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Chapter XI · Pride and Prejudice | Audiobook

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  Speaker 1: Chapter 11 When the ladies removed after dinner, Elizabeth ran
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  Speaker 1: up to her sister, and seeing her well guarded from cold,
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  Speaker 1: attended her into the drawing-room, where she was welcomed by
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  Speaker 1: her two friends with many professions of pleasure, and Elizabeth
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  Speaker 1: had never seen them so agreeable as they were during
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  Speaker 1: the hour which passed before the gentleman appeared. Their powers
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  Speaker 1: of conversation were considerable. They could describe an entertainment with accuracy,
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  Speaker 1: relate an anecdote with humour, and laugh at their acquaintance
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  Speaker 1: with spirit. But when the gentleman entered, Jane was no
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  Speaker 1: longer the first object. Miss Bingley's eyes were instantly turned
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  Speaker 1: towards Darcy, and she had something to say to him
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  Speaker 1: before he had advanced many steps. He addressed himself directly
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  Speaker 1: to Miss Bennet with a polite congratulation. Mr Hurst also
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  Speaker 1: made her a slight bow and said he was very glad.
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  Speaker 1: But diffuseness and warmth remained for Bingley's salutation. He was
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  Speaker 1: full of joy and attention. The first half hour was
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  Speaker 1: spent in piling up the fire, lest she should suffer
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  Speaker 1: from the change of room, and she removed... at his desire,
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  Speaker 1: to the other side of the fireplace, that she might
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  Speaker 1: be farther from the door. He then sat down by
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  Speaker 1: her and talked scarcely to anyone else. Elizabeth, at work
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  Speaker 1: in the opposite corner, saw it all with great delight.
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  Speaker 1: When tea was over, Mr Hurst reminded his sister-in-law of
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  Speaker 1: the card table, but in vain. She had obtained private
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  Speaker 1: intelligence that Mr Darcy did not wish for cards, and
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  Speaker 1: Mr Hurst soon found even his open petition rejected. She
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  Speaker 1: assured him that no one intended to play, and the
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  Speaker 1: silence of the whole party on the subject seemed to
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  Speaker 1: justify her. Mr Hurst had, therefore, nothing to do but
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  Speaker 1: to stretch himself on one of the sofas and go
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  Speaker 1: to sleep. Darcy took up a book. Miss Bingley did
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  Speaker 1: the same, and Mrs Hurst, principally occupied in playing with
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  Speaker 1: her bracelets and rings, joined now and then in her
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  Speaker 1: brother's conversation with Miss Bennet. Miss Bingley's attention was quite
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  Speaker 1: as much engaged in watching Mr Darcy's progress through his
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  Speaker 1: book as in reading her own, and she was perpetually
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  Speaker 1: either making some inquiry or looking at his page. She
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  Speaker 1: could not win him, however, to any conversation. He merely
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  Speaker 1: answered her question and read on. At length, quite exhausted
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  Speaker 1: by the attempt to be amused with her own book,
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  Speaker 1: which she had only chosen because it was the second
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  Speaker 1: volume of his, she gave a great yawn and said,
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  Speaker 1: How pleasant it is to spend an evening in this way.
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  Speaker 1: I declare, after all, there is no enjoyment like reading.
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  Speaker 1: How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book.
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  Speaker 1: When I have a house of my own, I shall
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  Speaker 1: be miserable if I have not an excellent library. No
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  Speaker 1: one made any reply. She then yawned again, threw aside
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  Speaker 1: her book, and cast her eyes round the room in
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  Speaker 1: quest of some amusement, when, hearing her brother mentioning a
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  Speaker 1: ball to Miss Bennet, she turned suddenly towards him and said,
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  Speaker 1: By the by, Charles, are you really serious in meditating
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  Speaker 1: a dance at Netherfield? I would advise you, before you
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  Speaker 1: determine on it, to consult the wishes of the present party.
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  Speaker 1: I am much mistaken if there are not some among
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  Speaker 1: us to whom a ball would be rather a punishment
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  Speaker 1: than a pleasure. If you mean Darcy, cried her brother,
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  Speaker 1: he may go to bed, if he chooses. before it begins.
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  Speaker 1: But as for the ball, it is quite a settled thing.
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  Speaker 1: And as soon as Nichols has made white soup enough,
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  Speaker 1: I shall send round my cards. I should like balls
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  Speaker 1: infinitely better, she replied, if they were carried on in
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  Speaker 1: a different manner. But there is something insufferably tedious in
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  Speaker 1: the usual process of such a meeting. It would surely
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  Speaker 1: be much more rational... if conversation instead of dancing made
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  Speaker 1: the order of the day. Much more rational, my dear Caroline,
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  Speaker 1: I dare say, but it would not be near so
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  Speaker 1: much like a ball. Miss Bingley made no answer, and
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  Speaker 1: soon afterwards got up and walked about the room. Her
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  Speaker 1: figure was elegant, and she walked well, but Darcy, at
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  Speaker 1: whom it was all aimed, was still inflexibly studious. In
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  Speaker 1: the desperation of her feelings, she resolved on one effort more,
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  Speaker 1: and turning to Elizabeth said, Miss Eliza Bennet, let me
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  Speaker 1: persuade you to follow my example and take a turn
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  Speaker 1: about the room. I assure you, it is very refreshing
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  Speaker 1: after sitting so long in one attitude. Elizabeth was surprised,
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  Speaker 1: but agreed to it immediately. Miss Bingley succeeded no less
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  Speaker 1: in the real object of her civility. Mr Darcy looked up.
