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Welcome to Sleep Stories with Steph,
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Come with me as we immerse ourselves in a romantic journey to a time long since forgotten.
This series follows the trials and tribulations of Elizabeth Bennet as she struggles to come to terms with Mr.
Darcy and all he means to her.
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.
That's it.
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.
Happy listening.
Pride and Prejudice By Jane Austen Read by S.
D.
Hudson Chapter 49 Two days after Mr.
Bennet's return,
As Jane and Elizabeth were walking together in the shrubbery behind the house,
They saw the housekeeper coming towards them and concluding that she came to call them to her mother,
Went forward to meet her.
But instead of the expected summons,
When they approached her,
She said to Miss Bennet,
I beg your pardon,
Ma'am,
For interrupting you,
But I was in hope she might have got some good news from town,
So I took the liberty of coming to ask.
What do you mean,
Hill?
We've heard nothing from town.
Dear madam,
Cried Mrs.
Hill in great astonishment,
Don't you know there's an express come for master from Mr.
Gardner?
He's been here this half hour and master has had a letter.
Away ran the girls,
Too eager to get in to have time for speech.
They ran through the vestibule into the breakfast room,
From thence to the library.
Their father was in neither,
And they were on the point of seeking him upstairs with their mother when they were met by a butler who said,
If you're looking for my master,
Ma'am,
He's walking towards the little cops.
Upon this information,
They instantly passed through the hall and went to the library.
They passed through the hall once more and ran across the lawn after their father,
Who was deliberately pursuing his way towards a small wood on one side of the paddock.
Jane,
Who was not so light nor so much in the habit of running as Elizabeth,
Soon lagged behind,
While her sister,
Panting for breath,
Came up with him and eagerly cried out,
Oh papa,
What news,
What news?
Have you heard from my uncle?
Yes,
I've had a letter from him by express.
Well,
And what news does it bring,
Good or bad?
What is there of good to be expected,
Said he,
Taking the letter from his pocket.
But perhaps you would like to read it.
Elizabeth impatiently caught it from his hand.
Jane now came up.
Read it aloud,
Said their father,
For I hardly know myself what it's about.
It read as follows.
Greychurch Street,
Monday,
August the 2nd.
My dear brother,
At last I am able to send you tidings of my niece,
And such as,
Upon the whole,
I hope will give you satisfaction.
Soon after you left me on Saturday,
I was fortunate enough to find out in what part of London they were.
The particulars I reserve till we meet.
It is enough to know they're discovered.
I have seen them both.
Then it's as I always hoped,
Cried Jane,
They're married.
Elizabeth read on.
I have seen them both.
They are not married,
Nor can I find there was ever any intention of being so.
But if you're willing to perform the engagements which I have ventured to make on your side,
I hope it will not be long before they are.
All that is required of you is to assure to your daughter,
By settlement,
Her equal share of the £5,
000 secured among your children after the decease of yourself and my sister,
And moreover,
To enter into an engagement of allowing her,
During your life,
£100 per annum.
These are conditions which,
Considering everything,
I had no hesitation in complying with,
As far as I thought myself privileged for you.
I shall send this by express,
That no time may be lost in bringing me your answer.
You will easily comprehend from these particulars that Mr Wickham's circumstances are not so hopeless as they're generally believed to be.
The world has been deceived in that respect,
And I'm happy to say there will be some little money,
Even when all his debts are discharged,
To settle on my niece in addition to her own fortune.
If,
As I conclude will be the case,
You send me full powers to act in your name throughout the whole of the business,
I will immediately give directions to Haggerston for preparing a proper settlement.
There will not be the smallest occasion for your coming to town again.
Therefore,
Stay quietly,
Longbourn,
And depend on my diligence and care.
Send back your answer as soon as you can,
And be careful to write explicitly.
We've judged it best that my niece should be married from this house,
Of which I hope you will approve.
She comes to us today.
I shall write again as soon as anything is more determined on.
Yours,
Etc.
Edward Gardner It is possible,
Cried Elizabeth when she'd finished.
Can it be possible he'll marry her?
Wickham is not so undeserving then as we thought him,
Said her sister.
My dear father,
I congratulate you.
And have you answered the letter,
Said Elizabeth?
No,
But it must be done soon.
Most earnestly did Elizabeth then entreat him to lose no more time before he wrote.
Oh,
My dear father,
She cried.
Come back and write immediately.
Consider how important every moment is in such a case.
Let me write it for you,
Said Jane,
If you dislike the trouble yourself.
I dislike it very much,
He replied,
But it must be done.
And so saying,
Mr.
Bennett turned back with him and walked towards the house.
And may I ask,
Said Elizabeth,
But the terms,
I suppose,
Must be complied with?
Complied with?
I'm only ashamed if he's asking so little.
And they must marry,
Yet he's such a man.
Yes,
They must marry.
There's nothing else to be done.
But there are two things I want very much to know.
One is how much money your uncle has laid down to bring it about.
And the other,
How am I ever going to repay him?
Money?
My uncle?
Cried Jane.
My uncle?
Cried Jane.
What do you mean,
Sir?
Now,
I mean that no man in his senses would marry Lydia on so slight a temptation as 100 a year during my life and 50 after I'm gone.
That is very true,
Said Elizabeth,
Though it had not occurred to me before.
His debts to be discharged and something still to remain.
It must be my uncle's doings.
Generous,
Good man.
I'm afraid he's distressed himself.
A small sum could not do all this.
No,
Said her father.
Wickham's a fool if he takes her with a farthing less than 10,
000 pounds.
