August 12, 2025 • 15 mins
Listen Ad Free https://www.solgoodmedia.com - Listen to hundreds of audiobooks, thousands of short stories, and ambient sounds all ad free! Welcome to The Jane Austen Podcast, your premier source for daily doses of Austen magic! Step into the elegant world of Jane Austen's literary masterpieces, including "The Watsons," "Sense and Sensibility," "Pride and Prejudice," "Persuasion," "Northanger Abbey," "Mansfield Park," "Love and Friendship," "Lesley Castle - Dramatic Reading," "Lady Susan," "Jane Austen's Juvenilia," and "Emma." Each day, we unveil a new chapter, inviting you to lose yourself in the enchanting tales of love, society, and wit that only Austen can craft. Whether you're a die-hard Austen aficionado or just beginning your journey into her world, The Jane Austen Podcast promises to be your daily escape into the realms of timeless literature. Subscribe now and let the magic of Austen sweep you away!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Volume two, Chapter one. Emma and Harriet had been walking
together one morning, and, in Emma's opinion, had been talking
enough of mister Elton for that day. She could not
think that Harriet's solace or her own sins required more,
and she was therefore industriously getting rid of the subject
as they returned. But it burst out again when she
(00:22):
thought she had succeeded. And after speaking some time of
what the poor must suffer in winter, and receiving no
other answer than a very plaintive mister Elton is so
good to the poor, she found something else must be done.
They were just approaching the house where lived Missus and
miss Bates. She determined to call upon them and seek
safety in numbers. There was always sufficient reason for such
(00:45):
an attention. Missus and miss Bates loved to be called on,
and she knew she was considered by the very few
who presumed ever to see imperfection in her, as rather
negligent in that respect, and as not contributing what she
ought to the stock of their scanty comforts. She had
had many a hint from mister Knightley, and some from
her own heart, as to her deficiency, but none were
(01:07):
equal to counteract, the persuasion of its being very disagreeable,
a waste of time, tiresome women, and all the horror
of being in danger of falling in with the second
rate and third rate of Highbury, who were calling on
them forever. And therefore she seldom went near them. But
now she made the sudden resolution of not passing their
door without going in, observing, as she proposed it to Harriet,
(01:31):
that as well as she could calculate, they were just
now quite safe from any letter from Jane Fairfax. The
house belonged to people in business. Missus and Miss Bates
occupied the drawing room floor, and there in the very
moderate sized apartment, which was everything to them. The visitors
were most cordially and even gratefully welcomed the quiet, neat
(01:53):
old lady, who, with her knitting was seated in the
warmest corner, wanting even to give up her place to
Miss Woodhouse and her more active talking daughter, almost ready
to overpower them with care and kindness, thanks for their visit,
solicitude for their shoes, anxious inquiries after mister Woodhouse's health,
cheerful communications about her mother's and sweetcake from the beaufet
(02:16):
Missus Cole had just been there, just called in for
ten minutes, and had been so good as to sit
an hour with them, And she had taken a piece
of cake and been so kind as to say she
liked it very much, And therefore she hoped Miss Woodhouse
and Miss Smith would do them the favorite to eat
piece too. The mention of the coals was sure to
be followed by that of mister Elton. There was intimacy
(02:38):
between them, and mister Cole had heard from mister Elton
since his going away. Emma knew what was coming. They
must have the letter over again and settle how long
he had been gone, and how much he was engaged
in company, and what a favor it he was wherever
he went, and how full the master of the ceremony's
ball had been. And she went through it very well,
(02:59):
with all the interest and all the commendation that could
be requisite, and always putting forward to prevent Harriet's being
obliged to say a word. This she had been prepared
for when she entered the house, but meant, having once
talked him handsomely over, to be no farther incommoded by
any troublesome topic, and to wander at large amongst all
(03:20):
the mistresses and misses of Highbury and their card parties.
She had not been prepared to have Jane Fairfax succeed
mister Elton, but he was actually hurried off by Miss Bates.
She jumped away from him at last abruptly to the
coals to usher in a letter from her niece. Oh yes,
mister Elton, I understand satinly as to dancing, missus Cole
(03:42):
was telling me that dancing in the rooms at Bath was.
