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Chapter III · Pride and Prejudice | Audiobook

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  Speaker 1: Chapter 3 Not all that Mrs. Bennet, however, with the
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  Speaker 1: assistance of her five daughters, could ask on the subject,
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  Speaker 1: was sufficient to draw from her husband any satisfactory description
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  Speaker 1: of Mr. Bingley. They attacked him in various ways, with
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  Speaker 1: barefaced questions, ingenious suppositions, and distant surmises, but he eluded
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  Speaker 1: the skill of them all. and they were at last
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  Speaker 1: obliged to accept the second-hand intelligence of their neighbour, Lady Lucas.
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  Speaker 1: Her report was highly favourable. Sir William had been delighted
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  Speaker 1: with him. He was quite young, wonderfully handsome, extremely agreeable, and,
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  Speaker 1: to crown the whole, he meant to be at the
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  Speaker 1: next assembly with a large party. Nothing could be more delightful.
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  Speaker 1: To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards
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  Speaker 1: falling in love, and very lively hopes of Mr Bingley's
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  Speaker 1: heart were entertained. If I can but see one of
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  Speaker 1: my daughters happily settled at Netherfield, said Mrs Bennet to
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  Speaker 1: her husband, and all the others equally well married, I
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  Speaker 1: shall have nothing to wish for. In a few days... Mr.
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  Speaker 1: Bingley returned Mr. Bennet's visit and sat about ten minutes
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  Speaker 1: with him in his library. He had entertained hopes of
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  Speaker 1: being admitted to a site of the young ladies, of
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  Speaker 1: whose beauty he had heard much, but he saw only
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  Speaker 1: the father. The ladies were somewhat more fortunate, for they
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  Speaker 1: had the advantage of ascertaining, from an upper window, that
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  Speaker 1: he wore a blue coat and and rode a black horse.
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  Speaker 1: An invitation to dinner was soon afterwards dispatched, and already
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  Speaker 1: had Mrs Bennet planned the courses that were to do
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  Speaker 1: credit to her housekeeping, when an answer arrived which deferred
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  Speaker 1: it all. Mr Bingley was obliged to be in town
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  Speaker 1: the following day, and consequently unable to accept the honour
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  Speaker 1: of their invitation, etc. Mrs. Bennet was quite disconcerted. She
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  Speaker 1: could not imagine what business he could have in town
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  Speaker 1: so soon after his arrival in Hertfordshire, and she began
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  Speaker 1: to fear that he might always be flying about from
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  Speaker 1: one place to another, and never settled at Netherfield as
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  Speaker 1: he ought to be. Lady Lucas quieted her fears a
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  Speaker 1: little by starting the idea of his being gone to London.
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  Speaker 1: only to get a large party for the ball. And
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  Speaker 1: a report soon followed that Mr Bingley was to bring
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  Speaker 1: twelve ladies and seven gentlemen with him to the assembly.
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  Speaker 1: The girls grieved over such a number of ladies, but
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  Speaker 1: were comforted the day before the ball by hearing that,
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  Speaker 1: instead of twelve, he had brought only six with him,
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  Speaker 1: from London, his five sisters and a cousin. and when
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  Speaker 1: the party entered the assembly room, it consisted of only
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  Speaker 1: five altogether. Mr Bingley, his two sisters, the husband of
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  Speaker 1: the eldest, and another young man. Mr Bingley was good-looking
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  Speaker 1: and gentleman-like. He had a pleasant countenance and easy, unaffected manners.
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  Speaker 1: His sisters were fine women, with an air of decided fashion.
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  Speaker 1: His brother-in-law, Mr Hurst, merely looked the gentleman, but his
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  Speaker 1: friend Mr Darcy soon drew the attention of the room
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  Speaker 1: by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien, and
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  Speaker 1: the report, which was in general circulation within five minutes
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  Speaker 1: after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year.
