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Chapter XXVIII · Pride and Prejudice | Audiobook

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  Speaker 1: Chapter 28 Every object in the next day's journey was
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  Speaker 1: new and interesting to Elizabeth, and her spirits were in
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  Speaker 1: a state of enjoyment, for she had seen her sister
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  Speaker 1: looking so well as to banish all fear for her health,
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  Speaker 1: and the prospect of her northern tour was a constant
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  Speaker 1: source of delight. When they left the high road for
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  Speaker 1: the lane to Hunsford, Every eye was in search of
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  Speaker 1: the parsonage, and every turning expected to bring it in view.
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  Speaker 1: The paling of Rosings Park was their boundary on one side.
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  Speaker 1: Elizabeth smiled at the recollection of all that she had
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  Speaker 1: heard of its inhabitants. At length, the parsonage was discernible.
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  Speaker 1: The garden sloping to the road, the house standing in it,
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  Speaker 1: the green pails and the laurel hedge— Everything declared they
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  Speaker 1: were arriving. Mr Collins and Charlotte appeared at the door,
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  Speaker 1: and the carriage stopped at the small gate, which led
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  Speaker 1: by a short gravel walk to the house, amidst the
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  Speaker 1: nods and smiles of the whole party. In a moment,
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  Speaker 1: they were all out of the chaise, rejoicing at the
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  Speaker 1: sight of each other. Mrs Collins welcomed her friend with
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  Speaker 1: the liveliest pleasure. and Elizabeth was more and more satisfied
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  Speaker 1: with coming, when she found herself so affectionately received. She
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  Speaker 1: saw instantly that her cousin's manners were not altered by
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  Speaker 1: his marriage. His formal civility was just what it had been,
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  Speaker 1: and he detained her some minutes at the gate to
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  Speaker 1: hear and satisfy his inquiries after all her family. They
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  Speaker 1: were then with no other delay than his pointing out
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  Speaker 1: the neatness of the entrance, taken into the house. And
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  Speaker 1: as soon as they were in the parlour, he welcomed
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  Speaker 1: them a second time, with ostentatious formality, to his humble abode,
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  Speaker 1: and punctually repeated all his wife's offers of refreshment. Elizabeth
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  Speaker 1: was prepared to see him in his glory, and she
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  Speaker 1: could not help fancying that, in displaying the good proportion
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  Speaker 1: of the room its aspect and its furniture. He addressed
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  Speaker 1: himself particularly to her, as if wishing to make her
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  Speaker 1: feel what she had lost in refusing him. But though
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  Speaker 1: everything seemed neat and comfortable, she was not able to
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  Speaker 1: gratify him by any sigh of repentance, and rather looked
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  Speaker 1: with wonder at her friend, that she could have so
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  Speaker 1: cheerful an air with such a companion. When Mr Collins
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  Speaker 1: said anything of which his wife might reasonably be ashamed,
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  Speaker 1: which certainly was not seldom, she involuntarily turned her eye
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  Speaker 1: on Charlotte. Once or twice she could discern a faint blush,
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  Speaker 1: but in general Charlotte wisely did not hear. After sitting
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  Speaker 1: long enough to admire every article of furniture in the room,
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  Speaker 1: from the sideboard to the fender... To give an account
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  Speaker 1: of their journey, and of all that had happened in London,
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  Speaker 1: Mr Collins invited them to take a stroll in the garden,
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  Speaker 1: which was large and well laid out, and to the
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  Speaker 1: cultivation of which he attended himself. To work in his
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  Speaker 1: garden was one of his most respectable pleasures, and Elizabeth
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  Speaker 1: admired the command of countenance, with which Charlotte talked of
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  Speaker 1: the healthfulness of the exercise, and owned she encouraged it
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  Speaker 1: as much as possible. Here, leading the way through every
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  Speaker 1: walk and crosswalk, and scarcely allowing them an interval to
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  Speaker 1: utter the praises he asked for, every view was pointed
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  Speaker 1: out with a minuteness which left beauty entirely behind. He
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  Speaker 1: could number the fields in every direction, and could tell
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  Speaker 1: how many trees there were in the most distant clump.
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  Speaker 1: But of all the views which his garden, or which
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  Speaker 1: the country or the kingdom could boast, none were to
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  Speaker 1: be compared with the prospect of rosings, afforded by an
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  Speaker 1: opening in the trees that bordered the park nearly opposite
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  Speaker 1: the front of his house. It was a handsome modern building,
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  Speaker 1: well situated on rising ground. From his garden, Mr Collins
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  Speaker 1: would have led them round his two meadows. But the ladies,
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  Speaker 1: not having shoes to encounter the remains of a white frost,
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  Speaker 1: turned back. And while Sir William accompanied him, Charlotte took
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  Speaker 1: her sister and friend over the house, extremely well pleased, probably,
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  Speaker 1: to have the opportunity of showing it without her husband's help.
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  Speaker 1: It was rather small. but well-built and convenient, and everything
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  Speaker 1: was fitted up and arranged with a neatness and consistency,
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  Speaker 1: of which Elizabeth gave Charlotte all the credit. When Mr.
