Latest / Pride and Prejudice | Audiobook / Chapter XXXII

Transcript

Chapter XXXII · Pride and Prejudice | Audiobook

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Chapter 32 Elizabeth was sitting by herself the next morning,
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: and writing to Jane, while Mrs. Collins and Maria were
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: gone on business into the village, when she was startled
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: by a ring at the door, the certain signal of
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: a visitor. As she had heard no carriage, she thought
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: it not unlikely to be Lady Catherine. And under that apprehension,
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: was putting away her half-finished letter, that she might escape
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: all impertinent questions, when the door opened, and to her
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: very great surprise, Mr Darcy, and Mr Darcy only, entered
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: the room. He seemed astonished too on finding her alone,
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: and apologised for his intrusion, by letting her know that
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: he had understood all the ladies to be within. They
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: then sat down, And when her inquiries after Rosings were made,
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: seemed in danger of sinking into total silence. It was
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: absolutely necessary, therefore, to think of something. And in this emergency,
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: recollecting when she had seen him last in Hertfordshire, and
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: feeling curious to know what he would say on the
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: subject of their hasty departure, she observed. How very suddenly...
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: You all quitted Netherfield last November, Mr Darcy. It must
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: have been a most agreeable surprise to Mr Bingley to
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: see you all after him so soon, for, if I
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: recollect right, he went but the day before. He and
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: his sisters were well, I hope, when you left London.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: Perfectly so, I thank you. She found that she was
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: to receive no other answer, and, After a short pause, added,
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: I think I have understood that Mr Bingley has not
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: much idea of ever returning to Netherfield again. I have
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: never heard him say so, but it is probable that
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: he may spend very little of his time there in future.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: He has many friends, and he is at a time
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: of life when friends and engagements are continually increasing. If
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: he means to be but little at Netherfield, it would
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: be better for the neighbourhood that he should give up
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: the place entirely, for then we might possibly get a
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: settled family there. But perhaps Mr Bingley did not take
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: the house so much for the convenience of the neighbourhood
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: as for his own, and we must expect him to
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: keep or quit it on the same principle. I should
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: not be surprised, said Darcy, if he were to give
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: it up as soon as any eligible purchase offers. Elizabeth
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: made no answer. She was afraid of talking longer of
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: his friend, and, having nothing else to say, was now
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: determined to leave the trouble of finding a subject to him.
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: He took the hint, and soon began with, This seems
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: a very comfortable house. Lady Catherine, I believe. did a
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: great deal to it when Mr Collins first came to Hunsford.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: I believe she did, and I am sure she could
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: not have bestowed her kindness on a more grateful object.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: Mr Collins appears very fortunate in his choice of a wife. Yes, indeed,
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: his friends may well rejoice in his having met with
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: one of the very few sensible women who would have
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: accepted him. or have made him happy if they had.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: My friend has an excellent understanding, though I am not
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: certain that I consider her marrying Mr. Collins as the
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: wisest thing she ever did. She seems perfectly happy, however, and,
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: in a prudential light, it is certainly a very good
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: match for her. It must be very agreeable to her
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: to be settled within so easy a distance of her
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: own family and friends. An easy distance, do you call it?
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: It is nearly fifty miles. And what is fifty miles
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: of good road? Little more than half a day's journey. Yes,
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: I call it a very easy distance. I should never
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: have considered the distance as one of the advantages of
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: the match, cried Elizabeth. I should never have said Mrs
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: Collins was settled near her family. It is a proof
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: of your own attachment to Hertfordshire. Anything beyond the very
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: neighbourhood of Longbourn, I suppose, would appear far. As he spoke,
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: there was a sort of smile, which Elizabeth fancied she understood.
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: He must be supposing her to be thinking of Jane
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: and Netherfield, and she blushed as she answered. I do
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: not mean to say that a woman may not be
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: settled too near her family. The far and the near
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: must be relative and depend on many varying circumstances. Where
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: there is fortune to make the expense of travelling unimportant,
