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Chapter XXXVII · Pride and Prejudice | Audiobook

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  Speaker 1: Chapter 37 The two gentlemen left Rosings the next morning,
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  Speaker 1: and Mr Collins, having been in waiting near the lodges
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  Speaker 1: to make them his parting obeisance, was able to bring
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  Speaker 1: home the pleasing intelligence of their appearing in very good health,
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  Speaker 1: and in as tolerable spirits as could be expected, after
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  Speaker 1: the melancholy scene so lately gone through at Rosings. To
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  Speaker 1: Rosings he then hastened to console Lady Catherine and her daughter,
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  Speaker 1: and on his return brought back with great satisfaction a
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  Speaker 1: message from her ladyship, importing that she felt herself so
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  Speaker 1: dull as to make her very desirous of having them
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  Speaker 1: all to dine with her. Elizabeth could not see Lady
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  Speaker 1: Catherine without recollecting that, had she chosen it, she might
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  Speaker 1: by this time have been presented to her as her
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  Speaker 1: future niece. Nor could she think, without a smile, of
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  Speaker 1: what her ladyship's indignation would have been. What would she
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  Speaker 1: have said? How would she have behaved? Were the questions
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  Speaker 1: with which she amused herself. Their first subject was the
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  Speaker 1: diminution of the Rosings' party. I assure you, I feel
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  Speaker 1: it exceedingly, said Lady Catherine. I believe nobody feels the
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  Speaker 1: loss of friends so much as I do, but I
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  Speaker 1: am particularly attached to these young men, and know them
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  Speaker 1: to be so much attached to me. They were excessively
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  Speaker 1: sorry to go, but so they always are. The dear
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  Speaker 1: Colonel rallied his spirits tolerably till just at last, but
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  Speaker 1: Darcy seemed to feel it most acutely. More, I think,
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  Speaker 1: than last year, His attachment to Rosings certainly increases. Mr
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  Speaker 1: Collins had a compliment and an allusion to throw in here,
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  Speaker 1: which were kindly smiled on by the mother and daughter.
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  Speaker 1: Lady Catherine observed, after dinner, that Miss Bennet seemed out
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  Speaker 1: of spirits, and immediately accounting for it herself, by supposing
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  Speaker 1: that she did not like to go home again so soon,
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  Speaker 1: she added... But if that is the case, you must
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  Speaker 1: write to your mother to beg that you may stay
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  Speaker 1: a little longer. Mrs. Collins will be very glad of
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  Speaker 1: your company, I am sure. I am much obliged to
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  Speaker 1: your ladyship for your kind invitation, replied Elizabeth, but it
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  Speaker 1: is not in my power to accept it. I must
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  Speaker 1: be in town next Saturday. Why, at that rate? You
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  Speaker 1: will have been here only six weeks. I expected you
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  Speaker 1: to stay two months. I told Mrs. Collins so before
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  Speaker 1: you came. There can be no occasion for your going
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  Speaker 1: so soon. Mrs. Bennet could certainly spare you for another fortnight.
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  Speaker 1: But my father cannot. He wrote last week to hurry
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  Speaker 1: my return. Oh, your father of course may spare you
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  Speaker 1: if your mother can. Daughters are never of so much
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  Speaker 1: consequence to a father, and if you will stay another
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  Speaker 1: month complete, it will be in my power to take
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  Speaker 1: one of you as far as London, for I am
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  Speaker 1: going there early in June for a week, and as
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  Speaker 1: Dawson does not object to the barouche box, there will
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  Speaker 1: be very good room for one of you, and indeed,
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  Speaker 1: if the weather should happen to be cool, I should
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  Speaker 1: not object to taking you both. as you are neither
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  Speaker 1: of you large. You are all kindness, madam, but I
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  Speaker 1: believe we must abide by our original plan. Lady Catherine
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  Speaker 1: seemed resigned. Mrs. Collins, you must send a servant with them.
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  Speaker 1: You know I always speak my mind, and I cannot
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  Speaker 1: bear the idea of two young women travelling post by themselves.
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  Speaker 1: It is highly improper. You must contrive to send somebody.
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  Speaker 1: I have the greatest dislike in the world to that
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  Speaker 1: sort of thing. Young women should always be properly guarded
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  Speaker 1: and attended, according to their situation in life. When my
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  Speaker 1: niece Georgiana went to Ramsgate last summer, I made a
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  Speaker 1: point of her having two men servants go with her.
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  Speaker 1: Miss Darcy, the daughter of Mr Darcy of Pemberley, and
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  Speaker 1: Lady Anne... could not have appeared with propriety in a
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  Speaker 1: different manner. I am excessively attentive to all those things.
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  Speaker 1: You must send John with the young ladies, Mrs. Collins.
