Latest / North and South / 051 - Meeting Again

Transcript

051 - Meeting Again · North and South

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Chapter fifty one, North and South. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: information all to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. This
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: reading by Lucy Burgoyne. North and South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell,
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: chapter fifty one. Meeting again, Bear up, brave heart. We
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: will be calm and strong. Sure we can master eyes
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: or cheek or tongue. Nor let the smallest telltale sign appear.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: She ever was and is and will be. Dear rhyming play.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: It was a hot summer's evening. Edith came into Margaret's
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: bedroom the first time in an habit the second, ready
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: dressed for dinner. No one was there at first. The
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: next time, Edith found Dixon laying out Margaret's dress on
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: the bed, but no Margaret. Edith remained to fidget about, Oh, Dixon,
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: not those horrid blue flowers to that dead gold colored gown?
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: What taste? Wait a minute, and I will bring you
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: some pomegranate blossoms. It's not a dead colored, ma'am. It's
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: a straw color, and blue always goes with straw color.
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: But Edith had brought the brilliant scarlet flowers. Before Dixon
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: had got half through her remonstrance, Where is miss Hale,
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: asked Edith, as soon as she had tried the effect
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: of the garniture. I can't think, she went on pettishly,
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: how my aunt allowed her to get into such rambling
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: habits in Milton. I'm sure I'm always expecting to hear
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: of her having met with something horrible among all those
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: wretched places she pokes herself into. I should never dare
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: to go down some of those streets without a servant.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: They're not fit for ladies. Dixon was still huffed about
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: her despised taste, so she replied rather shortly, it's no
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: wonder to my mind when I hear ladies talk such
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: a deal about being ladies, and when they're such fearful, delicate,
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: dainty ladies too, I say, it's no wonder to me
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: that there are no longer any saints on earth. Oh, Margaret,
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: here you are. I have been so wanting you. But
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: how your cheeks are flushed with the heat, poor child,
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: But only think what that tiresome Henry has done. Really,
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: he exceeds brother in Law's limit. Just when my party
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: was made up so beautifully fitted in so precisely for
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: mister Colethirst. There has Henry come with an apology, it
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: is true, and making use of your name for an excuse,
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: and ask me if he may bring that mister Thornton
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: of Milton, your tenant, you know, who is in London
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: about some lawal business. It will spoil my number quite.
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: I don't mind dinner. I don't want any, said Margaret
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: in a low voice. Dixon can get me a cup
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: of tea here, and I will be in the drawing
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: room by the time you come up. I shall really
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: be glad to lie down. No, no, that will never do.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: You do look wretchedly white, to be sure, but that
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: is just the heat, and we can't do without you.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: Possibly those flowers a little lower, Dixon, they look glorious.
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: Flame Margaret in your black hair. You know we've planned
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: you to talk about Milton to mister cole First. Oh,
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: to be sure, and this man comes from Milton. I
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: believe it will be capital. After all, mister cole First
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: can pump him well on all the subjects in which
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: he is interested, and it will be great fun to
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: trace out your experiences. And this mister Thornton's wisdom in
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: mister cole First's next speech in the house. Really, I
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: think it is a happy hit of Henry's. I asked
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: him if he was a man one would be ashamed of,
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: and he replied, not if you've any sense in you,
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: my little sister. So I suppose he is able to
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: sound his h's, which is not common Darkshire accomplishment, eh, Margaret.
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: Mister Lennox did not not say why mister Thornton was
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: come up to town. Was it law business connected with
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: the property, asked Margaret in a constrained voice. Oh, he's
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: failed or something of the kind that Henry told you
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: of that day you had such a headache? What was
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: it there? That's capital Dixon? Miss Hale does his credit,
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: does she not? I wish I was as tall as
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: a queen and as brown as a gipsy, Margaret. But
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: about mister Thornton, I really have such a terrible head
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: for law business. Henry will like nothing better than to
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: tell you all about it. I know. The impression he
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: made upon me was that mister Thornton is very badly
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: off and a very respectable man, and that I'm to
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: be very civil to him. And as I did not
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: know how, I came to you to ask you to
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: help me, and now come down with me and rest
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: on the sofa for a quarter of an hour. The
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: privileged brother in law came early, and Margaret, reddening as
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: she spoke, began to ask him the questions she wanted
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: to hear answered about mister Thornton. He came up about
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: this sub letting the property Marlborough Mills and the house
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: and premises adjoining I mean he is unable to keep
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: it on, and there are deeds and leases to be
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: looked over and agreements to be drawn up. I hope
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: Edith will receive him properly. But she was rather put out,
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: as I could see by the liberty I had taken
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: in begging for an invitation for him. But I thought
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: you would like to have some attention shown him, and
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: one would be particularly scrupulous in paying every respect to
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: a man who is going down in the world. He
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: had dropped his voice to speak to Margaret, by whom
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: he was sitting, but as he ended, he sprung up
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: and introduced mister Thornton, who had that moment entered to
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: Edith and Captain Lennox. Margaret looked with an anxious eye
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: at mister Thornton while he was thus occupied. It was
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: considerably more than a year since she had seen him,
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: and events had occurred to change him much in that time.