Missus Cole was so kind as to sit some time
with us talking of Jane. For as soon as she
came in, she began inquiring after her. Jane is so
very great a favorite there whenever she is with us.
Missus Cole does not know how to shew her kindness enough,
and I m must say that Jane deserves it as
much as anybody can. And so she began inquiring after
(04:05):
her directly, saying, I know you cannot have heard from
Jane lately, because it is not her time for writing.
And when I immediately said, but indeed we have. We
had a letter this very morning. I do not know
that ever I saw anybody more surprised. Have you upon
your honor, said she, Well, that is quite unexpected. Do
let me hear what she says. Emma's politeness was at
(04:27):
Hanne directly to say, with smiling interest, have you heard
from miss Fairfax so lately? I am extremely happy. I
hope she is well. Thank you you are so kind,
replied the happily deceived aunt, while eagerly hunting for the letter. Oh,
here it is. I was sure it could not be
far off. But I had put my husswife upon it,
(04:49):
you see, without being aware, and so it was quite hid.
But I had it in my hand so very lately
that I was almost sure it must be on the table.
I was reading it to missus Cole, and since she
went away, I was reading it again to my mother,
for it is such a pleasure to her a letter
from Jane that she can never hear it often enough.
So I knew it could not be far off. And
(05:10):
here it is only just under my huswipe. And since
you are so kind as to wish to hear what
she says. But first of all, I really must, injustice
to Jane, apologize for her writing so short a letter,
only two pages, you see, hardly too. And in general
she fills the whole paper and crosses half. My mother
often wonders that I can make it out so well.
She often says, when the letter is first opened, well, Hetty,
(05:33):
now I think you will be put to it to
make out all that checker work, don't you, ma'am? And
then I tell her, I am sure she would contrive
to make it out herself if she had nobody to
do it for her. Every word bit. I am sure
she would pore over it till she had made out
every word. And indeed, though my mother's eyes are not
so good as they were, she can see amazingly well still,
thank God, with the help of spectacles. It is such
(05:56):
a blessing. My mothers are really very good. Indeed, Jane
often says when she is here, I am sure, Grandmamma,
you must have had very strong eyes to see as
well as you do, and so much fine work as
you have done too. I only wish my eyes may
last me as well. All this spoken extremely fast obliged
Miss Bates to stop for breath, and Emma said something
(06:18):
very civil about the excellence of Miss Fairfax his handwriting.
You are extremely kind, replied Miss Bates, highly gratified you
who are such a judge and write so beautifully yourself.
I am sure there is nobody's praise that could give
us so much pleasure as Miss Woodhouse's. My mother does
not hear. She is a little deaf, you know, ma'am
(06:38):
addressing her, Do you hear what Miss Woodhouse is so
obliging to say about Jane's handwriting? And Emma had the
advantage of hearing her own silly compliment repeated twice over
before the good old lady could comprehend it. She was
pondering in the meanwhile upon the possibility, without seeming very rude,
of making her escape from Jane Fairfax's letter, and had
(07:00):
almost resolved on a hurrying away directly under some slight excuse,
when Miss Bates turned to her again and seized her attention.
My mother's deafness is very trifling, you see, just nothing
at all. By only raising my voice and saying anything
two or three times over, she is sure to hear.
But then she is used to my voice. But it
is very remarkable that she should always hear Jane Bennet
(07:21):
that she does me. Jane speaks so distinct. However, she
will not find her Grandmamma at all deafer than she
was two years ago, which is saying a great deal
at my mother's time of life. And it really is
full two years, you know, since she was here. We
never were so long without seeing her before. And as
I was telling missus Cole, we shall hardly know how
to make enough of her. Now, are you expecting miss
(07:44):
Fairfax here soon? Oh? Yes, next week? Indeed that must
be a very great pleasure. Thank you, you are very kind. Yes,
next week. Everybody is so surprised, and everybody says the
same obliging things. I am sure she will be as
happy to see her friends at Highbury as they can
be to see her. Yes, Friday or Saturday. She cannot
(08:06):
say which, because Colonel Campbell will be wanting the carriage
himself one of those days. So very good of them
to send her the whole way, But they always do,
you know. Oh, yes, Friday or Saturday next That is
what she writes about. That's the reason of her writing
out of rule, as we call it, for in the
common course, we should not have heard from her before
next Tuesday or Wednesday. Yes, so I imagined I was afraid
(08:29):
there could be little chance of my hearing anything of
miss Fairfax to day, so obliging of you. No, we
should not have heard it if not been for this
particular circumstance of her being to come here so soon.