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: distance becomes no evil. But that is not the case here.
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: Mr and Mrs Collins have a comfortable income. but not
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: such a one as will allow of frequent journeys, and
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: I am persuaded my friend would not call herself near
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: her family under less than half the present distance. Mr.
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: Darcy drew his chair a little towards her and said,
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: You cannot have a right to such very strong local attachment.
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: You cannot have been always at Longbourn. Elizabeth looked surprised.
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: the gentleman experienced some change of feeling. He drew back
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: his chair, took a newspaper from the table, and, glancing
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: over it, said in a colder voice, Are you pleased
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: with Kent? A short dialogue on the subject of the
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: country ensued, on either side calm and concise, and soon
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: put an end to by the entrance of Charlotte and
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: her sister, just returned from their walk. The tête-à-tête surprised them. Mr.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: Darcy related the mistake which had occasioned his intruding on
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: Miss Bennet, and, after sitting a few minutes longer, without
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: saying much to anybody, went away. What can be the
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: meaning of this? said Charlotte, as soon as he was gone.
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: My dear Eliza, he must be in love with you,
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: or he would never have called on us in this
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: familiar way. But when Elizabeth told of his silence, it
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: did not seem very likely, even to Charlotte's wishes, to
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: be the case. And, after various conjectures, they could at
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: last only suppose his visit to proceed from the difficulty
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: of finding anything to do, which was the more probable
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: from the time of year. All field sports were over.
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: Within doors there was Lady Catherine, books, and a billiard table,
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: but gentlemen cannot be always within doors. And in the
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: nearness of the parsonage, or the pleasantness of the walk
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: to it, or of the people who lived in it,
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: the two cousins found a temptation from this period of
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: walking thither almost every day. They called at various times
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: of the morning, sometimes separately, sometimes together, and now and
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: then accompanied by their aunt. It was plain to them
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: all that Colonel Fitzwilliam came because he had pleasure in
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: their society, a persuasion which, of course, recommended him still more,
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: and Elizabeth was reminded by her own satisfaction in being
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: with him, as well as by his evident admiration of
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: her former favourite, George Wickham. And though In comparing them,
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: she saw there was less captivating softness in Colonel Fitzwilliam's manners.
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: She believed he might have the best informed mind. But
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: why Mr Darcy came so often to the parsonage, it
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: was more difficult to understand. It could not be for society,
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: as he frequently sat there ten minutes together without opening
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: his lips. And when he did speak, It seemed the
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: effect of necessity rather than of choice. A sacrifice to propriety,
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: not a pleasure to himself. He seldom appeared really animated.
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: Mrs Collins knew not what to make of him. Colonel
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: Fitzwilliam's occasionally laughing at his stupidity proved that he was
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: generally different, which her own knowledge of him could not
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: have told her. and as she would have liked to
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: believe this change the effect of love, and the object
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: of that love her friend Eliza, she set herself seriously
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: to work to find it out. She watched him, whenever
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: they were at Rosings, and whenever he came to Hunsford,
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: but without much success. He certainly looked at her friend
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: a great deal. but the expression of that look was disputable.
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: It was an earnest, steadfast gaze, but she often doubted
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: whether there were much admiration in it, and sometimes it
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: seemed nothing but absence of mind. She had once or
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: twice suggested to Elizabeth, the possibility of his being partial
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: to her. But Elizabeth always laughed at the idea, and
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: Mrs Collins did not think it right to press the
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: subject from the danger of raising expectations which might only
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: end in disappointment, for in her opinion it admitted not
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: of a doubt that all her friend's dislike would vanish
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: if she could suppose him to be in her power.
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: In her kind schemes for Elizabeth, she sometimes planned her
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: marrying Colonel Fitzwilliam. He was, beyond comparison, the pleasantest man.
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: He certainly admired her, and his situation in life was
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: most eligible. But, to counterbalance these advantages, Mr Darcy had
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: considerable patronage in the church, and his cousin could have
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: none at all.