[00:00.21]7 Darcy proposes marriage7
[00:04.90]Elizabeth was sitting by herself the next morning， writing to Jane，
[00:11.7]while Mrs Collins and Maria were shopping in the village.
[00:14.27]She heard the doorbell ring， and knew that meant a visitor had arrived，
[00:18.80]but she was greatly surprised when Mr Darcy，and Mr Darcy only， was shown into the room.
[00:25.22]He seemed astonished too，on finding her alone.
[00:28.94]‘I apologize for disturbing you，Miss Bennet. “
[00:33.29]I understood that all the ladies were at home.’
[00:36.35]‘Please don't apologize，Mr Darcy. “
[00:39.3]I hope Lady Catherine and her daughter are well?’
[00:41.90]‘Very well，thank you.’He said no more.“
[00:45.54]As he seemed in danger of sinking into total silence，
[00:49.65]Elizabeth had to think of something to say.
[00:52.33]She remarked， ‘How very suddenly you all left Netherfield last November， Mr Darcy!
[00:58.61]I hope Mr Bingley and his sisters were well，when you left London?’
[01:02.83]‘Perfectly， thank you.’That was all the answer he gave.“
[01:07.45]‘I think I have heard that “
[01:11.25]Mr Bingley has not much idea of ever returning to Netherfield again?’
[01:15.18]‘It is probable that he will spend very little of his time there in future. “
[01:20.30]He has many friends elsewhere.’
[01:23.25]Elizabeth did not want to talk any longer about Mr Bingley，
[01:27.76]and，determined to leave the conversation to Mr Darcy，
[01:31.15]she remained silent.
[01:32.64]He understood， and soon began to speak again.
[01:36.18]Mr Collins appears very fortunate in his choice of a wife.’“
[01:40.75]‘Yes， indeed. “
[01:43.23]She is one of the few sensible women who would have accepted him，
[01:47.27]although I'm not sure I consider her marrying Mr Collins as the wisest thing she ever did.
[01:53.17]She seems perfectly happy， however，
[01:55.72]and financially speaking，it's a good marriage.’
[01:59.86]‘It must be very agreeable to her to be such a short distance from her own family and friends.’“
[02:06.7]‘A short distance，you say? “
[02:08.53]It is nearly eighty kilometres!’
[02:10.67]‘And what is that?Little more than half a day's journey， on a good road. “
[02:15.97]Yes，I call it a very short distance.’
[02:19.1]‘I would never have said Mrs Collins lived near her family，’cried Elizabeth.“
[02:24.43]‘That shows how much you are attached to Hertfordshire. “
[02:28.12]Anywhere outside the Longbourn area would，I suppose， seem far away to you.
[02:33.54]As he spoke，he smiled a little.
[02:36.88]Perhaps he supposed she was thing of Jane and Netherfield， thought Elizabeth， and she blushed.
[02:43.89]‘ Whether the distance seems long or short depends on many circumstances. “
[02:49.46]If the family’s income is large enough to pay for frequent journeys，
[02:53.84]then distance is not a problem.
[02:56.5]But Mr and Mrs Collins will not be able to afford to travel very often，despite their comfortable income.
[03:02.32]I'm certain my friend does not consider Hunsford near her family.’
[03:06.72]Mr Darcy moved his chair a little towards her， and said，
[03:11.19]‘You cannot have a right to such a very strong local attachment. “
[03:15.91]You haven't spent your whole life at Longbourn, I am sure.
[03:19.55]Elizabeth looked surprised.
[03:22.60]Experiencing a change of feeling，
[03:25.50]the gentleman moved his chair away again，
[03:28.26]took a newspaper from the table，
[03:30.40]and，glancing at it，said in a colder voice，
[03:33.1]‘Are you pleased with Kent?’ “
[03:35.70]They discussed Kent calmly and politely for a few minutes，
[03:40.25]and were then interrupted by Charlotte and Maria，
[03:43.9]who had returned from the village.
[03:45.23]Mr Darcy sat a little while longer，
[03:48.2]without saying much to anybody，and then went away.
[03:50.73]‘What can be the meaning of this!’said Charlotte， as soon as he had gone. “
[03:56.1]‘My dear Lizzy， he must be in love with you，“
[03:59.7]or he would never have visited us in this familiar way.’
[04:02.9]But when Elizabeth described his silence，
[04:05.54]that did not seem likely， even to hopeful Charlotte，
[04:08.90]and they could only suppose that he had nothing better to do.