My mother is so delighted, for she is to be
three months with us, at least three months, she says
so positively, as I am going to have the pleasure
(08:49):
of reading to you the cases. You see that the
Campbells are going to Ireland. Missus Dixon has persuaded her
father and mother to come over and see her directly.
They had not intended to go over till the summer,
but she is so impatient to see them again. For
till she married last October, she was never away from
them so much as a week, which must make it
very strange to be in different kingdoms, I was going
(09:10):
to say, but however different countries. And so she wrote
a very urgent letter to her mother or her father,
I declare, I do not know which it was, but
we shall see presently. In Jane's letter, wrote in mister
Dixon's name as well as her own, to press their
coming over directly, and they would give them the meeting
in Dublin and take them back to their country seat
Ballie Craig a beautiful place. I fancy Jane has had
(09:32):
a great deal of its beauty from mister Dixon. I mean,
I do not know that she ever heard about it
from anybody else, but it was very natural, you know
that he should like to speak of his own place
while he was paying his addresses, and as Jane used
to be very often walking out with them, For Colonel
and Missus Campbell were very particular about their daughters not
walking out often with only mister Dixon, for which I
do not at all blame them. Of course, she heard
(09:53):
everything he might be telling miss Campbell about his own
home in Ireland, and I think she wrote us word
that he had shown them some drawings of the place,
views that he had taken himself. He is a most amiable,
charming young man. I believe Jane was quite longing to
go to Ireland from his account of things at this moment.
An ingenious and animating suspicion entering Emma's brain with regard
(10:14):
to Jane Fairfax, this charming mister Dixon and the not
going to Ireland, she said, with the insidious design of
farther discovery, you must feel it very fortunate that miss
Fairfax should be allowed to come to you at such
a time, considering the very particular friendship between her and
Missus Dixon, you could hardly have expected her to be
excused from accompanying Colonel and Missus Campbell. Very true, very true,
(10:38):
indeed the very thing that we have always been rather
afraid of, for we should not have liked to have
her at such distance from us for months together, not
able to come if anything was to happen. But you see,
everything turns out for the best. They want her, mister
and Missus Dixon excessively to come over with Colonel and
Missus Campbell, quite depend upon it. Nothing can be more
(11:00):
kind or pressing than their joint invitation. Jane says, as
you will hear presently, mister Dixon does not seem in
the least backward in any attention. He is a most
charming young man, ever since the service he rendered Jane
at Weymouth, when they were out in that party on
the water, and she, by the sudden whirling round of
something or other among the sails, would have been dashed
into the sea at once, and actually was all but
(11:22):
gone if he had not, with the greatest presence of
mine caught hold of her habit. I can never think
of it without trembling. But ever since we had the
history of that day, I have been so fond of
mister Dixon. But in spite of her friend's urgency and
her own wish of seeing Ireland, Miss Fairfax prefers devoting
the time to you and Missus Bates, Yes, entirely her
(11:45):
own doing, entirely her own choice. And Colonel and Missus
Campbell think she does quite right, just what they should recommend,
And indeed they particularly wish her to try her native air,
as she has not been quite so well as usual lately.
I am concerned to hear of it. I think they
judge wisely, but Missus Dixon must be very much disappointed.
Missus Dixon, I understand, has no remarkable degree of personal beauty,
(12:09):
is not, by any means to be compared with Miss Fairfax.
Oh no, you are very obliging to say such things,
but certainly not. There is no comparison between them. Miss
Campbell always was absolutely plain, but extremely elegant and amiable. Yes, that,
of course, Jane caught a bad cold, poor thing so
(12:30):
long ago as the seventh of November. As I am
going to read to you, and has never been well
since a long time. Is it not for a cold
to hang upon her? She never mentioned it before because
she would not alarm us, just like her so considerate.
