Speaker 1: Chapter fifteen of Persuasion. This is a LibriVox recording. All
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Speaker 1: Elizabeth Klett. Persuasion by Jane Austen, Chapter fifteen. Sir Walter
Speaker 1: had taken a very good house in Camden Place, a lofty,
Speaker 1: dignified situation such as becomes a man of consequence, and
Speaker 1: both he and Elizabeth were settled there, much to their satisfaction.
Speaker 1: Anne entered it with a sinking heart, anticipating an imprisonment
Speaker 1: of many months, and anxiously saying to herself, Oh, when
Speaker 1: shall I leave you again? A degree of unexpected cordiality, however,
Speaker 1: in the welcome she received did her good. Her father
Speaker 1: and sister were glad to see her for the sake
Speaker 1: of showing her the house and furniture, and man her
Speaker 1: with kindness. Her making a fourth when they sat down
Speaker 1: to dinner was noticed as an advantage. Missus Clay was
Speaker 1: very pleasant and very smiling, but her courtesies and smiles
Speaker 1: were more matter. Of course, Anne had always felt that
Speaker 1: she would pretend what was proper on her arrival, but
Speaker 1: the complaisance of the others was unlooked for. They were
Speaker 1: evidently in excellent spirits, and she was soon to listen
Speaker 1: to the causes. They had no inclination to listen to her.
Speaker 1: After laying out for some compliments of being deeply regretted
Speaker 1: in their old neighborhood, which Anne could not pay, they
Speaker 1: had only a few faint enquiries to make before the
Speaker 1: talk must be all their own. Upper Cross excited no
Speaker 1: interest kellynch very little. It was all Bath. They had
Speaker 1: the pleasure of assuring her that Bath more than answered
Speaker 1: their expectations. In every respect. Their house was undoubtedly the
Speaker 1: best in Camden Place. Their drawing rooms had many decided
Speaker 1: advantages over all the other which they had either seen
Speaker 1: or heard of, and the superiority was not less in
Speaker 1: the style of the fitting up or the taste of
Speaker 1: the furniture. Their acquaintance was exceedingly sought. After everybody was
Speaker 1: wanting to visit them. They had drawn back from many introductions,
Speaker 1: and still were perpetually having cards left by people of
Speaker 1: whom they knew nothing. Here were funds of enjoyment. Could
Speaker 1: Anne wonder that her father and sister were happy? She
Speaker 1: might not wonder But she must sigh that her father
Speaker 1: should feel no degradation in his change, should see nothing
Speaker 1: to regret in the duties and dignity of the resident landholder,
Speaker 1: should find so much to be vain of in the
Speaker 1: littleness of a town. And she must sigh and smile
Speaker 1: and wonder too, as Elizabeth threw open the folding doors
Speaker 1: and walked with exultation from one drawing room to the other,
Speaker 1: boasting of their space at the possibility of that woman
Speaker 1: who had been mistress of Kellynch Hall finding extent to
Speaker 1: be proud of between two walls, perhaps thirty feet asunder.
Speaker 1: But this was not all which they had to make
Speaker 1: them happy. They had mister Elliot too. Anne had a
Speaker 1: great deal to hear of mister Eliot. He was not
Speaker 1: only pardoned, they were delighted with him. He had been
Speaker 1: in Bath about a fortnight. He had passed through Bath
Speaker 1: in November in his way to London, when the intelligence
Speaker 1: of Sir Walter's being settled there had of course reached him,
Speaker 1: though only twenty four hours in the place, but he
Speaker 1: had not been able to avail himself of it. But
Speaker 1: he had now been a fortnight in Bath, and his
Speaker 1: first object on arriving, had been to leave his card
Speaker 1: in Camden Place, following it up by such assiduous endeavors
Speaker 1: to meet, and when they did meet, by such great
Speaker 1: openness of conduct, such readiness to apologize for the past,
Speaker 1: such solicitude to be received as a relation again that
Speaker 1: their former good understanding was completely re established. They had
Speaker 1: not a fault to find in him. He had explained
Speaker 1: away all the appearance of neglect on his own side.
