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Chapter VII · Pride and Prejudice | Audiobook

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  Speaker 1: Chapter 7 Mr. Bennet's property consisted almost entirely in an
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  Speaker 1: estate of two thousand a year, which, unfortunately for his daughters,
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  Speaker 1: was entailed, in default of heirs' mail, on a distant relation,
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  Speaker 1: and their mother's fortune, though ample for her situation in life,
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  Speaker 1: could but ill supply the deficiency of his. Her father
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  Speaker 1: had been an attorney in Meryton, and had left her
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  Speaker 1: four thousand pounds. She had a sister, married to a
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  Speaker 1: Mr Phillips, who had been a clerk to their father
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  Speaker 1: and succeeded him in the business, and a brother settled
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  Speaker 1: in London in a respectable line of trade. The village
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  Speaker 1: of Longbourn was only one mile from Meryton, a most
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  Speaker 1: convenient distance for the young ladies. who were usually tempted
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  Speaker 1: thither three or four times a week to pay their
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  Speaker 1: duty to their aunt and to a milliner's shop just
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  Speaker 1: over the way. The two youngest of the family, Catherine
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  Speaker 1: and Lydia, were particularly frequent in these attentions. Their minds
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  Speaker 1: were more vacant than their sisters, and when nothing better offered,
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  Speaker 1: a walk to Meryton was necessary to amuse their morning hours.
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  Speaker 1: and furnish conversation for the evening. And, however bare of
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  Speaker 1: news the country in general might be, they always contrived
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  Speaker 1: to learn some from their aunt. At present, indeed, they
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  Speaker 1: were well supplied both with news and happiness by the
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  Speaker 1: recent arrival of a militia regiment in the neighbourhood. It
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  Speaker 1: was to remain the whole winter, and Meryton was the headquarters.
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  Speaker 1: Their visits to Mrs Phillips were now productive of the
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  Speaker 1: most interesting intelligence. Every day added something to their knowledge
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  Speaker 1: of the officers' names and connections. Their lodgings were not
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  Speaker 1: long a secret, and at length they began to know
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  Speaker 1: the officers themselves. Mr Phillips visited them all, and this
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  Speaker 1: opened to his nieces a source of felicity unknown before.
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  Speaker 1: they could talk of nothing but officers. And Mr Bingley's
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  Speaker 1: large fortune, the mention of which gave animation to their mother,
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  Speaker 1: was worthless in their eyes, when opposed to the regimentals
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  Speaker 1: of an ensign. After listening one morning to their effusions
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  Speaker 1: on this subject, Mr Bennet coolly observed,' From all that
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  Speaker 1: I can collect by your manner of talking,' You must
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  Speaker 1: be two of the silliest girls in the country. I
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  Speaker 1: have suspected it some time, but I am now convinced.
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  Speaker 1: Catherine was disconcerted and made no answer, but Lydia, with
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  Speaker 1: perfect indifference, continued to express her admiration of Captain Carter
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  Speaker 1: and her hope of seeing him in the course of
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  Speaker 1: the day as he was going the next morning to London.
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  Speaker 1: I am astonished, my dear. said Mrs. Bennet, that you
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  Speaker 1: should be so ready to think your own children silly.
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  Speaker 1: If I wish to think slightingly of anybody's children, it
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  Speaker 1: should not be of my own, however. If my children
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  Speaker 1: are silly, I must hope to be always sensible of it. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: but as it happens, they are all of them very clever.
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  Speaker 1: This is the only point I flatter myself. on which
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  Speaker 1: we do not agree. I had hoped that our sentiments
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  Speaker 1: coincided in every particular, but I must so far differ
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  Speaker 1: from you as to think our two youngest daughters uncommonly foolish.
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  Speaker 1: My dear Mr. Bennet, you must not expect such girls
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  Speaker 1: to have the sense of their father and mother. When
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  Speaker 1: they get to our age, I dare say they will
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  Speaker 1: not think about officers any more than we do, I
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  Speaker 1: remember the time when I liked a red coat myself
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  Speaker 1: very well, and indeed, so I do still at my heart.
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  Speaker 1: And if a smart young colonel, with five or six
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  Speaker 1: thousand a year, should want one of my girls, I
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  Speaker 1: shall not say nay to him. And I thought Colonel
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  Speaker 1: Forster looked very becoming the other night at Sir Williams
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  Speaker 1: in his regimentals. Mama, cried Lydia. My aunt says that
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  Speaker 1: Colonel Forster and Captain Carter do not go so often
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  Speaker 1: to Miss Watson's as they did when they first came.
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  Speaker 1: She sees them now very often standing in Clark's library.
