Pride and Prejudice Part 6

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And from the Noiser podcast network, this is Pride and Prejudice, part six. In the last episode, the Bennett family played host to an unwelcome guest, Mr. Collins, a tiresome clergyman with a habit of reading lengthy sermons allowed after dinner. Collins is Mr. Bennett's distant cousin and will inherit the long-born estate upon his death. Not a thing, sadly, will go to any of the Bennett daughters. None of this is good for Mrs. Bennett or her nerves. But when she heard that Mr. Collins was after a wife, her feelings changed. Collins had been urged by his patron, the aristocratic Lady Catherine de Bourg, to marry and after considering the various Bennett sisters, he has alighted upon our heroine Lizzie as the one to pursue. Elsewhere, the sisters found more agreeable company during a visit to Meriton, a bustling market town and current home to a regiment of dashing young officers. Among them, one man stood out to Lizzie, Mr. Wickham. Hansen, charming and intriguingly mysterious, he hints at a troubled past with none other than Mr. Darcy. All of this has peaked Lizzie's interest and as we return to the story, she and her sisters are once again heading back to Meriton for an evening with their aunt and uncle. While their tiresome cousin, Mr. Collins, is also in tow, that cannot dampen the excitement around another possible encounter with the alluring Mr. Wickham. From the Noiser podcast network, this is Pride and Prejudice. Chapter 16 As no objection was made to the young people's engagement with their aunt and all Mr. Collins' scruples of leaving Mr. and Mrs. Bennett for a single evening during his visit were most steadily resisted, the coach conveyed him and his five cousins at a suitable hour to Meriton and the girls had the pleasure of hearing as they entered the drawing room that Mr. Wickham had accepted their uncle's invitation and was then in the house. When this information was given and they had all taken their seats, Mr. Collins was at leisure to look around him and admire and he was so much struck with the size and furniture of the room that he declared he might almost have supposed himself in the small summer breakfast parlor at Rosings, a comparison that did not at first convey much gratification. But when Mrs. Phillips understood from him what Rosings was and who was its proprietor when she had listened to the description of only one of Lady Catherine's drawing rooms and found that the chimney piece alone had cost £800, she felt all the force of the compliment and would hardly have resented a comparison with the housekeeper's room. In describing to her all the grandeur of Lady Catherine and her mansion with occasional digressions and praise of his own humble abode and the improvements it was receiving, Mr. Collins was happily employed until the gentleman joined them and he found that Mrs. Phillips of very attentive listener whose opinion of his consequence increased with what she heard and who was resolving to retell it all among her neighbors as soon as she could. To the girls who could not listen to their cousin and who had nothing to do but to wish for an instrument and examine the imitations of china on the mantelpiece, the interval of waiting appeared very long. It was over at last however. The gentleman did approach and when Mr. Wickham walked into the room, Elizabeth realized that she had been seeing him before and thinking of him since with no small degree of unreasonable admiration. The militia officers were in general a very creditable gentleman like set and the best of them were of the present party but Mr. Wickham was as far beyond them all in person, countenance, air and walk as they were superior to the broad-faced stuffy Uncle Phillips, breathing port wine who followed them into the room. Mr. Wickham was the happy man towards whom almost every female eye was turned and Elizabeth was the happy woman by whom he finally seated himself and the agreeable manner in which he immediately fell into conversation, though it was only on its being a wet night and on the probability of a rainy season, made her feel that the commonest, dullest, most threadbare topic might be rendered interesting by the skill of the speaker. With such rivals the notice of the fair as Mr. Wickham and the officers, Mr. Collins seemed to sink into insignificance. To the young ladies he certainly was nothing but he had still at intervals a kind listener in Mrs. Phillips and was by her watchfulness most abundantly supplied with coffee and muffin. When the card tables were placed he had an opportunity of obliging her in return by sitting down to a game of twist. I know little of the game at present said Mr. Collins but I shall be glad to improve myself for in my situation of life Mrs. Phillips was very thankful for his compliers but could not wait for his reason. Mr. Wickham did not play at twist and with ready delight was he received at the other table between Elizabeth and Lydia. At first there seemed danger of Lydia's engrossing him entirely for she was a most determined talker but being likewise