But however, she is so far from well that her
kind friends, the Campbells, thinks she had better come home
and try an air that always agrees with her, And
(12:51):
they have no doubt that three or four months at
Highbury will entirely cure her. And it is certainly a
great deal better that she should come here than go
to Ireland if she is unwell well, nobody could nurse
her as we should do. It appears to me the
most desirable arrangement in the world. And so she is
to come to us next Friday or Saturday, and the
Campbells leave town and their way to Holy Head the
(13:12):
monday following. As you will find from Jane's letter, so
sudden you may guess, dear miss Woodhouse, what a flurry
it has thrown me in if it were not for
the drawback of her illness. But I am afraid we
must expect to see her grown thin and looking very poorly.
I must tell you what an unlucky thing happened to
me as to that. I always make a point of
reading Jane's letters through to myself first before I read
(13:34):
them aloud to my mother, you know, for fear of
there being anything in them to distress her. Jane desired
me to do it, so I always do, and so
I began to day with my usual caution. But no
sooner did I come to the mention of her being
unwell than I burst out, quite frightened with bless me,
poor Jane is ill, which my mother, being on the watch,
heard distinctly and was sadly alarmed at. However, when I
(13:57):
read on, I found it was not near so bad
as I had fancied at first, And I make so
light of it now to her that she does not
think about it much. But I cannot imagine how I
could be so off my guard. If Jane does not
get well soon, we will call in mister Perry. The
expense will not be thought of, And though he is
so liberal and so fond of Jane that I daresay
he would not mean to charge anything for attendance, we
could not suffer it to be so. You know, he
(14:18):
is a wife and a family to maintain, and is
not to be giving away his time. Well, now I
have just given you a hint of what Jane writes about.
We will turn to her letter, and I am sure
she tells her own story a great deal better than
I can tell it for her. I am afraid we
must be running away, said Emma, glancing at Harriet and
beginning to rise. My father will be expecting us. I
(14:40):
had no intention. I thought I had no power of
staying more than five minutes. When I first entered the house,
I merely called because I would not pass the door
without inquiring after Missus Bates. But I have been so
pleasantly detained. Now, however, we must wish you and Missus
Bates good morning, and not all that could be urged
to detain her succeeded. She regained the street, happy in
(15:02):
this that though much had been forced on her against
her will, though she had in fact heard the whole
substance of Jane Fairfax's letter, she had been able to
escape the letter itself. End of Chapter one
Volume two, Chapter one. Emma and Harriet had been walking
together one morning, and, in Emma's opinion, had been talking
enough of mister Elton for that day. She could not
think that Harriet's solace or her own sins required more,
and she was therefore industriously getting rid of the subject
as they returned. But it burst out again when she
(00:22):
thought she had succeeded. And after speaking some time of
what the poor must suffer in winter, and receiving no
other answer than a very plaintive mister Elton is so
good to the poor, she found something else must be done.
