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Chapter XXXVIII · Pride and Prejudice | Audiobook

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  Speaker 1: Chapter 38 On Saturday morning, Elizabeth and Mr. Collins met
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  Speaker 1: for breakfast a few minutes before the others appeared, and
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  Speaker 1: he took the opportunity of paying the parting civilities which
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  Speaker 1: he deemed indispensably necessary. I know not, Miss Elizabeth, said he,
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  Speaker 1: whether Mrs. Collins has yet expressed her sense of your
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  Speaker 1: kindness in coming to us. but I am very certain
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  Speaker 1: you will not leave the house without receiving her thanks
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  Speaker 1: for it. The favour of your company has been much felt,
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  Speaker 1: I assure you. We know how little there is to
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  Speaker 1: tempt anyone to our humble abode. Our plain manner of living,
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  Speaker 1: our small rooms and few domestics, and the little we
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  Speaker 1: see of the world, must make Hunsford extremely dull to
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  Speaker 1: a young lady like yourself. but I hope you will
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  Speaker 1: believe us grateful for the condescension, and that we have
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  Speaker 1: done everything in our power to prevent you spending your
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  Speaker 1: time unpleasantly. Elizabeth was eager with her thanks and assurances
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  Speaker 1: of happiness. She had spent six weeks with great enjoyment,
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  Speaker 1: and the pleasure of being with Charlotte, and the kind
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  Speaker 1: attention she had received, must make her feel the obliged.
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  Speaker 1: Mr Collins was gratified, and with a more smiling solemnity replied,
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  Speaker 1: It gives me the greatest pleasure to hear that you
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  Speaker 1: have passed your time not disagreeably. We have certainly done
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  Speaker 1: our best, and most fortunately having it in our power
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  Speaker 1: to introduce you to very superior society, and from our
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  Speaker 1: connection with Rosings, the frequent means of varying the humble
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  Speaker 1: home scene. I think we may flatter ourselves that your
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  Speaker 1: Hunsford visit cannot have been entirely irksome. Our situation with
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  Speaker 1: regard to Lady Catherine's family is, indeed, the sort of
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  Speaker 1: extraordinary advantage and blessing which few can boast. You see
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  Speaker 1: on what a footing we are. You see how continually
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  Speaker 1: we are engaged there. In truth, I must acknowledge. that
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  Speaker 1: with all the disadvantages of this humble parsonage, I should
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  Speaker 1: not think anyone abiding in it an object of compassion,
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  Speaker 1: while they are sharers of our intimacy at Rosings. Words
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  Speaker 1: were insufficient for the elevation of his feelings, and he
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  Speaker 1: was obliged to walk about the room, while Elizabeth tried
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  Speaker 1: to unite civility and truth in a few short sentences.
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  Speaker 1: You may, in fact, carry a very favourable report of
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  Speaker 1: us into Hertfordshire, my dear cousin. I flatter myself, at least,
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  Speaker 1: that you will be able to do so. Lady Catherine's
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  Speaker 1: great attentions to Mrs Collins you have been a daily
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  Speaker 1: witness of, and altogether I trust it does not appear
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  Speaker 1: that your friend has drawn an unfortunate, but on this
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  Speaker 1: point it will be as well to be silent. Only
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  Speaker 1: let me assure you, my dear Miss Elizabeth, that I
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  Speaker 1: can from my heart most cordially wish you equal felicity
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  Speaker 1: in marriage. My dear Charlotte and I have but one
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  Speaker 1: mind and one way of thinking. There is in everything
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  Speaker 1: a most remarkable resemblance of character and ideas between us.
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  Speaker 1: We seem to have been designed for each other. Elizabeth
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  Speaker 1: could safely say, that it was a great happiness where
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  Speaker 1: that was the case, and with equal sincerity could add
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  Speaker 1: that she firmly believed and rejoiced in his domestic comforts.
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  Speaker 1: She was not sorry, however, to have the recital of
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  Speaker 1: them interrupted by the entrance of the lady from whom
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  Speaker 1: they sprang. Poor Charlotte! It was melancholy to leave her
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  Speaker 1: to such society. But she had chosen it, with her
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  Speaker 1: eyes opened, and though evidently regretting that her visitors were
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  Speaker 1: to go, she did not seem to ask for compassion.
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  Speaker 1: Her home and her housekeeping, her parish and her poultry,
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  Speaker 1: and all their dependent concerns, had not yet lost their charms.
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  Speaker 1: At length the chaise arrived, the trunks were fastened on,
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  Speaker 1: the parcels placed within, and it was pronounced to be ready.
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  Speaker 1: After an affectionate parting between the friends, Elizabeth was attended
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  Speaker 1: to the carriage by Mr Collins, and as they walked
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  Speaker 1: down the garden, he was commissioning her with his best
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  Speaker 1: respects to all her family, not forgetting his thanks for
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  Speaker 1: the kindness he had received at Longbourn in the winter,
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  Speaker 1: and his compliments to Mr and Mrs Gardner, though unknown.
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  Speaker 1: He then handed her in, Maria followed, and the door
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  Speaker 1: was on the point of being closed, when he suddenly
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  Speaker 1: reminded them, with some consternation, that they had hitherto forgotten
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  Speaker 1: to leave any message for the ladies of Rosings. But,
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  Speaker 1: he added, you will of course wish to have your
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  Speaker 1: humble respects delivered to them, with your grateful thanks for
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  Speaker 1: their kindness to you while you have been here. Elizabeth
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  Speaker 1: made no objection. The door was then allowed to be shut,
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  Speaker 1: and the carriage drove off. Good gracious! cried Maria, after
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  Speaker 1: a few minutes' silence. It seems but a day or
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  Speaker 1: two since we first came, and yet, how many things
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  Speaker 1: have happened? A great many indeed, said her companion, with
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  Speaker 1: a sigh. We have dined nine times at Rosings, besides
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  Speaker 1: drinking tea there twice. How much I shall have to tell,
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  Speaker 1: Elizabeth privately added, and how much I shall have to conceal.
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  Speaker 1: Their journey was performed without much conversation or any alarm,
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  Speaker 1: and within four hours of their leaving Hunsford, they reached
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  Speaker 1: Mr Gardiner's house, where they were to remain a few days.
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  Speaker 1: Jane looked well, and Elizabeth had little opportunity of studying
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  Speaker 1: her spirits. amidst the various engagements which the kindness of
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  Speaker 1: her aunt had reserved for them. But Jane was to
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  Speaker 1: go home with her, and at Longbourn there would be
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  Speaker 1: leisure enough for observation. It was not without an effort, meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: that she could wait even for Longbourn, before she told
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  Speaker 1: her sister of Mr Darcy's proposals. to know that she
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  Speaker 1: had the power of revealing what would so exceedingly astonish Jane,
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  Speaker 1: and must at the same time so highly gratify whatever
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  Speaker 1: of her own vanity she had not yet been able
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  Speaker 1: to reason away, was such a temptation to openness as
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  Speaker 1: nothing could have conquered, but the state of indecision in
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  Speaker 1: which she remained as to the extent of what she
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  Speaker 1: should communicate, and her fear if she once entered on
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  Speaker 1: the subject, of being hurried into repeating something of Bingley
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  Speaker 1: which might only grieve her sister further.