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Chapter XXX · Pride and Prejudice | Audiobook

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  Speaker 1: Chapter 30 Sir William stayed only a week at Hunsford,
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  Speaker 1: but his visit was long enough to convince him of
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  Speaker 1: his daughter's being most comfortably settled, and of her possessing
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  Speaker 1: such a husband and such a neighbour as were not
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  Speaker 1: often met with. While Sir William was with them, Mr
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  Speaker 1: Collins devoted his mornings to driving him out in his
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  Speaker 1: gig and showing him the country. But when he went away,
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  Speaker 1: the whole family returned to their usual employments, and Elizabeth
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  Speaker 1: was thankful to find that they did not see more
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  Speaker 1: of her cousin by the alteration. For the chief of
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  Speaker 1: the time between breakfast and dinner was now passed by him,
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  Speaker 1: either at work in the garden, or in reading and writing,
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  Speaker 1: and looking out of window in his own book-room, which
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  Speaker 1: fronted the road. The room in which the ladies sat
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  Speaker 1: was backwards. Elizabeth at first had rather wondered that Charlotte
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  Speaker 1: should not prefer the dining parlour for common use. It
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  Speaker 1: was a better-sized room and had a pleasanter aspect, but
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  Speaker 1: she soon saw that her friend had an excellent reason
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  Speaker 1: for what she did, for Mr Collins would undoubtedly have
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  Speaker 1: been much less in his own apartment had they sat
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  Speaker 1: in one equally lively, and she gave Charlotte credit for
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  Speaker 1: the arrangement. From the drawing-room they could distinguish nothing in
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  Speaker 1: the lane, and were indebted to Mr. Collins for the
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  Speaker 1: knowledge of what carriages went along, and how often especially Mr.
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  Speaker 1: Borg drove by in her Phaeton, which he never failed
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  Speaker 1: coming to inform them of, though it happened almost every day.
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  Speaker 1: she not unfrequently stopped at the parsonage and had a
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  Speaker 1: few minutes' conversation with Charlotte, but was scarcely ever prevailed
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  Speaker 1: on to get out. Very few days passed in which
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  Speaker 1: Mr Collins did not walk to Rosings, and not many
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  Speaker 1: in which his wife did not think it necessary to
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  Speaker 1: go likewise, until Elizabeth recollected that there might be other
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  Speaker 1: family livings to be disposed of. She could not understand
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  Speaker 1: the sacrifice of so many hours. Now and then, they
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  Speaker 1: were honoured with a call from her ladyship, and nothing
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  Speaker 1: escaped her observation that was passing in the room during
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  Speaker 1: these visits. She examined into their employments, looked at their work,
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  Speaker 1: and advised them to do it differently, found fault with
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  Speaker 1: the arrangement of the furniture. or detected the housemaid in negligence,
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  Speaker 1: and if she accepted any refreshment, seemed to do it
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  Speaker 1: only for the sake of finding out that Mrs Collins's
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  Speaker 1: joints of meat were too large for her family. Elizabeth
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  Speaker 1: soon perceived that though this great lady was not in
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  Speaker 1: the commission of the peace for the county, she was
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  Speaker 1: a most active magistrate in her own parish. the minutest
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  Speaker 1: concerns of which were carried to her by Mr Collins.
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  Speaker 1: And whenever any of the cottagers were disposed to be quarrelsome, discontented,
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  Speaker 1: or too poor, she sallied forth into the village to
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  Speaker 1: settle their differences, silence their complaints, and scold them into
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  Speaker 1: harmony and plenty. The entertainment of dining at Rosings was
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  Speaker 1: repeated about twice a week, and, allowing for the loss
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  Speaker 1: of Sir William, and there being only one card table
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  Speaker 1: in the evening, every such entertainment was the counterpart of
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  Speaker 1: the first. Their other engagements were few, as the style
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  Speaker 1: of living of the neighbourhood in general was beyond the
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  Speaker 1: Collinses' reach. This, however, was no evil to Elizabeth, and
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  Speaker 1: upon the whole she spent her time comfortably enough. There
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  Speaker 1: were half-hours of pleasant conversation with Charlotte, and the weather
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  Speaker 1: was so fine for the time of year that she
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  Speaker 1: had often great enjoyment out of doors. Her favourite walk,
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  Speaker 1: and where she frequently went while the others were calling
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  Speaker 1: on Lady Catherine, was along the open grove which edged
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  Speaker 1: that side of the park, where there was a nice,
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  Speaker 1: sheltered path, which no one seemed to value but herself,
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  Speaker 1: and where she felt beyond the reach of Lady Catherine's curiosity.
