| [00:00.18] | 8 Elizabeth Learns more about Darcy and Wickham8 |
| [00:05.59] | The next morning Elizabeth had still not recovered from the surprise of Darcy's proposal to her. |
| [00:13.53] | Feeling in need of exercise and fresh air， |
| [00:16.93] | she decided to have a walk. |
| [00:18.54] | In order to avoid meeting Mr Darcy， she kept away from her favourite path， |
| [00:23.64] | but could not resist walking a little way into Lady Catherine's park. |
| [00:27.79] | There she was astonished to see Darcy himself approaching her |
| [00:32.8] | and calling her name. |
| [00:33.31] | ‘I have been walking some time in the hope of meeting you，’he said. “ |
| [00:37.52] | ‘Will you do me the honour of reading this letter?’ “ |
| [00:41.50] | And， handing her an envelope， |
| [00:44.14] | he bowed slightly and walked quickly away. |
| [00:47.46] | With no expectation of pleasure， |
| [00:50.88] | but with the strongest curiosity， |
| [00:53.35] | Elizabeth opened the letter， and began to read it as she continued her walk alone. |
| [00:59.39] | Do not be alarmed，madam， |
| [01:02.63] | that I shall repeat the offer which so disgusted you last night. |
| [01:06.52] | I have no intention of mentioning again wishes which， for the happiness of both of us， cannot be too soon forgotten. |
| [01:14.6] | I would not have written， |
| [01:16.49] | but justice requires my character to be defended. |
| [01:19.96] | You accused me last night of two very different offences. |
| [01:24.75] | The first was that I had separated Mr Bingley from your sister，in spite of their mutual affection， |
| [01:31.57] | and the second was that I had destroyed Mr Wickham's chance of future wealth and happiness， in spite of my father's honourable promises to him. |
| [01:40.53] | I hope that you will no longer blame me for either of these offences， when you have read the explanation which follows. |
| [01:48.80] | If I am forced to describe feelings which offend you， |
| [01:52.44] | I can only say I am sorry. |
| [01:55.14] | I had not been long in Hertfordshire before |
| [01:59.87] | I noticed that Bingley preferred your elder sister Jane to any other young woman. |
| [02:04.41] | But I had often seen him in love before， |
| [02:07.21] | and it wasn't until the Netherfield ball |
| [02:10.30] | that I realized how serious his attachment was. |
| [02:13.54] | I was careful to observe your sister closely， |
| [02:17.53] | and as her manners and appearance were as pleasant and cheerful as ever， |
| [02:22.48] | I remained convinced that she did not feel strongly about him. |
| [02:26.92] | I was perhaps deceived by her calmness， |
| [02:30.61] | and in that case， your anger has not been unreasonable. |
| [02:34.67] | But I sincerely believed that her heart had not been touched. |
| [02:38.77] | I objected to Bingley's possible marriage to her， |
| [02:42.78] | not only for those reasons of social inferiority that I mentioned to you last night，but also for reasons |
| [02:50.54] | which in my case I had tried to forget， but which I must state now. |
| [02:56.60] | The behaviour that evening of your mother， your three younger sisters， and occasionally even your father， |
| [03:04.37] | was so lacking in social correctness |
| [03:07.53] | that I made up my mind to save my friend from |
| [03:11.8] | what I considered would be a most unhappy marriage. |
| [03:14.31] | If you are upset by my description of your family's faults， |
| [03:19.19] | it may comfort you to consider that you and your elder sister have avoided any share of blame， |
| [03:25.88] | and deserve nothing but honourable praise for your behaviour. |
| [03:29.52] | To continue—when I was in London， |
| [03:33.76] | with the help of Bingley's sisters， who shared my opinion， |
| [03:37.78] | I explained to him the disadvantages of marriage to your sister. |
| [03:42.43] | This alone would not have been enough to prevent the marriage， |
| [03:48.33] | if I had not also been able to convince him of your sister's indifference to him. |
| [03:52.6] | Then it was easy to persuade him not to return to Hertfordshire. |
| [03:56.88] | I do regret one thing， however. |
| [03:59.53] | Miss Bingley and I both knew that your sister was in London， |
| [04:03.52] | but we hid the fact from Bingley |
| [04:06.51] | In this I consider I was less than honest， |
| [04:10.46] | but I have no other apology to offer. |
| [04:12.47] | Your other， more serious accusation refers to Mr Wickham. |
| [04:20.19] | Here again I may cause you pain— |
| [04:23.0] | only you can tell how much. |
| [04:25.17] | In order to show you his real character |
| [04:29.24] | I must explain the whole of his connection with my family. |
| [04:32.82] | His late father worked for mine for many years， |
| [04:37.13] | helping to look after the Pemberley farms. |
| [04:39.17] | His son， George Wickham， received much kindness from my father， |
| [04:44.47] | who paid for him to go to school and to university. |
| [04:47.87] | My father hoped the young man would enter the Church. |
| [04:51.90] | If he became a priest， I was to give him the post of rector in a village near Pemberley， |
| [04:58.59] | when it became vacant. |
| [04:59.82] | But even before my father died， |
| [05:02.53] | I had discovered Wickham's weakness of character and lack of morals. |
| [05:06.85] | After my father's death，Wickham wrote to inform me that he did not intend to enter the Church， |
| [05:13.74] | and asked for an amount of money instead of the post of rector. |
| [05:18.15] | I knew that，with his character faults，he ought not to become a priest， and I therefore agreed at once. |
| [05:25.90] | The business was soon arranged. |
| [05:29.38] | He resigned all claim to the church post， |
| [05:32.23] | and accepted three thousand pounds instead. |
| [05:36.11] | I hoped that I would not see him or hear form him again. |
| [05:41.20] | But three years later he wrote again，this time to ask for the rector's post， |