extremely fond of lottery tickets she soon grew too much interested in that game too eager in making bets and exclaiming after prizes to have attention for anyone in particular. Allowing for the common demands of the game Mr. Wickham was therefore at leisure to talk to Elizabeth and she was very willing to hear him though what she chiefly wished to hear she could not hope to be told the history of his acquaintance with Mr. Darcy she dared not even mention that gentleman. Her curiosity however was unexpectedly relieved Mr. Wickham began the subject himself. He inquired how far Netherfield was from Meriton and after receiving her answer asked in a hesitating manner how long Mr. Darcy had been staying there. About a month said Elizabeth and then unwilling to let the subject drop added he is a man of very large property in Darbyshire I understand. Yes replied Mr. Wickham his estate there is a noble one a clear 10 000 per annum you could not have met with a person more capable of giving you certain information on that head than myself for I have been connected with his family in a particular manner from my infancy. Elizabeth could not but look surprised you may well be surprised to miss Bennett at such an assertion after seeing as you probably might the very cold manner of our meeting yesterday are you much acquainted with Mr. Darcy as much as I ever wish to be cried Elizabeth warmly I have spent four days in the same house with him and I think him very disagreeable I have no right to give my opinion said Wickham as to his being agreeable or otherwise I am not qualified to form one I have known him too long and too well to be a fair judge it is impossible for me to be impartial but I believe your opinion of him would in general astonish and perhaps you would not express it quite so strongly anywhere else here you are in your own family upon my word I say no more here than I might say in any house in the neighborhood except Netherfield he is not at all liked in Hertfordshire everybody is disgusted with his pride you will not find him more favorably spoken of by anyone I cannot pretend to be sorry said Wickham after a short interruption that he or that any man should not be estimated beyond what they deserve but with him I believe it does not often happen the world is blinded by his fortune and consequence or frightened by his high and imposing manners and sees him only as he chooses to be seen I should take him even on my slide acquaintance to be an ill-tempered man Wickham only nodded his head I wonder said he at the next opportunity of speaking whether he's likely to be in this country much longer I do not know at all but I heard nothing if he's going away when I was at Netherfield I hope your plans in favor of the militia will not be affected by his being in the neighborhood oh no it is not for me to be driven away by mr. Darcy if he wishes to avoid seeing me he must go we are not on friendly terms and it always gives me pain to meet him but I have no reason for avoiding him but what I might proclaim to all the world a sense of very great ill usage and most painful regrets at his being what he is his father miss Bennett the late mr. Darcy was one of the best men that ever breathed and the truest friend I ever had and I can never be in company with this mr. Darcy without being grieved to the soul by a thousand tender recollections his behavior to myself has been scandalous but I verily believe I could forgive him anything and everything rather than his disappointing the hopes and disgracing the memory of his father Elizabeth found the interest of the subject increase and she listened with all her heart but the delicacy of it prevented further inquiry you hey this is Paige DeSorbo from Giggly Squad and today I want to talk to you about boost mobile quick question why are we letting our phone bills bully us here's a money tip stop paying a carrier tax when you bring your own phone and switch to boost mobile's $25 unlimited forever plan you can unlock up to $600 in savings that's real-life money not money trapped in a pricey phone bill $600 is a trip a shopping spree or paying something off your money belongs in your life you get unlimited data talk and tax for $25 a month with no contracts and no minimum line requirement your phone your rules head to boostmobile.com to switch today and unlock the savings you actually deserve after 30 gigabytes customers may experience lower speed customers pay $25 per month while active on boost mobile unlimited plan savings claim based on a january 2026 boost mobile survey comparing average annual payments of major carrier customers to 12 months on the boost mobile unlimited plan visit boostmobile.com for details this episode is presented by depop we all have pieces in our closet that deserve a second life that jacket you loved for a season someone out there is literally searching for it and that's why i love depop it's a fashion resell app where your personal taste actually has value selling is quick simple and genuinely worth it you can list an item in just a few tabs on depop just snap a photo and their ai powered listings fill in