They were just approaching the house where lived Missus and
miss Bates. She determined to call upon them and seek
safety in numbers. There was always sufficient reason for such
(00:45):
an attention. Missus and miss Bates loved to be called on,
and she knew she was considered by the very few
who presumed ever to see imperfection in her, as rather
negligent in that respect, and as not contributing what she
ought to the stock of their scanty comforts. She had
had many a hint from mister Knightley, and some from
her own heart, as to her deficiency, but none were
(01:07):
equal to counteract, the persuasion of its being very disagreeable,
a waste of time, tiresome women, and all the horror
of being in danger of falling in with the second
rate and third rate of Highbury, who were calling on
them forever. And therefore she seldom went near them. But
now she made the sudden resolution of not passing their
door without going in, observing, as she proposed it to Harriet,
(01:31):
that as well as she could calculate, they were just
now quite safe from any letter from Jane Fairfax. The
house belonged to people in business. Missus and Miss Bates
occupied the drawing room floor, and there in the very
moderate sized apartment, which was everything to them. The visitors
were most cordially and even gratefully welcomed the quiet, neat
(01:53):
old lady, who, with her knitting was seated in the
warmest corner, wanting even to give up her place to
Miss Woodhouse and her more active talking daughter, almost ready
to overpower them with care and kindness, thanks for their visit,
solicitude for their shoes, anxious inquiries after mister Woodhouse's health,
cheerful communications about her mother's and sweetcake from the beaufet
(02:16):
Missus Cole had just been there, just called in for
ten minutes, and had been so good as to sit
an hour with them, And she had taken a piece
of cake and been so kind as to say she
liked it very much, And therefore she hoped Miss Woodhouse
and Miss Smith would do them the favorite to eat
piece too. The mention of the coals was sure to
be followed by that of mister Elton. There was intimacy
(02:38):
between them, and mister Cole had heard from mister Elton
since his going away. Emma knew what was coming. They
must have the letter over again and settle how long
he had been gone, and how much he was engaged
in company, and what a favor it he was wherever
he went, and how full the master of the ceremony's
ball had been. And she went through it very well,
(02:59):
with all the interest and all the commendation that could
be requisite, and always putting forward to prevent Harriet's being
obliged to say a word. This she had been prepared
for when she entered the house, but meant, having once
talked him handsomely over, to be no farther incommoded by
any troublesome topic, and to wander at large amongst all
(03:20):
the mistresses and misses of Highbury and their card parties.
She had not been prepared to have Jane Fairfax succeed
mister Elton, but he was actually hurried off by Miss Bates.
She jumped away from him at last abruptly to the
coals to usher in a letter from her niece. Oh yes,
mister Elton, I understand satinly as to dancing, missus Cole
(03:42):
was telling me that dancing in the rooms at Bath was.
Missus Cole was so kind as to sit some time
with us talking of Jane. For as soon as she
came in, she began inquiring after her. Jane is so
very great a favorite there whenever she is with us.
Missus Cole does not know how to shew her kindness enough,
and I m must say that Jane deserves it as
much as anybody can. And so she began inquiring after
(04:05):
her directly, saying, I know you cannot have heard from
Jane lately, because it is not her time for writing.
And when I immediately said, but indeed we have. We
had a letter this very morning. I do not know
that ever I saw anybody more surprised. Have you upon
your honor, said she, Well, that is quite unexpected. Do
let me hear what she says. Emma's politeness was at
(04:27):
Hanne directly to say, with smiling interest, have you heard
from miss Fairfax so lately? I am extremely happy. I
hope she is well. Thank you you are so kind,
replied the happily deceived aunt, while eagerly hunting for the letter. Oh,
here it is. I was sure it could not be
far off. But I had put my husswife upon it,
(04:49):
you see, without being aware, and so it was quite hid.
But I had it in my hand so very lately
that I was almost sure it must be on the table.
I was reading it to missus Cole, and since she
went away, I was reading it again to my mother,
for it is such a pleasure to her a letter
from Jane that she can never hear it often enough.
So I knew it could not be far off. And
(05:10):
here it is only just under my huswipe. And since
you are so kind as to wish to hear what
she says. But first of all, I really must, injustice
to Jane, apologize for her writing so short a letter,
only two pages, you see, hardly too. And in general
she fills the whole paper and crosses half. My mother
often wonders that I can make it out so well.
She often says, when the letter is first opened, well, Hetty,
(05:33):
now I think you will be put to it to
make out all that checker work, don't you, ma'am? And
then I tell her, I am sure she would contrive
to make it out herself if she had nobody to
do it for her. Every word bit. I am sure
she would pore over it till she had made out
every word. And indeed, though my mother's eyes are not
so good as they were, she can see amazingly well still,
thank God, with the help of spectacles. It is such
(05:56):
a blessing. My mothers are really very good. Indeed, Jane
often says when she is here, I am sure, Grandmamma,
you must have had very strong eyes to see as
well as you do, and so much fine work as
you have done too. I only wish my eyes may
last me as well. All this spoken extremely fast obliged
Miss Bates to stop for breath, and Emma said something
(06:18):
very civil about the excellence of Miss Fairfax his handwriting.
You are extremely kind, replied Miss Bates, highly gratified you
who are such a judge and write so beautifully yourself.