I should be sorry to think so ill of him in the very beginning of our relationship.
10,
000 pounds?
Heaven forbid,
How is half such a sum to be repaid?
Mr.
Bennet made no answer and each of them,
Deep in thought,
Continued silent until they reached the house.
Their father then went to the library to write and the girls walked into the breakfast room.
And they're really to be married?
Cried Elizabeth as soon as they were by themselves.
How strange is this?
And for this we are to be thankful that they should marry,
Small as is their chance of happiness and rigid as his character,
With ball-story Joyce or Lydia.
I comfort myself with thinking,
Replied Jane,
That he certainly would not marry Lydia if he had not a real regard for her.
Though our kind uncle's done something towards clearing him,
I can't believe that 10,
000 pounds or anything like it's been advanced.
Mr.
Gardner has children of his own and may have more.
How could he spare half of 10,
000 pounds?
If we were ever able to learn what Wickham's debts have been,
Said Elizabeth,
And how much is settled on his side on our sister,
We shall exactly know what Mr.
Gardner's done for them because Wickham has not sixpence of his own.
The kindness of my uncle and aunt can never be requited.
The kindness of my uncle and aunt can never be requited.
They're taking her home and affording her their personal protection and countenance is such a sacrifice to advantage as years of gratitude cannot enough acknowledge.
By this time she's actually with them.
If such goodness does not make her miserable now,
She will never deserve to be happy.
What a meeting for her when she first sees my aunt.
We must endeavour to forget all that's passed on either side.
Said Jane,
I hope and trust they will yet be happy.
His consenting to marry her has proved,
I believe,
That he's come to a right way of thinking.
Their mutual affection will steady them and I flatter myself they'll settle so quietly and live so rational a manner as may in time make their past imprudence forgotten.
Their conduct has been such,
Plied Elizabeth,
As neither you nor I nor anybody else could ever forget.
It's useless to talk of it.
It now occurred to the girls that their mother was in all likelihood perfectly ignorant of what had happened.
They went to the library therefore and asked their father whether he would not wish them to make it known to her.
He was writing and without raising his head,
Coolly replied,
Just as you please.
May we take my uncle's letter to read to her?
Take whatever you like and get away.
Elizabeth took the letter from his writing table and they went upstairs together.
Mary and Kitty were both with Mrs Bennet.
One communication would therefore do for all.
After a slight preparation for good news,
The letter was read aloud.
Mrs Bennet could hardly contain herself.
As soon as Jane had read Mr Gardner's hope of Lydia's being soon married,
Her joy burst forth and every following sentence added to its exuberance.
She was now in an irritation as violent from delight as she'd ever been fidgety from alarm and vexation.
To know that her daughter would be married was enough.
She was disturbed by no fear for her felicity nor humbled by any remembrance of her misconduct.
My dear,
Dear Lydia,
She cried.
This is a delightful thing indeed.
She will be married.
I shall see her again.
She will be married at 16.
My good,
Kind brother.
I knew how it would be.
I knew he would manage everything.
How I loved to see her and dear Wickham too.
But the clothes,
The wedding clothes.
I will write to my sister Gardner about them directly.
Lizzie,
My dear,
Run down to your father and ask him how much he will give her.
Stay,
Stay.
I'll go myself.
Ring the bell,
Kitty,
For him.
I'll put on my things in a moment.
My dear,
Dear Lydia,
How merry!
We shall all be together when we meet.
Her eldest daughter endeavoured to give some relief to the violence of these transports.
By leading her thoughts to the obligations which Mr Gardner's behaviour laid them all under.
For we must attribute this happy conclusion,
She added,
In a great measure to his kindness.
We persuaded he's pledged himself to assist Mr Wickham with money.
Well,
Cried her mother,
It's all very right.
Who should do it but her own uncle?
If he had not a family of his own,
I and my children must have had all his money,
You know.
And it's the first time we've ever had anything from him.
Except a few presents.
Well,
I'm so happy.
In a short time I shall have a daughter married.
Mrs Wickham.
How well it sounds.
She was only just 16 last June.
My dear Jane,
I am in such a flutter that I'm sure I can't write.
So I will dictate and you will write for me.
We will settle with your father about the money afterwards.
But the things should be ordered immediately.
She was then proceeding to all the particulars of Calico,
Musling and Cambric.
And would have shortly dictated some very plentiful orders.
Had not Jane,
Though with some difficulty,
Persuaded her to wait till her father was at leisure to be consulted.
One day's delay,
She observed,
Would be of small importance.
And her mother was too happy to be quite so obstinate as usual.
Other schemes too came into her head.
I will go to Merritton,
Said she,
As soon as I'm dressed and tell the good,
Good news to my sister,
Phillips.
And as I come back,
I can call on Lady Lucas and Mrs Long.
Kitty,
Run down and order the carriage.
An earring would do me a great deal of good,
I'm sure.
Girls,
Can I do anything for you in Merritton?
Oh,
Here comes Hill.
My dear Hill,
Have you heard the good news?
Miss Liddy is going to be married.
And you should have a bowl of punch to make merry at her wedding.
Mrs Hill began instantly to express her joy.
Elizabeth received her congratulations among the rest.
And then,
Sick of this folly,
Took refuge in her own room,
That she might think with freedom.
Poor Lydia's situation must at best be bad enough,
But that it was no worse,
She had need to be thankful.
She felt it so.
And though,
In looking forward,
Rather rational happiness,
Not worldly prosperity,
Could be justly expected for her sister,
In looking back to what they had feared,
Only two hours ago,
She felt all the advantages of what they had just gained.
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