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<v Speaker 1>Chapter twenty four of Persuasion. This is a LibriVox recording.

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<v Speaker 1>All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more

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<v Speaker 1>information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording

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<v Speaker 1>by Elizabeth Klett. Persuasion by Jane Austen, Chapter twenty four.

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<v Speaker 1>Who can be in doubt of what followed? When any

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<v Speaker 1>two young people take it into their heads to marry,

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<v Speaker 1>they are pretty sure by perseverance to carry their point,

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<v Speaker 1>be they ever so poor, or ever so imprudent, or

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<v Speaker 1>ever so little likely to be necessary to each other's

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<v Speaker 1>ultimate comfort. This may be bad morality to conclude with,

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<v Speaker 1>but I believe it to be truth. And if such

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<v Speaker 1>parties succeed, how should a Captain Wentworth and an Anne Elliott,

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<v Speaker 1>with the advantage of maturity of mind, consciousness of right,

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<v Speaker 1>and one independent fortune between them, fail of bearing down

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<v Speaker 1>every opposition. They might in fact have borne down a

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<v Speaker 1>great deal more than they met with, for there was

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<v Speaker 1>little to distress them beyond the want of graciousness and warmth.

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<v Speaker 1>Sir Walter made no objection, and Elizabeth did nothing worse

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<v Speaker 1>than look cold and unconcerned. Captain Wentworth with five and

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<v Speaker 1>twenty thousand pounds, and as high in his profession as

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<v Speaker 1>merit and activity could place him, was no longer nobody.

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<v Speaker 1>He was now esteemed quite worthy to address the daughter

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<v Speaker 1>of a foolish, spendthrift baronet who had not principle or

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<v Speaker 1>sense enough to maintain himself in the situation in which

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<v Speaker 1>providence had placed him, and who could give his daughter

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<v Speaker 1>at present but a small part of the share of

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<v Speaker 1>ten thousand pounds which must be hers hereafter. Sir Walter, indeed,

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<v Speaker 1>though he had no affection for Anne, and no vanity

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<v Speaker 1>flattered to make him really happy on the occasion, was

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<v Speaker 1>very far from thinking it a bad match for her.

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<v Speaker 1>On the contrary, when he saw more of Captain Wentworth,

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<v Speaker 1>saw him repeatedly by daylight, and eyed him well, he

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<v Speaker 1>was very much struck by his personal claims, and felt

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<v Speaker 1>that his superiority of appearance might not be unfairly balanced

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<v Speaker 1>against her superiority of rank. And all this, assisted by

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<v Speaker 1>his well sounding name, enabled Sir Walter at last to

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<v Speaker 1>prepare his pen with a very good grace for the

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<v Speaker 1>insertion of the marriage and the volume of honor. The

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<v Speaker 1>only one among them whose opposition of feeling could excite

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<v Speaker 1>any serious anxiety was Lady Russell. Anne knew that Lady

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<v Speaker 1>Russell must be suffering some pain and understanding and relinquishing

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<v Speaker 1>mister Eliot, and be making some struggles to become truly

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<v Speaker 1>acquainted with and do justice to Captain Wentworth. This, however,

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<v Speaker 1>was what Lady Russell had now to do. She must

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<v Speaker 1>learn to feel that she had been mistaken with regard

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<v Speaker 1>to both, that she had been unfairly influenced by appearance

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<v Speaker 1>in each, that because Captain Wentworth's manners had not suited

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<v Speaker 1>her own ideas, she had been too quick in suspecting

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<v Speaker 1>them to indicate a character of dangerous impetuosity. And that

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<v Speaker 1>because mister Elliot's manners had precisely pleased her in their

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<v Speaker 1>propriety and correctness, their general politeness and suavity, she had

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<v Speaker 1>been too quick in receiving them as a certain result

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<v Speaker 1>of the most correct opinions and well regulated mind. There

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<v Speaker 1>was nothing less for Lady Russell to do than to

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<v Speaker 1>admit that she had been pretty completely wrong, and to

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<v Speaker 1>take up a new set of opinions and of hopes.

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<v Speaker 1>There is a quickness of perception in some a nicety

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<v Speaker 1>in the discernment of character, a natural penetration, in short,

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<v Speaker 1>which no experience in others can equal. And Lady Russell

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<v Speaker 1>had been less gifted in this part of understanding than

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<v Speaker 1>her young friend. But she was a very good woman,

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<v Speaker 1>and if her second object was to be sensible and

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<v Speaker 1>well judging, her first was to see Anne happy. She

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<v Speaker 1>loved Anne better than she loved her own abilities, and

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<v Speaker 1>when the awkwardness of the beginning was over, found little

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<v Speaker 1>hardship in attaching herself as a mother to the man

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<v Speaker 1>who was securing the happiness of her other child. Of

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<v Speaker 1>all the family, Mary was probably the one most immediately

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<v Speaker 1>gratified by the circumstance. It was creditable to have a

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<v Speaker 1>sister married, and she might flatter herself with having been

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<v Speaker 1>greatly instrumental to the connection by keeping Anne with her

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<v Speaker 1>in the autumn. And as her own sister must be

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<v Speaker 1>better than her husband's sisters, it was very agreeable that

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<v Speaker 1>Captain Wentworth should be a richer man than either Captain

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<v Speaker 1>Bennock or or Charles Hayter. She had something to suffer,

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps when they came into contact again, in seeing Anne

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<v Speaker 1>restore to the rights of seniority, and the mistress of

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<v Speaker 1>a very pretty Langelette, but she had a future to

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<v Speaker 1>look forward to of powerful consolation. Anne had no upper

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<v Speaker 1>Cross hall before her, no landed estate, no headship of

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<v Speaker 1>a family. And if they could but keep Captain Wentworth

