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Chapter XVII · Pride and Prejudice | Audiobook

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  Speaker 1: Chapter 17 Elizabeth related to Jane, the next day, what
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  Speaker 1: had passed between Mr Wickham and herself. Jane listened with
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  Speaker 1: astonishment and concern. She knew not how to believe that
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  Speaker 1: Mr Darcy could be so unworthy of Mr Bingley's regard,
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  Speaker 1: and yet it was not in her nature to question
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  Speaker 1: the veracity of a young man of such amiable appearance
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  Speaker 1: as Wickham. the possibility of his having really endured such
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  Speaker 1: unkindness was enough to interest all her tender feelings. And
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  Speaker 1: nothing therefore remained to be done but to think well
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  Speaker 1: of them both, to defend the conduct of each and
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  Speaker 1: throw into the account of accident or mistake whatever could
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  Speaker 1: not be otherwise explained. They have both, said she, been deceived,
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  Speaker 1: I dare say, in some way or other, of which
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  Speaker 1: we can form no idea. Interested people have perhaps misrepresented
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  Speaker 1: each to the other. It is, in short, impossible for
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  Speaker 1: us to conjecture the causes or circumstances which may have
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  Speaker 1: alienated them, without actual blame on either side. Very true, indeed.
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  Speaker 1: And now, my dear Jane. What have you got to
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  Speaker 1: say in behalf of the interested people who have probably
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  Speaker 1: been concerned in the business? Do clear them too, or
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  Speaker 1: we shall be obliged to think ill of somebody. Laugh
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  Speaker 1: as much as you choose, but you will not laugh
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  Speaker 1: me out of my opinion. My dearest Lizzie, do but
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  Speaker 1: consider in what a disgraceful light it places Mr. Darcy
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  Speaker 1: to be treating his father's favourite in such a manner.
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  Speaker 1: one whom his father had promised to provide for. It
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  Speaker 1: is impossible. No man of common humanity, no man who
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  Speaker 1: had any value for his character, could be capable of it.
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  Speaker 1: Can his most intimate friends be so excessively deceived in him?
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  Speaker 1: Oh no. I can much more easily believe Mr Bingley's
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  Speaker 1: being imposed on than that Mr Wickham should invent such
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  Speaker 1: a history of himself, as he gave me last night. Names, facts,
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  Speaker 1: everything mentioned without ceremony. If it be not so, let Mr.
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  Speaker 1: Darcy contradict it. Besides, there was truth in his looks.
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  Speaker 1: It is difficult, indeed. It is distressing. One does not
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  Speaker 1: know what to think. I beg your pardon. One knows
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  Speaker 1: exactly what to think. But Jane could think with certainty
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  Speaker 1: on only one point. that Mr Bingley, if he had
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  Speaker 1: been imposed on, would have much to suffer when the
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  Speaker 1: affair became public. The two young ladies were summoned from
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  Speaker 1: the shrubbery, where this conversation passed, by the arrival of
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  Speaker 1: some of the very persons of whom they had been speaking.
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  Speaker 1: Mr Bingley and his sisters came to give their personal
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  Speaker 1: invitation for the long-expected ball at Netherfield, which was fixed
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  Speaker 1: for the following Tuesday. The two ladies were delighted to
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  Speaker 1: see their dear friend again, called it an age since
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  Speaker 1: they had met, and repeatedly asked what she had been
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  Speaker 1: doing with herself since their separation. To the rest of
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  Speaker 1: the family they paid little attention, avoiding Mrs Bennet as
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  Speaker 1: much as possible. saying not much to Elizabeth and nothing
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  Speaker 1: at all to the others. They were soon gone again,
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  Speaker 1: rising from their seats with an activity which took their
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  Speaker 1: brother by surprise, and hurrying off as if eager to
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  Speaker 1: escape from Mrs Bennet's civilities. The prospect of the Netherfield
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  Speaker 1: ball was extremely agreeable to every female of the family.
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  Speaker 1: Mrs Bennet chose to consider it as given in compliment
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  Speaker 1: to her eldest daughter and was particularly flattered by receiving
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  Speaker 1: the invitation from Mr Bingley himself instead of a ceremonious card.