| [05:49.40] | informing me that his money had all gone and his situation was desperate. |
| [05:54.40] | You will hardly blame me for refusing. |
| [05:58.7] | Since then he has doubtless been violent in accusing me of injustice to all who will listen to him. |
| [06:06.24] | There is one more circumstance which I would like to forget myself， |
| [06:12.16] | but which I must now mention. |
| [06:15.67] | I rely on your keeping this confidential. |
| [06:19.30] | A year ago，I sent my sister，who is ten years younger than I am， |
| [06:25.27] | on holiday to Ramsgate in Kent， |
| [06:28.27] | in the care of a female companion. |
| [06:30.45] | Unfortunately， there was an understanding between this woman and Mr Wickham， |
| [06:35.94] | who also went to Ramsgate. |
| [06:37.52] | With her help and encouragement， he spent a great deal of time with Georgiana， |
| [06:43.95] | and flattered her so much that she believed she was in love， |
| [06:48.26] | and agreed to elope with him. |
| [06:50.94] | She was only fifteen at the time， |
| [06:54.7] | and I am glad to say that she confessed everything to me immediately， |
| [06:58.17] | when I arrived unexpectedly in Ramsgate just before their planned elopement . |
| [07:02.90] | Naturally，I dismissed the companion， |
| [07:06.21] | and wrote to Wickham， who left the place at once. |
| [07:09.43] | He was doubt-less most interested in my sister's fortune， which is thirty thousand pounds， |
| [07:15.62] | but I cannot help supposing that he was also eager to revenge himself on me. |
| [07:22.5] | I hope you will now clear me of all blame in this matter. |
| [07:26.85] | If，madam，you doubt the truthfulness of my description of these circumstances， |
| [07:31.97] | I suggest you speak to Colonel Fitzwilliam. |
| [07:34.90] | As my cousin and close friend， he knows every detail of these events， |
| [07:40.43] | and will be happy to support what I say. |
| [07:43.37] | I will only add，may God be with you. |
| [07:48.8] | Fitzwilliam Darcy |
| [07:50.42] | Elizabeth experienced a variety of emotions as she read the letter. |
| [07:57.9] | She was astonished to discover that Darcy was capable of any sort of apology. |
| [08:02.13] | It was with a strong prejudice against anything he might say that she began reading his explanation of what had happened at Netherfield， |
| [08:09.88] | and at first she was too angry with him to treat him with justice. |
| [08:13.73] | But when she went on to read his description of his relationship with Wickham， she hesitated. |
| [08:17.87] | It was so very different from Wickham's story， |
| [08:23.22] | which she would have preferred to believe. |
| [08:25.46] | But after a few moments'thought |
| [08:28.49] | she realized that Darcy's statement was much more likely to be true. |
| [08:32.37] | She began to remember several things about Wickham which now appeared strange to her. |
| [08:37.67] | On the first evening she had met him， |
| [08:40.56] | he had told the whole story about his lost fortune and the Darcy family to her，a total stranger. |
| [08:47.90] | Then he had boasted of having no fear of Darcy， |
| [08:52.8] | but had avoided the Netherfield ball the very next week. |
| [08:56.6] | In addition， he had waited until the Bingleys and Darcy had left Netherfield before |
| [09:01.60] | making his accusations public. |
| [09:04.61] | She reminded herself that no one in Hertfordshire knew anything about Wickham's past， |
| [09:10.65] | so it was quite possible that he lacked morals， as Darcy said. |
| [09:15.45] | She had to admit that Darcy himself，though horribly proud， |
| [09:21.7] | had always shown himself to be a gentleman. |
| [09:24.8] | Finally， Darcy would certainly not have dared to refer her to Colonel Fitzwilliam，if he were not certain that his cousin could prove these statements. |
| [09:34.72] | She became absolutely ashamed of herself. |
| [09:39.15] | ‘How badly I have behaved!’she cried. “ |
| [09:43.6] | ‘How prejudiced I have been， “ |
| [09:45.65] | I who have always been so proud of my ability to judge people! |
| [09:50.51] | That pride has led me blindly into making a stupid mistake. |
| [09:55.82] | Flattered by Wickham's interest， and offended by Darcy's coolness，I have misjudged both of them. |
| [10:03.5] | Till this moment， I never knew myself.’ |
| [10:08.37] | She reread what Darcy had to say about Jane， |
| [10:13.11] | and this time was forced to admit that Jane had displayed few outward signs of her feelings for Bingley. |
| [10:19.99] | Charlotte had even commented on it. |
| [10:22.70] | Then when Elizabeth looked again at Darcy's comments on her family's behaviour， |
| [10:27.38] | her sense of shame was very great， |
| [10:30.87] | and she could not deny the justice of his words. |
| [10:33.43] | Feeling more miserable than she had ever felt before， |
| [10:37.56] | she slowly returned to the Rectory， |
| [10:39.78] | where she had difficulty in maintaining a cheerful appearance. |
| [10:43.55] | Mr Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam left Rosings the next day， |
| [10:50.35] | and were sadly missed by their aunt， |
| [10:53.12] | who now had so little entertainment |
| [10:55.57] | that she invited the Collinses and their visitors several times that week. |
| [10:59.38] | As Elizabeth only had a few days left before the end of her visit， |
| [11:04.24] | she thought it fortunate that most of her time was occupied. |
| [11:07.66] | When she had a moment to herself， |
| [11:10.66] | it was a great relief to walk outside in the garden or the park，alone with her thoughts. |
| [11:15.39] | She soon knew Mr Darcy's letter by heart. |
| [11:18.94] | Although she was still angry with him for the proud，over-confident way in which he had proposed， |
| [11:25.9] | her anger turned against herself when she considered how unjustly she had criticized and accused him. |