[04:12.39]In fact， from now on， both Mr Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam called regularly at the Rectory.
[04:19.37]It was obvious that Colonel Fitzwilliam came because he enjoyed talking to the ladies，
[04:24.62]and Elizabeth was reminded by her own satisfaction in being with him，
[04:29.6]as well as by his evident admiration of her，of her former favourite，Wickham.
[04:34.67]But it was more difficult to understand why Mr Darcy came.
[04:39.19]He did not often speak， and seldom appeared interested in the conversation .
[04:44.48]Even Charlotte， who observed Mr Darcy closely，
[04:48.36]was not sure whether he admired Elizabeth or not，
[04:51.65]and began to hope that perhaps her friend might marry Colonel Fitzwilliam instead.
[04:56.43]When she took her daily walk along the path bordering the park，
[05:01.45]Elizabeth met Mr Darcy unexpectedly more than once.
[05:05.1]This was the more surprising，
[05:07.13]because she was careful to inform him that it was her favourite walk，
[05:11.27]So that he could avoid meeting her.
[05:13.89]It was also strange that， although he could just have greeted her and walked on，
[05:18.77]he always thought it necessary to turn back and walk with her.
[05:23.23]She could not quite understand him.
[05:25.71]But one day， as she was walking， she met Colonel Fitzwilliam， not Mr Darcy，
[05:31.74]and greeted him with a smile.
[05:33.43]They walked back to the Rectory together.
[05:35.66]‘Are you leaving Kent this Sunday?’she asked.“
[05:39.82]‘Yes，if Darcy doesn't put it off again.’“
[05:42.31]‘He is fortunate to be able to arrange things as he likes.’“
[05:46.13]‘Well，we all want to do that，’replied Colonel Fitzwilliam.“
[05:51.42]‘But he is used to doing what he likes， “
[05:54.25]because he is rich， and many others are poor.
[05:57.27]I，for example—I'm a younger son，you know， and won't inherit my father's fortune，
[06:02.91]so I shall never be rich or independent， like Darcy.’
[06:06.20]‘Now seriously， you cannot call yourself poor. “
[06:10.31]When have you ever suffered because of lack of money?’
[06:14.32]‘Well，perhaps I haven't really suffered much yet. “
[06:17.68]But there are difficulties.
[06:19.77]A younger son doesn't have a free choice when marrying.
[06:23.10]He cannot afford to marry a girl with no fortune.’
[06:26.57]Elizabeth blushed， thinking that he might mean her，
[06:30.54]and began to talk of something else.
[06:32.75]She asked him about Darcy's sister，
[06:35.47]and mentioned that the Bingley sisters liked her very much.
[06:38.68]‘Bingley—yes，I know them.Their brother is very pleasant“
[06:44.9]a great friend of Darcy’s，’answered Colonel Fitzwilliam.
[06:47.55]‘Oh， yes， Mr Darcy is extremely kind to Mr Bingley， and takes very good care of him，’said Elizabeth drily.“
[06:56.16]‘Yes， I believe Darcy does take care of Bingley. “
[06:59.92]I'm thinking of a recent situation，
[07:02.79]which Darcy was telling me about on the journey here.
[07:05.85]He was congratulating himself on having saved a friend from a most foolish marriage.
[07:11.48]Of course， I'm not sure the friend was Bingley，
[07:14.58]as Darcy didn't mention the name.
[07:16.88]‘Did Mr Darcy give you his reasons for interfering?’“
[07:20.90]‘I understood that there were some very strong objections to the lady.’“
[07:25.52]Elizabeth could not speak for a moment.
[07:28.95]When she was able to control her anger， she changed the conversation.
[07:33.61]As soon as they reached the Rectory， she said goodbye to Colonel Fitzwilliam，
[07:38.24]and went straight upstairs to her room.
[07:40.87]At last she could think without interruption about what he had told her.
[07:45.15]Bingley，must have been the friend to whom Darcy was referring.
[07:49.77]She had always assumed that Darcy was involved in the plan to separate Jane and Bingley，
[07:55.23]but it now appeared that he， not Miss Bingley，
[07:58.80]was the main cause of all that Jane had suffered， and still continued to suffer.
[08:02.76]The‘very strong objections to the lady’probably “
[08:10.24]consisted of having one uncle who was a country lawyer，
[08:13.68]and another who was in business in London.
