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Chapter LI · Pride and Prejudice | Audiobook

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  Speaker 1: Chapter 51 Their sister's wedding day arrived, and Jane and
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  Speaker 1: Elizabeth felt for her probably more than she felt for herself.
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  Speaker 1: The carriage was sent to meet them, and they were
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  Speaker 1: to return in it by dinner time. Their arrival was
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  Speaker 1: dreaded by the elder Miss Bennets, and Jane more especially,
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  Speaker 1: who gave Lydia the feelings which would have attended herself
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  Speaker 1: had she been the culprit. and was wretched in the
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  Speaker 1: thought of what her sister must endure. They came. The
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  Speaker 1: family were assembled in the breakfast room to receive them.
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  Speaker 1: Smiles decked the face of Mrs Bennett as the carriage
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  Speaker 1: drove up to the door. Her husband looked impenetrably grave.
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  Speaker 1: Her daughters, alarmed, anxious, uneasy. Lydia's voice was heard in
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  Speaker 1: the vestibule. The door was thrown open, and she ran
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  Speaker 1: into the room. Her mother stepped forwards, embraced her, and
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  Speaker 1: welcomed her with rapture, gave her hand with an affectionate
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  Speaker 1: smile to Wickham, who followed his lady, and wished them
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  Speaker 1: both joy, with an alacrity which showed no doubt of
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  Speaker 1: their happiness. Their reception from Mr Bennett, to whom they
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  Speaker 1: then turned, was not quite so cordial. His countenance rather
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  Speaker 1: gained in austerity, and he scarcely opened his lips. The
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  Speaker 1: easy assurance of the young couple indeed was enough to
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  Speaker 1: provoke him. Elizabeth was disgusted, and even Miss Bennet was shocked.
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  Speaker 1: Lydia was Lydia still, untamed, unabashed, wild, noisy and fearless.
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  Speaker 1: She turned from sister to sister, demanding their congratulations, and
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  Speaker 1: when at length They all sat down, looked eagerly round
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  Speaker 1: the room, took notice of some little alteration in it,
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  Speaker 1: and observed with a laugh that it was a great
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  Speaker 1: while since she had been there. Wickham was not at
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  Speaker 1: all more distressed than herself, but his manners were always
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  Speaker 1: so pleasing that, had his character and his marriage been
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  Speaker 1: exactly what they ought— his smiles and his easy address,
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  Speaker 1: while he claimed their relationship, would have delighted them all.
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  Speaker 1: Elizabeth had not before believed him quite equal to such assurance,
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  Speaker 1: but she sat down, resolving within herself to draw no
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  Speaker 1: limits in future to the impudence of an impudent man.
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  Speaker 1: She blushed, and Jane blushed, but the cheeks of the
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  Speaker 1: two who caused their confusion were suffered no variation of colour.
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  Speaker 1: There was no want of discourse. The bride and her
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  Speaker 1: mother could neither of them talk fast enough, and Wickham,
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  Speaker 1: who happened to sit near Elizabeth, began inquiring after his
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  Speaker 1: acquaintance in that neighbourhood with a good-humoured ease which she
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  Speaker 1: felt very unable to equal in her replies. They seemed
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  Speaker 1: each of them to have the happiest memories in the world.
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  Speaker 1: Nothing of the past was recollected with pain, and Lydia
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  Speaker 1: led voluntarily to subjects which her sisters would not have
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  Speaker 1: alluded to for the world. Only think of its being
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  Speaker 1: three months, she cried, since I went away. It seems
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  Speaker 1: but a fortnight, I declare, and yet there have been
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  Speaker 1: things enough happened in the time. Good gracious! When I
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  Speaker 1: went away, I am sure I had no more idea
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  Speaker 1: of being married till I came back again, though I
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  Speaker 1: thought it would be very good fun if I was.
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  Speaker 1: Her father lifted up his eyes. Jane was distressed. Elizabeth
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  Speaker 1: looked expressively at Lydia, but she, who never heard nor
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  Speaker 1: saw anything of which she chose to be insensible, gaily continued. Oh, mamma!
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  Speaker 1: Do the people hereabouts know I am married today? I
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  Speaker 1: was afraid they might not, and we overtook William Goulding
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  Speaker 1: in his curricle, so I was determined he should know it,
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  Speaker 1: and so I let down the side glass next to him,
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  Speaker 1: and took off my glove and let my hand just
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  Speaker 1: rest upon the window frame, so that he might see
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  Speaker 1: the ring, and then I bowed and smiled like anything.
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  Speaker 1: Elizabeth could bear it no longer. She got up and
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  Speaker 1: ran out of the room and returned no more till
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  Speaker 1: she heard them passing through the hall to the dining parlour.
