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Chapter XLV · Pride and Prejudice | Audiobook

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  Speaker 1: Chapter 45 Convinced as Elizabeth now was that Miss Bingley's
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  Speaker 1: dislike of her had originated in jealousy, she could not
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  Speaker 1: help feeling how very unwelcome her appearance at Pemberley must
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  Speaker 1: be to her, and was curious to know with how
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  Speaker 1: much civility on that lady's side the acquaintance would now
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  Speaker 1: be renewed. On reaching the house, they were shown through
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  Speaker 1: the hall into the saloon, whose northern aspect rendered it
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  Speaker 1: delightful for summer. Its windows, opening to the ground, admitted
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  Speaker 1: a most refreshing view of the high woody hills behind
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  Speaker 1: the house and of the beautiful oaks and Spanish chestnuts
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  Speaker 1: which were scattered over the intermediate lawn. In this room
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  Speaker 1: they were received by Miss Darcy, who was sitting there
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  Speaker 1: with Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley. and the lady with
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  Speaker 1: whom she lived in London. Georgiana's reception of them was
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  Speaker 1: very civil, but attended with all that embarrassment, which, though
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  Speaker 1: proceeding from shyness and the fear of doing wrong, would
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  Speaker 1: easily give to those who felt themselves inferior the belief
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  Speaker 1: of her being proud and reserved. Mrs Gardiner and her niece, however,
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  Speaker 1: did her justice and pitied her. By Mrs Hurst and
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  Speaker 1: Miss Bingley, they were noticed only by a courtesy, and
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  Speaker 1: on their being seated, a pause, awkward as such pauses
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  Speaker 1: must always be, succeeded for a few moments. It was
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  Speaker 1: first broken by Mrs Ansley, a genteel, agreeable-looking woman, whose
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  Speaker 1: endeavour to introduce some kind of discourse proved her to
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  Speaker 1: be more truly well-bred than either of the others. And
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  Speaker 1: between her and Mrs Gardner, with occasional help from Elizabeth,
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  Speaker 1: the conversation was carried on. Miss Darcy looked as if
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  Speaker 1: she wished for courage enough to join in it, and
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  Speaker 1: sometimes did venture a short sentence when there was least
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  Speaker 1: danger of its being heard. Elizabeth soon saw that she
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  Speaker 1: was herself closely watched by Miss Bingley. and that she
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  Speaker 1: could not speak a word, especially to Miss Darcy, without
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  Speaker 1: calling her attention. This observation would not have prevented her
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  Speaker 1: from trying to talk to the latter had they not
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  Speaker 1: been seated at an inconvenient distance. But she was not
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  Speaker 1: sorry to be spared the necessity of saying much. Her
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  Speaker 1: own thoughts were employing her. She expected every moment, that
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  Speaker 1: some of the gentlemen would enter the room. She wished,
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  Speaker 1: she feared, that the master of the house might be
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  Speaker 1: amongst them, and whether she wished or feared it most,
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  Speaker 1: she could scarcely determine. After sitting in this manner a
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  Speaker 1: quarter of an hour, without hearing Miss Bingley's voice, Elizabeth
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  Speaker 1: was roused by receiving from her a cold inquiry after
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  Speaker 1: the health of her family. She answered with equal indifference
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  Speaker 1: and brevity, and the other said no more. The next
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  Speaker 1: variation which their visit afforded was produced by the entrance
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  Speaker 1: of servants with cold meat, cake, and a variety of
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  Speaker 1: all the finest fruits in season. But this did not
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  Speaker 1: take place till after many a significant look and smile
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  Speaker 1: from Mrs. Ansley to Miss Darcy had been given. to
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  Speaker 1: remind her of her post. There was now employment for
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  Speaker 1: the whole party, for though they could not all talk,
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  Speaker 1: they could all eat, and the beautiful pyramids of grapes,
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  Speaker 1: nectarines and peaches soon collected them round the table. While
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  Speaker 1: thus engaged, Elizabeth had a fair opportunity of deciding whether
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  Speaker 1: she most feared or wished for the appearance of Mr. Darcy.
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  Speaker 1: by the feelings which prevailed on his entering the room.