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  Speaker 1: I am glad it occurred to me to mention it,
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  Speaker 1: for it would really be discreditable to you to let
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  Speaker 1: them go alone. My uncle is to send a servant
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  Speaker 1: for us. Oh, your uncle? He keeps a man-servant, does he?
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  Speaker 1: I am very glad you have somebody who thinks of
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  Speaker 1: those things. Where shall you change horses? Oh, Bromley, of course.
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  Speaker 1: If you mention my name at the bell, you will
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  Speaker 1: be attended to. Lady Catherine had many other questions to
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  Speaker 1: ask respecting their journey, and as she did not answer
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  Speaker 1: them all herself, attention was necessary, which Elizabeth believed to
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  Speaker 1: be lucky for her. Or, With a mind so occupied,
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  Speaker 1: she might have forgotten where she was. Reflection must be
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  Speaker 1: reserved for solitary hours. Whenever she was alone, she gave
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  Speaker 1: way to it as the greatest relief, and not a
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  Speaker 1: day went by without a solitary walk in which she
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  Speaker 1: might indulge in all the delight of unpleasant recollections. Mr
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  Speaker 1: Darcy's letter she was in a fair way of soon
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  Speaker 1: knowing by heart. She studied every sentence, and her feelings
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  Speaker 1: towards its writer were at times widely different. When she
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  Speaker 1: remembered the style of his address, she was still full
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  Speaker 1: of indignation. But when she considered how unjustly she had
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  Speaker 1: condemned and upbraided him, her anger was turned against herself,
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  Speaker 1: and his disappointed feelings became the object of compassion. His
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  Speaker 1: attachment excited gratitude, his general character respect, but she could
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  Speaker 1: not approve him. Nor could she for a moment repent
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  Speaker 1: her refusal, or feel the slightest inclination ever to see
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  Speaker 1: him again. In her own past behaviour, there was a
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  Speaker 1: constant source of vexation and regret, and in the unhappy
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  Speaker 1: defects of her family... a subject of yet heavier chagrin.
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  Speaker 1: They were hopeless of remedy. Her father, contented with laughing
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  Speaker 1: at them, would never exert himself to restrain the wild
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  Speaker 1: giddiness of his youngest daughters. And her mother, with manners
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  Speaker 1: so far from right herself, was entirely insensible of the evil.
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  Speaker 1: Elizabeth had frequently united with Jane in an endeavour to
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  Speaker 1: check the imprudence of Catherine and Lydia. But while they
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  Speaker 1: were supported by their mother's indulgence, what chance could there
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  Speaker 1: be of improvement? Catherine, weak-spirited, irritable, and completely under Lydia's guidance,
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  Speaker 1: had been always affronted by their advice. And Lydia, self-willed
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  Speaker 1: and careless, would scarcely give them a hearing. They were ignorant,
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  Speaker 1: idle and vain. While there was an officer in Meryton,
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  Speaker 1: they would flirt with him, and while Meryton was within
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  Speaker 1: a walk of Longbourn, they would be going there forever.
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  Speaker 1: Anxiety on Jane's behalf was another prevailing concern, and Mr
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  Speaker 1: Darcy's explanation, by restoring Bingley to all her former good opinion,
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  Speaker 1: heightened the sense of what Jane had lost. His affection
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  Speaker 1: was proved to have been sincere, and his conduct cleared
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  Speaker 1: of all blame, unless any could attach to the implicitness
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  Speaker 1: of his confidence in his friend. How grievous, then, was
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  Speaker 1: the thought that, of a situation so desirable in every respect,
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  Speaker 1: so replete with advantage, so promising for happiness, Jane had
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  Speaker 1: been deprived. by the folly and indecorum of her own family.
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  Speaker 1: When to these recollections was added the development of Wickham's character,
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  Speaker 1: it may be easily believed that the happy spirits, which
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  Speaker 1: had seldom been depressed before, were now so much affected
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  Speaker 1: as to make it almost impossible for her to appear
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  Speaker 1: tolerably cheerful. Their engagements at Rosings were as frequent during
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  Speaker 1: the last week of her stay as they had been
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  Speaker 1: at first. The very last evening was spent there, and
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  Speaker 1: her ladyship again inquired minutely into the particulars of their journey,
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  Speaker 1: gave them directions as to the best method of packing,
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  Speaker 1: and was so urgent on the necessity of placing gowns
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  Speaker 1: in the only right way that Maria thought herself obliged,
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  Speaker 1: on her return, to undo all the work of the
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  Speaker 1: morning and pack her trunk afresh. When they parted, Lady Catherine,
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  Speaker 1: with great condescension, wished them a good journey, and invited
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  Speaker 1: them to come to Hunsford again next year. And Mr.
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  Speaker 1: Borg exerted herself so far as to courtesy and hold
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  Speaker 1: out her hand to both.