| [11:31.11] | She respected his character and felt pity for his disappointment， |
| [11:36.42] | but did not for a moment regret her refusal， |
| [11:39.66] | or have the slightest desire to see him ever again. |
| [11:43.57] | She was saddened when she thought of her family. |
| [11:48.17] | Her father enjoyed laughing at Kitty's and Lydia's foolishness so much |
| [11:53.17] | that he never attempted to control his two youngest daughters， |
| [11:57.19] | and her mother，whose own behaviour was far from correct， |
| [12:00.66] | was completely unaware that anything was wrong. |
| [12:03.29] | And poor Jane! |
| [12:05.92] | It now appeared that Bingley's affection had been sincere， |
| [12:09.93] | and Jane's disappointment had been indirectly caused by the behaviour of her own near relations. |
| [12:16.54] | On Saturday morning Elizabeth said goodbye to her friend Charlotte， |
| [12:22.23] | feeling sorry to leave her with such a husband. |
| [12:25.11] | But Charlotte， although regretting the departure of her visitors， |
| [12:28.95] | appeared quite content with her domestic arrangements. |
| [12:32.19] | Mr Collins took care to say to Elizabeth， before she left， |
| [12:36.46] | ‘I do hope，my dear Miss Elizabeth， “ |
| [12:39.40] | that you will be as happy in marriage as I am. |
| [12:42.48] | My dear Charlotte and I have one mind and one way of thinking. |
| [12:48.26] | We seem to be made for each other. |
| [12:50.92] | ‘It is most fortunate when that is the case，’“ |
| [12:55.5] | was all that Elizabeth could safely reply. |
| [12:58.54] | By midday she had arrived in London， |
| [13:02.60] | where she had arranged to stay a few days at her aunt's house. |
| [13:06.62] | There was，however， no opportunity to discuss Mr Darcy's letter with Jane， |
| [13:11.53] | until they both reached Longbourn again， at the end of the week. |
| [13:15.46] | It was pleasant to be at home again， |
| [13:18.1] | but Elizabeth was very conscious of her younger sisters'silliness. |
| [13:22.49] | They were full of the sad news they had just heard， |
| [13:25.64] | that the regiment was leaving Meryton in two weeks’ time |
| [13:29.11] | and would be staying for the summer in Brighton，a holiday town on the south coast. |
| [13:34.16] | Lydia and her mother were trying hard to persuade Mr Bennet to take them to Brighton too， |
| [13:39.45] | for several months， |
| [13:40.72] | as the summer would be so miserable in Hertfordshire without the officers. |
| [13:44.15] | Fortunately，Elizabeth felt sure her father would not agree to this foolish idea. |
| [13:49.56] | When she and Jane were alone， |
| [13:54.17] | she told her sister about Darcy's proposal of marriage. |
| [13:56.85] | Jane was astonished， |
| [13:59.31] | but soon her sisterly feelings made her think it quite natural， |
| [14:02.79] | and her kind heart felt pity for Darcy's disappointment. |
| [14:07.48] | However，when she heard about George Wickham's wickedness，as explained in Darcy's letter， |
| [14:12.83] | she was deeply shocked. |
| [14:15.39] | After some discussion， |
| [14:17.42] | the sisters decided not to tell anyone what they knew about Wickham， |
| [14:21.41] | as he would soon be leaving Meryton in any case. |
| [14:24.59] | Elizabeth felt greatly relieved by this conversation. |
| [14:28.50] | She had got rid of two of her secrets， |
| [14:31.82] | and was certain of a willing listener in Jane， whenever she might wish to talk again of either. |
| [14:36.60] | But she dared not tell the third， |
| [14:39.89] | and explain to Jane how sincere Bingley's feelings for her had been. |
| [14:44.96] | She could see that Jane was not happy， |
| [14:47.67] | because of her continued warm affection for Bingley. |
| [14:50.59] | However， there seemed little chance of Bingley marrying her now， |
| [14:55.19] | and Elizabeth did not want to deepen Jane's feelings of regret for her lost happiness. |
| [00:00.18] | 8 Elizabeth Learns more about Darcy and Wickham8 |
| [00:05.59] | The next morning Elizabeth had still not recovered from the surprise of Darcy' s proposal to her. |
| [00:13.53] | Feeling in need of exercise and fresh air, |
| [00:16.93] | she decided to have a walk. |
| [00:18.54] | In order to avoid meeting Mr Darcy, she kept away from her favourite path, |
| [00:23.64] | but could not resist walking a little way into Lady Catherine' s park. |
| [00:27.79] | There she was astonished to see Darcy himself approaching her |
| [00:32.8] | and calling her name. |
| [00:33.31] | ' I have been walking some time in the hope of meeting you,' he said. " |
| [00:37.52] | ' Will you do me the honour of reading this letter?' " |
| [00:41.50] | And, handing her an envelope, |
| [00:44.14] | he bowed slightly and walked quickly away. |
| [00:47.46] | With no expectation of pleasure, |
| [00:50.88] | but with the strongest curiosity, |
| [00:53.35] | Elizabeth opened the letter, and began to read it as she continued her walk alone. |
| [00:59.39] | Do not be alarmed, madam, |
| [01:02.63] | that I shall repeat the offer which so disgusted you last night. |
| [01:06.52] | I have no intention of mentioning again wishes which, for the happiness of both of us, cannot be too soon forgotten. |
| [01:14.6] | I would not have written, |
| [01:16.49] | but justice requires my character to be defended. |
| [01:19.96] | You accused me last night of two very different offences. |
| [01:24.75] | The first was that I had separated Mr Bingley from your sister, in spite of their mutual affection, |
| [01:31.57] | and the second was that I had destroyed Mr Wickham' s chance of future wealth and happiness, in spite of my father' s honourable promises to him. |
| [01:40.53] | I hope that you will no longer blame me for either of these offences, when you have read the explanation which follows. |
| [01:48.80] | If I am forced to describe feelings which offend you, |
| [01:52.44] | I can only say I am sorry. |
