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Chapter VIII · Pride and Prejudice | Audiobook

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  Speaker 1: Chapter Eight At five o'clock the two ladies retired to dress,
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  Speaker 1: and at half-past six Elizabeth was summoned to dinner. To
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  Speaker 1: the civil inquiries which then poured in, and amongst which
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  Speaker 1: she had the pleasure of distinguishing the much superior solicitude
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  Speaker 1: of Mr Bingley, she could not make a very favourable answer.
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  Speaker 1: Jane was by no means better. The sisters, on hearing this,
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  Speaker 1: repeated three or four times how much they were grieved,
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  Speaker 1: how shocking it was to have a bad cold, and
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  Speaker 1: how excessively they disliked being ill themselves, and then thought
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  Speaker 1: no more of the matter, and their indifference towards Jane,
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  Speaker 1: when not immediately before them, restored Elizabeth to the enjoyment
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  Speaker 1: of all her original dislike. Their brother, indeed, was the
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  Speaker 1: only one of the party whom she could regard with
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  Speaker 1: any complacency. His anxiety for Jane was evident, and his
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  Speaker 1: attentions to herself most pleasing, and they prevented her feeling
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  Speaker 1: herself so much an intruder as she believed she was
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  Speaker 1: considered by the others. She had very little notice from
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  Speaker 1: any but him. Miss Bingley was engrossed by Mr Darcy,
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  Speaker 1: her sister scarcely less so, and as for Mr Hurst,
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  Speaker 1: by whom Elizabeth sat, he was an indolent man who
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  Speaker 1: lived only to eat, drink and play at cards, who,
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  Speaker 1: when he found her prefer a plain dish to a ragout,
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  Speaker 1: had nothing to say to her. When dinner was over,
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  Speaker 1: she returned directly to Jane, and Miss Bingley began abusing
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  Speaker 1: her as soon as she was out of the room.
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  Speaker 1: Her manners were pronounced to be very bad indeed, a
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  Speaker 1: mixture of pride and impertinence. She had no conversation, no style,
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  Speaker 1: no taste, no beauty. Mrs Hurst thought the same, and added,
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  Speaker 1: She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being
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  Speaker 1: an excellent walker. I shall never forget her appearance this morning.
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  Speaker 1: She really looked almost wild. She did indeed, Louisa. I
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  Speaker 1: could hardly keep my countenance. Very nonsensical to come at all.
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  Speaker 1: Why must she be scampering about the country? Because her
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  Speaker 1: sister had a cold. Her hair so untidy, so blousy. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: and her petticoat. I hope you saw her petticoat. Six
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  Speaker 1: inches deep in mud, I'm absolutely certain. And the gown
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  Speaker 1: which had been let down to hide it, not doing
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  Speaker 1: its office. Your picture may be very exact, Louisa, said Bingley,
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  Speaker 1: but this was all lost upon me. I thought Miss
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  Speaker 1: Elizabeth Bennet looked remarkably well when she came into the
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  Speaker 1: room this morning. Her dirty petticoat quite escaped my notice.
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  Speaker 1: You observed it, Mr Darcy, I am sure, said Miss Bingley,
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  Speaker 1: and I am inclined to think that you would not
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  Speaker 1: wish to see your sister make such an exhibition? Certainly not.
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  Speaker 1: To walk three miles or four miles or five miles
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  Speaker 1: or whatever it is, above her ankles in dirt and alone,
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  Speaker 1: quite alone. What could she mean by it? It seems
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  Speaker 1: to me to show an abominable sort of conceited independence,
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  Speaker 1: a most country-town indifference to decorum. It shows an affection
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  Speaker 1: for her sister that is very pleasing, said Bingley. I
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  Speaker 1: am afraid, Mr Darcy, observed Miss Bingley in a half-whisper,
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  Speaker 1: that this adventure has rather affected your admiration of her
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  Speaker 1: fine eyes. Not at all, he replied. They were brightened
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  Speaker 1: by the exercise. A short pause followed this speech, and
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  Speaker 1: Mrs Hurst began again. I have an excessive regard for
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  Speaker 1: Jane Bennett. She is really a very sweet girl, and
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  Speaker 1: I wish with all my heart she were well settled.