the details plus make money easily with no selling fees on depop no seller fees means what you earn is yours even selling one item is a win so if you've been thinking about clearing out your closet this is your sign download the depop app and list your first item today. Mr. Wickham began to speak on more general topics merit on the neighborhood the society appearing highly pleased with all that he had yet seen and speaking of the latter especially with gentle but very intelligible gallantry. It was the prospect of constant society and good society he added which is my chief inducement to enter the militia. I know it to be a most respectable agreeable core and my friend Denny tempted me further by his account of their present quarters and the very great attentions and excellent acquaintance meritan had procured them. Society I own is necessary for me. I have been a disappointed man and my spirits will not bear solitude I must have employment and society a military life is not what I was intended for but circumstances have now made it eligible the church ought to have bid my profession I was brought up for the church and I should at this time have been in possession of a most valuable living had it pleased the gentleman we were speaking of just now indeed replied Elizabeth yes the late Mr. Darcy bequeathed me the next presentation of the best living in his gift he was my godfather and excessively attached to me I cannot do justice to his kindness he meant to provide for me amply and thought he had done it but when the living fell it was given elsewhere good heavens cried Elizabeth but how could that be how could his will be disregarded why did you not seek legal redress mr. Wickham replied there was just such an informality in the terms of the bequest as to give me no hope from law a man of honor should not have doubted the intention but mr. Darcy chose to doubt it or to treat it as a merely conditional recommendation and to assert that I had forfeited all claim to it by extravagance imprudence in short anything or nothing certain it is that the living became vacant two years ago exactly as I was of an age to hold it and that it was given to another man and no less certain it is that I cannot accuse myself of having really done anything to deserve to lose it I have a warm unguarded temper and I may perhaps have sometimes spoken my opinion of him and to him too freely I can recall nothing worse but the fact is that we are very different sort of men and that he hates me this is quite shocking cried Elizabeth he deserves to be publicly disgraced sometime or other he will be but it shall not be by me till I can forget his father I can never defy or expose him Elizabeth honored him for such feelings and thought him handsomer than ever as he expressed them but what said she after a pause can have been his motive what can have induced him to behave so cruelly a thorough determined dislike of me said mr. wickham a dislike which I cannot but attribute in some measure to jealousy had the late mr. Darcy liked me less his son might have borne with me better but his father's uncommon attachment to me irritated him I believe very early in life he had not a temper to bear the sort of competition in which we stood the sort of preference which was often given to me I had not thought mr. Darcy so bad as this replied Elizabeth though I have never liked him I had not thought so very ill of him I had supposed him to be despising his fellow creatures in general but did not suspect him of descending to such malicious revenge such injustice such inhumanity as this after a few minutes reflection however she continued I do remember his boasting one day at netherfield of the implacability of his resentments of his having an unforgiving temper his disposition must be dreadful I will not trust myself on the subject replied wickham I can hardly be just to him Elizabeth was again deep in thought and after a time exclaimed to treat in such a manner the godson the friend the favorite of his father she could have added a young man too like you whose very countenance may vouch for your being amiable but she contented herself with one too who had probably been his own companion from childhood connected together as I think you said in the closest manner we were born in the same parish within the same park replied wickham the greatest part of our youth was passed together inmates of the same house sharing the same amusements objects of the same parental care my father began life in the profession which your uncle mr. Phillips appears to do so much credit to but he gave up everything to be of use to the late mr. Darcy and devoted all his time to the care of the pemboly property he was most highly esteemed by mr. Darcy a most intimate confidential friend mr. Darcy often acknowledged himself to be under the greatest obligations to my father's active superintendents and when immediately before my father's death mr. Darcy gave him a voluntary promise of providing for me I am convinced that he felt it to be as much of a debt of gratitude to him as of affection to myself how strange cried Elizabeth how abominable