| [01:55.14] | I had not been long in Hertfordshire before |
| [01:59.87] | I noticed that Bingley preferred your elder sister Jane to any other young woman. |
| [02:04.41] | But I had often seen him in love before, |
| [02:07.21] | and it wasn' t until the Netherfield ball |
| [02:10.30] | that I realized how serious his attachment was. |
| [02:13.54] | I was careful to observe your sister closely, |
| [02:17.53] | and as her manners and appearance were as pleasant and cheerful as ever, |
| [02:22.48] | I remained convinced that she did not feel strongly about him. |
| [02:26.92] | I was perhaps deceived by her calmness, |
| [02:30.61] | and in that case, your anger has not been unreasonable. |
| [02:34.67] | But I sincerely believed that her heart had not been touched. |
| [02:38.77] | I objected to Bingley' s possible marriage to her, |
| [02:42.78] | not only for those reasons of social inferiority that I mentioned to you last night, but also for reasons |
| [02:50.54] | which in my case I had tried to forget, but which I must state now. |
| [02:56.60] | The behaviour that evening of your mother, your three younger sisters, and occasionally even your father, |
| [03:04.37] | was so lacking in social correctness |
| [03:07.53] | that I made up my mind to save my friend from |
| [03:11.8] | what I considered would be a most unhappy marriage. |
| [03:14.31] | If you are upset by my description of your family' s faults, |
| [03:19.19] | it may comfort you to consider that you and your elder sister have avoided any share of blame, |
| [03:25.88] | and deserve nothing but honourable praise for your behaviour. |
| [03:29.52] | To continue when I was in London, |
| [03:33.76] | with the help of Bingley' s sisters, who shared my opinion, |
| [03:37.78] | I explained to him the disadvantages of marriage to your sister. |
| [03:42.43] | This alone would not have been enough to prevent the marriage, |
| [03:48.33] | if I had not also been able to convince him of your sister' s indifference to him. |
| [03:52.6] | Then it was easy to persuade him not to return to Hertfordshire. |
| [03:56.88] | I do regret one thing, however. |
| [03:59.53] | Miss Bingley and I both knew that your sister was in London, |
| [04:03.52] | but we hid the fact from Bingley |
| [04:06.51] | In this I consider I was less than honest, |
| [04:10.46] | but I have no other apology to offer. |
| [04:12.47] | Your other, more serious accusation refers to Mr Wickham. |
| [04:20.19] | Here again I may cause you pain |
| [04:23.0] | only you can tell how much. |
| [04:25.17] | In order to show you his real character |
| [04:29.24] | I must explain the whole of his connection with my family. |
| [04:32.82] | His late father worked for mine for many years, |
| [04:37.13] | helping to look after the Pemberley farms. |
| [04:39.17] | His son, George Wickham, received much kindness from my father, |
| [04:44.47] | who paid for him to go to school and to university. |
| [04:47.87] | My father hoped the young man would enter the Church. |
| [04:51.90] | If he became a priest, I was to give him the post of rector in a village near Pemberley, |
| [04:58.59] | when it became vacant. |
| [04:59.82] | But even before my father died, |
| [05:02.53] | I had discovered Wickham' s weakness of character and lack of morals. |
| [05:06.85] | After my father' s death, Wickham wrote to inform me that he did not intend to enter the Church, |
| [05:13.74] | and asked for an amount of money instead of the post of rector. |
| [05:18.15] | I knew that, with his character faults, he ought not to become a priest, and I therefore agreed at once. |
| [05:25.90] | The business was soon arranged. |
| [05:29.38] | He resigned all claim to the church post, |
| [05:32.23] | and accepted three thousand pounds instead. |
| [05:36.11] | I hoped that I would not see him or hear form him again. |
| [05:41.20] | But three years later he wrote again, this time to ask for the rector' s post, |
| [05:49.40] | informing me that his money had all gone and his situation was desperate. |
| [05:54.40] | You will hardly blame me for refusing. |
| [05:58.7] | Since then he has doubtless been violent in accusing me of injustice to all who will listen to him. |
| [06:06.24] | There is one more circumstance which I would like to forget myself, |
| [06:12.16] | but which I must now mention. |
| [06:15.67] | I rely on your keeping this confidential. |
| [06:19.30] | A year ago, I sent my sister, who is ten years younger than I am, |
| [06:25.27] | on holiday to Ramsgate in Kent, |
| [06:28.27] | in the care of a female companion. |
| [06:30.45] | Unfortunately, there was an understanding between this woman and Mr Wickham, |
| [06:35.94] | who also went to Ramsgate. |
| [06:37.52] | With her help and encouragement, he spent a great deal of time with Georgiana, |
| [06:43.95] | and flattered her so much that she believed she was in love, |
| [06:48.26] | and agreed to elope with him. |
| [06:50.94] | She was only fifteen at the time, |
| [06:54.7] | and I am glad to say that she confessed everything to me immediately, |
| [06:58.17] | when I arrived unexpectedly in Ramsgate just before their planned elopement . |
| [07:02.90] | Naturally, I dismissed the companion, |
| [07:06.21] | and wrote to Wickham, who left the place at once. |
| [07:09.43] | He was doubtless most interested in my sister' s fortune, which is thirty thousand pounds, |
| [07:15.62] | but I cannot help supposing that he was also eager to revenge himself on me. |
| [07:22.5] | I hope you will now clear me of all blame in this matter. |
| [07:26.85] | If, madam, you doubt the truthfulness of my description of these circumstances, |
| [07:31.97] | I suggest you speak to Colonel Fitzwilliam. |
| [07:34.90] | As my cousin and close friend, he knows every detail of these events, |
| [07:40.43] | and will be happy to support what I say. |
| [07:43.37] | I will only add, may God be with you. |