I am sure there is nobody's praise that could give
us so much pleasure as Miss Woodhouse's. My mother does
not hear. She is a little deaf, you know, ma'am
(06:38):
addressing her, Do you hear what Miss Woodhouse is so
obliging to say about Jane's handwriting? And Emma had the
advantage of hearing her own silly compliment repeated twice over
before the good old lady could comprehend it. She was
pondering in the meanwhile upon the possibility, without seeming very rude,
of making her escape from Jane Fairfax's letter, and had
(07:00):
almost resolved on a hurrying away directly under some slight excuse,
when Miss Bates turned to her again and seized her attention.
My mother's deafness is very trifling, you see, just nothing
at all. By only raising my voice and saying anything
two or three times over, she is sure to hear.
But then she is used to my voice. But it
is very remarkable that she should always hear Jane Bennet
(07:21):
that she does me. Jane speaks so distinct. However, she
will not find her Grandmamma at all deafer than she
was two years ago, which is saying a great deal
at my mother's time of life. And it really is
full two years, you know, since she was here. We
never were so long without seeing her before. And as
I was telling missus Cole, we shall hardly know how
to make enough of her. Now, are you expecting miss
(07:44):
Fairfax here soon? Oh? Yes, next week? Indeed that must
be a very great pleasure. Thank you, you are very kind. Yes,
next week. Everybody is so surprised, and everybody says the
same obliging things. I am sure she will be as
happy to see her friends at Highbury as they can
be to see her. Yes, Friday or Saturday. She cannot
(08:06):
say which, because Colonel Campbell will be wanting the carriage
himself one of those days. So very good of them
to send her the whole way, But they always do,
you know. Oh, yes, Friday or Saturday next That is
what she writes about. That's the reason of her writing
out of rule, as we call it, for in the
common course, we should not have heard from her before
next Tuesday or Wednesday. Yes, so I imagined I was afraid
(08:29):
there could be little chance of my hearing anything of
miss Fairfax to day, so obliging of you. No, we
should not have heard it if not been for this
particular circumstance of her being to come here so soon.
My mother is so delighted, for she is to be
three months with us, at least three months, she says
so positively, as I am going to have the pleasure
(08:49):
of reading to you the cases. You see that the
Campbells are going to Ireland. Missus Dixon has persuaded her
father and mother to come over and see her directly.
They had not intended to go over till the summer,
but she is so impatient to see them again. For
till she married last October, she was never away from
them so much as a week, which must make it
very strange to be in different kingdoms, I was going
(09:10):
to say, but however different countries. And so she wrote
a very urgent letter to her mother or her father,
I declare, I do not know which it was, but
we shall see presently. In Jane's letter, wrote in mister
Dixon's name as well as her own, to press their
coming over directly, and they would give them the meeting
in Dublin and take them back to their country seat
Ballie Craig a beautiful place. I fancy Jane has had
(09:32):
a great deal of its beauty from mister Dixon. I mean,
I do not know that she ever heard about it
from anybody else, but it was very natural, you know
that he should like to speak of his own place
while he was paying his addresses, and as Jane used
to be very often walking out with them, For Colonel
and Missus Campbell were very particular about their daughters not
walking out often with only mister Dixon, for which I
do not at all blame them. Of course, she heard
(09:53):
everything he might be telling miss Campbell about his own
home in Ireland, and I think she wrote us word
that he had shown them some drawings of the place,
views that he had taken himself. He is a most amiable,
charming young man. I believe Jane was quite longing to
go to Ireland from his account of things at this moment.