Speaker 1: It had originated in misapprehension entirely. He had never had
Speaker 1: an idea of throwing himself off. He had feared that
Speaker 1: he was thrown off, but knew not why, and delicacy
Speaker 1: had kept him silent. Upon the hint of having spoken
Speaker 1: disrespectfully or carelessly of the family and the family honors,
Speaker 1: he was quite indignant. He who had ever boasted of
Speaker 1: being an elliot, at whose feelings as to connection were
Speaker 1: only too strict to suit the unfeudal tone of the
Speaker 1: present day. He was astonished, indeed, But his character and
Speaker 1: general conduct must refute it. He could refer, Sir Walter,
Speaker 1: to all who knew him, and certainly the pains he
Speaker 1: had been taking on this The first opportunity of reconciliation
Speaker 1: to be restored to the footing of a relation, and
Speaker 1: heir presumptive was a strong proof of his opinions on
Speaker 1: the subject. The circumstances of his marriage, too, were found
Speaker 1: to admit of much extenuation. This was an article not
Speaker 1: to be entered on by himself, but a very intimate
Speaker 1: friend of his, a Colonel Wallace, a highly respectable man,
Speaker 1: perfectly the gentleman, and not an ill looking man, Sir
Speaker 1: Walter added, who was living in very good style in
Speaker 1: Marlborough buildings, and had, at his own particular request, been
Speaker 1: admitted to their acquaintance through mister Eliot, had mentioned one
Speaker 1: or two things relative to the marriage, which made a
Speaker 1: material difference in the discredit of it. Colonel Wallace had
Speaker 1: known mister Elliot long, had been well acquainted also with
Speaker 1: his wife, had perfectly understood the whole story. She was
Speaker 1: certainly not a woman of family, but well educated, accomplished, rich,
Speaker 1: and excessively in love with his friend. There had been
Speaker 1: the charm she had sought him. Without that attraction, not
Speaker 1: all her money would have tempted Eliot, and Sir Walter
Speaker 1: was moreover assured of her having been a very fine
Speaker 1: woman here was a great deal to soften the business.
Speaker 1: A very fine woman with a large fortune in love
Speaker 1: with him. Sir Walter seemed to admit it as complete apology,
Speaker 1: and though Elizabeth could not see the circumstance in quite
Speaker 1: so favorable a light, she allowed it to be a
Speaker 1: great extenuation. Mister Elliot had called repeatedly, had dined with
Speaker 1: them once, evidently delighted by the distinction of being asked
Speaker 1: for they gave no dinners in general, delighted in short
Speaker 1: by every proof of cousinly notice and placing his whole
Speaker 1: happiness in being on intimate terms in Camden Place. Anne listened,
Speaker 1: but without quite understanding it. Allowances, large allowances she knew
Speaker 1: must be made for the ideas of those who spoke.
Speaker 1: She heard it all under embellishment. All that sounded extravagant
Speaker 1: or irrational in the progress of the reconciliation might have
Speaker 1: no origin but in the language of the relators. Still, however,
Speaker 1: she had the sensation of their being something more than
Speaker 1: immediately appeared in mister Elliot's wishing, after an interval of
Speaker 1: so many years, to be well received by them. In
Speaker 1: a worldly view, he had nothing to gain by being
Speaker 1: on terms with Sir Walter, nothing to risk by a
Speaker 1: state of variance. In all probability, he was already the
Speaker 1: richer of them too, and the kelland estate would as
Speaker 1: surely be his hereafter as the title a sensible man,
Speaker 1: and he had looked like a very sensible man. Why
Speaker 1: should it be an object to him? She could only
Speaker 1: offer one solution. It was perhaps for Elizabeth's sake. There
Speaker 1: might really have been a liking formerly, though convenience and
Speaker 1: accident had drawn him a different way, And now that
Speaker 1: he could afford to please himself, he might mean to
Speaker 1: pay his addresses to her. Elizabeth was certainly very handsome,
Speaker 1: with well bred, elegant manners, and her character might never
Speaker 1: have been penetrated by mister Elliot knowing her, but in
Speaker 1: public and when very young himself. How her temper and
Speaker 1: understanding might bear the investigation of his present keener time
Speaker 1: of life was another concern, and rather a fearful one.
Speaker 1: Most earnestly did she wish that he might not be
Speaker 1: too nice or too observant if Elizabeth were his object,
Speaker 1: and that Elizabeth was disposed to believe herself so, and
Speaker 1: that her friend, missus Clay was encouraging. The idea seemed
Speaker 1: apparent by a glance or two between them. While mister
Speaker 1: Elliot's frequent visits were talked of, Anne mentioned the glimpses
Speaker 1: she had had of him at Lime, but without being
Speaker 1: much attended to. No. Yes, perhaps it had been mister Eliot.