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  Speaker 1: But with such a father and mother and such low connections,
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  Speaker 1: I am afraid there is no chance of it. I
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  Speaker 1: think I have heard you say that their uncle is
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  Speaker 1: an attorney in Meryton. Yes, and they have another, who
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  Speaker 1: lives somewhere near Cheapside. That is capital, added her sister,
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  Speaker 1: and they both laughed heartily. If they had uncles enough
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  Speaker 1: to fill all Cheapside, cried Bingley, it would not make
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  Speaker 1: them one jot less agreeable. But it must very materially
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  Speaker 1: lessen their chance of marrying men of any consideration in
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  Speaker 1: the world, replied Darcy. To this speech, Bingley made no answer.
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  Speaker 1: but his sisters gave it their hearty assent and indulged
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  Speaker 1: their mirth for some time at the expense of their
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  Speaker 1: dear friend's vulgar relations. With a renewal of tenderness, however,
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  Speaker 1: they repaired to her room on leaving the dining parlour
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  Speaker 1: and sat with her till summoned to coffee. She was
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  Speaker 1: still very poorly, and Elizabeth would not quit her at
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  Speaker 1: all till late in the evening, when she had the
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  Speaker 1: comfort of seeing her asleep, and when it appeared to
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  Speaker 1: her rather right than pleasant that she should go downstairs herself.
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  Speaker 1: On entering the drawing-room, she found the whole party at loo,
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  Speaker 1: and was immediately invited to join them, but suspecting them
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  Speaker 1: to be playing high, she declined it, and making her
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  Speaker 1: sister the excuse, said she would amuse herself, for the
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  Speaker 1: short time she could stay below, with a book. Mr.
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  Speaker 1: Hurst looked at her with astonishment.' Do you prefer reading
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  Speaker 1: to cards?' said he.' That is rather singular.'' Miss Eliza Bennet,'
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  Speaker 1: said Miss Bingley, 'despises cards.' She is a great reader
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  Speaker 1: and has no pleasure in anything else.' I deserve neither
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  Speaker 1: such praise nor such censure, cried Elizabeth. I am not
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  Speaker 1: a great reader, and I have pleasure in many things.
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  Speaker 1: In nursing your sister, I am sure you have pleasure,
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  Speaker 1: said Bingley, and I hope it will soon be increased
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  Speaker 1: by seeing her quite well. Elizabeth thanked him from her heart,
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  Speaker 1: and then walked towards a table where a few books
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  Speaker 1: were lying. he immediately offered to fetch her others, all
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  Speaker 1: that his library afforded. And I wish my collection were
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  Speaker 1: larger for your benefit and my own credit, but I
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  Speaker 1: am an idle fellow, and though I have not many,
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  Speaker 1: I have more than I ever looked into. Elizabeth assured
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  Speaker 1: him that she could suit herself perfectly with those in
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  Speaker 1: the room. I am astonished, said Miss Bingley. that my
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  Speaker 1: father should have left so small a collection of books.
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  Speaker 1: What a delightful library you have at Pemberley, Mr Darcy.
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  Speaker 1: It ought to be good, he replied. It has been
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  Speaker 1: the work of many generations. And then you have added
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  Speaker 1: so much to it yourself. You are always buying books.
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  Speaker 1: I cannot comprehend the neglect of a family library in
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  Speaker 1: such days as these. Neglect? I am sure you neglect
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  Speaker 1: nothing that can add to the beauties of that noble place. Charles,
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  Speaker 1: when you build your house, I wish it may be
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  Speaker 1: half as delightful as Pemberley. I wish it may. But
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  Speaker 1: I would really advise you to make your purchase in
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  Speaker 1: that neighbourhood and take Pemberley for a kind of model.
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  Speaker 1: There is not a finer county in England than Derbyshire.
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  Speaker 1: With all my heart, I will buy Pemberley itself, if
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  Speaker 1: Darcy will sell it. I am talking of possibilities, Charles.
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  Speaker 1: Upon my word, Caroline, I should think it more possible
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  Speaker 1: to get Pemberley by purchase than by imitation. Elizabeth was
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  Speaker 1: so much caught by what passed as to leave her
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  Speaker 1: very little attention for her book. And soon, laying it
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  Speaker 1: wholly aside, she drew near the card-table. and stationed herself
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  Speaker 1: between Mr Bingley and his eldest sister to observe the game.
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  Speaker 1: Is Miss Darcy much grown since the spring? said Miss Bingley.
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  Speaker 1: Will she be as tall as I am? I think
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  Speaker 1: she will. She is now about Miss Elizabeth Bennet's height,
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  Speaker 1: or rather taller. How I long to see her again!
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  Speaker 1: I never met with anybody who delighted me so much.