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  Speaker 1: He was as much awake to the novelty of attention
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  Speaker 1: in that quarter as Elizabeth herself could be, and unconsciously
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  Speaker 1: closed his book. He was directly invited to join their party,
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  Speaker 1: but he declined it, observing that he could imagine but
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  Speaker 1: two motives for their choosing to walk up and down
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  Speaker 1: the room together. with either of which motives his joining
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  Speaker 1: them would interfere. What could he mean? She was dying
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  Speaker 1: to know what could be his meaning, and asked Elizabeth
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  Speaker 1: whether she could at all understand him. Not at all,
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  Speaker 1: was her answer, but, depend upon it, he means to
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  Speaker 1: be severe on us. and our surest way of disappointing
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  Speaker 1: him will be to ask nothing about it. Miss Bingley, however,
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  Speaker 1: was incapable of disappointing Mr. Darcy in anything, and persevered, therefore,
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  Speaker 1: in requiring an explanation of his two motives. I have
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  Speaker 1: not the smallest objection to explaining them, said he, as
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  Speaker 1: soon as she allowed him to speak. You either choose
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  Speaker 1: this method of passing the evening because you are in
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  Speaker 1: each other's confidence and have secret affairs to discuss, or
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  Speaker 1: because you are conscious that your figures appear to the
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  Speaker 1: greatest advantage in walking. If the first, I should be
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  Speaker 1: completely in your way, and if the second, I can
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  Speaker 1: admire you much better as I sit by the fire. Oh, shocking,
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  Speaker 1: cried Miss Bingley. I never heard anything so abominable. How
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  Speaker 1: shall we punish him for such a speech? Nothing so easy,
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  Speaker 1: if you have but the inclination, said Elizabeth. We can
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  Speaker 1: all plague and punish one another, tease him, laugh at him.
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  Speaker 1: Intimate as you are, you must know how it is
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  Speaker 1: to be done. But upon my honour I do not.
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  Speaker 1: I do assure you that my intimacy has not yet
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  Speaker 1: taught me that.' tease calmness of temper and presence of mind.' No, no,
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  Speaker 1: I feel he may defy us there.' And as to laughter,'
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  Speaker 1: we will not expose ourselves, if you please,' by attempting
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  Speaker 1: to laugh without a subject.' Mr. Darcy may hug himself.'' Mr.
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  Speaker 1: Darcy is not to be laughed at,' cried Elizabeth.' That
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  Speaker 1: is an uncommon advantage,' and uncommon I hope it will continue,'
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  Speaker 1: for it would be a great loss to me to
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  Speaker 1: have many such acquaintance. I dearly love a laugh. Miss Bingley,
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  Speaker 1: said he, has given me credit for more than can be.
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  Speaker 1: The wisest and best of men, nay, the wisest and
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  Speaker 1: best of their actions, may be rendered ridiculous by a
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  Speaker 1: person whose first object in life is a joke. Certainly,
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  Speaker 1: replied Elizabeth. There are such people, but I hope I
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  Speaker 1: am not one of them. I hope I never ridicule
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  Speaker 1: what is wise or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and
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  Speaker 1: inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at
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  Speaker 1: them whenever I can. But these, I suppose, are precisely
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  Speaker 1: what you are without. Perhaps that is not possible for anyone,
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  Speaker 1: but it has been the study of my life to
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  Speaker 1: avoid those weaknesses which often expose a strong understanding to ridicule.
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  Speaker 1: Such as vanity and pride. Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed,
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  Speaker 1: but pride, where there is a real superiority of mind,
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  Speaker 1: pride will be always under good regulation. Elizabeth turned away
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  Speaker 1: to hide a smile. Your examination of Mr. Darcy is over,
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  Speaker 1: I presume, said Miss Bingley, and pray what is the result.
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  Speaker 1: I am perfectly convinced by it that Mr. Darcy has
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  Speaker 1: no defect. He owns it himself, without disguise. No, said Darcy.
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  Speaker 1: I have made no such pretension. I have faults enough,
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  Speaker 1: but they are not, I hope, of understanding. My temper
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  Speaker 1: I dare not vouch for. It is, I believe, too
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  Speaker 1: little yielding, certainly too little for the convenience of the world.
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  Speaker 1: I cannot forget the follies and vices of others so
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  Speaker 1: soon as I ought, nor their offences against myself. My
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  Speaker 1: feelings are not puffed about with every attempt to move them.
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  Speaker 1: My temper would perhaps be called resentful. My good opinion
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  Speaker 1: once lost is lost forever. That is a failing indeed,
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  Speaker 1: cried Elizabeth. Implacable resentment is a shade in a character.
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  Speaker 1: But you have chosen your fault well. I really cannot
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  Speaker 1: laugh at it. You are safe from me. There is,
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  Speaker 1: I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil,
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  Speaker 1: a natural defect. which not even the best education can overcome.
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  Speaker 1: And your defect is a propensity to hate everybody. And yours,
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  Speaker 1: he replied with a smile, is willfully to misunderstand them.
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  Speaker 1: Do let us have a little music, cried Miss Bingley,
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  Speaker 1: tired of a conversation in which she had no share. Louisa,
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  Speaker 1: you will not mind my waking Mr. Hurst. Her sister
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  Speaker 1: made not the smallest objection. and the pianoforte was opened,
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  Speaker 1: and Darcy, after a few moments' recollection, was not sorry
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  Speaker 1: for it. He began to feel the danger of paying
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  Speaker 1: Elizabeth too much attention.