Speaker 1: They did not know it might be him. Perhaps they
Speaker 1: could not listen to her description of him. They were
Speaker 1: describing him themselves. Sir Walter especially, he did justice to
Speaker 1: his very gentlemanlike appearance, his air of elegance and fashion,
Speaker 1: his good shaped face, his sensible eye. But at the
Speaker 1: same time Master lament his being very much underhung, a
Speaker 1: defect which time seemed to have increased. Nor could he
Speaker 1: pretend to say that ten years had not altered almost
Speaker 1: every feature of the worse. Mister Eliot appeared to think
Speaker 1: that he Sir Walter, was looking exactly as he had
Speaker 1: done when they last parted, but Sir Walter had not
Speaker 1: been able to return the compliment entirely, which embarrassed him.
Speaker 1: He did not mean to complain. However, mister Elliott was
Speaker 1: better to look at than most men, and he had
Speaker 1: no objection to being seen with him anywhere. Mister Elliot
Speaker 1: and his friends in Marlborough Buildings were talked of the
Speaker 1: hall evening. Colonel Wallace had been so impatient to be
Speaker 1: introduced to them, and mister Elliot so anxious that he should.
Speaker 1: And there was a Missus Wallace at present, known only
Speaker 1: to them by description, as she was in daily expectation
Speaker 1: of her confinement. But mister Elliot spoke of her as
Speaker 1: a most charming woman, quite worthy of being known in
Speaker 1: Camden Place, and as soon as she recovered they were
Speaker 1: to be acquainted. Sir Walter thought much of Missus Wallace.
Speaker 1: She was said to be an excessively pretty woman, beautiful.
Speaker 1: He longed to see her. He hoped she might make
Speaker 1: some amends for the many very plain faces he was
Speaker 1: continually passing in the streets. The worst of Bath was
Speaker 1: the number of its plain women. He did not mean
Speaker 1: to say that there were no pretty women, but the
Speaker 1: the number of the plane was out of all proportion.
Speaker 1: He had frequently observed as he walked that one handsome
Speaker 1: face would be followed by thirty or five and thirty francs.
Speaker 1: And once, as he had stood in a shop on
Speaker 1: Bond Street, he had counted eighty seven women go by
Speaker 1: one after another, without there being a tolerable face among them.
Speaker 1: It had been a frosty morning, to be sure, a
Speaker 1: sharp frost which hardly one woman in a thousand could
Speaker 1: stand the test of. But still there certainly were a
Speaker 1: dreadful multitude of ugly women in Bath, And as for
Speaker 1: the men, they were infinitely worse such scarecrows as the
Speaker 1: streets were full of. It was evident how little the
Speaker 1: women were used to the sight of anything tolerable by
Speaker 1: the effect which a man of decent appearance produced. He
Speaker 1: had never walked anywhere arm in arm with Colonel Wallace,
Speaker 1: who was a fine military figure, though Sandy had without
Speaker 1: observing that every woman's eye was upon him, Every woman's
Speaker 1: eye was sure to be upon Colonel Wallace. Modest Sir Walter,
Speaker 1: he was not allowed to escape. However, his daughter and
Speaker 1: Missus Clay united in hinting that Colonel Wallace's companion might
Speaker 1: have as good a figure as Colonel Wallace, and certainly
Speaker 1: was not Sandy haired. How is Mary looking, said Sir Walter,
Speaker 1: in the height of his good humor. The last time
Speaker 1: I saw her she had a red nose. But I
Speaker 1: hope that may not happen every day. Oh, no, that
Speaker 1: must have been quite accidental. In general, she has been
Speaker 1: in very good health and very good looks since michaelmas.
Speaker 1: If I thought it would not tempt her to go
Speaker 1: out in sharp winds and grow coarse, I would send
Speaker 1: her a new hat and police. Anne was considering whether
Speaker 1: she should venture to suggest that a gown or a
Speaker 1: cap would not be liable to any such misuse when
Speaker 1: a knock at the door suspended everything. A knock at
Speaker 1: the door, and so late it was ten o'clock. Could
Speaker 1: it be mister Eliot? They knew he was to dine
Speaker 1: at Lansdowne Crescent. It was possible that he might stop
Speaker 1: in his way home to ask them how they did.
