60 Pride And Prejudice - Bedtime With Stephanie Poppins

Pride and Prejudice is a classic tale of love and uncertainty by English Author Jane Austen. In these gently read stories, we escape into a time long past.

In this episode, Elizabeth writes to tell Mrs. Gardiner of her engagement, as does Darcy to Lady Catherine. Mr. Bennet writes to Mr. Collins who, along with Charlotte, soon return to town to congratulate the couple and steer clear of a furious Lady Catherine.

Read and Performed by English author Stephanie Poppins.

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.

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 60 Elizabeth's spirits soon rise into playfulness again.

She wanted Mr.

Darcy to account for his ever having fallen in love with her.

How could you begin?

Said she.

I can comprehend your going on charmingly when you had first once made a beginning,

But what could set you off in the first place?

I cannot fix on the hour or the spot or the look or the words which laid the foundation,

Said he.

It is too long ago.

I was in the middle before I knew I had begun.

My beauty you had early withstood,

Said Elizabeth,

And as for my manners,

My behavior to you was at least always bordering on the uncivil I never spoke to you without rather wishing to give you pain than not.

Now be sincere.

Did you admire me for my impertinence?

For the liveliness of your mind I did,

Said he.

You may as well call it impertinence at once.

It was very little less,

Said she.

The fact is you were sick of civility,

Of deference,

Of officious attention.

You were disgusted with a woman who were always speaking and looking and thinking for your approbation alone.

I roused and interested you because I was so unlike them.

Had you not been really amiable,

You would have hated me for it.

But in spite of the pains you took to disguise yourself,

Your feelings were always noble and just,

And in your heart you thoroughly despised the persons who so assiduously courted you.

There,

I've saved you the trouble of accounting for it.

And really,

All things considered,

I begin to think it perfectly reasonable.

To be sure you knew no actual good of me.

But nobody thinks of that when they fall in love.

Was there no good in your affectionate behavior to Jane while she was ill at Netherfield?

Dearest Jane,

You could have done less for her,

But make a virtue of it by all means.

My good qualities are under your protection,

And you are to exaggerate them as much as possible.

And in return,

It belongs to me to find occasions for teasing and quarreling with you as often as may be.

And I shall begin directly by asking you what made you so unwilling to come to the point at last.

What made you so shy of me when you first called,

And afterwards dined here?

Why,

Especially when you called,

Did you look as if you did not care about me?

Because you were grave and silent and gave me no encouragement.

But I was embarrassed.

And so was I.

You might have talked to me more when you came to dinner.

A man who had felt less might.

How unlucky that you should have a reasonable answer to give,

And that I should be so reasonable as to admit it.

But I wonder how long you would have gone on if you'd have been left to yourself.

I wonder when you would have spoken if I had not asked you.

My resolution for thanking you for your kindness to Lydia had certainly great effect.

Too much,

I'm afraid,

For what becomes of the moral if our comfort springs from a breach of promise?

For I ought not to have mentioned the subject.

This will never do.

You need not distress yourself.

The moral will be perfectly fair.

Lady Catherine's unjustifiable endeavours to separate us were the means of my removing all my doubts.

I am not indebted for my present happiness to your eager desire of expressing your gratitude.

I was not in a humour to wait for any opening of yours.

My aunt's intelligence had given me hope,

And I was determined at once to know everything.

Lady Catherine has been of infinite use,

Said Elizabeth,

Which ought to make her happy,

For she loves to be of use.

But tell me,

What did you come down to Netherfield for?

Was it merely to ride to Longbourn and be embarrassed?

Or had you intended any more serious consequences?

My real purpose was to see you,

He replied,

And to judge if I could whether I might ever hope to make you love me.

Shall you ever have courage to announce to Lady Catherine what's to befall her?

I am more likely to want time than courage,

Elizabeth.

But it ought to be done,

And if you will give me a sheet of paper,

It shall be done directly.

And if I had not a letter to write myself,

I might sit by you,

Said Elizabeth.

And admire the evenness of your writing,

As another young lady once did.

But I have an aunt,

Too,

Who must not be longer neglected.