I wonder that the very pride of this mr. Darcy has not made him just to you if from no better motive that he should not have been too proud to be dishonest for dishonesty I must call it it is wonderful replied mr. Wickham for almost all his actions may be traced to pride and pride has often been his best friend it has connected him nearer with virtue than any other feeling but we are none of us consistent and in his behavior to me there were stronger impulses even than pride elizabeth replied can such pride as his have ever done him good yes it has often led him to be liberal and generous to give his money freely to display hospitality to assist his tenants and relieve the poor family pride and filial pride for he is very proud of what his father was have done this not to appear to disgrace his family to degenerate from the popular qualities or lose the influence of the pemily house is a powerful motive he has also brotherly pride which with some brotherly affection makes him a very kind and careful guardian of his sister and you will hear him generally cried up as the most attentive and best of brothers what sort of a girl is miss Darcy asked elizabeth he shook his head I wish I could call her amiable he gives me pain to speak ill with Darcy but she is too much like her brother very very proud as a child she was affectionate and pleasing and extremely fond of me and I have devoted hours and hours to her amusement but she is nothing to me now she's a handsome girl about 15 or 16 and I understand highly accomplished since her father's death her home has been London where a lady lives with her and super intense her education after many pauses and many trials of other subjects elizabeth could not help reverting once more to the first and saying I am astonished at his intimacy with mr. Bingley how can mr. Bingley who seems good humor itself and is I really believe truly amiable be in friendship with such a man how can they suit each other do you know mr. Bingley not at all he is a sweet-tempered amiable charming man said Lizzie he cannot know what mr. Darcy is probably not replied wicom but mr. Darcy can please where he chooses he does not want for abilities he can be a conversable companion if he thinks it worth his while among those who are at all his equals in consequence he is a very different man from what he is to the less prosperous his pride never deserts him but with the rich he is liberal minded just sincere rational honorable and perhaps agreeable allowing something for fortune and figure the host party soon afterwards breaking up the players gathered around the other table and mr. Collins took his station between his cousin elizabeth and her aunt mrs. Phillips the usual inquiries as to his success were made by the latter it had not been very great he had lost every point but when mrs. Phillips began to express her concern thereupon he assured her with much earnest gravity that it was not of the least importance that he considered the money as a mere trifle and begged she would not make herself uneasy i know very well madam said he that when persons sit down to a card table they must take their chance of these things and happily i am not in such circumstances as to make five shillings my object there are undoubtedly many who could not say the same but thanks to lady kathryn deborg i am removed far beyond the necessity of regarding little matters mr. wickum's attention was caught and after observing mr. Collins for a few moments he asked elizabeth in a low voice whether her relations were very intimately acquainted with the family of deborg lady kathryn deborg she replied has very lately given him a living i hardly know how mr. Collins was first introduced to her notice but he certainly has not known her long you know of course that lady kathryn deborg and lady ann darcy were sisters said wickum consequently that she is aren't to the present mr. Darcy no indeed i did not i knew nothing at all of lady kathryn's connections i never heard of her existence till the day before yesterday her daughter mr. deborg will have a very large fortune said wickum and it is believed that she and her cousin Darcy will unite the two estates this information made elizabeth smile as she thought of poor miss bingley vane indeed must be all her attentions vane and useless her affection for his sister and her praise of himself if he were already self-destined to another mr. Collins said lizzie speaks highly both of lady kathryn and her daughter but from some particulars that she has related of her leadership i suspect his gratitude misleads him and that in spite of her being his patroness she is an arrogant conceited woman i believe her to be both in a great degree replied wickum i have not seen her for many years but i very well remember that i never liked her and that her manners were dictatorial and insolent she has the reputation of being remarkably sensible and clever but i rather believe she drives part of her abilities from her rank and fortune part from her authoritative manner and the rest from the pride of her nephew who chooses that everyone connected with him should