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  Speaker 1: And then, though but a moment before she had believed
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  Speaker 1: her wishes to predominate, she began to regret that he came.
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  Speaker 1: He had been some time with Mr Gardiner, who, with
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  Speaker 1: two or three other gentlemen from the house, was engaged
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  Speaker 1: by the river, and had left him only on learning
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  Speaker 1: that the ladies of the family were intended a visit
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  Speaker 1: to Georgiana that morning. No sooner did he appear than
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  Speaker 1: Elizabeth wisely resolved to be perfectly easy and unembarrassed, a
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  Speaker 1: resolution the more necessary to be made, but perhaps not
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  Speaker 1: the more easily kept, because she saw that the suspicions
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  Speaker 1: of the whole party were awakened against them, and that
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  Speaker 1: there was scarcely an eye which did not watch his
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  Speaker 1: behaviour when he first came into the room. In no
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  Speaker 1: countenance was attentive curiosity so strongly marked as in Miss Bingley's,
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  Speaker 1: in spite of the smiles which overspread her face whenever
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  Speaker 1: she spoke to one of its objects, for jealousy had
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  Speaker 1: not yet made her desperate, and her attentions to Mr.
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  Speaker 1: Darcy were by no means over. Miss Darcy, on her
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  Speaker 1: brother's entrance,' exerted herself much more to talk,' and Elizabeth
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  Speaker 1: saw that he was anxious' for his sister and herself
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  Speaker 1: to get acquainted,' and forwarded, as much as possible,' every
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  Speaker 1: attempt at conversation on either side.' Miss Bingley saw all
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  Speaker 1: this likewise,' and, in the imprudence of anger,' took the
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  Speaker 1: first opportunity of saying,' with sneering civility,' Pray, Miss Eliza,
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  Speaker 1: Are not the Shire militia removed from Meryton? They must
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  Speaker 1: be a great loss to your family. In Darcy's presence,
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  Speaker 1: she dared not mention Wickham's name, but Elizabeth instantly comprehended
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  Speaker 1: that he was uppermost in her thoughts, and the various
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  Speaker 1: recollections connected with him gave her a moment's distress. But,
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  Speaker 1: exerting herself vigorously to repel the ill-natured attack, she presently
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  Speaker 1: answered the question in a tolerably disengaged tone. While she spoke,
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  Speaker 1: an involuntary glance showed her Darcy with a heightened complexion,
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  Speaker 1: earnestly looking at her, and his sister overcome with confusion
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  Speaker 1: and unable to lift up her eyes. Had Miss Bingley
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  Speaker 1: known what pain she was then giving her beloved friend,
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  Speaker 1: she undoubtedly would have refrained from the hint. but she
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  Speaker 1: had merely intended to discompose Elizabeth, by bringing forward the
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  Speaker 1: idea of a man to whom she believed her partial,
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  Speaker 1: to make her betray a sensibility which might injure her
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  Speaker 1: in Darcy's opinion, and perhaps to remind the latter of
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  Speaker 1: all the follies and absurdities by which some part of
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  Speaker 1: her family were connected with that core. Not a syllable
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  Speaker 1: had ever reached her of Miss Darcy's meditated elopement. To
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  Speaker 1: no creature had it been revealed where secrecy was possible,
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  Speaker 1: except to Elizabeth. And from all Bingley's connections, her brother
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  Speaker 1: was particularly anxious to conceal it from that very wish
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  Speaker 1: which Elizabeth had long ago attributed to him of their
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  Speaker 1: becoming hereafter her own. He had certainly formed such a plan,
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  Speaker 1: and without meaning that it should affect his endeavour to
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  Speaker 1: separate him from Miss Bennet, it is probable that it
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  Speaker 1: might add something to his lively concern for the welfare
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  Speaker 1: of his friend. Elizabeth's collected behaviour, however, soon quieted his emotion,
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  Speaker 1: and as Miss Bingley, vexed and disappointed, dared not approach
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  Speaker 1: nearer to Wickham. Georgiana also recovered in time, though not
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  Speaker 1: enough to be able to speak any more. Her brother,
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  Speaker 1: whose eyes she feared to meet, scarcely recollected her interest
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  Speaker 1: in the affair, and the very circumstance which had been
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  Speaker 1: designed to turn his thoughts from Elizabeth seemed to have
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  Speaker 1: fixed them on her more and more cheerfully. Their visit
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  Speaker 1: did not continue long after the question and answer above mentioned.