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  Speaker 1: She then joined them, soon enough to see Lydia, with
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  Speaker 1: anxious parade, walk up to her mother's right hand and
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  Speaker 1: hear her say to her eldest sister, Ah, Jane, I
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  Speaker 1: take your place now, and you must go lower. because
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  Speaker 1: I am a married woman. It was not to be
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  Speaker 1: supposed that time would give Lydia that embarrassment from which
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  Speaker 1: she had been so wholly free at first. Her ease
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  Speaker 1: and good spirits increased. She longed to see Mrs Phillips,
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  Speaker 1: the Lucases, and all their other neighbours, and to hear
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  Speaker 1: herself called Mrs Wickham by each of them. And in
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  Speaker 1: the meantime, she went after dinner to show her ring,
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  Speaker 1: and boast of being married to Mrs. Hill and the
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  Speaker 1: two housemaids. Well, Mama, said she, when they were all
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  Speaker 1: returned to the breakfast room. And what do you think
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  Speaker 1: of my husband? Is not he a charming man? I
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  Speaker 1: am sure my sisters must all envy me. I only
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  Speaker 1: hope they may have half my good luck. They must
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  Speaker 1: all go to Brighton. That is the place to get husbands.
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  Speaker 1: What a pity it is, Mama. We did not all go.
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  Speaker 1: Very true. And if I had my will, we should.
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  Speaker 1: But my dear Lydia, I don't at all like your
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  Speaker 1: going such a way off. Must it be so? Oh, Lord, yes.
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  Speaker 1: There is nothing in that. I shall like it of
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  Speaker 1: all things. You and Papa and my sisters must come
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  Speaker 1: down and see us. We shall be at Newcastle all
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  Speaker 1: the winter, and I dare say there will be some balls.
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  Speaker 1: and I will take care to get good partners for
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  Speaker 1: them all. I should like it beyond anything, said her mother.
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  Speaker 1: And then, when you go away, you may leave one
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  Speaker 1: or two of my sisters behind you, and I dare
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  Speaker 1: say I shall get husbands for them before the winter
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  Speaker 1: is over. I thank you for my share of the favour,
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  Speaker 1: said Elizabeth. but I do not particularly like your way
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  Speaker 1: of getting husbands. Their visitors were not to remain above
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  Speaker 1: ten days with them. Mr Wickham had received his commission
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  Speaker 1: before he left London, and he was to join his
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  Speaker 1: regiment at the end of a fortnight. No one but
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  Speaker 1: Mrs Bennet regretted that their stay would be so short.
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  Speaker 1: and she made the most of the time by visiting
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  Speaker 1: about with her daughter and having very frequent parties at home.
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  Speaker 1: These parties were acceptable to all. To avoid a family
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  Speaker 1: circle was even more desirable to such as did think
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  Speaker 1: than such as did not. Wickham's affection for Lydia was
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  Speaker 1: just what Elizabeth had expected to find it, not equal
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  Speaker 1: to Lydia's for him. She had scarcely needed her present
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  Speaker 1: observation to be satisfied, from the reason of things, that
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  Speaker 1: their elopement had been brought on by the strength of
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  Speaker 1: her love, rather than by his. And she would have
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  Speaker 1: wondered why, without violently caring for her, he chose to
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  Speaker 1: elope with her at all, had she not felt certain
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  Speaker 1: that his flight was rendered necessary by distress of circumstances.
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  Speaker 1: And if that were the case, He was not the
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  Speaker 1: young man to resist an opportunity of having a companion.
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  Speaker 1: Lydia was exceedingly fond of him. He was her dear
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  Speaker 1: Wickham on every occasion. No one was to be put
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  Speaker 1: in competition with him. He did everything best in the world,
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  Speaker 1: and she was sure he would kill more birds on
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  Speaker 1: the 1st of September than anybody else in the country.
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  Speaker 1: One morning... Soon after their arrival, as she was sitting
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  Speaker 1: with her two elder sisters, she said to Elizabeth, Lizzie,
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  Speaker 1: I never gave you an account of my wedding, I believe.
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  Speaker 1: You were not by when I told Mama and the
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  Speaker 1: others all about it. Are not you curious to hear
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  Speaker 1: how it was managed? No, really, replied Elizabeth. I think
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  Speaker 1: there cannot be too little said on the subject. La!
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  Speaker 1: You are so strange. But I must tell you how
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  Speaker 1: it went off. We were married, you know, at St Clement's,
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  Speaker 1: because Wickham's lodgings were in that parish, and it was
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  Speaker 1: settled that we should all be there by eleven o'clock.
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  Speaker 1: My uncle and aunt and I were to go together,
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  Speaker 1: and the others were to meet us at the church. Well,
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  Speaker 1: Monday morning came, and I was in such a fuss.
