18 Cont. Persuasion Read By Stephanie Poppins

The story concerns Anne Elliot, an Englishwoman of 27 years, whose family moves to lower their expenses and reduce their debt by renting their home to an admiral and his wife. In this episode: Anne sees Captain Wentworth.

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Transcript

Hello.

Welcome to Sleep Stories with Steph,

Your go-to romantic podcast that guarantees you a calm and entertaining transition into a great night's sleep.

Come with me as we immerse ourselves in a romantic journey to a time long since forgotten.

But before we begin,

Let's take a moment to focus on where we are now.

Take a deep breath in through your nose and let it out with a long sigh.

Now close your eyes and feel yourself sink deeper into the support beneath you.

It is time to relax and fully let go.

There is nothing you need to be doing now and nowhere you need to go.

Happy listening.

Persuasion by Jane Austen Volume 2,

Chapter 6,

Continued Upon the announcement of the Crofts and Rifle,

There were many questions of the moment.

Sir Walter wanted to know whether the Crofts arrived with four horses and whether they were likely to be situated in such a part of Bath as might suit Miss Elliot and himself to visit.

But he had little curiosity beyond.

How is Mary?

Said Elizabeth,

And without waiting for an answer.

And what prey brings the Crofts to Bath?

They come on the Admiral's account,

Said Anne.

He's thought to be gouty.

Gout and increpitude,

Said Sir Walter,

Poor old gentleman.

Have they an acquaintance here?

Asked Elizabeth.

I do not know,

But I can hardly suppose that at Admiral Croft's time of life and in his profession,

He should not have many acquaintance in such a place like this.

I suspect,

Said Sir Walter coolly,

That Admiral Croft will be best known in Bath as the renter of Kellynch Hall.

Elizabeth may be ventured to present him and his wife in Laura Place.

Oh no,

I think not.

Situated as we are with Lady Dalrymple,

Cousins,

We ought to be very careful not to embarrass her with acquaintance she might not approve.

If we were not related,

It would not signify.

But as cousins,

She would feel scrupulous as to any proposal of ours.

We'd better leave the Crofts to find their own level.

There are several odd-looking men walking about here who I'm told are sailors.

The Crofts will associate with them.

This was Sir Walter and Elizabeth's share of interest in the letter.

When Mrs Clay had paid her tribute of more decent attention in an inquiry after Mrs Charles Musgrove and her fine little boys,

Anne was at liberty.

In her own room,

She tried to comprehend it.

Well might Charles wonder how Captain Wentworth would feel.

Perhaps he'd quitted the field,

Given Louisa up,

Ceased to love and found he did not love her.

She could not endure the idea of treachery or levity or anything akin to ill usage between him and his friend.

She could not endure that such a friendship as theirs should be severed unfairly.

Captain Benwick and Louisa Musgrove,

The high-spirited,

Joyous-talking Louisa Musgrove and the dejected,

Thinking,

Feeling,

Reading Captain Benwick seemed each of them everything that would not suit the other.

Their minds most dissimilar,

Where could there be the attraction?

The answer soon presented itself.

It had been in situation.

They had been thrown together several weeks and living in the same small family party.

Since Henriette is coming away,

They must have been depending entirely on each other and Louisa,

Just recovering from illness,

Had been in an interesting state and Captain Benwick was not inconsolable.

That was a point which Anne had not been able to avoid suspecting before.

And instead of drawing the same conclusion as Mary from the present course of events they served only to confirm the idea of his having felt some dawning of tenderness towards herself.

She did not mean,

However,

To derive much more from it than to gratify her vanity than Mary might have allowed.

She was persuaded any tolerably pleasing young woman who'd listened and seemed to feel for him would have received the same compliment.

He had an affectionate heart.

He must love somebody.

Anne saw no reason against their being happy.

Louisa had fine naval fervour to begin with and they would soon grow more alike.

He would gain cheerfulness and she would learn to be an enthusiast for Scott and Lord Byron.

Nay,

That was probably learnt already.

Of course they had fallen in love over poetry.

The idea of Louisa Musgrove turned into a person of literary taste and sentimental reflection was amusing,

But she had no doubt of it being so.

The day at Lyme,

The fall from the cob,

Might influence her health,

Her nerves,

Her courage,

Her character to the end of her life,

As thoroughly as it appeared to have influenced her fate.

The conclusion of the whole was that if the woman who'd been sensible of Captain Wentworth's merits could be allowed to prefer another man,

There was nothing in the engagement to excite lasting wonder.

And if Captain Wentworth lost no friend by it,

Certainly nothing to be regretted.

No,

It was not regret which made Anne's heart beat in spite of herself and brought the colour into her cheeks when she thought of Captain Wentworth,

Unshackled and free.

She had some feelings which she was ashamed to investigate.

They were too much like joy,

Senseless joy.

She longed to see the Crofts,

But when the meeting took place it was evident no rumour of the news had yet reached them.