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  Speaker 1: Mrs Bennet was prevented replying by the entrance of the
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  Speaker 1: footman with a note for Miss Bennet. It came from Netherfield,
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  Speaker 1: and the servant waited for an answer. Mrs Bennet's eyes
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  Speaker 1: sparkled with pleasure. and she was eagerly calling out, while
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  Speaker 1: her daughter read, Well, Jane, who is it from? What
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  Speaker 1: is it about? What does he say? Well, Jane, make
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  Speaker 1: haste and tell us. Make haste, my love. It is
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  Speaker 1: from Miss Bingley, said Jane, and then read it aloud.
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  Speaker 1: My dear friend, if you are not so compassionate as
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  Speaker 1: to dine today with Louisa and me, We shall be
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  Speaker 1: in danger of hating each other for the rest of
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  Speaker 1: our lives. For a whole day's tête-à-tête between two women
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  Speaker 1: can never end without a quarrel. Come as soon as
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  Speaker 1: you can on the receipt of this. My brother and
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  Speaker 1: the gentleman are to dine with the officers. Yours ever,
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  Speaker 1: Caroline Bingley. With the officers? cried Lydia. I wonder my
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  Speaker 1: aunt did not tell us of that. Dining out. said Mrs. Bennet.
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  Speaker 1: That is very unlucky. Can I have the carriage? said Jane. No,
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  Speaker 1: my dear, you had better go on horseback, because it
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  Speaker 1: seems likely to rain, and then you must stay all night.
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  Speaker 1: That would be a good scheme, said Elizabeth, if you
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  Speaker 1: were sure that they would not offer to send her home. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: but the gentleman will have Mr Bingley's chaise to go
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  Speaker 1: to Meryton, and the Hursts have no horses to theirs.
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  Speaker 1: I had much rather go in the coach. But, my dear,
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  Speaker 1: your father cannot spare the horses, I am sure. They
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  Speaker 1: are wanted in the farm, Mr Bennet, are not they?
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  Speaker 1: They are wanted in the farm much oftener than I
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  Speaker 1: can get them. But if you have got them to-day...
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  Speaker 1: said Elizabeth. My mother's purpose will be answered. She did
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  Speaker 1: at last extort from her father an acknowledgement that the
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  Speaker 1: horses were engaged. Jane was therefore obliged to go on horseback,
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  Speaker 1: and her mother attended her to the door with many
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  Speaker 1: cheerful prognostics of a bad day. Her hopes were answered.
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  Speaker 1: Jane had not been gone long before it rained hard.
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  Speaker 1: Her sisters were uneasy for her, but her mother was delighted.
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  Speaker 1: The rain continued the whole evening without intermission. Jane certainly
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  Speaker 1: could not come back. This was a lucky idea of
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  Speaker 1: mine indeed, said Mrs. Bennet, more than once, as if
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  Speaker 1: the credit of making it rain were all her own.
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  Speaker 1: Till the next morning, however, she was not aware of
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  Speaker 1: all the felicity of her contrivance. Breakfast was scarcely over
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  Speaker 1: when a servant from Netherfield brought the following note for Elizabeth.'
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  Speaker 1: My dearest Lizzy, I find myself very unwell this morning, which,
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  Speaker 1: I suppose, is to be imputed to my getting wet
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  Speaker 1: through yesterday. My kind friends will not hear of my
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  Speaker 1: returning home till I am better. They insist also on
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  Speaker 1: my seeing Mr. Jones. Therefore—' Do not be alarmed if
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  Speaker 1: you should hear of his having been to me. And,
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  Speaker 1: excepting a sore throat and a headache, there is not
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  Speaker 1: much the matter with me. Yours, etc. Well, my dear,
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  Speaker 1: said Mr. Bennet, when Elizabeth had read the note aloud,
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  Speaker 1: if your daughter should have a dangerous fit of illness,
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  Speaker 1: if she should die, it would be a comfort to
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  Speaker 1: know that it was all in pursuit of Mr. Bingley,
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  Speaker 1: and under your orders. Oh, I am not at all
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  Speaker 1: afraid of her dying. People do not die of little
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  Speaker 1: trifling colds. She will be taken good care of. As
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  Speaker 1: long as she stays there, it is all very well.
