[00:02.43]Jane’s illness
[00:06.29]Mr Bennet had a comfortable income of two thousand a year，
[00:09.50]and a pleasant house in Longbourn．
[00:11.52]But， unfortunately for his daughters，
[00:14.25]after his death all his property would pass to a distant male relation．
[00:20.65]Mrs Bennet’s father had been a lawyer，
[00:23.07]and had only left his daughter a small amount of money．
[00:27.07]She had a brother who owned shops in London，
[00:30.29]and she also had a sister， married to a Mr Philips．
[00:33.71]He had been her father’s clerk，
[00:35.98]and now carried on his late employer’s business．
[00:39.56]Mr and Mrs Philips lived in Meryton，
[00:42.43]which was only a kilo- metre or so from the village of Longbourn．
[00:46.45]It was a most convenient distance for the Bennet girls，
[00:49.53]who were usually tempted there three or four times a week，
[00:52.56]to visit their aunt or a dress- maker who lived opposite．
[00:57.10]The youngest daughters，
[00:58.53]Kitty and Lydia，were particularly regular visitors．
[01:02.05]Their minds were more vacant than their sisters，
[01:05.44]and if no better entertainment was available，
[01:08.51]a walk to Meryton always provided some amusement，
[01:11.87]as well as interesting local news from their aunt．
[01:14.66]The latest news， which delighted Kitty and Lydia，
[01:19.18]was that the regiment which had recently arrived in Meryton was to stay there for the whole winter．
[01:26.24]The two girls now visited their aunt every day，
[01:29.89]and as Mr Philips knew all the officers，
[01:32.60]Kitty and Lydia were soon introduced to them．
[01:35.75]At home they could talk of nothing but officers and their handsome uniforms
[01:40.81]even Mr Bingley’s fortune now seemed hardly worth considering．
[01:45.49]After listening to their praise of the officers one morning，
[01:49.03]Mr Bennet said coolly，
[01:50.82]From what I can see，
[01:53.19]you must be two of the silliest girls in the country．
[01:57.05]I’ve suspected it for some time，but now I’m convinced．
[02:01.87]Kitty was embarrassed and did not reply，
[02:04.20]but Lydia，the youngest，
[02:06.08]continued to express her admiration for a certain Captain Carter，
[02:10.44]with perfect indifference．
[02:12.41]I am very surprised，my dear，
[02:14.68]said Mrs Bennet，
[02:15.86]that you should be so ready to think your own children silly．
[02:19.09]As it happens， they are all very clever．
[02:21.39]That is the only point，I think，
[02:24.93]on which we do not agree．
[02:27.32]I am afraid I must say that I consider our two youngest daughters unusually foolish．
[02:32.45]My dear Mr Bennet，
[02:34.84]you mustn’t expect such young girls to have the common sense of their father or mother．
[02:39.44]I remember when I used to like a red coat myself，
[02:43.50]and indeed I still do．
[02:45.58]If a good-looking officer with five or six thousand a year wanted to marry one of my girls，
[02:50.95]I wouldn’t turn him down．
[02:52.49]And I thought Colonel Forster looked very handsome last night at Sir William’s，
[02:57.99]in his regimental uniform．
[02:59.95]Just then a servant entered with a note for Jane，
[03:03.75]which had come from Netherfield．
[03:05.02]Mrs Bennet’s eyes shone with pleasure and she called out eagerly，
[03:09.61]while her daughter was reading it，
[03:11.18]Well，Jane， who is it from？
[03:12.89]What does he say？Tell us， tell us quickly，my love！
[03:15.65]It’s from Miss Bingley，
[03:18.74]said Jane．She invites me to dinner at Netherfield，
[03:22.31]as she and her sister are alone．
[03:24.34]It seems her brother and the gentlemen are having dinner with the officers，in Meryton．
[03:29.74]With the officers！cried Lydia．
[03:33.12]I wonder why aunt Philips didn’t tell us that！
[03:36.02]Having dinner in Meryton，
[03:38.66]repeated Mrs Bennet， shaking her head．
[03:41.29]That’s very unlucky．
[03:43.28]May I take the carriage？ asked Jane．
[03:47.57]No， my dear，
[03:48.50]you’d better ride over there，
[03:50.40]because it looks likely to rain，
[03:51.76]and then you’ll have to stay the night．
[03:53.70]That would be a good plan，
[03:56.62]said Elizabeth to her mother，
[03:58.19]if you were sure they wouldn’t offer to send her home in their carriage．
[04:01.86]Oh， but they can’t！
[04:03.43]The gentlemen must have taken Mr Bingley’s carriage to go to Meryton．
[04:07.47]I’d much rather go in the carriage，Jane said．
[04:11.32]But，my dear，your father can’t spare the horses，
[04:13.86] I’m sure．They’re needed on the farm，