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  Speaker 1: Collins could be forgotten, there was really a great air
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  Speaker 1: of comfort throughout, and by Charlotte's evident enjoyment of it,
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  Speaker 1: Elizabeth supposed he must be often forgotten. she had already
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  Speaker 1: learned that Lady Catherine was still in the country. It
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  Speaker 1: was spoken of again while they were at dinner, when
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  Speaker 1: Mr Collins, joining in, observed, Yes, Miss Elizabeth, you will
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  Speaker 1: have the honour of seeing Lady Catherine de Bourgh on
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  Speaker 1: the ensuing Sunday at church, and I need not say
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  Speaker 1: you will be delighted with her. She is all affability
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  Speaker 1: and condescension, and I doubt not but you will be
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  Speaker 1: honoured with some portion of her notice when service is over.
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  Speaker 1: I have scarcely any hesitation in saying that she will
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  Speaker 1: include you and my sister Maria in every invitation with
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  Speaker 1: which she honours us during your stay here. Her behaviour
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  Speaker 1: to my dear Charlotte is charming. We dine at Rosings
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  Speaker 1: twice every week and are never allowed to walk home,
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  Speaker 1: Her ladyship's carriage is regularly ordered for us. I should say,
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  Speaker 1: one of her ladyship's carriages, for she has several. Lady
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  Speaker 1: Catherine is a very respectable, sensible woman indeed, added Charlotte,
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  Speaker 1: and a most attentive neighbour. Very true, my dear. That
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  Speaker 1: is exactly what I say. She is the sort of
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  Speaker 1: woman whom one cannot regard with too much deference. The
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  Speaker 1: evening was spent chiefly in talking over Hertfordshire news, and
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  Speaker 1: telling again what had been already written. And when it closed, Elizabeth,
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  Speaker 1: in the solitude of her chamber, had to meditate upon
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  Speaker 1: Charlotte's degree of contentment, to understand her address in guiding,
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  Speaker 1: and composure in bearing with her husband, and to acknowledge
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  Speaker 1: that it was all done very well. She had also
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  Speaker 1: to anticipate how her visit would pass, the quiet tenure
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  Speaker 1: of their usual employments, the vexatious interruptions of Mr Collins,
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  Speaker 1: and the gaieties of their intercourse with Rosings. A lively
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  Speaker 1: imagination soon settled it all. About the middle of the
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  Speaker 1: next day, as she was in her room getting ready
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  Speaker 1: for a walk, A sudden noise below seemed to speak
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  Speaker 1: the whole house in confusion, and after listening a moment,
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  Speaker 1: she heard somebody running upstairs in a violent hurry and
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  Speaker 1: calling loudly after her. She opened the door and met
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  Speaker 1: Maria in the landing place who, breathless with agitation, cried out, Oh,
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  Speaker 1: my dear Eliza, pray make haste and come into the
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  Speaker 1: dining room, for there is such a sight to be seen.
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  Speaker 1: I will not tell you what it is. Make haste
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  Speaker 1: and come down this moment. Elizabeth asked questions in vain.
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  Speaker 1: Maria would tell her nothing more. And down they ran
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  Speaker 1: into the dining room which fronted the lane in quest
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  Speaker 1: of this wonder. It was two ladies, stopping in a
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  Speaker 1: low phaeton at the garden gate. And is this all?
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  Speaker 1: cried Elizabeth. I expected at least that the pigs were
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  Speaker 1: got into the garden. and here is nothing but Lady
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  Speaker 1: Catherine and her daughter. La, my dear, said Maria, quite
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  Speaker 1: shocked at the mistake. It is not Lady Catherine. The
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  Speaker 1: old lady is Mrs. Jenkinson, who lives with them. The
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  Speaker 1: other is Miss de Bourgh. Only look at her. She
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  Speaker 1: is quite a little creature. Who would have thought she
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  Speaker 1: could be so thin and small? She is abominably rude
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  Speaker 1: to keep Charlotte out of doors in all this wind.
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  Speaker 1: Why does she not come in? Oh, Charlotte says she
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  Speaker 1: hardly ever does. It is the greatest of favours when Mr.
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  Speaker 1: Boar comes in. I like her appearance, said Elizabeth, struck
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  Speaker 1: with other ideas. She looks sickly and cross. Yes, she
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  Speaker 1: will do for him very well. She will make him
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  Speaker 1: a very proper wife. Mr. Collins and Charlotte were both
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  Speaker 1: standing at the gate in conversation with the ladies. and
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  Speaker 1: Sir William, to Elizabeth's high diversion, was stationed in the doorway,
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  Speaker 1: in earnest contemplation of the greatness before him, and constantly
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  Speaker 1: bowing whenever Mr. Bourg looked that way. At length there
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  Speaker 1: was nothing more to be said. The ladies drove on,
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  Speaker 1: and the others returned into the house. Mr. Collins no
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  Speaker 1: sooner saw the two girls than he began to congratulate them,
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  Speaker 1: on their good fortune, which Charlotte explained by letting them
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  Speaker 1: know that the whole party was asked to dine at
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  Speaker 1: Rosings the next day.