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  Speaker 1: Such a countenance! Such manners, and so extremely accomplished for
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  Speaker 1: her age. Her performance on the pianoforte is exquisite. It
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  Speaker 1: is amazing to me, said Bingley, how young ladies can
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  Speaker 1: have patience to be so very accomplished as they all are.
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  Speaker 1: All young ladies accomplished, my dear Charles, what do you mean? Yes,
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  Speaker 1: all of them, I think. They all paint tables, cover
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  Speaker 1: screens and net purses. I scarcely know anyone who cannot
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  Speaker 1: do all this, and I am sure I never heard
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  Speaker 1: a young lady spoken of for the first time. without
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  Speaker 1: being informed that she was very accomplished. Your list of
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  Speaker 1: the common extent of accomplishments, said Darcy, has too much truth.
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  Speaker 1: The word is applied to many a woman who deserves it,
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  Speaker 1: no otherwise than by netting a purse or covering a screen.
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  Speaker 1: But I am very far from agreeing with you in
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  Speaker 1: your estimation of ladies in general. I cannot boast of
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  Speaker 1: knowing more than half a dozen in the whole range
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  Speaker 1: of my acquaintance that are really accomplished. Nor I, I
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  Speaker 1: am sure, said Miss Bingley. Then, observed Elizabeth, you must
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  Speaker 1: comprehend a great deal in your idea of an accomplished woman. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: I do comprehend a great deal in it. Oh, certainly,
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  Speaker 1: cried his faithful assistant. No one can be really esteemed
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  Speaker 1: accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with.
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  Speaker 1: A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing,
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  Speaker 1: and the modern languages to deserve the word. And, besides
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  Speaker 1: all this, she must possess a certain something in her
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  Speaker 1: air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice,
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  Speaker 1: her address and expressions— or the word will be but
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  Speaker 1: half deserved. All this she must possess, added Darcy, and
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  Speaker 1: to all she must yet add something more substantial in
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  Speaker 1: the improvement of her mind by extensive reading. I am
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  Speaker 1: no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women.
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  Speaker 1: I rather wonder now at your knowing any. Are you
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  Speaker 1: so severe upon your own sex as to doubt the
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  Speaker 1: possibility of all this? I never saw such a woman.
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  Speaker 1: I never saw such capacity and taste and application and
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  Speaker 1: elegance as you describe united. Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley
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  Speaker 1: both cried out against the injustice of her implied doubt
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  Speaker 1: and were both protesting that they knew many women who
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  Speaker 1: answered this description when Mr Hurst called them to order,
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  Speaker 1: with bitter complaints of their inattention to what was going forward.
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  Speaker 1: as all conversation was thereby at an end, Elizabeth, soon afterwards,
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  Speaker 1: left the room.' Eliza Bennet,' said Miss Bingley, when the
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  Speaker 1: door was closed on her,' is one of these young
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  Speaker 1: ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex'
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  Speaker 1: by undervaluing their own, and with many men, I dare say,
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  Speaker 1: it succeeds.' But, in my opinion, it is a paltry device.'
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  Speaker 1: a very mean art. Undoubtedly, replied Darcy, to whom this
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  Speaker 1: remark was chiefly addressed, there is meanness in all the
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  Speaker 1: arts which ladies sometimes condescend to employ for captivation. Whatever
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  Speaker 1: bears affinity to cunning is despicable. Miss Bingley was not
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  Speaker 1: so entirely satisfied with this reply as to continue the subject.
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  Speaker 1: Elizabeth joined them again, only to say that her sister
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  Speaker 1: was worse and that she could not leave her. Bingley
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  Speaker 1: urged Mr Jones's being sent for immediately, while his sisters,
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  Speaker 1: convinced that no country advice could be of any service,
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  Speaker 1: recommended and expressed to town for one of the most
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  Speaker 1: eminent physicians. This she would not hear of, but she
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  Speaker 1: was not so unwilling to comply with their brother's proposal.
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  Speaker 1: and it was settled that Mr Jones should be sent
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  Speaker 1: for early in the morning if Miss Bennet were not
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  Speaker 1: decidedly better. Bingley was quite uncomfortable. His sisters declared that
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  Speaker 1: they were miserable. They solaced their wretchedness, however, by duets
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  Speaker 1: after supper, while he could find no better relief to
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  Speaker 1: his feelings than by giving his housekeeper directions that every
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  Speaker 1: possible attention might be paid to the sick lady and
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  Speaker 1: her sister.