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  Speaker 1: and while Mr Darcy was attending them to their carriage,
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  Speaker 1: Miss Bingley was venting her feelings in criticisms on Elizabeth's person,
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  Speaker 1: behaviour and dress. But Georgiana would not join her. Her
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  Speaker 1: brother's recommendation was enough to ensure her favour. His judgment
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  Speaker 1: could not err, and he had spoken in such terms
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  Speaker 1: of Elizabeth, as to leave Georgiana without the power of
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  Speaker 1: finding her otherwise than lovely and amiable. When Darcy returned
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  Speaker 1: to the saloon, Miss Bingley could not help repeating to
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  Speaker 1: him some part of what she had been saying to
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  Speaker 1: his sister.' How very ill Eliza Bennet looks!' this morning,
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  Speaker 1: Mr Darcy, she cried. I never in my life saw
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  Speaker 1: anyone so much altered as she is since the winter.
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  Speaker 1: She has grown so brown and coarse. Louisa and I
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  Speaker 1: were agreeing that we should not have known her again.
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  Speaker 1: However little Mr. Darcy might have liked such an address,
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  Speaker 1: he contented himself with coolly replying that he perceived no
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  Speaker 1: other alteration than her being rather tanned, no miraculous consequence
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  Speaker 1: of travelling in the summer. For my own part, she rejoined,
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  Speaker 1: I must confess that I never could see any beauty
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  Speaker 1: in her. Her face is too thin, her complexion has
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  Speaker 1: no brilliancy, and her features are not at all handsome.
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  Speaker 1: Her nose wants character. There is nothing marked in its lines.
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  Speaker 1: Her teeth are tolerable, but not out of the common way.
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  Speaker 1: And as for her eyes, which have sometimes been called
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  Speaker 1: so fine, I never could perceive anything extraordinary in them.
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  Speaker 1: They have a sharp, shrewish look, which I do not
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  Speaker 1: like at all. And in her air altogether, There is
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  Speaker 1: a self-sufficiency without fashion which is intolerable. Persuaded as Miss
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  Speaker 1: Bingley was that Darcy admired Elizabeth, this was not the
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  Speaker 1: best method of recommending herself. But angry people are not
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  Speaker 1: always wise. And in seeing him at last look somewhat nettled,
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  Speaker 1: she had all the success she expected. He was resolutely silent, however, and...
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  Speaker 1: From a determination of making him speak, she continued. I remember,
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  Speaker 1: when we first knew her in Hertfordshire, how amazed we
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  Speaker 1: all were to find that she was a reputed beauty.
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  Speaker 1: And I particularly recollect your saying one night, after they
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  Speaker 1: had been dining at Netherfield, she a beauty. I should
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  Speaker 1: as soon call her mother a wit. But afterwards, she
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  Speaker 1: seemed to improve on you, and I believe you thought
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  Speaker 1: her rather pretty at one time. Yes, replied Darcy, who
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  Speaker 1: could contain himself no longer, but that was only when
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  Speaker 1: I first knew her, for it is many months since
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  Speaker 1: I have considered her as one of the handsomest women
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  Speaker 1: of my acquaintance. He then went away, and Miss Bingley
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  Speaker 1: was left to all the satisfaction of having forced him
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  Speaker 1: to say, what gave no one any pain but herself.
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  Speaker 1: Mrs Gardner and Elizabeth talked of all that had occurred
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  Speaker 1: during their visit, as they returned, except what had particularly
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  Speaker 1: interested them both. The looks and behaviour of everybody they
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  Speaker 1: had seen were discussed, except of the person who had
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  Speaker 1: mostly engaged their attention. They talked of his sister, his friends,
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  Speaker 1: his house, his fruit, of everything but himself. Yet Elizabeth
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  Speaker 1: was longing to know what Mrs Gardiner thought of him,
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  Speaker 1: and Mrs Gardiner would have been highly gratified by her
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  Speaker 1: niece's beginning the subject.