| [07:48.8] | Fitzwilliam Darcy |
| [07:50.42] | Elizabeth experienced a variety of emotions as she read the letter. |
| [07:57.9] | She was astonished to discover that Darcy was capable of any sort of apology. |
| [08:02.13] | It was with a strong prejudice against anything he might say that she began reading his explanation of what had happened at Netherfield, |
| [08:09.88] | and at first she was too angry with him to treat him with justice. |
| [08:13.73] | But when she went on to read his description of his relationship with Wickham, she hesitated. |
| [08:17.87] | It was so very different from Wickham' s story, |
| [08:23.22] | which she would have preferred to believe. |
| [08:25.46] | But after a few moments' thought |
| [08:28.49] | she realized that Darcy' s statement was much more likely to be true. |
| [08:32.37] | She began to remember several things about Wickham which now appeared strange to her. |
| [08:37.67] | On the first evening she had met him, |
| [08:40.56] | he had told the whole story about his lost fortune and the Darcy family to her, a total stranger. |
| [08:47.90] | Then he had boasted of having no fear of Darcy, |
| [08:52.8] | but had avoided the Netherfield ball the very next week. |
| [08:56.6] | In addition, he had waited until the Bingleys and Darcy had left Netherfield before |
| [09:01.60] | making his accusations public. |
| [09:04.61] | She reminded herself that no one in Hertfordshire knew anything about Wickham' s past, |
| [09:10.65] | so it was quite possible that he lacked morals, as Darcy said. |
| [09:15.45] | She had to admit that Darcy himself, though horribly proud, |
| [09:21.7] | had always shown himself to be a gentleman. |
| [09:24.8] | Finally, Darcy would certainly not have dared to refer her to Colonel Fitzwilliam, if he were not certain that his cousin could prove these statements. |
| [09:34.72] | She became absolutely ashamed of herself. |
| [09:39.15] | ' How badly I have behaved!' she cried. " |
| [09:43.6] | ' How prejudiced I have been, " |
| [09:45.65] | I who have always been so proud of my ability to judge people! |
| [09:50.51] | That pride has led me blindly into making a stupid mistake. |
| [09:55.82] | Flattered by Wickham' s interest, and offended by Darcy' s coolness, I have misjudged both of them. |
| [10:03.5] | Till this moment, I never knew myself.' |
| [10:08.37] | She reread what Darcy had to say about Jane, |
| [10:13.11] | and this time was forced to admit that Jane had displayed few outward signs of her feelings for Bingley. |
| [10:19.99] | Charlotte had even commented on it. |
| [10:22.70] | Then when Elizabeth looked again at Darcy' s comments on her family' s behaviour, |
| [10:27.38] | her sense of shame was very great, |
| [10:30.87] | and she could not deny the justice of his words. |
| [10:33.43] | Feeling more miserable than she had ever felt before, |
| [10:37.56] | she slowly returned to the Rectory, |
| [10:39.78] | where she had difficulty in maintaining a cheerful appearance. |
| [10:43.55] | Mr Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam left Rosings the next day, |
| [10:50.35] | and were sadly missed by their aunt, |
| [10:53.12] | who now had so little entertainment |
| [10:55.57] | that she invited the Collinses and their visitors several times that week. |
| [10:59.38] | As Elizabeth only had a few days left before the end of her visit, |
| [11:04.24] | she thought it fortunate that most of her time was occupied. |
| [11:07.66] | When she had a moment to herself, |
| [11:10.66] | it was a great relief to walk outside in the garden or the park, alone with her thoughts. |
| [11:15.39] | She soon knew Mr Darcy' s letter by heart. |
| [11:18.94] | Although she was still angry with him for the proud, overconfident way in which he had proposed, |
| [11:25.9] | her anger turned against herself when she considered how unjustly she had criticized and accused him. |
| [11:31.11] | She respected his character and felt pity for his disappointment, |
| [11:36.42] | but did not for a moment regret her refusal, |
| [11:39.66] | or have the slightest desire to see him ever again. |
| [11:43.57] | She was saddened when she thought of her family. |
| [11:48.17] | Her father enjoyed laughing at Kitty' s and Lydia' s foolishness so much |
| [11:53.17] | that he never attempted to control his two youngest daughters, |
| [11:57.19] | and her mother, whose own behaviour was far from correct, |
| [12:00.66] | was completely unaware that anything was wrong. |
| [12:03.29] | And poor Jane! |
| [12:05.92] | It now appeared that Bingley' s affection had been sincere, |
| [12:09.93] | and Jane' s disappointment had been indirectly caused by the behaviour of her own near relations. |
| [12:16.54] | On Saturday morning Elizabeth said goodbye to her friend Charlotte, |
| [12:22.23] | feeling sorry to leave her with such a husband. |
| [12:25.11] | But Charlotte, although regretting the departure of her visitors, |
| [12:28.95] | appeared quite content with her domestic arrangements. |
| [12:32.19] | Mr Collins took care to say to Elizabeth, before she left, |
| [12:36.46] | ' I do hope, my dear Miss Elizabeth, " |
| [12:39.40] | that you will be as happy in marriage as I am. |
| [12:42.48] | My dear Charlotte and I have one mind and one way of thinking. |
| [12:48.26] | We seem to be made for each other. |
| [12:50.92] | ' It is most fortunate when that is the case,'" |
| [12:55.5] | was all that Elizabeth could safely reply. |
| [12:58.54] | By midday she had arrived in London, |
| [13:02.60] | where she had arranged to stay a few days at her aunt' s house. |
| [13:06.62] | There was, however, no opportunity to discuss Mr Darcy' s letter with Jane, |
| [13:11.53] | until they both reached Longbourn again, at the end of the week. |
| [13:15.46] | It was pleasant to be at home again, |
| [13:18.1] | but Elizabeth was very conscious of her younger sisters' silliness. |
