Latest / Pride and Prejudice | Audiobook / Chapter XLIX

Transcript

Chapter XLIX · Pride and Prejudice | Audiobook

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Chapter 49 Two days after Mr. Bennet's return, as Jane
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: and Elizabeth were walking together in the shrubbery behind the house,
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: they saw the housekeeper coming towards them, and concluding that
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: she came to call them to their mother, went forward
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: to meet her. But instead of the expected summons, when
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: they approached her, she said to Miss Bennet, I beg
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: your pardon, madam, for interrupting you, but I was in
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: hopes you might have got some good news from town,
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: so I took the liberty of coming to ask. What
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: do you mean, Hill? We have heard nothing from town.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: Dear madam, cried Mrs. Hill, in great astonishment, don't you
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: know there is an express come for master from Mr. Gardiner?
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: He has been here this half hour, and master has
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: had a letter. Away ran the girls, too eager to
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: get in to have time for speech. They ran through
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: the vestibule into the breakfast room, from thence to the library.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: Their father was in neither, and they were on the
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: point of seeking him upstairs with their mother, when they
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: were met by the butler, who said, If you are
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: looking for my master, ma'am, he is walking towards the
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: little copse. Upon this information, they instantly passed through the
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: hall once more and ran across the lawn after their father,
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: who was deliberately pursuing his way towards a small wood
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: on one side of the paddock. Jane, who was not
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: so light, nor so much in the habit of running
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: as Elizabeth, soon lagged behind, while her sister, panting for breath,
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: came up with him and eagerly cried out, Oh, Papa,
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: what news? What news? Have you heard from my uncle? Yes,
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: I have had a letter from him by express. Well,
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: and what news does it bring, good or bad? What
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: is there of good to be expected, said he, taking
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: the letter from his pocket. But perhaps you would like
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: to read it. Elizabeth impatiently caught it from his hand.
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: Jane now came up. Read it aloud. said their father,
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: for I hardly know myself what it is about. Gracechurch Street, Monday,
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: 2nd of August. My dear brother, at last I am
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: able to send you some tidings of my niece, and
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: such as, upon the whole, I hope will give you satisfaction.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: Soon after you left me on Saturday, I was fortunate
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: enough to find out in what part of London they were.
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: The particulars I reserve till we meet. It is enough
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: to know they are discovered. I have seen them both.
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: Then it is as I always hoped, cried Jane. They
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: are married. Elizabeth read on. I have seen them both.
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: They are not married, nor can I find there was
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: any intention of being so. But if you are willing
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: to perform the engagements which I have ventured to make
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: on your side, I hope it will not be long
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: before they are. All that is required of you is
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: to assure to your daughter, by settlement, her equal share
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: of the £ 5, 000 secured among your children after the decease
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: of yourself and my sister, and moreover, to enter into
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: an engagement of allowing her, during your life, £ 100 per annum.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: These are conditions which... Considering everything, I had no hesitation
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: in complying with, as far as I thought myself privileged,
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: for you. I shall send this by express, that no
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: time may be lost in bringing me your answer. You
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: will easily comprehend, from these particulars, that Mr Wickham's circumstances
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: are not so hopeless as they are generally believed to be.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: The world has been deceived in that respect, and I
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: am happy to say there will be some little money,
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: even when all his debts are discharged, to settle on
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: my niece in addition to her own fortune. If, as
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: I conclude will be the case, you send me full
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: powers to act in your name throughout the whole of
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: this business, I will immediately give directions to Hagerston. for
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: preparing a proper settlement. There will not be the smallest
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: occasion for your coming to town again. Therefore, stay quietly
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: at Longbourn, and depend on my diligence and care. Send
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: back your answer as soon as you can, and be
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: careful to write explicitly. We have judged it best that
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: my niece should be married from this house, of which
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: I hope you will approve. She comes to us today.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: I shall write again as soon as anything more is
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: determined on. Yours, etc. Edward Gardner Is it possible, cried
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: Elizabeth when she had finished, can it be possible that
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: he will marry her? Wickham is not so undeserving then
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: as we have thought him, said her sister. My dear father,
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: I congratulate you. And have you answered the letter, said Elizabeth. No,
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: but it must be done soon. Most earnestly did she
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: then entreat him to lose no more time before he wrote. Oh,
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: my dear father, she cried, come back and write immediately.
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: Consider how important every moment is in such a case.
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: Let me write for you, said Jane, if you dislike
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: the trouble yourself. I dislike it very much, he replied,
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: but it must be done. and so saying, he turned
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: back with them, and walked towards the house. And? May
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: I ask? said Elizabeth. But the terms, I suppose, must
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: be complied with. Complied with? I am only ashamed of
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: his asking so little. And they must marry? Yet he
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: is such a man! Yes, yes, they must marry. There
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: is nothing else to be done. but there are two
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: things that I want very much to know. One is,
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: how much money your uncle has laid down to bring
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: it about, and the other, how I am ever to
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: pay him. Money? My uncle? cried Jane. What do you mean, sir?
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: I mean that no man in his proper senses would
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: marry Lydia on so slight a temptation as one hundred
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: a year during my life, and fifty after I am gone.
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: That is very true, said Elizabeth, though it had not
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: occurred to me before. His debts to be discharged, and
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: something still to remain. Oh, it must be my uncle's doings.
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: Generous good man, I am afraid he has distressed himself.
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: A small sum could not do all this. No, said
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: her father. Wickham's a fool if he takes her with
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: a farthing less than ten thousand pounds. I should be
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: sorry to think so ill of him, in the very
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: beginning of our relationship. Ten thousand pounds! Heaven forbid! How
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: is half such a sum to be repaid? Mr Bennett
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: made no answer, and each of them, deep in thought,