[08:16.73]There could be no possible objections to Jane herself，
[08:21.23]as she was intelligent， beautiful and charming.
[08:23.63]Nor could anyone object to Mr Bennet as a father-in-law.
[08:28.30]When Elizabeth thought of her mother，
[08:30.98]she felt a little less confident.
[08:33.74]She was still convinced，however，
[08:35.74]that Mr Darcy was interested in highborn connections
[08:39.17]rather than character or common sense.
[08:42.62]It was this， the worst kind of pride，
[08:45.68]which had destroyed for a while every hope of happiness for the most affectionate， generons heart in the world.
[08:52.73]Thinking about all this made Elizabeth so upset and unhappy that she soon had a headache.
[09:00.28]It grew so much worse in the evening，
[09:02.78]and she was so unwilling to see Mr Darcy，
[09:05.45]that she decided not to go to Rosings that evening with Mr and Mrs Collins.
[09:10.3]Instead，she stayed in the Rectory sitting-room，
[09:13.54]rereading Jane's recent letters from London.
[09:16.48]She was saddened to discover that， although Jane never complained， or referred to the past，
[09:23.26]in almost every line there was a lack of cheerfulness，
[09:27.1]which Elizabeth had not noticed the first time，
[09:29.61]and which now made her rather anxious.
[09:32.2]She was relieved to think that Darcy would be leaving Rosings in two days’time，
[09:36.46]and she herself would be with Jane in less than two weeks.
[09:40.45]Colonel Fitzwilliam would also be leaving with Darcy，
[09:44.11]but he had made it clear that he had no intention of proposing to her，
[09:49.3]so she did not intend to be unhappy about him.
[09:52.29]Just then，she heard the doorbell，
[09:55.59]and wondered if it might be Colonel Fitzwilliam，
[09:58.45]come to enquire about her health.
[10:00.97]But to her astonishment she saw Mr Darcy walk into the room.
[10:05.64]In a hrried manner he began to ask how she was feeling.
[10:09.93]She answered him with cold politeness.
[10:12.65]He sat down for a few moments， and then， getting up，
[10:16.79]walked about the room.
[10:18.21]Elizabeth was surprised， but said nothing.
[10:21.34]After a silence of several minutes， he came towards her，
[10:25.63]with none of his usual calmness， and said，
[10:29.8]‘In vain have I struggled.It is no good. “
[10:33.27]I cannot conquer my feelings.
[10:36.8]You must allow me to tell you how warmly I admire and love you.’
[10:43.28]Elizabeth stared，blushed，doubted，and was silent.
[10:50.34]He considered this sufficient encouragement，
[10:53.72]and confessed all that he felt，
[10:55.47]and had felt for a long time， for her.
[10:58.48]He expressed himself well， but it was not only of love that he spoke.
[11:04.63]He also talked of his pride， and his sense of her social inferiority，
[11:10.70]which had made him struggle against his feelings for so long.
[11:14.12]In spite of her dislike for him，
[11:17.50]Elizabeth appreciated what a compliment such a man's affection was，
[11:21.69]and was at first sorry for the pain he was about to receive.
[11:25.57]But soon， as she heard his references to her inferior position，
[11:30.55]she lost all pity，and became very angry.
[11:34.56]She waited patiently，however，until he had finished.
[11:38.50]He ended by describing the strength of his love for her，
[11:42.19]which，in spite of all his attempts，
[11:44.48]he had been unable to conquer with arguments of reason and common sense，
[11:48.79]and finally he asked for her hand in marriage.
[11:53.17]She could see that he had no doubt of a favourable answer，
[11:57.15]which only made her angrier.
[11:59.70]‘I believe society considers it correct，in cases like this，’she replied，‘to express grateful thanks.
[12:10.20]So if I could feel grateful，
[12:13.40]I would now thank you.
[12:15.13]But I cannot—
[12:16.71]I have never wanted your good opinion of me，
[12:20.56]and I cannot accept it.
[12:22.96]I'm sorry to hurt anyone， but it has not been done deliberately，
[12:28.47]and I hope the pain will not last long.
[12:31.70]The pride which， you tell me，has long prevented the expression of your affection，
[12:38.13]can have little difficulty in conquering your feelings after this explanation.’
[12:43.37]Mr Darcy， whose eyes were fixed on her face，
[12:47.87]was both angry and surprised by her words.
[12:52.76]His face went pale， and he was clearly struggling to control himself.