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  Speaker 1: Jane pictured to herself a happy evening in the society
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  Speaker 1: of her two friends and the attentions of their brother
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  Speaker 1: and Elizabeth thought with pleasure of dancing a great deal
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  Speaker 1: with Mr Wickham and of seeing a confirmation of everything
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  Speaker 1: in Mr Darcy's look and behaviour. The happiness anticipated by
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  Speaker 1: Catherine and Lydia depended less on any single event, or
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  Speaker 1: any particular person. For though they each, like Elizabeth, meant
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  Speaker 1: to dance half the evening with Mr Wickham, he was
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  Speaker 1: by no means the only partner who could satisfy them,
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  Speaker 1: and a ball was, at any rate, a ball. and
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  Speaker 1: even Mary could assure her family that she had no
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  Speaker 1: disinclination for it. While I can have my mornings to myself,
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  Speaker 1: said she, it is enough. I think it is no
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  Speaker 1: sacrifice to join occasionally in evening engagements. Society has claims
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  Speaker 1: on us all, and I profess myself one of those
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  Speaker 1: who consider intervals of recreation and amusement as desirable for everybody.
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  Speaker 1: Elizabeth's spirits were so high on the occasion that though
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  Speaker 1: she did not often speak unnecessarily to Mr Collins, she
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  Speaker 1: could not help asking him whether he intended to accept
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  Speaker 1: Mr Bingley's invitation, and if he did, whether he would
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  Speaker 1: think it proper to join in the evening's amusement, and
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  Speaker 1: she was rather surprised to find that he entertained no
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  Speaker 1: scruple whatever on that head. and was very far from
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  Speaker 1: dreading a rebuke, either from the Archbishop or Lady Catherine
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  Speaker 1: de Bourgh, by venturing to dance. I am by no
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  Speaker 1: means of opinion, I assure you, said he, that a
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  Speaker 1: ball of this kind, given by a young man of
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  Speaker 1: character to respectable people, can have any evil tendency, and
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  Speaker 1: I am so far from objecting to dancing myself. that
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  Speaker 1: I shall hope to be honoured with the hands of
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  Speaker 1: all my fair cousins in the course of the evening.
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  Speaker 1: And I take this opportunity of soliciting yours, Miss Elizabeth,
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  Speaker 1: for the two first dances especially, a preference which I
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  Speaker 1: trust my cousin Jane will attribute to the right cause
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  Speaker 1: and not to any disrespect for her. Elizabeth felt herself
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  Speaker 1: completely taken in. She had fully proposed being engaged by
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  Speaker 1: Wickham for those very dances, and to have Mr. Collins instead.
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  Speaker 1: Her liveliness had been never worse timed. There was no
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  Speaker 1: help for it, however. Mr. Wickham's happiness, and her own,
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  Speaker 1: was perforce delayed a little longer, and Mr. Collins's proposal
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  Speaker 1: accepted with as good a grace as she could. She
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  Speaker 1: was not the better pleased with his gallantry. from the
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  Speaker 1: idea it suggested of something more. It now first struck
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  Speaker 1: her that she was selected from among her sisters as
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  Speaker 1: worthy of being the mistress of Hunsford Parsonage and of
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  Speaker 1: assisting to form a quadrille table at Rosings, in the
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  Speaker 1: absence of more eligible visitors. The idea soon reached to
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  Speaker 1: conviction as she observed his increasing civilities towards herself and
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  Speaker 1: heard his frequent attempt at a compliment on her wit
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  Speaker 1: and vivacity. And though more astonished than gratified herself by
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  Speaker 1: this effect of her charms, it was not long before
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  Speaker 1: her mother gave her to understand that the probability of
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  Speaker 1: their marriage was exceedingly agreeable to her. Elizabeth, however, did
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  Speaker 1: not choose to take the hint. Being well aware that
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  Speaker 1: a serious dispute was must be the consequence of any reply. Mr.
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  Speaker 1: Collins might never make the offer, and, till he did,
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  Speaker 1: it was useless to quarrel about him. If there had
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  Speaker 1: not been a Netherfield ball to prepare for and talk of,
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  Speaker 1: the younger Miss Bennets would have been in a pitiable
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  Speaker 1: state at this time, for, from the day of the
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  Speaker 1: invitation to the day of the ball... there was such
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  Speaker 1: a succession of rain as prevented their walking to Meryton once.
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  Speaker 1: No aunt, no officers, no news could be sought after.
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  Speaker 1: The very shoe-roses for Netherfield were got by proxy. Even
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  Speaker 1: Elizabeth might have found some trial of her patience in
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  Speaker 1: weather which totally suspended the improvement of her acquaintance with
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  Speaker 1: Mr Wickham. And nothing less than a dance on Tuesday,
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  Speaker 1: could have made such a Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday
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  Speaker 1: endurable to Kitty and Lydia.