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  Speaker 1: The gentleman pronounced him to be a fine figure of
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  Speaker 1: a man. The ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley,
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  Speaker 1: and he was looked at with great admiration for about
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  Speaker 1: half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which
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  Speaker 1: turned the tide of his popularity, for he was discovered
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  Speaker 1: to be proud, to be above his company, and above
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  Speaker 1: being pleased. And not all his large estate in Derbyshire
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  Speaker 1: could save him from having a most forbidding disagreeable countenance
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  Speaker 1: and being unworthy to be compared with his friend. Mr
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  Speaker 1: Bingley had soon made himself acquainted with all the principal
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  Speaker 1: people in the room. He was lively and unreserved, danced
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  Speaker 1: every dance, was angry that the ball closed so early
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  Speaker 1: and talked of giving one himself at Netherfield. Such amiable
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  Speaker 1: qualities must speak for themselves. What a contrast between him
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  Speaker 1: and his friend. Mr Darcy danced only once with Mrs
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  Speaker 1: Hurst and once with Miss Bingley, declined being introduced to
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  Speaker 1: any other lady, and spent the rest of the evening
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  Speaker 1: in walking about the room, speaking occasionally to one of
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  Speaker 1: his own party. His character was decided. He was the proudest,
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  Speaker 1: most disagreeable man in the world, and everybody hoped that
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  Speaker 1: he would never come there again. Amongst the most violent
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  Speaker 1: against him was Mrs Bennet, whose dislike of his general
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  Speaker 1: behaviour was sharpened into particular resentment by his having slighted
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  Speaker 1: one of her daughters. Elizabeth Bennet had been obliged, by
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  Speaker 1: the scarcity of gentlemen, to sit down for two dances.
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  Speaker 1: and during part of that time, Mr Darcy had been
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  Speaker 1: standing near enough for her to overhear a conversation between
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  Speaker 1: him and Mr Bingley, who came from the dance for
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  Speaker 1: a few minutes to press his friend to join it.' Come, Darcy,'
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  Speaker 1: said he.' I must have you dance.' I hate to
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  Speaker 1: see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner.'
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  Speaker 1: You had much better dance.' I certainly shall not. You
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  Speaker 1: know how I detest it, unless I am particularly acquainted
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  Speaker 1: with my partner. At such an assembly as this, it
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  Speaker 1: would be insupportable. Your sisters are engaged, and there is
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  Speaker 1: not another woman in the room whom it would not
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  Speaker 1: be a punishment to me to stand up with. I
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  Speaker 1: would not be so fastidious as you are, cried Bingley,
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  Speaker 1: for a kingdom. Upon my honour, I never met with
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  Speaker 1: so many pleasant girls in my life as I have
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  Speaker 1: this evening. And there are several of them, you see.
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  Speaker 1: Uncommonly pretty. You are dancing with the only handsome girl
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  Speaker 1: in the room, said Mr Darcy, looking at the eldest
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  Speaker 1: Miss Bennet. Oh, she is the most beautiful creature I
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  Speaker 1: ever beheld. But there is one of her sisters sitting
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  Speaker 1: down just behind you. who is very pretty, and I
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  Speaker 1: dare say very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner
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  Speaker 1: to introduce you.'' Which do you mean?' And turning round,
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  Speaker 1: he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till, catching her eye,
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  Speaker 1: he withdrew his own and coldly said,' She is tolerable,
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  Speaker 1: but not handsome enough to tempt me, and I am
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  Speaker 1: in no humour at present,' to give consequence to young
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  Speaker 1: ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better
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  Speaker 1: return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you
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  Speaker 1: are wasting your time with me. Mr Bingley followed his advice.
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  Speaker 1: Mr Darcy walked off, and Elizabeth remained with no very
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  Speaker 1: cordial feelings towards him. She told the story, however, with
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  Speaker 1: great spirit among her friends. for she had a lively,
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  Speaker 1: playful disposition which delighted in anything ridiculous. The evening altogether
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  Speaker 1: passed off pleasantly to the whole family. Mrs Bennet had
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  Speaker 1: seen her eldest daughter much admired by the Netherfield party.
