1: out his brother and persuaded him to come to Grace
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  Speaker 1: Church Street, that Mr Bennet, had been to Epsom and
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  Speaker 1: Clapham before his arrival, but without gaining any satisfactory information,
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  Speaker 1: and that he was now determined to enquire at all
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  Speaker 1: the principal hotels in town, as Mr Bennett thought it
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  Speaker 1: possible they might have gone to one of them on
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  Speaker 1: their first coming to London before they procured lodgings. Mr
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  Speaker 1: Gardiner himself did not expect any success from this measure.
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  Speaker 1: but as his brother was eager in it, he meant
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  Speaker 1: to assist him in pursuing it. He added that Mr
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  Speaker 1: Bennett seemed wholly disinclined at present to leave London, and
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  Speaker 1: promised to write again very soon. There was also a
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  Speaker 1: postscript to this effect. I have written to Colonel Forster
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  Speaker 1: to desire him to find out, if possible, from some
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  Speaker 1: of the young man's intimates in the regiment, whether Wickham
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  Speaker 1: has any relations or connections who would be likely to
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  Speaker 1: know in what part of the town he has now
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  Speaker 1: concealed himself. If there were anyone that one could apply to,
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  Speaker 1: with a probability of gaining such a clue as that,
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  Speaker 1: it might be of essential consequence. At present, we have
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  Speaker 1: nothing to guide us. Colonel Forster will, I dare say,
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  Speaker 1: do everything in his power to satisfy us on this head. But,
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  Speaker 1: on second thoughts, perhaps Lizzie could tell us what relations
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  Speaker 1: he has now living better than any other person. Elizabeth
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  Speaker 1: was at no loss to understand from whence this deference
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  Speaker 1: for her authority proceeded. But it was not in her
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  Speaker 1: power to give any information of so satisfactory a nature
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  Speaker 1: as the compliment deserved. She had never heard of his
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  Speaker 1: having had any relations, except a father and mother, both
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  Speaker 1: of whom had been dead many years. It was possible, however,
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  Speaker 1: that some of his companions in the Shire might be
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  Speaker 1: able to give more information, and though she was not
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  Speaker 1: very sanguine in expecting it, the application was a something
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  Speaker 1: to look forward to. Every day at Longbourn was now
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  Speaker 1: a day of anxiety. But the most anxious part of
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  Speaker 1: each was when the post was expected. The arrival of
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  Speaker 1: letters was the first grand object of every morning's impatience.
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  Speaker 1: Through letters, whatever of good or bad was to be
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  Speaker 1: told would be communicated, and every succeeding day was expected
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  Speaker 1: to bring some news of importance. But before they heard
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  Speaker 1: again from Mr Gardiner, a letter arrived for their father.
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  Speaker 1: from a different quarter, from Mr. Collins, which, as Jane
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  Speaker 1: had received directions to open all that came for him
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  Speaker 1: in his absence, she accordingly read, and Elizabeth, who knew
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  Speaker 1: what curiosities his letters always were, looked over her and
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  Speaker 1: read it likewise. It was as follows. But before they
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  Speaker 1: heard again from Mr. Gardner, a letter arrived for their father,
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  Speaker 1: from a different quarter, from Mr Collins, which, as Jane
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  Speaker 1: had received directions to open all that came for him
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  Speaker 1: in his absence, she accordingly read, and Elizabeth, who knew
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  Speaker 1: what curiosities his letters always were, looked over her and
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  Speaker 1: read it likewise. It was as follows. My dear sir,
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  Speaker 1: I feel myself called upon by our relationship and my
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  Speaker 1: situation in life. to condole with you on the grievous
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  Speaker 1: affliction you are now suffering under, of which we were
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  Speaker 1: yesterday informed by a letter from Hertfordshire. Be assured, my
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  Speaker 1: dear sir, that Mrs Collins and myself sincerely sympathise with
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  Speaker 1: you and all your respectable family in your present distress,
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  Speaker 1: which must be of the bitterest kind, because proceeding from
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  Speaker 1: a cause which no time can remove... No arguments shall
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  Speaker 1: be wanting on my part that can alleviate so severe
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  Speaker 1: a misfortune, or that may comfort you under a circumstance
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  Speaker 1: that must be, of all others, most afflicting to a
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  Speaker 1: parent's mind. The death of your daughter would have been
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  Speaker 1: a blessing in comparison of this, and it is the