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: His fine figure yet bore him above the common height
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: of men, and gave him a distinguished appearance from the
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: ease of motion which arose out of it and was
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: natural to him. But his face looked older and careworn.
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: Yet a noble composure sat upon it, which impressed those
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: who had just been hearing of his change position with
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: a sense of inherent dignity and manly strength. He was
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: aware from the first glance he had given round the
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: room that Margaret was there. He had seen her intent
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: look of occupation as she listened to mister Henry Lennox,
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: and he came up to her with the perfectly regulated
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: manner of an old friend. With his first calm words,
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: a vivid color flashed into her cheeks, which never left
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: them again during the evening. She did not seem to
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: have much to say to him. She disappointed him by
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: the quiet way in which she asked what seemed to
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: him to be the merely necessary questions respecting her old
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: acquaintances in Milton, but others came in more intimate in
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: the house that he and he fell into the background
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: where he and mister Lennox talked together from time to time.
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: You think miss Hale looking well, said mister Lennox, don't you?
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: Milton didn't agree with her. I imagine, for when she
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: first came to London, I thought I had never seen
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: any one so much changed to night she is looking radiant,
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: but she is much stronger. Last autumn she was fatigued
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: with the walk of a couple of miles. On Friday
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: evening we walked up to Hampstead and back. Yet on
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: Saturday she looked as well as she does now. We
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: who they two alone. Mister Colefurst was a very clever
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: man and a rising member of Parliament. He had a
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: quick eye at discerning character, and was struck by a
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: remark which mister Thornton made at dinner time. He inquired
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: from Edith who that gentleman was, and rather to her surprise,
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: she found from the tone of his indeed, that mister
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: Thornton of Milton was not such an unknown name to
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: him as she had imagined it would be. Her dinner
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: was going off well. Henry was in good humor and
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: brought out his dry, caustic wit admirably. Mister Thornton and
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: mister colefirst found one or two mutual subjects of interest
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: which they could only touch upon them, reserving them for
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: more private after dinner talk. Margaret looked beautiful in the
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: pomegranate flowers, and if she did lean back in her
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: chair and speak, but little Edith was not annoyed, for
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: the conversation flowed on smoothly without her. Margaret was watching
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: mister Thornton's face. He never looked at her, so she
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: might study him unobserved and note the change which even
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: this short time had wrought in him. Only at some
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: unexpected mot of mister Lennox's, his face flashed out into
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: the old look of intense enjoyment. The merry brightness returned
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: to his eyes, the lips just parted to suggest the
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: brilliant smile of former days, and for an instant his
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: glance instinctively sought hers, as if he wanted her sympathy.
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: But when their eyes met, his whole countenance changed. He
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: was grave and anxious once more, and he resolutely avoided
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: even looking near her again. During dinner, there were only
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: two ladies besides their own party, and as these were
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: occupied in conversation by our aunt and Edith. When they
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: went up into the drawing room, Margaret languidly employed herself
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: about some work. Presently the gentleman came up, mister Colefirst
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: and mister Thornton in close conversation. Mister Lennox drew near
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: to Margaret and said, in a low voice, I really
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: think Edith owes me thanks for my contribution to her party.
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: You've no idea what an agreeable, sensible fellow this tenant
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: of yours is. He has been the very man to
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: give cole First all the facts he wanted coaching in.
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: I can't conceive how he contrived to mismanage his affairs.
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: With his powers and opportunities, you would have succeeded, said Margaret.
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: He did not quite relish the tone in which she spoke,
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: although the words, but expressed a thought which had passed
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: through his own mind. As he was silent, they caught
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: a swell in the sound of conversation going on near
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: the fireplace between mister cole First and mister Thornton. I
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: assure you I heard it spoken of with great interests
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: curiosity as to its result. Perhaps I should rather say
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: I heard your name frequently mentioned during my short stay
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: in the neighborhood. Then they lost some words, and when
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: next they could hear mister Thornton was speaking, I have
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: not the elements for popularity. If they spoke of me
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: in that way, they were mistaken. I fall slowly into
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: new projects, and I find it difficult to let myself
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: be known even by those whom I desire to know,
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: and with whom I would fain have no reserve. Yet,
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: even with all these drawbacks, I felt that I was
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: on the right path, and that starting from a kind
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: of friendship with one, I was becoming acquainted with many.