| [13:22.49] | They were full of the sad news they had just heard, |
| [13:25.64] | that the regiment was leaving Meryton in two weeks' time |
| [13:29.11] | and would be staying for the summer in Brighton, a holiday town on the south coast. |
| [13:34.16] | Lydia and her mother were trying hard to persuade Mr Bennet to take them to Brighton too, |
| [13:39.45] | for several months, |
| [13:40.72] | as the summer would be so miserable in Hertfordshire without the officers. |
| [13:44.15] | Fortunately, Elizabeth felt sure her father would not agree to this foolish idea. |
| [13:49.56] | When she and Jane were alone, |
| [13:54.17] | she told her sister about Darcy' s proposal of marriage. |
| [13:56.85] | Jane was astonished, |
| [13:59.31] | but soon her sisterly feelings made her think it quite natural, |
| [14:02.79] | and her kind heart felt pity for Darcy' s disappointment. |
| [14:07.48] | However, when she heard about George Wickham' s wickedness, as explained in Darcy' s letter, |
| [14:12.83] | she was deeply shocked. |
| [14:15.39] | After some discussion, |
| [14:17.42] | the sisters decided not to tell anyone what they knew about Wickham, |
| [14:21.41] | as he would soon be leaving Meryton in any case. |
| [14:24.59] | Elizabeth felt greatly relieved by this conversation. |
| [14:28.50] | She had got rid of two of her secrets, |
| [14:31.82] | and was certain of a willing listener in Jane, whenever she might wish to talk again of either. |
| [14:36.60] | But she dared not tell the third, |
| [14:39.89] | and explain to Jane how sincere Bingley' s feelings for her had been. |
| [14:44.96] | She could see that Jane was not happy, |
| [14:47.67] | because of her continued warm affection for Bingley. |
| [14:50.59] | However, there seemed little chance of Bingley marrying her now, |
| [14:55.19] | and Elizabeth did not want to deepen Jane' s feelings of regret for her lost happiness. |
| [00:00.18] | 8 Elizabeth Learns more about Darcy and Wickham8 |
| [00:05.59] | The next morning Elizabeth had still not recovered from the surprise of Darcy' s proposal to her. |
| [00:13.53] | Feeling in need of exercise and fresh air, |
| [00:16.93] | she decided to have a walk. |
| [00:18.54] | In order to avoid meeting Mr Darcy, she kept away from her favourite path, |
| [00:23.64] | but could not resist walking a little way into Lady Catherine' s park. |
| [00:27.79] | There she was astonished to see Darcy himself approaching her |
| [00:32.8] | and calling her name. |
| [00:33.31] | ' I have been walking some time in the hope of meeting you,' he said. " |
| [00:37.52] | ' Will you do me the honour of reading this letter?' " |
| [00:41.50] | And, handing her an envelope, |
| [00:44.14] | he bowed slightly and walked quickly away. |
| [00:47.46] | With no expectation of pleasure, |
| [00:50.88] | but with the strongest curiosity, |
| [00:53.35] | Elizabeth opened the letter, and began to read it as she continued her walk alone. |
| [00:59.39] | Do not be alarmed, madam, |
| [01:02.63] | that I shall repeat the offer which so disgusted you last night. |
| [01:06.52] | I have no intention of mentioning again wishes which, for the happiness of both of us, cannot be too soon forgotten. |
| [01:14.6] | I would not have written, |
| [01:16.49] | but justice requires my character to be defended. |
| [01:19.96] | You accused me last night of two very different offences. |
| [01:24.75] | The first was that I had separated Mr Bingley from your sister, in spite of their mutual affection, |
| [01:31.57] | and the second was that I had destroyed Mr Wickham' s chance of future wealth and happiness, in spite of my father' s honourable promises to him. |
| [01:40.53] | I hope that you will no longer blame me for either of these offences, when you have read the explanation which follows. |
| [01:48.80] | If I am forced to describe feelings which offend you, |
| [01:52.44] | I can only say I am sorry. |
| [01:55.14] | I had not been long in Hertfordshire before |
| [01:59.87] | I noticed that Bingley preferred your elder sister Jane to any other young woman. |
| [02:04.41] | But I had often seen him in love before, |
| [02:07.21] | and it wasn' t until the Netherfield ball |
| [02:10.30] | that I realized how serious his attachment was. |
| [02:13.54] | I was careful to observe your sister closely, |
| [02:17.53] | and as her manners and appearance were as pleasant and cheerful as ever, |
| [02:22.48] | I remained convinced that she did not feel strongly about him. |
| [02:26.92] | I was perhaps deceived by her calmness, |
| [02:30.61] | and in that case, your anger has not been unreasonable. |
| [02:34.67] | But I sincerely believed that her heart had not been touched. |
| [02:38.77] | I objected to Bingley' s possible marriage to her, |
| [02:42.78] | not only for those reasons of social inferiority that I mentioned to you last night, but also for reasons |
| [02:50.54] | which in my case I had tried to forget, but which I must state now. |
| [02:56.60] | The behaviour that evening of your mother, your three younger sisters, and occasionally even your father, |
| [03:04.37] | was so lacking in social correctness |
| [03:07.53] | that I made up my mind to save my friend from |
| [03:11.8] | what I considered would be a most unhappy marriage. |
| [03:14.31] | If you are upset by my description of your family' s faults, |
| [03:19.19] | it may comfort you to consider that you and your elder sister have avoided any share of blame, |
| [03:25.88] | and deserve nothing but honourable praise for your behaviour. |
| [03:29.52] | To continue when I was in London, |
| [03:33.76] | with the help of Bingley' s sisters, who shared my opinion, |
| [03:37.78] | I explained to him the disadvantages of marriage to your sister. |
| [03:42.43] | This alone would not have been enough to prevent the marriage, |
| [03:48.33] | if I had not also been able to convince him of your sister' s indifference to him. |