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  Speaker 1: more to be lamented, because there is reason to suppose,
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  Speaker 1: as my dear Charlotte informs me, that this licentiousness of
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  Speaker 1: behaviour in your daughter has proceeded from a faulty degree
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  Speaker 1: of indulgence. Though, at the same time, for the consolation
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  Speaker 1: of yourself and Mrs. Bennet, I am inclined to think
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  Speaker 1: that her own disposition must be naturally bad, or she
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  Speaker 1: could not be guilty of such an enormity at so
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  Speaker 1: early an age. Howsoever that may be, you are grievously
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  Speaker 1: to be pitied. in which opinion I am not only
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  Speaker 1: joined by Mrs. Collins, but likewise by Lady Catherine and
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  Speaker 1: her daughter, to whom I have related the affair. They
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  Speaker 1: agree with me in apprehending that this false step in
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  Speaker 1: one daughter will be injurious to the fortunes of all
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  Speaker 1: the others. For who, as Lady Catherine herself condescendingly says,
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  Speaker 1: will connect themselves with such a family? and this consideration
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  Speaker 1: leads me, moreover, to reflect, with augmented satisfaction, on a
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  Speaker 1: certain event of last November. For had it been otherwise,
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  Speaker 1: I must have been involved in all your sorrow and disgrace.
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  Speaker 1: Let me advise you, then, my dear sir, to console
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  Speaker 1: yourself as much as possible, to throw off your unworthy
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  Speaker 1: child from your affection for ever. and leave her to
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  Speaker 1: reap the fruits of her own heinous offence. I am,
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  Speaker 1: dear sir, etc., etc. Mr. Gardiner did not write again,
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  Speaker 1: till he had received an answer from Colonel Forster, and
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  Speaker 1: then he had nothing of a pleasant nature to send.
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  Speaker 1: It was not known that Wickham had a single relation
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  Speaker 1: with whom he kept up any connections. and it was
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  Speaker 1: certain that he had no near one living. His former
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  Speaker 1: acquaintance had been numerous, but since he had been in
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  Speaker 1: the militia, it did not appear that he was on
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  Speaker 1: terms of particular friendship with any of them. There was
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  Speaker 1: no one, therefore, who could be pointed out as likely
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  Speaker 1: to give any news of him. And in the wretched
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  Speaker 1: state of his own finances, there was a very powerful
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  Speaker 1: motive for secrecy, in addition to his fear of discovery
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  Speaker 1: by Lydia's relations, for it had just transpired that he
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  Speaker 1: had left gaming debts behind him to a very considerable amount.
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  Speaker 1: Colonel Forster believed that more than a thousand pounds would
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  Speaker 1: be necessary to clear his expenses at Brighton. He owed
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  Speaker 1: a good deal in the town, but his debts of
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  Speaker 1: honour were still more formidable. Mr Gardiner did not attempt
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  Speaker 1: to conceal these particulars from the Longbourn family. Jane heard
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  Speaker 1: them with horror.' A gamester!' she cried.' This is wholly unexpected.
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  Speaker 1: I had not an idea of it!' Mr Gardiner added,
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  Speaker 1: in his letter, that they might expect to see their
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  Speaker 1: father at home on the following day, which was Saturday.'
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  Speaker 1: rendered spiritless by the ill success of all their endeavours,
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  Speaker 1: he had yielded to his brother-in-law's entreaty that he would
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  Speaker 1: return to his family and leave it to him to
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  Speaker 1: do whatever occasion might suggest to be advisable for continuing
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  Speaker 1: their pursuit. When Mrs Bennet was told of this, she
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  Speaker 1: did not express so much satisfaction as her children expected,
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  Speaker 1: considering what her anxiety for his life had been before. What?
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  Speaker 1: Is he coming home and without poor Lydia? she cried.
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  Speaker 1: Sure he will not leave London before he has found them.
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  Speaker 1: Who is to fight Wickham and make him marry her
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  Speaker 1: if he comes away? As Mrs Gardiner began to wish
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  Speaker 1: to be at home, it was settled that she and
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  Speaker 1: her children would should go to London at the same
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  Speaker 1: time that Mr Bennett came from it. The coach, therefore,
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  Speaker 1: took them the first stage of their journey and brought
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  Speaker 1: its master back to Longbourn. Mrs Gardiner went away in
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  Speaker 1: all the perplexity about Elizabeth and her Derbyshire friend that
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  Speaker 1: had attended her from that part of the world. His
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  Speaker 1: name had never been voluntarily mentioned before them by her niece.