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  Speaker 1: I was so afraid, you know, that something would happen
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  Speaker 1: to put it off, and then I should have gone
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  Speaker 1: quite distracted. And there was my aunt. All the time
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  Speaker 1: I was dressing, preaching and talking away, just as if
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  Speaker 1: she was reading a sermon. However, I did not hear
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  Speaker 1: above one word in ten, for I was thinking, you
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  Speaker 1: may suppose, of my dear Wickham. I longed to know
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  Speaker 1: whether he would be married in his blue coat. Well,
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  Speaker 1: and so we breakfasted at ten as usual. I thought
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  Speaker 1: it would never be over. For, by the by, You
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  Speaker 1: are to understand that my uncle and aunt were horrid
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  Speaker 1: unpleasant all the time I was with them. If you'll
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  Speaker 1: believe me, I did not once put my foot out
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  Speaker 1: of doors, though I was there a fortnight. Not one
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  Speaker 1: party or scheme or anything. To be sure, London was
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  Speaker 1: rather thin, but however, the little theatre was open. Well,
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  Speaker 1: and so, just as the carriage came to the door...
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  Speaker 1: My uncle was called away upon business to that horrid man,
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  Speaker 1: Mr Stone. And then, you know, when once they get together,
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  Speaker 1: there is no end of it. Well, I was so
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  Speaker 1: frightened I did not know what to do, for my
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  Speaker 1: uncle was to give me away, and if we were
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  Speaker 1: beyond the hour we could not be married all day. But, luckily,
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  Speaker 1: he came back again in ten minutes' time, and then
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  Speaker 1: we all set out. However, I recollected afterwards that if
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  Speaker 1: he had been prevented going, the wedding need not be
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  Speaker 1: put off, for Mr. Darcy might have done as well. Mr. Darcy,
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  Speaker 1: repeated Elizabeth, in utter amazement. Oh yes, he was to
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  Speaker 1: come there with Wickham, you know. But gracious me, I
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  Speaker 1: quite forgot. I ought not to have said a word
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  Speaker 1: about it. I promised them so faithfully. What will Wickham say?
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  Speaker 1: It was to be such a secret. If it was
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  Speaker 1: to be a secret, said Jane, say not another word
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  Speaker 1: on the subject. You may depend upon my seeking no further. Oh, certainly,
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  Speaker 1: said Elizabeth, though burning with curiosity. We will ask you
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  Speaker 1: no questions. Thank you, said Lydia, for if you did,
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  Speaker 1: I should certainly tell you all. and then Wickham would
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  Speaker 1: be so angry. On such encouragement to ask, Elizabeth was
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  Speaker 1: forced to put it out of her power by running away.
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  Speaker 1: But to live in ignorance on such a point was impossible.
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  Speaker 1: Or at least, it was impossible not to try for information.
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  Speaker 1: Mr Darcy had been at her sister's wedding. It was
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  Speaker 1: exactly a scene, and exactly among people, where he had
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  Speaker 1: apparently least to do and least temptation to go. Conjectures
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  Speaker 1: as to the meaning of it, rapid and wild, hurried
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  Speaker 1: into her brain, but she was satisfied with none. Those
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  Speaker 1: that best pleased her, as placing his conduct in the
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  Speaker 1: noblest light, seemed most improbable. She could not bear such suspense,
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  Speaker 1: and hastily seizing a sheet of paper, wrote a short
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  Speaker 1: letter to her aunt, to request an explanation of what
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  Speaker 1: Lydia had dropped, if it were compatible with the secrecy
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  Speaker 1: which had been intended. You may readily comprehend, she added,
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  Speaker 1: what my curiosity must be, to know how a person
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  Speaker 1: unconnected with any of us, and, comparatively speaking, a stranger
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  Speaker 1: to our family, should have been amongst you at such
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  Speaker 1: a time. Pray write instantly. and let me understand it,
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  Speaker 1: unless it is, for very cogent reasons, to remain in
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  Speaker 1: the secrecy which Lydia seems to think necessary, and then
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  Speaker 1: I must endeavour to be satisfied with ignorance. Not that
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  Speaker 1: I shall, though, she added to herself, and she finished
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  Speaker 1: the letter. And my dear aunt, if you do not
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  Speaker 1: tell me in an honourable manner... I shall certainly be
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  Speaker 1: reduced to tricks and stratagems to find it out. Jane's
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  Speaker 1: delicate sense of honour would not allow her to speak
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  Speaker 1: to Elizabeth privately of what Lydia had let fall. Elizabeth
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  Speaker 1: was glad of it. Till it appeared, whether her inquiries
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  Speaker 1: would receive any satisfaction, she had rather be without a confidante.