The visit of ceremony was paid and returned,

And Louisa Musgrove was mentioned,

And Captain Benwick too,

Without even half a smile.

The Crofts had placed themselves in lodgings in Gaze Street,

Perfectly to Sir Walter's satisfaction.

He was not at all ashamed of the acquaintance,

And did in fact think and talk a great deal more about the Admiral than the Admiral ever thought or talked about him.

The Crofts knew quite as many people in Bath as they wished for,

And considered their intercourse with the Elliotts as a mere matter of form,

And not in the least likely to afford them any pleasure.

They brought with them their country habit of being almost always together.

He was ordered to walk to keep off the gout,

And Mrs Croft seemed to go shares with him in everything and to walk for her life to do him good.

Anne saw them wherever she went.

Lady Russell took her out in her carriage almost every morning,

And she never failed to think of them and never failed to see them.

Knowing their feelings as she did,

It was a most attractive picture of happiness to her.

She always watched them as long as she could,

Delighted to fancy she understood what they might be talking of,

As they walked along in happy independence,

Or equally delighted to see the Admiral's hearty shake of the hand when he encountered an old friend,

And observed their eagerness of conversation when occasionally forming into a little knot of the Navy,

Mrs Croft looking as intelligent and keen as any of the officers around her.

Anne was too much engaged with Lady Russell to be off and walking herself,

But it so happened that one morning,

About a week or ten days after Croft's arrival,

It suited her best to leave her friend or her friend's carriage in the lower part of the town and return to Camden Place,

And in walking up Milsom Street she had the good fortune to meet with the Admiral.

He was standing by himself at a print shop window with his hands behind him in earnest contemplation of some print,

And she might not only have passed him unseen,

But was obliged to touch as well as address him before she could catch his notice.

When he did perceive and acknowledge her,

However,

It was done with all his usual frankness and in good humour.

Ah,

It is you!

Thank you,

Thank you.

This is treating me like a friend.

Here I am,

You see,

Staring at a picture.

I can never get past this shop without stopping.

But what a thing here is,

By way of a boat.

Do look at it.

Did you ever see the like?

What queer fellows your fine painters must be to think that anybody could venture their lives in such a shapeless old cockle shell as that.

And yet here are two gentlemen stuck up in it,

Mightily at their ease,

And looking about them at the rocks and mountains as if they were not to be upset the next moment,

Which they certainly must be.

I wonder when that boat was built.

I would not venture over a horse pond in it.

Well,

Turning away.

Now,

Where can you be bound?

Can I go anywhere for you or with you?

Can I be of any use?

None,

Thank you,

Said Anne,

Unless you will give me the pleasure of your company a little way.

Our road lies together.

I'm going home.

That I will,

He said,

With all my heart and father too.

Yes,

We'll have a snark walk together and I have something to tell you as we go along.

There,

Take my arm,

That's right.

I do not feel comfortable if I do not have a woman there.

Lord,

What a boat it is!

Taking a last look at the picture as he began to be in motion.

Did you say you had something to tell me,

Sir?

Yes,

I have presently,

But here comes a friend,

Captain Brigden.

I shall only say how do you do as we pass,

However,

I shall not stop.

How do you do?

Brigden stares to see anybody with me but my wife.

She,

Poor soul,

Is tied by the leg.

She has a blister on one of her heels as large as a three-shelling piece.

If you look down the street,

You'll see Admiral Brad coming down and his brother.

Shabby fellows,

Both of them.

I'm glad they're not on this side of the way.

Sophie cannot bear them.

They played me a pitiful trick once,

Got away with some of my best men,

I'll tell you the whole story another time.

There comes old Archibald Drew and his grandson.

Look,

He sees us and kisses his hand to you and he takes you for my wife.

The peace has come too soon for that younger.

Poor old Sir Archibald.

How do you like Bath,

Miss Elliot?

It suits us very well.

We're always meeting with some old friend or another and then we get away from them all and shut ourselves in our lodgings and draw in our chairs and are as stuck as if we're at Kellynch.

Aye,

As if we used to be at North Yarmouth and Deal.

We do not like our lodgings here the worst,

I can tell you,

For putting us in mind of those we first had in North Yarmouth.

The wind blows through one of the cupboards just in the same way.

When they got a little further,

Anne ventured to press again for what he had to communicate.

She hoped when clear of Milsom Street to have her curiosity gratified but she was still obliged to wait for the Admiral had made up his mind not to begin until they'd gained the greater space and quiet of Belmont.

And as she was not really Mrs Croft,

She must let him have his own way.

Reviews

I'll have to listen again. Sorry, after listening in parts between evening tasks I forgot who was who since hearing the previous chapters. Crofts etc. I see the difference from P&P where all characters are explored, leaving a better mark on reader's memory. 🤗 Thank you!

I’m a little lost in this one but good stuff! Thank you 🙏🏼❤️