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: continued silent till they reached the house. Their father then
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: went to the library to write, and the girls walked
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: into the breakfast room. and they are really to be married,
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: cried Elizabeth, as soon as they were by themselves. How
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: strange this is, and for this we are to be thankful,
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: that they should marry, small as is their chance of happiness,
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: and wretched as is his character. We are forced to rejoice. Oh, Lydia!
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: I comfort myself with thinking, replied Jane, that he certainly
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: would not marry Lydia unless if he had not a
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: real regard for her. Though our kind uncle has done
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: something towards clearing him, I cannot believe that ten thousand pounds,
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: or anything like it, has been advanced. He has children
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: of his own, and may have more. How could he
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: spare half ten thousand pounds? If we are ever able
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: to learn what Wickham's debts have been, said Elizabeth, and
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: how much is settled on his side, on our sister,
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: we shall exactly know what Mr Gardiner has done for them,
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: because Wickham has not sixpence of his own. The kindness
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: of my uncle and aunt can never be requited. Their
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: taking her home, and affording her their personal protection and countenance,
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: is such a sacrifice to her advantage, as years of
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: gratitude cannot enough acknowledge. By this time, she is actually
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: with them. If such goodness does not make her miserable now,
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: she will never deserve to be happy. What a meeting
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: for her, when she first sees my aunt. We must
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: endeavour to forget all that has passed on either side,
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: said Jane. I hope and trust they will yet be happy.
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: His consenting to marry her is a proof, I will believe,
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: that he has come to a right way of thinking.
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: Their mutual affection will steady them, and I flatter myself
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: they will settle so quietly, and live in so rational
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: a manner, as may in time make their past imprudence forgotten.
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: Their conduct has been such, replied Elizabeth, as neither you
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: nor I nor anybody can ever forget. It is useless
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: to talk of it. It now occurred to the girls
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: that their mother was in all likelihood perfectly ignorant of
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: what had happened. They went to the library, therefore, and
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: asked their father whether he would not wish them to
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: make it known to her. He was writing, and without
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: raising his head, coolly replied, Just as you please. May
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: we take my uncle's letter to read to her? Take
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: whatever you like and get away. Elizabeth took the letter
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: from his writing table and they went upstairs together. Mary
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: and Kitty were both with Mrs. Bennet. One communication would, therefore,
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: do for all. After a slight preparation for good news,
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: the letter was read aloud. Mrs. Bennet could hardly contain herself.
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: As soon as Jane had read Mr Gardiner's hope of
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: Lydia's being soon married, her joy burst forth, and every
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: following sentence added to its exuberance. She was now in
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: an irritation as violent from delight as she had ever
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: been fidgety from alarm and vexation. To know that her
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: daughter would be married was enough. She was disturbed by
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: no fear for her felicity. nor humbled by any remembrance
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: of her misconduct. My dear, dear Lydia, she cried. This
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: is delightful indeed. She will be married. I shall see
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: her again. She will be married at sixteen. My good,
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: kind brother. I knew how it would be. I knew
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: he would manage everything. How I longed to see her.
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: And to see dear Wickham too. But the clothes, the
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: wedding clothes. I will write to my sister Gardner about
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: them directly. Lizzie, my dear, run down to your father
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: and ask him how much he will give her. Stay, stay.
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: I will go myself. Ring the bell, Kitty, for Hill.
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: I will put on my things in a moment. My dear,
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: dear Lydia. How merry we shall be together when we meet.
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: her eldest daughter endeavoured to give some relief to the
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: violence of these transports by leading her thoughts to the
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: obligations which Mr Gardiner's behaviour laid them all under. For
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: we must attribute this happy conclusion, she added, in a
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: great measure to his kindness. We are persuaded that he
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: has pledged himself to assist Mr Wickham with money. Well,
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: cried her mother, it is all very right. Who should
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: do it but her own uncle? If he had not
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: had a family of his own, I and my children
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: must have had all his money, you know, and it
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: is the first time we have ever had anything from
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: him except a few presents. Well, I am so happy.
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: In a short time I shall have a daughter married,
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: Mrs Wickham. How well it sounds! And she was only
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: sixteen last June. My dear Jane, I am in such
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: a flutter that I am sure I can't write. So
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: I will dictate, and you write for me. We will
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: settle with your father about the money afterwards, but the
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: things should be ordered immediately. She was then proceeding to
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: all the particulars of Calico, Muslin and Cambric, and would
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: shortly have dictated some very plentiful orders, had not Jane,
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: though with some difficulty, persuaded her to wait till her
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: father was at leisure to be consulted. One day's delay,
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: she observed, would be of small importance, and her mother
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: was too happy to be quite so obstinate as usual.
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: Other schemes, too, came into her head. I will go
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: to Meryton, said she, as soon as I am dressed,
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: and tell the good, good news to my sister Phillips.
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: And as I come back, I can call on Lady
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: Lucas and Mrs Long. Kitty, run down and order the carriage.
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: An airing would do me a great deal of good,
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: I am sure. Girls, can I do anything for you
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: in Meryton? Oh, here comes Hill. My dear Hill, have
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: you heard the good news? Miss Lydia is going to
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: be married. and you shall all have a bowl of
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: punch to make merry at her wedding. Mrs Hill began
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: instantly to express her joy. Elizabeth received her congratulations amongst
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: the rest, and then, sick of this folly, took refuge
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: in her own room, that she might think with freedom.
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: Poor Lydia's situation must, at best, be bad enough, but
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: that it was no worse, she had need to be thankful.
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: She felt it so, and though, in looking forward, neither
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: rational happiness nor worldly prosperity could be justly expected for
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: her sister, in looking back to what they had feared
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: only two hours ago, she felt all the advantages of
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: what they had gained.