| [03:52.6] | Then it was easy to persuade him not to return to Hertfordshire. |
| [03:56.88] | I do regret one thing, however. |
| [03:59.53] | Miss Bingley and I both knew that your sister was in London, |
| [04:03.52] | but we hid the fact from Bingley |
| [04:06.51] | In this I consider I was less than honest, |
| [04:10.46] | but I have no other apology to offer. |
| [04:12.47] | Your other, more serious accusation refers to Mr Wickham. |
| [04:20.19] | Here again I may cause you pain |
| [04:23.0] | only you can tell how much. |
| [04:25.17] | In order to show you his real character |
| [04:29.24] | I must explain the whole of his connection with my family. |
| [04:32.82] | His late father worked for mine for many years, |
| [04:37.13] | helping to look after the Pemberley farms. |
| [04:39.17] | His son, George Wickham, received much kindness from my father, |
| [04:44.47] | who paid for him to go to school and to university. |
| [04:47.87] | My father hoped the young man would enter the Church. |
| [04:51.90] | If he became a priest, I was to give him the post of rector in a village near Pemberley, |
| [04:58.59] | when it became vacant. |
| [04:59.82] | But even before my father died, |
| [05:02.53] | I had discovered Wickham' s weakness of character and lack of morals. |
| [05:06.85] | After my father' s death, Wickham wrote to inform me that he did not intend to enter the Church, |
| [05:13.74] | and asked for an amount of money instead of the post of rector. |
| [05:18.15] | I knew that, with his character faults, he ought not to become a priest, and I therefore agreed at once. |
| [05:25.90] | The business was soon arranged. |
| [05:29.38] | He resigned all claim to the church post, |
| [05:32.23] | and accepted three thousand pounds instead. |
| [05:36.11] | I hoped that I would not see him or hear form him again. |
| [05:41.20] | But three years later he wrote again, this time to ask for the rector' s post, |
| [05:49.40] | informing me that his money had all gone and his situation was desperate. |
| [05:54.40] | You will hardly blame me for refusing. |
| [05:58.7] | Since then he has doubtless been violent in accusing me of injustice to all who will listen to him. |
| [06:06.24] | There is one more circumstance which I would like to forget myself, |
| [06:12.16] | but which I must now mention. |
| [06:15.67] | I rely on your keeping this confidential. |
| [06:19.30] | A year ago, I sent my sister, who is ten years younger than I am, |
| [06:25.27] | on holiday to Ramsgate in Kent, |
| [06:28.27] | in the care of a female companion. |
| [06:30.45] | Unfortunately, there was an understanding between this woman and Mr Wickham, |
| [06:35.94] | who also went to Ramsgate. |
| [06:37.52] | With her help and encouragement, he spent a great deal of time with Georgiana, |
| [06:43.95] | and flattered her so much that she believed she was in love, |
| [06:48.26] | and agreed to elope with him. |
| [06:50.94] | She was only fifteen at the time, |
| [06:54.7] | and I am glad to say that she confessed everything to me immediately, |
| [06:58.17] | when I arrived unexpectedly in Ramsgate just before their planned elopement . |
| [07:02.90] | Naturally, I dismissed the companion, |
| [07:06.21] | and wrote to Wickham, who left the place at once. |
| [07:09.43] | He was doubtless most interested in my sister' s fortune, which is thirty thousand pounds, |
| [07:15.62] | but I cannot help supposing that he was also eager to revenge himself on me. |
| [07:22.5] | I hope you will now clear me of all blame in this matter. |
| [07:26.85] | If, madam, you doubt the truthfulness of my description of these circumstances, |
| [07:31.97] | I suggest you speak to Colonel Fitzwilliam. |
| [07:34.90] | As my cousin and close friend, he knows every detail of these events, |
| [07:40.43] | and will be happy to support what I say. |
| [07:43.37] | I will only add, may God be with you. |
| [07:48.8] | Fitzwilliam Darcy |
| [07:50.42] | Elizabeth experienced a variety of emotions as she read the letter. |
| [07:57.9] | She was astonished to discover that Darcy was capable of any sort of apology. |
| [08:02.13] | It was with a strong prejudice against anything he might say that she began reading his explanation of what had happened at Netherfield, |
| [08:09.88] | and at first she was too angry with him to treat him with justice. |
| [08:13.73] | But when she went on to read his description of his relationship with Wickham, she hesitated. |
| [08:17.87] | It was so very different from Wickham' s story, |
| [08:23.22] | which she would have preferred to believe. |
| [08:25.46] | But after a few moments' thought |
| [08:28.49] | she realized that Darcy' s statement was much more likely to be true. |
| [08:32.37] | She began to remember several things about Wickham which now appeared strange to her. |
| [08:37.67] | On the first evening she had met him, |
| [08:40.56] | he had told the whole story about his lost fortune and the Darcy family to her, a total stranger. |
| [08:47.90] | Then he had boasted of having no fear of Darcy, |
| [08:52.8] | but had avoided the Netherfield ball the very next week. |
| [08:56.6] | In addition, he had waited until the Bingleys and Darcy had left Netherfield before |
| [09:01.60] | making his accusations public. |
| [09:04.61] | She reminded herself that no one in Hertfordshire knew anything about Wickham' s past, |
| [09:10.65] | so it was quite possible that he lacked morals, as Darcy said. |
| [09:15.45] | She had to admit that Darcy himself, though horribly proud, |
| [09:21.7] | had always shown himself to be a gentleman. |
| [09:24.8] | Finally, Darcy would certainly not have dared to refer her to Colonel Fitzwilliam, if he were not certain that his cousin could prove these statements. |
| [09:34.72] | She became absolutely ashamed of herself. |
| [09:39.15] | ' How badly I have behaved!' she cried. " |
