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Chapter IV · Pride and Prejudice | Audiobook

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  Speaker 1: CHAPTER IV When Jane and Elizabeth were alone, the former,
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  Speaker 1: who had been cautious in her praise of Mr. Bingley before,
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  Speaker 1: expressed to her sister how very much she admired him.'
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  Speaker 1: He is just what a young man ought to be,'
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  Speaker 1: said she, 'sensible, good-humoured, lively, and I never saw such
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  Speaker 1: happy manners, 'so much ease, with such perfect good-breeding.' He
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  Speaker 1: is also handsome, replied Elizabeth, which a young man ought
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  Speaker 1: likewise to be, if he possibly can. His character is
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  Speaker 1: thereby complete. I was very much flattered by his asking
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  Speaker 1: me to dance a second time. I did not expect
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  Speaker 1: such a compliment. Did not you? I did for you.
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  Speaker 1: But that is one great difference between us. Compliments always
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  Speaker 1: take you by surprise, and me never. What could be
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  Speaker 1: more natural than his asking you again? He could not
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  Speaker 1: help seeing that you were about five times as pretty
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  Speaker 1: as every other woman in the room. No thanks to
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  Speaker 1: his gallantry for that. Well, he certainly is very agreeable,
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  Speaker 1: and I give you leave to like him. You have
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  Speaker 1: liked many a stupider person. Dear Lizzie, Oh, you are
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  Speaker 1: a great deal too apt, you know, to like people
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  Speaker 1: in general. You never see a fault in anybody. All
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  Speaker 1: the world are good and agreeable in your eyes. I
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  Speaker 1: never heard you speak ill of a human being in
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  Speaker 1: my life. I would wish not to be hasty in
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  Speaker 1: censoring anyone, but I always speak what I think. I
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  Speaker 1: know you do, and it is that which makes the wonder,
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  Speaker 1: with your good sense, to be so honestly blind to
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  Speaker 1: the follies and nonsense of others. affectation of candour is
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  Speaker 1: common enough. One meets with it everywhere. But to be
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  Speaker 1: candid without ostentation or design, to take the good of
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  Speaker 1: everybody's character and make it still better, and say nothing
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  Speaker 1: of the bad, belongs to you alone. And so, you
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  Speaker 1: like this man's sisters too, do you? Their manners are
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  Speaker 1: not equal to his.' Certainly not at first, but they
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  Speaker 1: are very pleasing women when you converse with them. Miss
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  Speaker 1: Bingley is to live with her brother, and keep his house,
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  Speaker 1: and I am much mistaken if we shall not find
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  Speaker 1: a very charming neighbour in her. Elizabeth listened in silence,
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  Speaker 1: but was not convinced. Their behaviour at the assembly had
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  Speaker 1: not been calculated to please in general. and with more
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  Speaker 1: quickness of observation and less pliancy of temper than her sister,
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  Speaker 1: and with a judgment too unassailed by any attention to herself,
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  Speaker 1: she was very little disposed to approve them. They were,
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  Speaker 1: in fact, very fine ladies, not deficient in good humour
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  Speaker 1: when they were pleased, nor in the power of being
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  Speaker 1: agreeable where they chose it, but proud and conceited. They
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  Speaker 1: were rather handsome, had been educated in one of the
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  Speaker 1: first private seminaries in town, had a fortune of twenty
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  Speaker 1: thousand pounds, were in the habit of spending more than
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  Speaker 1: they ought, and of associating with people of rank, and were, therefore,
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  Speaker 1: in every respect entitled to think well of themselves and
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  Speaker 1: meanly of others. They were of a respectable family in
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  Speaker 1: the north of England, a circumstance more deeply impressed on
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  Speaker 1: their memories than that their brother's fortune and their own
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  Speaker 1: had been acquired by trade. Mr Bingley inherited property to
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  Speaker 1: the amount of nearly £ 100, 000 from his father, who had
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  Speaker 1: intended to purchase an estate but did not live to
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  Speaker 1: do it. Mr Bingley intended it likewise. and sometimes made
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  Speaker 1: choice of his county. But, as he was now provided
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  Speaker 1: with a good house and the liberty of a manor,
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  Speaker 1: it was doubtful to many of those who best knew
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  Speaker 1: the easiness of his temper, whether he might not spend
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  Speaker 1: the remainder of his days at Netherfield and leave the
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  Speaker 1: next generation to purchase. His sisters were very anxious for
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  Speaker 1: his having an estate of his own, But though he
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  Speaker 1: was now established only as a tenant, Miss Bingley was
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  Speaker 1: by no means unwilling to preside at his table. Nor
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  Speaker 1: was Mrs Hurst, who had married a man of more
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  Speaker 1: fashion than fortune, less disposed to consider his house as
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  Speaker 1: her home when it suited her. Mr Bingley had not
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  Speaker 1: been of age two years when he was tempted, by
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  Speaker 1: an accidental recommendation, to look at Netherfield House. He did
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  Speaker 1: look at it, and into it, for half an hour.
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  Speaker 1: Was pleased with the situation and the principal rooms, satisfied
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  Speaker 1: with what the owner said in its praise, and took
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  Speaker 1: it immediately. Between him and Darcy, there was a very
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  Speaker 1: steady friendship, in spite of a great opposition of character.
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  Speaker 1: Bingley was endeared to Darcy by the easiness, openness and
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  Speaker 1: ductility of his temper. though no disposition could offer a
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  Speaker 1: greater contrast to his own, and though with his own
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  Speaker 1: he never appeared dissatisfied. On the strength of Darcy's regard,
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  Speaker 1: Bingley had the firmest reliance, and of his judgment the
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  Speaker 1: highest opinion. In understanding, Darcy was the superior. Bingley was
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  Speaker 1: by no means deficient, but Darcy was clever. He was
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  Speaker 1: at the same time haughty, reserved and fastidious, and his manners,
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  Speaker 1: though well-bred, were not inviting. In that respect, his friend
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  Speaker 1: had greatly the advantage. Bingley was sure of being liked
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  Speaker 1: wherever he appeared. Darcy was continually giving offence. The manner
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  Speaker 1: in which they spoke of the Meryton Assembly was sufficiently characteristic.
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  Speaker 1: Bingley was had never met with pleasanter people or prettier
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  Speaker 1: girls in his life. Everybody had been most kind and
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  Speaker 1: attentive to him. There had been no formality, no stiffness.
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  Speaker 1: He had soon felt acquainted with all the room. And
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  Speaker 1: as to Miss Bennet, he could not conceive an angel
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  Speaker 1: more beautiful. Darcy, on the contrary, had seen a collection
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  Speaker 1: of people in whom there was little beauty, and no fashion,
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  Speaker 1: for none of whom he had felt the smallest interest,
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  Speaker 1: and from none received either attention or pleasure. Miss Bennet
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  Speaker 1: he acknowledged to be pretty, but she smiled too much. Mrs.
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  Speaker 1: Hurst and her sister allowed it to be so, but
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  Speaker 1: still they admired her and liked her, and pronounced her
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  Speaker 1: to be a sweet girl, and one whom they should
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  Speaker 1: not object to know more of. Miss Bennet was therefore
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  Speaker 1: established as a sweet girl, and their brother felt authorised,
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  Speaker 1: by such commendation, to think of her as he chose.