Latest / North and South (version 2) / 054 - Ch 52 - 'Pack Clouds Away'

Transcript

054 - Ch 52 - 'Pack Clouds Away' · North and South (version 2)

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Chapter fifty two of North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Read by
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Marianne chapter fifty two, Pack clouds away for joy or grief,
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: for hope or fear for all hereafter, as for here
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: in peace or strife, in storm or shine. Anonymous Edith
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: went about on tiptoe and checked Sholto in all loud,
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: speaking that next morning, as if any sudden noise would
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: interrupt the conference that was taking place in the drawing room.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Two o'clock came and they still sat there with closed doors.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: Then there was a man's footstep running down stairs, and
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: Edith peeped out of the drawing room. Well, Henry, said she,
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: with a look of interrogation. Well said he rather shortly
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: come in to lunch. No, thank you, I can't. I've
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: lost too much time here already. Then it's not all settled,
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: said Edith, despondingly. No, not at all. It never will
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: be settled. If the it is what I conjecture, you mean,
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: that will never be Edith, so give up thinking about it.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: But it would be so nice for us, all pleaded Edith.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: I should always feel comfortable about the children if I
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: had Margaret settled down near me. As it is, I
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: am always afraid of her going off to Cadiz. I
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: will try when I marry to look out for a
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: young lady who has a knowledge of the management of children.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: That is all I can do. Miss Hale would not
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: have me, and I shall not ask her. Then, what
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: have you been talking about? A thousand things you would
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: not understand, investments and leases and value of land. Oh
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: go away if that's all you, and she will be
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: unbearably stupid if you've been talking all this time about
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: such weary things. Very well, I'm coming again tomorrow and
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: bringing mister Thornton with me to have some more talk
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: with miss Hale. Mister Thornton, what has he to do
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: with it? He is Miss Hale's tenant, said mister Lennox,
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: turning away, and he wishes to give up his lease.
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: Oh very well. I can't understand details, so don't give
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: them me. The only detail I want you to understand
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: is to let us have the back drawing room undisturbed
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: as it was to day. In general, the children and
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: servants are so in and out that I can never
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: get any business satisfactorily explained, And the arrangements we have
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: to make tomorrow are of importance. No one ever knew
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: why mister Lennox did not keep his appointment. On the
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: following day, mister Thornton came true to his time, and
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: after keeping him waiting for nearly an hour, Margaret came in,
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: looking very white and anxious. She began hurriedly, I'm so
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: sorry mister Lennox is not here. He could have done
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: it so much better than I can. He is my
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: adviser in this. I am sorry that I came. If
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: it troubles you, shall I go to mister Lennox's chambers
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: and try and find him. No, thank you. I wanted
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: to tell you how grieved I was to find out
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: that I am losing you as a tenant. But mister
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: Lennox says things are sure to brighton. Mister Lennox knows
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: little about it, said mister Thornton, quietly, happy and fortunate
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: in all a man cares for he does not understand
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: what it is to find one's self no longer young,
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: yet thrown back to the starting point, which requires the
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: hopeful energy of youth. To feel one half of life
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: gone and nothing done, nothing remaining of wasted opportunity, but
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: the bitter recollection that it has been, Miss Hale, I
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: would rather not hear mister Lennox's opinion of my affairs.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: Those who are happy and successful themselves are too apt
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: to make light of the misfortunes of others. You are unjust,
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: said Margaret gently. Mister Lennox is only spoken of the
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: great probability which he believes there to be of your redeeming.
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: You are more than redeeming what you have lost. Don't
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: speak till I have ended. Pray don't And collecting herself
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: once more, she went on rapidly turning over some law
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: papers and statements of accounts in a trembling hurried manner. Oh,
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: here it is, and he drew me out a proposal.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: I wish he was here to explain it, showing that
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: if you would take so money of mine eighteen thousand
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: and fifty seven pounds lying just at this moment unused
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: in the bank, and bringing me in only two and
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: a half percent, you could pay me much better interest,
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: and might go on working Marlborough Mills. Her voice had
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: cleared itself and become more steady. Mister Thornton did not speak,
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: and she went on looking for some paper on which
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: were written down the proposals for security, for she was
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: anxious to have it all looked upon in the light
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: of a mere business arrangement in which the principal advantage
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: would be on her side. While she sought for this paper,
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: her very heart pulse was arrested by the tone in
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: which mister Thornton spoke. His voice was hoarse and trembling
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: with tender passion as he said Margaret. For an instant
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: she looked up, and then sought to veil her luminous
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: eyes by dropping her forehead on her hands. Again, stepping nearer,
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: he besaw her with another tremulous, eager call upon her name, Margaret.
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: Still lower went the head more closely hidden was the
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: face almost resting on the table before her. He came
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: close to her. He knelt by her side to bring
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: his face to a level with her ear, and whisper
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: panted out the words take care. If you do not speak,
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: I shall claim you as my own in some strange
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: presumptuous way. Send me away at once, if I must go, Margaret.
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: At that third call, she turned her face, still covered
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: with her small white hands, toward him and laid it
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: on his shoulder, hiding it even there, And it was
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: too delicious to feel her soft cheek against his for
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: him to wish to see either deep blushes or loving eyes.
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: He clasped her close, but they both kept silence. At length,
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: she murmured in a broken voice, Oh, mister Thornton, I
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: am not good enough, not good enough. Don't mock my
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: own deep feeling of unworthiness. After a minute or two,
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: he gently disengaged her hands from her face and laid
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: her arms as they had once before been placed to
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: protect him from the rioters. Do you remember, love, he murmured,
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: and how I requitted you with my insolence the next day?
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: I remember how wrongly I spoke to you. That is all.
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: Look here, lift up your head. I've something to show you.
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: She slowly faced him, glowing with beautiful shame. Do you
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: know these roses, said he, drawing out his pocket book,
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: in which were treasured up some dead flowers. No, she replied,
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: with innocent curiosity. Did I give them to you? No, vanity,
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: you did not. You may have worn sister roses very probably.
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: She looked at them, wondering for a moment. Then she
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: smiled a little as she said. They're from Helstone, are
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: they not? I know the deep indentations round the leaves.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: Oh have you been there? When were you there? I
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: wanted to see the place where Margaret grew to what
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: she is, even at the worst time of all, when
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: I had no hope of ever calling her mind, I
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: went there on my return from Avre. You must give
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: them to me, said she, trying to take them out
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: of his hand with gentle violence. Very well, only you
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: must pay me for them. How shall I ever tell
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: aunt all, she whispered, after some time of delicious silence.
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: Let me speak to her. Oh, no, I owe to her.
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: But what will she say? I can guess her first
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: exclamation will be that man, hush, said Margaret. Or I
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: shall try to show you your mother's indignant tones as
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: she says that woman. End of Chapter fifty two and
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: end of North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, read by
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: Marianne Speagel. Thank you for listening.