[04:16.04]aren’t they， Mr Bennet？’
[04:17.86]Mr Bennet finally agreed that they were in fact being used that day in the fields．
[04:24.24]So Jane set out on her horse，
[04:26.73]while her mother called cheerfully after her，
[04:29.42]I do hope it’ll rain heavily，my love！
[04:32.09]And Jane had not been gone for long before it rained hard．
[04:37.83]Elizabeth was a little worried about her sister，
[04:40.69]but Mrs Bennet was delighted．
[04:42.94]What a good idea of mine that was！
[04:45.94]she said more than once，
[04:47.38]extremely pleased with herself．
[04:50.12]Not until the next morning，however，
[04:53.08]did she realize the full extent of her success．
[04:57.16]After breakfast a servant from Netherfield arrived with a note from Jane to Elizabeth，
[05:02.22]explaining that Jane had caught cold on her wet ride，
[05:05.86]and had been invited to stay at Netherfield until she recovered．
[05:10.17]Well，my dear，said Mr Bennet，
[05:13.44]if your daughter should become seriously ill and die，
[05:16.32]it would be a comfort to know that she died in a good cause，
[05:20.24]and in obedience to your orders．
[05:21.99]Oh， I’m not afraid of her dying．
[05:24.04]People don’t die of colds．
[05:26.10]She’ll be looked after well at Netherfield．
[05:28.86]As long as she stays there， everything will be all right．
[05:32.43]But Elizabeth felt really anxious，
[05:36.14]and was determined to go to her sister．
[05:38.17]As the carriage was not available，
[05:40.86]and she was not keen on riding，
[05:42.68]she decided to walk the five kilometres to Netherfield．
[05:46.88]Kitty and Lydia accompanied her as far as Meryton，
[05:50.76]where they went to visit one of the officers’wives．
[05:53.30]Elizabeth continued alone，
[05:56.69]crossing field after field and jumping impatiently over streams，
[06:00.24]in her anxiety to see her sister．
[06:02.54]When she arrived at Netherfield，
[06:05.22]with tired feet，muddy stockings and a face healthily pink with exercise，
[06:10.01]she was shown straight into the sitting-room．
[06:12.30]The two sisters， Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst，
[06:16.46]could hardly believe that she had come so far alone and on foot in such bad weather，
[06:21.17]but they received her politely．
[06:23.44]Their brother， however，
[06:25.70]was more than polite
[06:27.49]he was kind and considerate towards her．
[06:30.19]Mr Darcy said very little，
[06:32.02]hesitating between admiration of her healthy good looks and doubt
[06:36.57]whether she should have come such a distance alone．
[06:39.67]Mr Hurst said nothing at all，
[06:41.60]as he was thinking only of his breakfast．
[06:45.28]Elizabeth was glad to be taken almost immediately to her sister’s room，
[06:49.30]where she found Jane delighted to see her，
[06:51.78]but very feverish and unwell．The doctor came，
[06:55.83]and after examining his patient，
[06:57.77]advised that she should stay in bed and take some medicine．
[07:01.45]Elizabeth stayed with her all day，
[07:03.30]looking after her，and the Bingley sisters also spent some time in the patient’s room．
[07:08.29]However，in the afternoon，
[07:10.63]when it was time for Elizabeth to leave，
[07:12.68]Jane seemed so upset that Miss Bingley was obliged to invite Elizabeth to stay at Netherfield for the present，
[07:19.42]and a servant was sent to Longbourn to inform the Bennet family and bring back some clothes．
[07:26.39]That evening Elizabeth went down to dinner，
[07:28.86]leaving Jane in bed in her room．
[07:31.90]She noticed the Bingley sisters
[07:34.16]apparent concern for Jane change to indifference in a few moments，
[07:37.85]and knew she had been right to dislike them at first sight．
[07:41.93]Mr Bingley， indeed，
[07:44.41]was the only one of the group whose behaviour she was satisfied with．
[07:47.76]His anxiety for Jane was evident，
[07:50.35]and his politeness towards herself most pleasing．
[07:54.62]But the others， she felt，
[07:55.78]treated her as an unwelcome guest．
[07:58.46]Miss Bingley was concentrating all her attention on Mr Darcy，
[08:02.95]and Mrs Hurst also joined in their conversation，
[08:06.56]while Mr Hurst was only interested in eating，
[08:10.42]drinking and playing cards．
[08:13.60]When Elizabeth left the room
[08:15.26]after dinner to see if Jane needed anything，
[08:17.94]Miss Bingley at once began to criticize her．
[08:20.36]What bad manners she has！
[08:22.20]She’s both proud， and lacking in politeness to her superiors！
