Pride and Prejudice

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Chapter 36 of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, read for LibriVox.org by Karen Savage in October 2007. Chapter 36. If Elizabeth, when Mr. Darcy gave her the letter, did not expect it to contain a renewal of his offers, she had formed no expectation at all of its contents. But such as they were, it may well be supposed how eagerly she went through them, and what a contrariety of emotion they excited.

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Soon after their return, a letter was delivered to Miss Bennet. It came from Netherfield. The envelope contained a sheet of elegant little hot-pressed paper, well covered with a lady's fair flowing hand, and Elizabeth saw her sister's countenance change as she read it, and saw her dwelling intently on some particular passages. Jane recollected herself soon, and putting the letter away, tried to join with her usual cheerfulness in the general conversation. But Elizabeth felt an anxiety on the subject which drew off her attention even from Wickham, and no sooner had he and his companion taken leave than a glance from Jane invited her to follow her upstairs.

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"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 is about." "Gracechurch Street, Monday, August second. My dear brother, at last I am able to send you some tidings of my niece, and as such, upon the whole, I hope it will give you satisfaction.

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"Oh, where, where is my uncle?" cried Elizabeth, darting from her seat as she finished the letter, in eagerness to follow him without losing a moment of a time so precious but as she reached the door, it was opened by a servant, and Mr. Darcy appeared. Her pale face and impetuous manner made him start, and before he could recover himself to speak, she, in whose mind every idea was superseded by Lydia's situation, hastily exclaimed, "I beg your pardon, but I must leave you. I must find Mr. Gardiner this moment on business that cannot be delayed. I have not an instant to lose."

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In this perturbed state of mind, with thoughts that could rest on nothing, she walked on. But it would not do. In half a minute the letter was unfolded again, and collecting herself as well as she could, she again began the mortifying perusal of all that related to Wickham, and commanded herself so far as to examine the meaning of every sentence. The account of his connection with the Pemberley family was exactly what he had related himself, and the kindness of the late Mr. Darcy, though she had not before known its extent, agreed equally well with his own words.

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She put down the letter, weighed every circumstance with what she meant to be impartiality, deliberated on the probability of each statement, but with little success. On both sides it was only assertion. Again she read on, but every line proved more clearly that the affair, which she had believed it impossible that any contrivance could so represent as to render Mr. Darcy's conduct in it less than infamous, was capable of a turn which must make him entirely blameless throughout the whole.

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She was immediately told that the two gentlemen from Rosings had each called during her absence. Mr. Darcy only for a few minutes to take leave, but that Colonel Fitzwilliam had been sitting with them at least an hour, hoping for her return, and almost resolving to walk after her till she could be found. Elizabeth could but just affect concern in missing him. She really rejoiced at it. Colonel Fitzwilliam was no longer an object. She could think only of her letter. End of chapter 36

Cited transcript

The contents of this letter threw Elizabeth into a flutter of spirits, in which it was difficult to determine whether pleasure or pain bore the greatest share. The vague and unsettled suspicions which uncertainty had produced of what Mr. Darcy might have been doing to forward her sister's match, which she had feared to encourage as an exertion of goodness too great to be probable, and at the same time dreaded to be just from the pain of obligation, were proved beyond their greatest extent to be true.