Speaker 1: They could think of no one else. Missus Clay decidedly
Speaker 1: thought it must be mister Eliot's knock. Missus Clay was right,
Speaker 1: with all the state which a butler and foot boy
Speaker 1: could give. Mister Elliot was ushered into the room. It
Speaker 1: was the same the very same man, with no difference
Speaker 1: but of dress. Anne drew a little back, while the
Speaker 1: others received his compliments and her sister his apologies for
Speaker 1: calling it so unusual an hour. But he could not
Speaker 1: be so near, without wishing to know that neither she
Speaker 1: nor her friend had he can cold the day before,
Speaker 1: et cetera, et cetera, which was all as politely done
Speaker 1: and as politely taken as possible. But her part must follow. Then,
Speaker 1: Sir Walter talked of his youngest daughter. Mister Elliot must
Speaker 1: give him leave to present him to his youngest daughter.
Speaker 1: There was no occasion for remembering Mary and Anne smiling
Speaker 1: and blushing very because showed to mister Elliot the pretty
Speaker 1: features which he had by no means forgotten, and instantly
Speaker 1: saw with amusement at his little start of surprise that
Speaker 1: he had not been at all aware of who she was.
Speaker 1: He looked completely astonished, but not more astonished than pleased.
Speaker 1: His eyes brightened, and with the most perfect alacrity, he
Speaker 1: welcomed the relationship alluded to the past, and entreated to
Speaker 1: be received as an acquaintance. Already he was quite as
Speaker 1: good looking as he had appeared at lyme, his countenance
Speaker 1: improved by speaking, and his manners were so exactly what
Speaker 1: they ought to be, so polished, so easy, so particularly agreeable,
Speaker 1: that she could compare them in excellence to only one
Speaker 1: person's manners. They were not the same, but they were
Speaker 1: perhaps equally good. He sat down with them and improved
Speaker 1: their conversation very much. There could be no doubt of
Speaker 1: his being a sensible man. Ten minutes were not to
Speaker 1: certify that his tone, his expressions, his choice of subject,
Speaker 1: his knowing where to stop, it was all the upper
Speaker 1: ration of a sensible, discerning mind. As soon as he could,
Speaker 1: he began to talk to her of Lyme, wanting to
Speaker 1: compare opinions respecting the place, but especially wanting to speak
Speaker 1: of the circumstances of their happening to be guests in
Speaker 1: the same inn at the same time, to give his
Speaker 1: own route, understand something of hers, and regret that he
Speaker 1: should have lost such an opportunity of paying his respects
Speaker 1: to her. She gave him a short account of her
Speaker 1: party and business at Lyme. His regret increased as he listened.
Speaker 1: He had spent his whole solitary evening in the room
Speaker 1: adjoining theirs, had heard voices mirth. Continually thought they must
Speaker 1: be a most delightful set of people. Longed to be
Speaker 1: with them, but certainly without the smallest suspicion of his
Speaker 1: possessing the shadow of a right to introduce himself if
Speaker 1: he had but asked who the party were, the name
Speaker 1: of Musgrove would have told him enough. Well. It would
Speaker 1: serve to cure him of an absurd practice of never
Speaker 1: asking a question at an inn, which he had adopted
Speaker 1: when quite a young man, on the principle of its
Speaker 1: being very ungenteeled. Be curious. The notions of a young
Speaker 1: man of one or two and twenty, said he, as
Speaker 1: to what is necessary in manners to make him quite
Speaker 1: the thing, are more absurd, I believe, than those of
Speaker 1: any other set of beings in the world. The folly
Speaker 1: of the means they often employ is only to be
Speaker 1: equaled by the folly of what they have in view.
Speaker 1: But he must not be addressing his reflections to Anne alone,
Speaker 1: he knew it. He was soon diffused again among the others,
Speaker 1: and it was only at intervals that he could return
Speaker 1: to Lyme. His inquiries, however, produced at length an account
Speaker 1: of the scenes she had been engaged in there soon
Speaker 1: after his leaving the place. Having alluded to an accident,
Speaker 1: he must hear the whole When he questioned, Sir Walter
Speaker 1: and Elizabeth began to question also, But the difference in
Speaker 1: their manner of doing it could not be unfelt. She
Speaker 1: could only compare mister Elliot to Lady Russell in the
Speaker 1: wish of really comprehending what had passed, and in the
Speaker 1: degree of concern for what she must have suffered in
Speaker 1: witnessing it. He stayed an hour with them. The elegant
Speaker 1: little clock on the mantelpiece had struck eleven with its
Speaker 1: silver sounds, and the watchman was beginning to be heard
Speaker 1: at a distance telling the same tale. Before mister Elliot
Speaker 1: or any of them, seemed to feel that he had
Speaker 1: been there long. Anne could not have supposed it possible
Speaker 1: that her first evening in Camden Place could have passed
Speaker 1: so well. End of Chapter fifteen.