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<v Speaker 1>from being made a baronet, she would not change situations

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<v Speaker 1>with Anne. It would be well for the eldest sister

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<v Speaker 1>if she were equally satisfied with her situation, For a

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<v Speaker 1>change is not very probable there She had soon the

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<v Speaker 1>mortification of seeing mister Elliot withdraw, and no one of

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<v Speaker 1>proper condition has since presented himself to raise even the

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<v Speaker 1>unfounded hopes which sunk with him. The news of his

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<v Speaker 1>cousin Ann's engagement burst on mister Elliot most unexpectedly. It

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<v Speaker 1>deranged his best plan of domestic happiness, his best hope

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<v Speaker 1>of keeping Sir Walter single by the watchfulness which a

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<v Speaker 1>son in law's rights would have given. But though discomfited

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<v Speaker 1>and disappointed, he could still do something for his own interests,

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<v Speaker 1>in his own enjoyment. He soon quitted Bath, and on

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<v Speaker 1>missus Clay's quitting it soon afterwards, and being next heard

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<v Speaker 1>of as established under his protection in London, it was

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<v Speaker 1>evident how double the game he had been playing, and

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<v Speaker 1>how determined he was to save himself from being cut

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<v Speaker 1>out by one artful woman. At least missus Clay's affections

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<v Speaker 1>had overpowered her interest, and she had sacrificed for the

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<v Speaker 1>young man's sake the possibility of scheming longer for Sir Walter.

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<v Speaker 1>She has abilities, however, as well as affections, and it

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<v Speaker 1>is now a doubtful point whether his cunning or hers

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<v Speaker 1>may finally carry the day, whether after preventing her from

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<v Speaker 1>being the wife of Sir Walter, he may not be

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<v Speaker 1>wheedled and caressed at last into making her the wife

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<v Speaker 1>of Sir William. It not be doubted that Sir Walter

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<v Speaker 1>and Elizabeth were shocked and mortified by the loss of

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<v Speaker 1>their companion and the discovery of their deception in her.

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<v Speaker 1>They had their great cousins to be sure to resort

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<v Speaker 1>to for comfort, but they must long feel that to

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<v Speaker 1>flatter and follow others without being flattered and followed in turn,

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<v Speaker 1>is but a state of half enjoyment. Anne satisfied at

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<v Speaker 1>a very early period of Lady Russell's meaning to love

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<v Speaker 1>Captain Wentworth, as she ought, had no other alloy to

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<v Speaker 1>the happiness of her prospects. Than what arose from the

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<v Speaker 1>consciousness of having no relations to bestow on him which

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<v Speaker 1>a man of sense could value. There she felt her

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<v Speaker 1>own inferiority very keenly. The disproportion in their fortune was nothing.

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<v Speaker 1>It did not give her a moment's regret. But to

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<v Speaker 1>have no family to receive and estimate him properly, nothing

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<v Speaker 1>of respectability, of harmony, of good will to offer in

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<v Speaker 1>return for all the worth and all the prompt welcome

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<v Speaker 1>which met her in his brothers and sisters, was a

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<v Speaker 1>source of as lively pain as her mind could well

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<v Speaker 1>be sensible of. Under circumstances of otherwise strong felicity. She

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<v Speaker 1>had but two friends in the world to add to

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<v Speaker 1>his list, Lady Russell and Missus Smith. To these, however,

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<v Speaker 1>he was very well disposed to attach himself Lady Russell,

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<v Speaker 1>in spite of all her former transgressions, he could now

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<v Speaker 1>value from his heart. While he was not obliged to

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<v Speaker 1>say that he believed her to have been right in

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<v Speaker 1>originally dividing them, he was ready to say almost everything

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<v Speaker 1>else in her favor. And as for Missus Smith, she

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<v Speaker 1>had claims of various kinds to recommend her quickly and

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<v Speaker 1>permanently her recent good offices by Anne had been enough

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<v Speaker 1>in themselves and their marriage. Instead of depriving her of

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<v Speaker 1>one friend, secured her too. She was their earliest visitor

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<v Speaker 1>in their settled life, and Captain wentworth by putting her

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<v Speaker 1>in the way of recovering her husband's property in the

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<v Speaker 1>West Indies, by writing for her, acting for her, and

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<v Speaker 1>seeing her through all the petty difficulties of the case

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<v Speaker 1>with the activity and exertion of a fearless man and

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<v Speaker 1>determined friend fully requited the services which she had rendered

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<v Speaker 1>or ever meant to render to his wife. Missus Smith's

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<v Speaker 1>enjoyments were not spoiled by this improvement of income, With

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<v Speaker 1>some improvement of health and the acquisition of such friends

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<v Speaker 1>to be often with for her cheerfulness and mental alacrity

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<v Speaker 1>did not fail her. And while these prime supplies of

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<v Speaker 1>good remained, she might have bid defiance even to greater

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<v Speaker 1>accessions of worldly prosperity. She might have been absolutely rich

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<v Speaker 1>and perfectly healthy, and yet be happy. Ring a felicity

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<v Speaker 1>was in the glow of her spirits, as her friend

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<v Speaker 1>Anne's was in the warmth of her heart. Anne was

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<v Speaker 1>tenderness itself, and she had the full worth of it

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<v Speaker 1>in Captain Wentworth's affection. His profession was all that could

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<v Speaker 1>ever make her friends wish that tenderness less, the dread

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<v Speaker 1>of a future war all that could dim her sunshine.

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<v Speaker 1>She gloried in being a sailor's wife. But she must

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<v Speaker 1>pay the tax of quick alarm for belonging to that profession,

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<v Speaker 1>which is, if possible, more distinguished in its domestic virtues

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<v Speaker 1>than in its national importance. End of Persuasion by Jane

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<v Speaker 1>Austen