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  Speaker 1: Mr Bingley had danced with her twice, and she had
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  Speaker 1: been distinguished by his sisters. Jane was as much gratified
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  Speaker 1: by this as her mother could be, though in a
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  Speaker 1: quieter way. Elizabeth felt Jane's pleasure. Mary had heard herself
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  Speaker 1: mentioned to Miss Bingley as the most accomplished girl in
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  Speaker 1: the neighbourhood, and Catherine and Lydia had been fortunate enough
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  Speaker 1: to be never without partners, which was all that they
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  Speaker 1: had yet learnt to care for at a ball. They returned, therefore,
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  Speaker 1: in good spirits, to Longbourn. the village where they lived,
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  Speaker 1: and of which they were the principal inhabitants. They found Mr.
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  Speaker 1: Bennet still up. With a book, he was regardless of time.
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  Speaker 1: And on the present occasion, he had a good deal
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  Speaker 1: of curiosity as to the event of an evening which
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  Speaker 1: had raised such splendid expectations. He had rather hoped that
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  Speaker 1: all his wife's views on the stranger would be disappointed,
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  Speaker 1: but he soon found that he had a very different
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  Speaker 1: story to hear.' Oh, my dear Mr. Bennet,' as she
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  Speaker 1: entered the room, We have had a most delightful evening,
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  Speaker 1: a most excellent ball. I wish you had been there.
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  Speaker 1: Jane was so admired, nothing could be like it. Everybody
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  Speaker 1: said how well she looked, and Mr Bingley thought her
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  Speaker 1: quite beautiful, and danced with her twice. Only think of that,
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  Speaker 1: my dear. He actually danced with her twice, and she
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  Speaker 1: was the only creature in the room that he asked
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  Speaker 1: a second time. First of all, he asked Miss Lucas.
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  Speaker 1: I was so vexed to see him stand up with her, but, however,
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  Speaker 1: he did not admire her at all. Indeed, nobody can,
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  Speaker 1: you know, and he seemed quite struck with Jane as
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  Speaker 1: she was going down the dance. So he inquired who
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  Speaker 1: she was, and got introduced, and asked her for the
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  Speaker 1: two next. Then, the two-third, he danced with Miss King,
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  Speaker 1: and the two-fourth with Maria Lucas, and the two-fifth with
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  Speaker 1: Jane again, and the two-sixth with Lizzie and the boulanger.
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  Speaker 1: If he had had any compassion for me, cried her
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  Speaker 1: husband impatiently, he would not have danced half so much.
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  Speaker 1: For God's sake, say no more of his partners. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: that he had sprained his ankle in the first dance. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: my dear, continued Mrs. Bennet. I am quite delighted with him.
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  Speaker 1: He is so excessively handsome, and his sisters are charming women.
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  Speaker 1: I never in my life saw anything more elegant than
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  Speaker 1: their dresses. I dare say the lace upon Mrs. Hurst's gown.
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  Speaker 1: Here she was interrupted again. Mr. Bennet protested against any
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  Speaker 1: description of finery. She was therefore obliged to seek another
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  Speaker 1: branch of the subject, and related, with much bitterness of spirit,
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  Speaker 1: and some exaggeration, the shocking rudeness of Mr. Darcy. But
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  Speaker 1: I can assure you, she added, that Lizzie does not
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  Speaker 1: lose much by not suiting his fancy, for he is
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  Speaker 1: a most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing.
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  Speaker 1: So high and so conceited, that there was no enduring him.
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  Speaker 1: He walked here and he walked there, fancying himself so
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  Speaker 1: very great, not handsome enough to dance with. I wish
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  Speaker 1: you had been there, my dear, to have given him
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  Speaker 1: one of your set-downs. I quite detest the man.