[08:25.53]She has no conversation，
[08:27.10]no elegance and no beauty！
[08:28.67]Mrs Hurst agreed， and added，
[08:31.76]She has no good qualities，
[08:33.37]except that she’s an excellent walker．
[08:35.67]I’ll never forget her appearance this morning．
[08:37.88]She really looked almost wild．
[08:39.17]She did indeed，Louisa．
[08:41.68]How silly of her to come at all！
[08:43.55]Why must she run around the countryside，
[08:46.29]just because her sister has a cold？
[08:48.43]Her hair looked so untidy！
[08:50.81]And her dress！Simply covereb in mud！
[08:53.50]I must say，said Bingley，
[08:56.60]I didn’t notice any of that．
[08:58.34]I thought she looked remarkably attractive
[09:01.49]when she arrived this morning．
[09:02.66]You observed her wild appearance，
[09:04.80]I’m sure，Mr Darcy，
[09:05.76]said Miss Bingley，
[09:06.91]and I imagine you wouldn’t wish your sister to make such a show of herself．’
[09:13.27]Certainly not．
[09:14.90]Walking four or five kilometres，
[09:17.34]whatever it was，up to her ankles in mud，
[09:19.98]and alone， quite alone！
[09:21.92]It seems to me to show a dreadful sort of independence，
[09:26.29]a country girl’s indifference to what is acceptable．
[09:30.87]I think it shows a very pleasing affection for her sister，said Bingley．
[09:35.38]I’m afraid， Mr Darcy，
[09:37.49]whispered Miss Bingley，
[09:39.19]that this adventure has rather lessened your admiration of her fine eyes．
[09:44.17]Not at all，he replied．
[09:47.00]They were brightened by the exercise．
[09:49.34]After a short pause，
[09:52.38]Mrs Hurst began again．
[09:54.95]I have a great liking for Jane Bennet．
[09:57.57]She is really a very sweet girl，
[09:59.29]and I wish with all my heart she were well married．
[10:01.34]But with such a father and mother，
[10:03.72]and with such vulgar relations，
[10:05.36]I’m afraid there’s no chance of it．
[10:07.73]I think the Bennet girls have an uncle who’s a lawyer in Meryton．
[10:12.53]Yes，and they have another who owns shops in Cheapside！
[10:17.50]Such a nice part of London！
[10:21.14]Both the sisters laughed．
[10:22.80]If they had enough uncles to fill Cheapside，
[10:26.70]cried Bingley，
[10:27.76]it wouldn’t make them any less charming！
[10:29.69]But it must considerably lessen their chances of marrying men of any position in the world，
[10:35.48]replied Darcy．
[10:36.91]Bingley did not answer，
[10:38.83]but his sisters agreed enthusiastically，
[10:41.50]and continued mocking their dear friend’s vulgar relations for some time．
[10:46.81]Late in the evening，
[10:49.20]when Elizabeth was satisfied that Jane was asleep，
[10:52.29]she felt she ought to go downstairs again．
[10:54.40]She found the party in the sitting-room，
[10:57.04]playing cards，
[10:58.09]but although they invited her to join in their game，
[11:01.12]she refused politely， and picked up a book to read．
[11:05.14]I can fetch you more books to read，
[11:07.22]if you wish，offered Bingley，
[11:08.72]but I’m afraid I haven’t got a large library．
[11:11.34]Unlike you，I’m too lazy to spend much time reading．
[11:15.26]What a delightful library you have at Pemberley，
[11:18.53]Mr Darcy！said Miss Bingley．
[11:21.35]And what a beautiful house it is！
[11:23.25]Charles，when you buy your house，
[11:25.68]I hope it will be even half as lovely as Pemberley．
[11:29.16]I hope so too，agreed Bingley．
[11:32.36]And your dear sister， Mr Darcy？
[11:34.72]I expect she’s grown since the spring．
[11:37.18]I want so much to see her again！
[11:39.50]I’ve never met anyone who delighted me so much！
[11:43.63]Such an appearance，such manners！
[11:45.91]And so extremely accomplished for her age！
[11:50.29]I’m always surprised，said Bingley，
[11:52.47]to find how very accomplished all young ladies are．
[11:56.21]How do they have the time and patience to learn all these skills
[12:00.73]Certainly people use the word“accomplished”too loosely，
[12:04.90]said Darcy，but I am far from agreeing with you about ladies in general．
[12:09.87]I cannot boast of knowing more than six who are really accomplished．
[12:13.98]Then，said Elizabeth
[12:16.49]your idea of an accomplished woman must include a great many qualities．
[12:20.89]Yes， a great many．
[12:22.96]Oh！Certainly，
[12:26.33]cried his faithful assistant，Miss Bingley，
[12:29.08]an accomplished woman must have a thorough knowledge of music，
[12:33.04]singing， drawing， dancing and modern languages，
[12:37.55]and besides this，
[12:39.56]a certain something in her manner of walking，