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  Speaker 1: I would go and see her if I could have
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  Speaker 1: the carriage. Elizabeth, feeling really anxious, determined to go to her,
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  Speaker 1: Though the carriage was not to be had, and as
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  Speaker 1: she was no horsewoman, walking was her only alternative. She
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  Speaker 1: declared her resolution. How can you be so silly, cried
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  Speaker 1: her mother, as to think of such a thing in
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  Speaker 1: all this dirt? You will not be fit to be
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  Speaker 1: seen when you get there. I shall be very fit
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  Speaker 1: to see Jane, which is all I want. Is this
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  Speaker 1: a hint to me, Lizzie? said her father. To send
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  Speaker 1: for the horses? No, indeed. I do not wish to
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  Speaker 1: avoid the walk. The distance is nothing when one has
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  Speaker 1: a motive. Only three miles. I shall be back by dinner.
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  Speaker 1: I admire the activity of your benevolence, observed Mary, but
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  Speaker 1: every impulse of feeling should be guided by reason, and
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  Speaker 1: in my opinion, exertion should always be in proportion to
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  Speaker 1: what is required. We will go as far as Meryton
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  Speaker 1: with you, said Catherine and Lydia. Elizabeth accepted their company,
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  Speaker 1: and the three young ladies set off together. If we
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  Speaker 1: make haste, said Lydia as they walked along, perhaps we
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  Speaker 1: may see something of Captain Carter before he goes. In
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  Speaker 1: Meryton they parted, the two youngest repaired to the lodgings
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  Speaker 1: of one of the officer's wives, and Elizabeth continued her
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  Speaker 1: walk alone, crossing field after field at a quick pace,
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  Speaker 1: jumping over stiles and springing over puddles, with impatient activity,
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  Speaker 1: and finding herself at last within view of the house,
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  Speaker 1: with weary uncles, dirty stockings, and a face glowing with
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  Speaker 1: the warmth of exercise. She was shown into the breakfast parlour,
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  Speaker 1: where all but Jane were assembled, and where her appearance
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  Speaker 1: created a great deal of surprise, that she should have
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  Speaker 1: walked three miles so early in the day in such
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  Speaker 1: dirty weather, and by herself. was almost incredible to Mrs
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  Speaker 1: Hurst and Miss Bingley, and Elizabeth was convinced that they
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  Speaker 1: held her in contempt for it. She was received, however,
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  Speaker 1: very politely by them, and in their brother's manners there
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  Speaker 1: was something better than politeness. There was good humour and kindness.
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  Speaker 1: Mr Darcy said very little, and Mr Hurst nothing at all.
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  Speaker 1: The former was divided between admiration of the brilliancy which
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  Speaker 1: exercise had given to her complexion, and doubt as to
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  Speaker 1: the occasions justifying her coming so far alone. The latter
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  Speaker 1: was thinking only of his breakfast. Her inquiries after her
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  Speaker 1: sister were not very favourably answered. Miss Bennet had slept ill,
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  Speaker 1: and though up, was very feverish. and not well enough
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  Speaker 1: to leave her room. Elizabeth was glad to be taken
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  Speaker 1: to her immediately, and Jane, who had only been withheld
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  Speaker 1: by the fear of giving alarm or inconvenience, from expressing
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  Speaker 1: in her note how much she longed for such a visit,
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  Speaker 1: was delighted at her entrance. She was not equal, however,
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  Speaker 1: to much conversation, and when Miss Bingley left them together,
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  Speaker 1: could attempt little beside expressions of gratitude for the extraordinary
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  Speaker 1: kindness she was treated with. Elizabeth silently attended her. When
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  Speaker 1: breakfast was over, they were joined by the sisters, and
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  Speaker 1: Elizabeth began to like them herself when she saw how
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  Speaker 1: much affection and solicitude they showed for Jane. The apothecary came,
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  Speaker 1: and having examined his patient, said, as might be supposed,
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  Speaker 1: that she had caught a violent cold and that they
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  Speaker 1: must endeavour to get the better of it, advised her
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  Speaker 1: to return to bed and promised her some draughts. The
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  Speaker 1: advice was followed readily, for the feverish symptoms increased and
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  Speaker 1: her head ached acutely. Elizabeth did not quit her room
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  Speaker 1: for a moment, nor were the other ladies often absent,
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  Speaker 1: the gentlemen being out, they had in fact nothing to
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  Speaker 1: do elsewhere. When the clock struck three, Elizabeth felt that
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  Speaker 1: she must go, and very unwillingly said so. Miss Bingley
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  Speaker 1: offered her the carriage, and she only wanted a little
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  Speaker 1: pressing to accept it. When Jane testified such concern at
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  Speaker 1: parting with her, that Miss Bingley was obliged to convert
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  Speaker 1: the offer of the chaise into an invitation to to
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  Speaker 1: remain at Netherfield for the present. Elizabeth most thankfully consented,
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  Speaker 1: and a servant was dispatched to Longbourn to acquaint the
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  Speaker 1: family with her stay and bring back a supply of clothes.