have an understanding of the upper class elizabeth allowed that he had given a very rational account of it and they continued talking together with mutual satisfaction till supper put an end to cards and gave the rest of the ladies their share of mr. wickum's attentions there could be no conversation in the noise of mrs. phillips supper party but his manners recommended him to everybody whatever he said was said well whatever he did done gracefully elizabeth went away with her head full of him and on the way home she could think of nothing but of mr. wickum and of what he had told her but there was not time for her even to mention his name as they went for neither lidia nor mr. collins were once silent lidia talked incessantly of lottery tickets of the fish she had lost to cards and the fish she had won and mr. collins in describing this civility of mr. and mrs. phillips protesting that he did not in the least regard his losses at wist enumerating all the dishes at supper and repeatedly fearing that he crowded his cousins had more to say than he could well manage before the carriage stopped at long borne house we all prefer things a certain way like groceries if you want groceries just how you like them you got to try insta cart they have a new preference picker that lets you pick how ripe or unripe you want your bananas shoppers can see your preferences up front helping guide their choices because when it comes to groceries the details matter insta cart get groceries just how you like this episode is presented by depop we all have pieces in our closet that deserve a second life that jacket you loved for a season someone out there is literally searching for it and that's why i love depop it's a fashion resell app where your personal taste actually has value selling is quick simple and genuinely worth it you can list an item in just a few taps on depop just snap a photo and their ai powered listings fill in the details plus make money easily with no selling fees on depop no seller fees means what you earn is yours even selling one item is a win so if you've been thinking about clearing out your closet this is your sign download the depop app and list your first item today chapter 17 elizabeth related to jane the next day what had passed between mr wickham and herself jane listened with astonishment and concern she knew not how to believe that mr darsie could be so unworthy of mr bingley's regard and yet it was not in her nature to question the veracity of a young man of such amiable appearance as wickham the possibility of his having really endured such unkindness was enough to interest all her tender feelings and nothing therefore remained to be done but to think well of them both to defend the conduct of each and throw into the account of accident or mistake whatever could not be otherwise explained they have both said jane been deceived i dare say in somewhere other of which we can form no idea interested people have perhaps misrepresented each to the other it is in short impossible for us to conjecture the causes or circumstances which may have alienated them without actual blame on either side very true indeed replied lizzie and now my dear jane what have you to say in behalf of the interested people who have probably been concerned in the business do clear them too or we should be obliged to think ill of anybody love as much as you choose said jane but you will not laugh me out of my opinion my dearest lizzie do but consider in what a disgraceful light it places mr darsie to be treating his father's favorite in such a manner one whom his father had promised to provide for it is impossible no man of common humanity no man who had any value for his character could be capable of it can his most intimate friends be so excessively deceived in him oh no lizzie replied i can much more easily believe mr bingley is being imposed on than that mr wickham should invent such a history of himself as he gave me last night names facts everything mentioned without ceremony if it not be so let mr darsie contradicted besides there was truth in his looks it is difficult replied jane indeed it is distressing one does not know what to think i beg your pardon one knows exactly what to think replied elizabeth but jane could think with certainty on only one point that mr bingley if he had been imposed on would have much to suffer when the affair became public the two young ladies were summoned from the shrubbery where this conversation passed by the arrival of some of the very persons of whom they had been speaking mr bingley and his sisters came to give their personal invitation for the long expected ball at netherfield which was fixed for the following tuesday the two sisters were delighted to see their dear friend again called it an age since they had met and repeatedly asked what she had been doing with herself since their separation to the rest of the family they paid little attention avoiding mrs vennett as much as possible saying not much to elizabeth and nothing at all to the others they were soon gone again rising from their seats with an activity which took their brother by