[12:56.75]There was a dreadful pause，
[13:00.12]and then he spoke in a voice of forced calmness.
[13:03.44]‘And this is all the reply I am to have the honour of expecting! “
[13:09.48]I might，perhaps，wish to be informed why，with so little attempt at politeness，I am rejected.’
[13:17.67]‘I might as well ask why，with so evident a wish to offend and insult me， “
[13:24.33]you chose to tell me that you loved me against your reason and even against your character.
[13:30.48]But even if my own feelings towards you had been favourable，
[13:35.13]do you think anything could tempt me to accept the man
[13:39.65]who has destroyed， perhaps for ever， the happiness of a most dear sister?’
[13:45.46]As she said this， Mr Darcy changed colour，
[13:50.48]but he listened without trying to interrupt her as she continued.
[13:54.34]‘I have every reason in the world to think badly of you.
[13:59.44]Can you deny that you were the cause of Jane's separation from Mr Bingley，and of her unhappiness? “
[14:06.64]Can you deny it?’
[14:09.2]‘I have no wish to deny that I did everything I could to separate them，  “
[14:14.4]and that I am delighted with my success.
[14:17.17]Towards my friend I have been kinder than to myself.’
[14:21.87]Elizabeth treated this last remark with disdain，
[14:25.93]but its meaning did not escape her.
[14:28.58]‘But it is not only because of Jane that I dislike you. “
[14:32.34]My opinion of you was decided long ago.
[14:35.69]I heard all about your character from Mr Wickham.
[14:39.69]Now， what can you have to say on this matter? How can you defend yourself?’
[14:46.96]‘You take an eager interest in that gentleman，’“
[14:50.73]said Darcy， less calmly than before .
[14:53.46]The colour was rising in his face.
[14:56.21]‘Who can help feeling an interest in him，when we hear of the unfortunate life he has had!’“
[15:03.8]‘Unfortunate!’repeated Darcy contemptuously. “
[15:07.77]‘Yes，unfortunate indeed.’ “
[15:11.28]‘And it was your fault，’cried Elizabeth with energy. “
[15:15.51]‘You took away his chance of a comfortable income and a good position， “
[15:20.5]which you knew had been intended for him.
[15:23.16]You have left him poor，
[15:25.35]and dependent， and disappointed.
[15:27.63]You have done all this!
[15:30.17]And you can still treat the mention of his name with contempt.’
[15:34.6]‘And this，’ cried Darcy， “
[15:37.39]as he walked with quick steps across the room，
[15:39.98]‘is your opinion of me!Thank you for explaining it so fully. “
[15:45.30]But perhaps you might not have considered these offences of mine，
[15:49.10]if your pride had not been hurt by my honest confession of my reasons for not proposing to you earlier.
[15:55.94]Perhaps I should have hidden my struggles，
[15:59.24]and flattered you by pretending I had every reason to love you.
[16:03.48]But I hate disguise of any sort.
[16:06.74]Nor am I ashamed of my feelings of pride，
[16:10.44]which are very natural.
[16:12.12]Could you expect me to delight in the inferiority of your family compared to mine?’
[16:17.77]Elizabeth felt herself growing more angry every moment.
[16:22.51]‘Mr Darcy， you could not have made me the offer of your hand in any possible way “
[16:29.49]that would have tempted me to accept it.
[16:31.55]The moment I first met you，
[16:34.19]I noticed your pride， your sense of superiority，
[16:38.22]and your selfish disdain for the feelings of others.
[16:41.85]Later events strengthened my dislike for you.
[16:45.72]You are the last man in the world whom I could ever be persuaded to marry.’
[16:52.80]‘You have said quite enough， madam. “
[16:56.3]I perfectly understand your feelings.
[16:59.18]Forgive me for having taken up so much of your time，
[17:02.72]and accept my best wishes for your health and happiness.’
[17:07.2]With these words he hurried out of the room， and the house.
[17:12.77]Elizabeth felt so weak that she sat down and cried for half an hour.
[17:19.0]She was so astonished to have received a proposal from Mr Darcy!
[17:24.49]His affection for her must indeed have been strong，
[17:27.70]to conquer all the objections he had to her family and position，
[17:31.50]objections which had made him prevent his friend marrying her sister.
[17:35.71]But his terrible pride， his shameless confession of what he had done to separate Jane and Bingley，
[17:42.73]and his cruelty towards Wickham
[17:45.24]soon removed any pity she might have felt for him.