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  Speaker 1: In this quiet way, the first fortnight of her visit
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  Speaker 1: soon passed away. Easter was approaching, and the week preceding
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  Speaker 1: it was to bring an addition to the family at Rosings,
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  Speaker 1: which in so small a circle must be important. Elizabeth
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  Speaker 1: had heard, soon after her arrival, that Mr Darcy was
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  Speaker 1: expected there in the course of a few weeks, and
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  Speaker 1: though there were not many of her acquaintance whom she
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  Speaker 1: did not prefer, his coming would furnish one comparatively new
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  Speaker 1: to look at in their rosings parties, and she might
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  Speaker 1: be amused in seeing how hopeless Miss Bingley's designs on
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  Speaker 1: him were by his behaviour to his cousin, for whom
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  Speaker 1: he was evidently destined by Lady Catherine, who talked of
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  Speaker 1: his coming with the greatest satisfaction. spoke of him in
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  Speaker 1: terms of the highest admiration and seemed almost angry to
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  Speaker 1: find that he had already been frequently seen by Miss
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  Speaker 1: Lucas and herself. His arrival was soon known at the parsonage,
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  Speaker 1: for Mr Collins was walking the whole morning within view
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  Speaker 1: of the lodges opening into Hunsford Lane, in order to
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  Speaker 1: have the earliest assurance of it, and after making his
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  Speaker 1: bow as the carriage turned into the park, hurried home
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  Speaker 1: with the great intelligence. On the following morning, he hastened
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  Speaker 1: to Rosings to pay his respects. There were two nephews
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  Speaker 1: of Lady Catherine to require them, for Mr Darcy had
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  Speaker 1: brought with him a Colonel Fitzwilliam, the younger son of
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  Speaker 1: his uncle. a lord. And, to the great surprise of
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  Speaker 1: all the party, when Mr Collins returned, the gentlemen accompanied him.
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  Speaker 1: Charlotte had seen them from her husband's room, crossing the road,
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  Speaker 1: and immediately running into the other, told the girls what
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  Speaker 1: an honour they might expect, adding, I may thank you, Eliza,
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  Speaker 1: for this piece of civility. Mr. Darcy would never have
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  Speaker 1: come so soon to wait upon me. Elizabeth had scarcely
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  Speaker 1: time to disclaim all right to the compliment before their
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  Speaker 1: approach was announced by the doorbell, and shortly afterwards the
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  Speaker 1: three gentlemen entered the room. Colonel Fitzwilliam, who led the way,
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  Speaker 1: was about thirty, not handsome, but in person and addressed
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  Speaker 1: most truly the gentlemen. Mr Darcy looked just as he
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  Speaker 1: had been used to look in Hertfordshire, paid his compliments
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  Speaker 1: with his usual reserve. To Mrs Collins, and whatever might
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  Speaker 1: be his feelings towards her friend, met her with every
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  Speaker 1: appearance of composure. Elizabeth merely courtesied to him without saying
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  Speaker 1: a word. Colonel Fitzwilliam entered into conversation directly. with the
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  Speaker 1: readiness and ease of a well-bred man, and talked very pleasantly.
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  Speaker 1: But his cousin, after having addressed a slight observation on
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  Speaker 1: the house and garden to Mrs Collins, sat for some
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  Speaker 1: time without speaking to anybody. At length, however, his civility
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  Speaker 1: was so far awakened as to inquire of Elizabeth after
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  Speaker 1: the health of her family. She answered him in the
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  Speaker 1: usual way. and after a moment's pause added, My eldest
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  Speaker 1: sister has been in town these three months. Have you
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  Speaker 1: never happened to see her there? She was perfectly sensible
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  Speaker 1: that he never had, but she wished to see whether
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  Speaker 1: he would betray any consciousness of what had passed between
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  Speaker 1: the Bingleys and Jane, and she thought he looked a
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  Speaker 1: little confused as he answered, that he had never been
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  Speaker 1: so fortunate as to meet Miss Bennet. The subject was
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  Speaker 1: pursued no further, and the gentleman soon afterwards went away.