surprise and hurrying off as if eager to escape from mrs vennett's civilities the prospect of the netherfield ball was extremely agreeable to every female of the family mrs vennett chose to consider it as given in compliment to her eldest daughter and was particularly flattered by receiving the invitation from mr bingley himself instead of a ceremonious card jane pictured to herself a happy evening in the society of her two friends and the attentions of their brother and elizabeth thought with pleasure of dancing a great deal with mr wickham and of seeing a confirmation of everything in mr darcy's look and behavior the happiness anticipated by kathryn and lidia depended less on any single event or any particular person for though they each like elizabeth meant to dance half the evening with mr wickham he was by no means the only partner who could satisfy them and a ball was at any rate a ball and even mary could assure her family that she had no disinclination for it while i can have my mornings to myself said mary it is enough i think it is no sacrifice to join occasionally in evening engagements society has claims on us all and i profess myself one of those who consider intervals of recreation and amusement as desirable for everybody elizabeth's spirits were so high on the occasion that though she did not often speak unnecessarily to mr collins she could not help asking him whether he intended to accept mr bingley's invitation and if he did whether he would think it proper to join in the evening's amusement and she was rather surprised to find that he had entertained no scruple whatever on that head and was very far from dreading a rebuke either from the archbishop or lady kathryn deborg by venturing to dance i am by no means of opinion i assure you said mr collins that a ball of this kind given by a young man of character to respectable people can have any evil tendency and i'm so far from objecting to dancing myself that i shall hope to be honored with the hands of all my fair cousins in the course of the evening i take this opportunity of soliciting yours mr elizabeth for the first two dances especially a preference which i trust my cousin jane will attribute to the right cause and not to any disrespect for her elizabeth felt herself completely taken in she had fully proposed being engaged by wiccombe for those very dances and to have mr collins instead her liveliness had never been worse timed there was no help for it however mr wiccombe's happiness and her own was before delayed a little longer and mr collins proposal accepted with as good a grace as she could she was not the better pleased with his gallantry from the idea it suggested of something more it now first struck her that she was selected from among her sisters as worthy of being the mistress of huntsford parsonage and of assisting to form a quadrille table at rosings in the absence of more eligible visitors the idea soon reached to conviction as she observed mr collins's increasing civilities toward herself and heard his frequent attempt at a compliment on her wit and vivacity and though more astonished than gratified herself by the effect of her charms it was not long before her mother gave her to understand that the probability of their marriage was exceedingly agreeable to her elizabeth however did not choose to take the hint being well aware that a serious dispute must be the consequence of any reply mr collins might never make the offer until he did it was useless to quarrel about him if there had not been a netherfield wall to prepare for and talk of the younger miss benets would have been in a pitiable state at this time for from the day of the invitation to the day of the ball there was such a succession of rain as prevented their walking to merit on once no aunt no officers no news could be sought after the very shoe ribbons for the ball were got by proxy even elizabeth might have found some trial of her patience in weather which totally suspended the improvement of her acquaintance with mr wickham and nothing less than a dance on tuesday could have made such a friday saturday sunday and monday indurable to kitty and lydia in the next episode it is time for the social event of the season the grand wall at netherfield there will be dancing and maybe even a spark or two but not without its fair share of awkward encounters and disappointments as the party continues into the night the questions mount will mr wickham ever show up and why is miss bingley so eager to plant doubts in lizzy's mind meanwhile jane and mr bingley seem on the brink of an engagement but could mrs benets behavior ruin everything that's next time on jane austin stories pride and prejudice you can listen to the next two episodes of pride and prejudice right now without waiting by subscribing to noiza plus head to www.noiza.com slash subscriptions for more information or click the link in the episode description hi everyone this is kareem the voice of simon fairchild from the magnus archives and today i want to talk to you about boost mobile some things quietly drain you 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