From an unwillingness to confess how much her intimacy with Mr Darcy had been overrated,

Elizabeth had never yet answered Miss Gardiner's long letter.

But now having that to communicate,

Which she knew would be most welcome,

She was almost ashamed to find her uncle and aunt had already lost three days of happiness,

And immediately wrote as follows.

I would have thanked you before,

My dear aunt,

As I ought to have done for your long,

Kind,

Satisfactory detail of particulars.

But to say the truth,

I was too cross to write.

You supposed more than really existed.

But now suppose as much as you choose,

To give a loose to your fancy.

And unless you believe me actually married,

You cannot greatly err.

You must write again very soon,

And praise him a great deal more than you did in your last.

I thank you again and again,

For not going to the lakes.

How could I be so silly as to wish it?

Your idea of the ponies is delightful.

We will go round the park every day.

I am the happiest creature in the world.

Perhaps other people have said so before,

But not one with such justice.

I'm happier even than Jane.

She only smiles.

I laugh.

Mr Darcy sends you all the love in the world that can be spared from me.

You are all to come to Pemberley at Christmas.

Yours,

Etc.

Mr Darcy's letter to Lady Catherine was in a different style,

And still different from either,

Was what Mr Bennet sent to Mr Collins in reply to his last.

Dear Sir,

I must trouble you once more for congratulations.

Elizabeth will soon be the wife of Mr Darcy.

Console Lady Catherine as well as you can,

But if I were you,

I would stand by the nephew.

He has more to give.

He has more to give.

Yours sincerely,

Etc.

Miss Bingley's congratulations to her brother on his approaching marriage were all that was affectionate and insincere.

She wrote even to Jane on the occasion to express her delight and repeat all her former professions of regard.

Jane was not deceived,

But she was affected,

And though feeling no reliance on her could not help writing her in a much kinder answer than she knew was deserved.

The joy which Miss Darcy expressed on receiving similar information was as sincere as her brother's in sending it.

Four sides of paper were insufficient to contain all her delight and all her earnest desire of being loved by her sister.

Before any answer could arrive from Mr Collins or any congratulations to Elizabeth from his wife,

The long-born family heard the Collinses would come themselves to Lucas Lodge.

The reason of this sudden removal was soon evident.

Lady Catherine had been rendered so exceedingly angry by the contents of her nephew's letter that Charlotte,

Really rejoicing in the match,

Was anxious to get away till the sun set.

A storm blew over.

At such a moment,

The arrival of her friend was a sincere pleasure to Elizabeth,

Though in the course of their meeting she must sometimes think the pleasure dearly bought when she saw Mr Darcy exposed to all the parading and the sequest civility of her husband.

He bore it,

However,

With admirable calmness.

He could even listen to Sir William Lucas when he complimented him on carrying away the brightest jewel of the country and expressed his hopes of their all meeting frequently at St James's with very decent composure.

If he did shrug his shoulders,

It was not till Sir William was out of sight.

Mrs Phillips's vulgarity was another and perhaps a greater tax on his forbearance and though Mrs Phillips,

As well as her sister,

Stood too much in awe of him to speak with a familiarity which Bingley's good humour encouraged,

Yet whenever she did speak,

She must be vulgar.

Nor was her respect for him,

Though it made her more quiet,

At all likely to make her more elegant.

Elizabeth did all she could to shield Darcy from the frequent notice and was ever anxious to keep him to herself and to those of her family with whom he might converse without mortification.

And though the uncomfortable feelings arising from all this took from the season of courtship much of its pleasure,

It added to the hope of the future and she looked forward with delight to the time when they should be removed from society,

So little pleasing to either,

To all the comfort and elegance of their family party at Pemberley.

I hope you enjoyed these chapters.

If you did,

Please consider following me to hear more.

Reviews

Ah, good advice for those looking for love— be unerringly yourself…
Thank you!!

Put me to sleep pat way through. I'll listen again tomorrow. 😁😘🥰🙏🕊
Edit: ha, i hadn't remembered anything beyond the first sentence. Had a good sleep last night too.😘 oh such a rich story. The excitement of the newly engaged, the fun and blush of it all. Now set slightly aside while they balance the onlookers. 🤭🧡