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: The advantages were mutual. We were both unconsciously and consciously
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: teaching each other. You say, were I trust you are
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: intending to pursue the same course. I must stop cole first,
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: said Henry Lennox, hastily, and by an abrupt yet appropried question.
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: He turned the current of the conversation so as not
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: to give mister Thornton the mortification of acknowledging his want
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: of success and consequent change of position. But as soon
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: as the newly started subject had come to a close.
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: Mister Thornton resumed the conversation just where it had been interrupted,
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: and gave mister Cole first the reply to his inquiry.
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: I have been unsuccessful in business and have had to
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: give up my position as a master. I am on
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: the lookout for a situation in Milton where I may
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: meet with employment under someone who will be willing to
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: let me go along my own way. In such matters
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: as these, I can depend upon myself for having no
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: go ahead theories that I would rashly bring into practice.
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: My only wish is to have the opportunity of cultivating
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: some intercourse with the hands beyond the mere cash nexus.
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: But it might be the point Archimedes sought from which
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: to move the earth, to judge from the importance attached
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: to it by some of our manufacturers, who shake their
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: hands and look grave. As soon as I name the
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: one or two experiments that I should like to try,
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: you call them experiments, I notice, said Miss di Colfirst,
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: with a delicate increase of respect in his manner, because
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: I believe them to be such. I am not sure
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: of the consequences that may result from them, but I
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: am sure they ought to be tried. I have arrived
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: at the conviction that no mere institutions, however wise and
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: however much thought may have been required to organize and
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: arrange them, can attach class to the class as they
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: should be attached, unless the working out of such institutions
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: bring the individuals of the different classes into actual personal contact.
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: Such intercourse is the very breath of life. A working
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: man can hardly be made to feel and know how
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: much his employer may have labored in his study at
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: plans for the benefit of his workpeople. A complete plan
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: of mergers like a piece of machinery apparently fitted for
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: every emergency, but the hands accept it as they do machinery,
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: without understanding the intense mental labor and forethought required to
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: bring it to such perfection. But I would take an idea,
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: the working out of which would necessitate personal intercourse. It
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: might not go well at first, but at every hitch
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: interest would be felt by an increasing number of men,
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: and at last its success in working come to be
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: desired by all, as all had borne a part in
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: the formation of the plan. And even when I am
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: sure that it would lose its vitality cease to be living,
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: as soon as it was no longer carried on by
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: that sort of common interest which invariably makes people find
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: means and ways of seeing each other, and becoming acquainted
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: with each other's characters and persons, and even tricks of
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: temperar modes of speech. We should understand each other better,
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: and I'll venture to say we should like each other more.
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: And you think they may prevent the recurrence of strikes,
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: not at all. My utmost expectation only goes so far
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: as this, that they may render strikes, not the bitter,
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: venomous sources of hatred they have hitherto been. A more
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: hopeful man might imagine that a closer and more genial
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: intercourse between classes might do away with strikes. But I
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: am not a hopeful man. Suddenly, as if a new
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: idea had struck him, he crossed over to where Margaret
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: was sitting, and begun without preface, as if he knew
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: she had been listening to all that had parsedust Miss Hale.
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: I had a round robin from some of the men
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: I suspect in Higgins's handwriting, stating their wish to work
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: for me, if ever I was in a position to
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: employ men again on my own behalf. That was good,
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: wasn't it? Yes, just right, I am glad of it,
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: said Margaret, looking up straight into his face with those
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: speaking eyes, and then dropping them under his eloquent glance.
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: He gazed back at her for a minute, as if
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: he did not know exactly what he was about, then
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: sighed and saying, I knew you would like it. He
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: turned away and never spoke to her again until he
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: bid her a formal good night. As mister Lennox took
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: his departure, Margaret said, with a blush that she could
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: not repress, and with some hesitation, can I speak to
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: you to morrow? I want your help about something. Certainly,
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: I will come at whatever time you name. You cannot
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: give me a greater pleasure than by making me of
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: any use at eleven very well. His eye brightened with exultation.
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: How she was learning to depend upon him. It seemed
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: as if any day now might give him the certainty
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: without having which he had determined never to offer to
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: her again. End of chapter fifty one.