[12:42.76]in her voice and in her behaviour．
[12:46.52]All this she must possess，
[12:48.36]added Darcy，and something more solid，
[12:51.59]the improvement of her mind by wide reading．
[12:54.58]I’m no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women，
[13:00.28]said Elizabeth．I rather wonder at your knowing any．
[13:03.54]I’ve never seen such elegance，
[13:06.00]and intelligence，and knowledge，
[13:08.36]as you describe， in one woman．
[13:11.70]Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley were both protesting loudly that they knew many women like this，
[13:17.33]when Mr Hurst called their attention back to the card game．
[13:21.76]As this meant an end to the conversation，
[13:23.38]Elizabeth soon afterwards left the room．
[13:26.55]Miss Elizabeth Bennet，
[13:27.99]said Miss Bingley to Darcy，
[13:29.85]is one of those women who try to appear attractive to men by undervaluing other women．
[13:35.42]I think that’s a mean trick．
[13:39.02]It is true，said Darcy，
[13:40.73]that there is meanness in all the tricks used by ladies to attract men．
[13:46.04]Miss Bingley was not satisfied enough with this answer to continue the conversation．
[13:52.33]The next morning Elizabeth was glad to be able to inform Mr Bingley and his sisters that Jane
[13:59.54]In spite of this improvement， however，
[14:03.69]she asked for her mother to be sent for，
[14:05.82]as she wanted Mrs Bennet’s opinion of Jane’s state of health．
[14:09.85]Soon after breakfast， therefore， Mrs Bennet，
[14:12.43]accompanied by her two youngest daughters，
[14:14.74]reached Netherfield．Elizabeth，
[14:17.92]although relieved to hear that her mother did not think Jane’s illness serious，
[14:21.82]began to regret asking her to come，
[14:24.68]when she saw the Bingley sisters smiling at Mrs Bennet’s remarks．
[14:28.02]Elizabeth blushed for her mother，
[14:30.60]who could not help showing her lack of intelligence and common sense in everything she said．
[14:36.23]Kitty and Lydia made an equally had impression．
[14:39.56]They had been whispering together，
[14:41.83]when suddenly Lydia，who was an attractive，
[14:44.16]confident， well-grown girl of fifteen，
[14:46.68]pushed herself rudely forward．
[14:48.85]She begged Mr Bingley to hold a ball at Netherfield．
[14:52.17]With his usual politeness，
[14:54.53]Mr Bingley promised he would，
[14:56.27]but Elizabeth saw his sisters exchanging meaningful glances．
[15:00.33]She was quite glad when her mother and sisters left．
[15:03.90]She and Jane were to stay another night at Netherfield，
[15:07.44]to allow Jane to recover completely．
[15:10.23]That evening Elizabeth appeared again in the sitting-room．
[15:14.27]She could not avoid noticing how frequently Mr Darcy’s eyes were fixed on her，
[15:19.68]but as she felt sure that so great a man could not possibly admire her，
[15:24.32]she assumed that when he looked at her，
[15:26.51]he was criticizing her in some way．
[15:29.32]This thought did not cause her any pain，
[15:31.07]as she liked him too little to care for his approval．
[15:35.15]In the conversations she had with him，
[15:36.86]she spoke in her usual slightly mocking manner，
[15:39.98]rather expecting to offend him，
[15:42.43]but was surprised by the quiet politeness of his replies．
[15:46.56]Darcy had never before been so charmed by any woman．
[15:49.81]He really believed that if she did not have such vulgar relations，
[15:54.75]he might be in danger of falling in
[16:10.11]Fortunately perhaps，
[16:11.46]for almost everyone at Netherfield，
[16:13.36]Elizabeth and her sister，
[16:14.80]who was now quite recovered，
[16:16.82]were returning home the next day．
[16:19.70]Only Mr Bingley showed real sorrow at this，
[16:23.03]and was concerned that Jane might not be fit enough to travel．
[16:26.98]Mr Darcy was quite relieved，
[16:29.50]and determined that no sign of admiration for Elizabeth should escape him now．
[16:34.80]Miss Bingley’s politeness to Elizabeth，
[16:37.20]as well as her affection for Jane，
[16:38.96]increased rapidly as the moment of departure approached，
[16:41.95]and she was able to say goodbye to them
[16:44.72]with many warm expressions of friendliness and a promise to visit them very soon．
[16:49.40]Mr Bennet was glad to welcome his eldest daughters home again，
[16:53.88]as he had felt their absence from the family circle，
[16:57.27]but Mrs Bennet， who had hoped they would stay much longer，
[17:00.09]was quite disappointed to see them come back in such a short time．