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  Speaker 1: and the kind of half-expectation which Mrs Gardiner had formed
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  Speaker 1: of their being followed by a letter from him, had
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  Speaker 1: ended in nothing. Elizabeth had received none since her return.
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  Speaker 1: That could come from Pemberley. The present unhappy state of
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  Speaker 1: the family rendered any other excuse for the lowness of
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  Speaker 1: her spirits unnecessary. Nothing, therefore, could be fairly conjectured from that,
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  Speaker 1: though Elizabeth, who was by this time tolerably well acquainted
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  Speaker 1: with her own feelings, was perfectly aware that, had she
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  Speaker 1: known nothing of Darcy, she could have borne the dread
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  Speaker 1: of Lydia's infamy somewhat better. It would have spared her,
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  Speaker 1: she thought, one sleepless night out of two. When Mr.
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  Speaker 1: Bennet arrived, he had all the appearance of his usual
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  Speaker 1: philosophic composure. He said as little as he had ever
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  Speaker 1: been in the habit of saying, made no mention of
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  Speaker 1: the business that had taken him away, and it was
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  Speaker 1: some time before his daughters had courage to speak of it.
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  Speaker 1: It was not till the afternoon, when he joined them
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  Speaker 1: at tea, that Elizabeth ventured to introduce the subject, and then...
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  Speaker 1: on her briefly expressing her sorrow for what he must
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  Speaker 1: have endured, he replied, Say nothing of that. Who should
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  Speaker 1: suffer but myself? It has been my own doing, and
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  Speaker 1: I ought to feel it. You must not be too
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  Speaker 1: severe upon yourself, replied Elizabeth. You may well warn me
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  Speaker 1: against such an evil. Human nature is so prone to
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  Speaker 1: fall into it. No, Lizzie. Let me once in my
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  Speaker 1: life feel how much I have been to blame. I
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  Speaker 1: am not afraid of being overpowered by the impression. It
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  Speaker 1: will pass away soon enough. Do you suppose them to
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  Speaker 1: be in London? Yes. Where else can they be so
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  Speaker 1: well concealed? And Lydia used to want to go to London,
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  Speaker 1: added Kitty. She is happy then, said her father dryly,
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  Speaker 1: and her residence there will probably be of some duration. Then,
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  Speaker 1: after a short silence, he continued, Lizzie, I bear you
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  Speaker 1: no ill will for being justified in your advice to
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  Speaker 1: me last May, which, considering the event, shows some greatness
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  Speaker 1: of mind. They were interrupted by Miss Bennet, who came
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  Speaker 1: to fetch her mother's tea. This is a parade, cried he,
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  Speaker 1: which does one good. It gives such an elegance to misfortune.
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  Speaker 1: Another day I will do the same. I will sit
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  Speaker 1: in my library, in my nightcap and powdering gown, and
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  Speaker 1: give as much trouble as I can, or perhaps I
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  Speaker 1: may defer it till Kitty runs away. I am not
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  Speaker 1: going to run away, Papa, said Kitty, fretfully. If I
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  Speaker 1: should ever go to Brighton, I would behave better than Lydia.
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  Speaker 1: You go to Brighton? I would not trust you so
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  Speaker 1: near it as Eastbourne for fifty pounds. No, Kitty, I
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  Speaker 1: have at least learnt to be cautious, and you will
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  Speaker 1: feel the effects of it. No officer is ever to
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  Speaker 1: enter my house again, nor even to pass through the village.
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  Speaker 1: Balls will be absolutely prohibited unless you stand up with
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  Speaker 1: one of your sisters, and you are never to stir
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  Speaker 1: out of doors. till you can prove that you have
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  Speaker 1: spent ten minutes of every day in a rational manner. Kitty,
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  Speaker 1: who took all these threats in a serious light, began
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  Speaker 1: to cry. Well, well, said he, do not make yourself unhappy.
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  Speaker 1: If you are a good girl for the next ten years,
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  Speaker 1: I will take you to a review at the end
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  Speaker 1: of them.