| [09:43.6] | ' How prejudiced I have been, " |
| [09:45.65] | I who have always been so proud of my ability to judge people! |
| [09:50.51] | That pride has led me blindly into making a stupid mistake. |
| [09:55.82] | Flattered by Wickham' s interest, and offended by Darcy' s coolness, I have misjudged both of them. |
| [10:03.5] | Till this moment, I never knew myself.' |
| [10:08.37] | She reread what Darcy had to say about Jane, |
| [10:13.11] | and this time was forced to admit that Jane had displayed few outward signs of her feelings for Bingley. |
| [10:19.99] | Charlotte had even commented on it. |
| [10:22.70] | Then when Elizabeth looked again at Darcy' s comments on her family' s behaviour, |
| [10:27.38] | her sense of shame was very great, |
| [10:30.87] | and she could not deny the justice of his words. |
| [10:33.43] | Feeling more miserable than she had ever felt before, |
| [10:37.56] | she slowly returned to the Rectory, |
| [10:39.78] | where she had difficulty in maintaining a cheerful appearance. |
| [10:43.55] | Mr Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam left Rosings the next day, |
| [10:50.35] | and were sadly missed by their aunt, |
| [10:53.12] | who now had so little entertainment |
| [10:55.57] | that she invited the Collinses and their visitors several times that week. |
| [10:59.38] | As Elizabeth only had a few days left before the end of her visit, |
| [11:04.24] | she thought it fortunate that most of her time was occupied. |
| [11:07.66] | When she had a moment to herself, |
| [11:10.66] | it was a great relief to walk outside in the garden or the park, alone with her thoughts. |
| [11:15.39] | She soon knew Mr Darcy' s letter by heart. |
| [11:18.94] | Although she was still angry with him for the proud, overconfident way in which he had proposed, |
| [11:25.9] | her anger turned against herself when she considered how unjustly she had criticized and accused him. |
| [11:31.11] | She respected his character and felt pity for his disappointment, |
| [11:36.42] | but did not for a moment regret her refusal, |
| [11:39.66] | or have the slightest desire to see him ever again. |
| [11:43.57] | She was saddened when she thought of her family. |
| [11:48.17] | Her father enjoyed laughing at Kitty' s and Lydia' s foolishness so much |
| [11:53.17] | that he never attempted to control his two youngest daughters, |
| [11:57.19] | and her mother, whose own behaviour was far from correct, |
| [12:00.66] | was completely unaware that anything was wrong. |
| [12:03.29] | And poor Jane! |
| [12:05.92] | It now appeared that Bingley' s affection had been sincere, |
| [12:09.93] | and Jane' s disappointment had been indirectly caused by the behaviour of her own near relations. |
| [12:16.54] | On Saturday morning Elizabeth said goodbye to her friend Charlotte, |
| [12:22.23] | feeling sorry to leave her with such a husband. |
| [12:25.11] | But Charlotte, although regretting the departure of her visitors, |
| [12:28.95] | appeared quite content with her domestic arrangements. |
| [12:32.19] | Mr Collins took care to say to Elizabeth, before she left, |
| [12:36.46] | ' I do hope, my dear Miss Elizabeth, " |
| [12:39.40] | that you will be as happy in marriage as I am. |
| [12:42.48] | My dear Charlotte and I have one mind and one way of thinking. |
| [12:48.26] | We seem to be made for each other. |
| [12:50.92] | ' It is most fortunate when that is the case,'" |
| [12:55.5] | was all that Elizabeth could safely reply. |
| [12:58.54] | By midday she had arrived in London, |
| [13:02.60] | where she had arranged to stay a few days at her aunt' s house. |
| [13:06.62] | There was, however, no opportunity to discuss Mr Darcy' s letter with Jane, |
| [13:11.53] | until they both reached Longbourn again, at the end of the week. |
| [13:15.46] | It was pleasant to be at home again, |
| [13:18.1] | but Elizabeth was very conscious of her younger sisters' silliness. |
| [13:22.49] | They were full of the sad news they had just heard, |
| [13:25.64] | that the regiment was leaving Meryton in two weeks' time |
| [13:29.11] | and would be staying for the summer in Brighton, a holiday town on the south coast. |
| [13:34.16] | Lydia and her mother were trying hard to persuade Mr Bennet to take them to Brighton too, |
| [13:39.45] | for several months, |
| [13:40.72] | as the summer would be so miserable in Hertfordshire without the officers. |
| [13:44.15] | Fortunately, Elizabeth felt sure her father would not agree to this foolish idea. |
| [13:49.56] | When she and Jane were alone, |
| [13:54.17] | she told her sister about Darcy' s proposal of marriage. |
| [13:56.85] | Jane was astonished, |
| [13:59.31] | but soon her sisterly feelings made her think it quite natural, |
| [14:02.79] | and her kind heart felt pity for Darcy' s disappointment. |
| [14:07.48] | However, when she heard about George Wickham' s wickedness, as explained in Darcy' s letter, |
| [14:12.83] | she was deeply shocked. |
| [14:15.39] | After some discussion, |
| [14:17.42] | the sisters decided not to tell anyone what they knew about Wickham, |
| [14:21.41] | as he would soon be leaving Meryton in any case. |
| [14:24.59] | Elizabeth felt greatly relieved by this conversation. |
| [14:28.50] | She had got rid of two of her secrets, |
| [14:31.82] | and was certain of a willing listener in Jane, whenever she might wish to talk again of either. |
| [14:36.60] | But she dared not tell the third, |
| [14:39.89] | and explain to Jane how sincere Bingley' s feelings for her had been. |
| [14:44.96] | She could see that Jane was not happy, |
| [14:47.67] | because of her continued warm affection for Bingley. |
| [14:50.59] | However, there seemed little chance of Bingley marrying her now, |
| [14:55.19] | and Elizabeth did not want to deepen Jane' s feelings of regret for her lost happiness. |
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