An ingenious and animating suspicion entering Emma's brain with regard
(10:14):
to Jane Fairfax, this charming mister Dixon and the not
going to Ireland, she said, with the insidious design of
farther discovery, you must feel it very fortunate that miss
Fairfax should be allowed to come to you at such
a time, considering the very particular friendship between her and
Missus Dixon, you could hardly have expected her to be
excused from accompanying Colonel and Missus Campbell. Very true, very true,
(10:38):
indeed the very thing that we have always been rather
afraid of, for we should not have liked to have
her at such distance from us for months together, not
able to come if anything was to happen. But you see,
everything turns out for the best. They want her, mister
and Missus Dixon excessively to come over with Colonel and
Missus Campbell, quite depend upon it. Nothing can be more
(11:00):
kind or pressing than their joint invitation. Jane says, as
you will hear presently, mister Dixon does not seem in
the least backward in any attention. He is a most
charming young man, ever since the service he rendered Jane
at Weymouth, when they were out in that party on
the water, and she, by the sudden whirling round of
something or other among the sails, would have been dashed
into the sea at once, and actually was all but
(11:22):
gone if he had not, with the greatest presence of
mine caught hold of her habit. I can never think
of it without trembling. But ever since we had the
history of that day, I have been so fond of
mister Dixon. But in spite of her friend's urgency and
her own wish of seeing Ireland, Miss Fairfax prefers devoting
the time to you and Missus Bates, Yes, entirely her
(11:45):
own doing, entirely her own choice. And Colonel and Missus
Campbell think she does quite right, just what they should recommend,
And indeed they particularly wish her to try her native air,
as she has not been quite so well as usual lately.
I am concerned to hear of it. I think they
judge wisely, but Missus Dixon must be very much disappointed.
Missus Dixon, I understand, has no remarkable degree of personal beauty,
(12:09):
is not, by any means to be compared with Miss Fairfax.
Oh no, you are very obliging to say such things,
but certainly not. There is no comparison between them. Miss
Campbell always was absolutely plain, but extremely elegant and amiable. Yes, that,
of course, Jane caught a bad cold, poor thing so
(12:30):
long ago as the seventh of November. As I am
going to read to you, and has never been well
since a long time. Is it not for a cold
to hang upon her? She never mentioned it before because
she would not alarm us, just like her so considerate.
But however, she is so far from well that her
kind friends, the Campbells, thinks she had better come home
and try an air that always agrees with her, And
(12:51):
they have no doubt that three or four months at
Highbury will entirely cure her. And it is certainly a
great deal better that she should come here than go
to Ireland if she is unwell well, nobody could nurse
her as we should do. It appears to me the
most desirable arrangement in the world. And so she is
to come to us next Friday or Saturday, and the
Campbells leave town and their way to Holy Head the
(13:12):
monday following. As you will find from Jane's letter, so
sudden you may guess, dear miss Woodhouse, what a flurry
it has thrown me in if it were not for
the drawback of her illness. But I am afraid we
must expect to see her grown thin and looking very poorly.
I must tell you what an unlucky thing happened to
me as to that. I always make a point of
reading Jane's letters through to myself first before I read
(13:34):
them aloud to my mother, you know, for fear of
there being anything in them to distress her. Jane desired
me to do it, so I always do, and so
I began to day with my usual caution. But no
sooner did I come to the mention of her being
unwell than I burst out, quite frightened with bless me,
poor Jane is ill, which my mother, being on the watch,
heard distinctly and was sadly alarmed at. However, when I
(13:57):
read on, I found it was not near so bad
as I had fancied at first, And I make so
light of it now to her that she does not
think about it much. But I cannot imagine how I
could be so off my guard. If Jane does not
get well soon, we will call in mister Perry. The
expense will not be thought of, And though he is
so liberal and so fond of Jane that I daresay
he would not mean to charge anything for attendance, we
could not suffer it to be so. You know, he
(14:18):
is a wife and a family to maintain, and is
not to be giving away his time. Well, now I
have just given you a hint of what Jane writes about.
We will turn to her letter, and I am sure
she tells her own story a great deal better than
I can tell it for her. I am afraid we
must be running away, said Emma, glancing at Harriet and
beginning to rise. My father will be expecting us. I
(14:40):
had no intention. I thought I had no power of
staying more than five minutes. When I first entered the house,
I merely called because I would not pass the door
without inquiring after Missus Bates. But I have been so
pleasantly detained. Now, however, we must wish you and Missus
Bates good morning, and not all that could be urged
to detain her succeeded. She regained the street, happy in
(15:02):
this that though much had been forced on her against
her will, though she had in fact heard the whole
substance of Jane Fairfax's letter, she had been able to
escape the letter itself. End of Chapter one
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!