18 Persuasion Read By Stephanie Poppins

Hello.

Welcome to Sleep Stories with Steph,

Your go-to romantic podcast that guarantees you a calm and entertaining transition into a great night's sleep.

Come with me as we immerse ourselves in a romantic journey to a time long since forgotten.

But before we begin,

Let's take a moment to focus on where we are now.

Take a deep breath in through your nose and let it out with a long sigh.

Now close your eyes and feel yourself sink deeper into the support beneath you.

It is time to relax and fully let go.

There is nothing you need to be doing now and nowhere you need to go.

Happy listening.

Persuasion by Jane Austen Chapter 17 Continued After listening to what Lady Russell had said,

Anne was obliged to turn away,

To rise and walk to a distant table.

And there,

Leaning in pretended employment,

Tried to subdue the feelings this picture incited.

For a few moments her imagination and her heart were bewitched.

The idea of becoming what her mother had been,

Of having the precious name of Lady Elliot first revived in herself,

Of being restored to Kellynch,

Calling it her home again,

Her home forever,

Was a charm which she could not immediately resist.

Lady Russell said not another word,

Willing to leave the matter to its own operation.

And believing that,

Could Mr Elliot at that moment with propriety have spoken for himself.

She believed,

In short,

What Anne did not believe.

The same image of Mr Elliot speaking for himself brought Anne to composure again.

The charm of Kellynch and of Lady Elliot all faded away.

She could never accept him.

And it was not only that her feelings were still adverse to any man save one,

Her judgment on a serious consideration of the possibilities of such a case was against Mr Elliot.

Though they had now been acquainted a month,

She could not be satisfied she really knew his character.

That he was a sensible man,

An agreeable man,

That he talked well,

Professed good opinions,

Seemed to judge properly and as a man of principle,

This was all clear enough.

He certainly knew what was right.

Nor could she fix on any one article of moral duty evidently transgressed,

But yet she would have been afraid to answer for his conduct.

She distrusted the past,

If not the present.

The names which occasionally dropped of former associates,

The allusions to former practices and pursuits suggested suspicions not favourable of what he had been.

She saw there had been bad habits,

That sunday travelling had been a common thing,

That there had been a period of his life,

And probably not a short one,

When he had been at least careless in all serious matters.

And though he might now think very differently,

Who could answer for the true sentiments of a clever,

Cautious man,

Grown old enough to appreciate a fair character?

How could it ever be ascertained that his mind was truly cleansed?

Mr Elliot was rational,

Discreet,

Polished,

But he was not open.

There was never any burst of feeling,

Any warmth of indignation,

Nor of delight.

This,

To Anne,

Was a decided imperfection.

Her early impressions were incurable.

She prized the frank,

Open-hearted and eager character of beyond all others.

Warmth and enthusiasm did captivate her still.

She felt that she could so much more depend upon the sincerity of those who sometimes looked or said a careless or hasty thing,

Than of those whose presence of mind never varied,

And whose tongue never slipped.

Mr Elliot was too generally agreeable.

Various as were the tempers in her father's house,

He pleased them all.

He endured too well,

Stood too well with everybody.

He had spoken to her with some degree of openness of Mrs Clay,

Had appeared completely to see what Mrs Clay was about,

And hold her in contempt,

And yet Mrs Clay still found him as agreeable as anybody else.

Lady Russell saw either less or more than her young friend,

For she saw nothing to excite distrust.

She could not imagine a man more exactly what he ought to be than Mr Elliot,

Nor did she ever enjoy a sweeter feeling than the hope of seeing him receive the hand of her beloved Anne in Kellynch Church in the course of the following autumn.

Book two,

Chapter six.

It was the beginning of February,

And Anne,

Having been a month in Bath,

Was growing very eager for news from Uppercross and Lyne.

She wanted to hear much more than Mary had communicated.

It was three weeks since she'd heard at all.

She only knew that Henrietta was at home again,

And that Louisa,

Though considered to be recovering fast,

Was still in Lyne,

And she was thinking of them all very intently one evening,

When a thicker letter from Usual was from Mary delivered to her,

And to quicken the pleasure and surprise with Admiral and Mrs Croft's compliments.

The Crofts must be in Bath,

A circumstance to interest her.

They were people whom her heart turned to very naturally.

"'What is this?

' cried Sir Walter.

"'The Crofts have arrived in Bath.

"'The Crofts,

Who rent Kellynch.

"'What have they brought you?

' "'A letter from Uppercross Cottage,

Sir.

' "'Oh,

Those letters are convenient passports.

"'They secure an introduction.

"'I should have visited Admiral Croft,

However,

At any rate.

"'I know what is due to my tenant.

' "'Anne could listen no longer.

"'She could not even have told how the poor Admiral's complexion escaped.

"'Her letter engrossed her.

"'It had begun several days back.

"'My dear Anne,

' began Mary,

"'I make no apology for my silence because "'I know how little people think of letters in such a place as Bath.

"'You must be a great deal too happy to care for Uppercross,

Which,

As you very well "'know,

Affords little to write about.

"'We have had a very dull Christmas.

"'Mr and Mrs Musgrove had not one dinner party all the holidays.

"'I do not reckon the haters as anybody.

"'The holidays,

However,

Are over at last.

"'I believe no children ever had such long ones.

"'I am sure I had not.

"'The house was cleared yesterday except of the little Harvilles,

"'but you will be surprised to hear they have never gone home.

"'Mrs Harville must be an odd mother to part with them for so long.

"'I do not understand it.

"'There are not at all nice children in my opinion,

"'but Mrs Musgrove seems to like them quite as well,

"'if not better,

Than her own grandchildren.

"'What dreadful weather we have had!

"'It may not be felt in Bath with your nice pavements,

"'but in the country it is of some consequence.

"'I have not had a creature call on me since the second week in January "'except Charles Hayter,

"'who had been calling much oftener than was welcome.

"'Between ourselves,

I think it is a great pity Henrietta did not remain at Lyme "'as long as Louisa.

"'It would have kept her a little out of his way.

"'The carriage is gone today to bring Louisa and the Harvilles tomorrow.

"'We are not asked to dine with them,

However,

Till the day after.

"'Mrs Musgrove is so afraid of her being fatigued by the journey,

"'which is not very likely,

"'considering the care that will be taken of her.

"'And it will be much more convenient to me to dine there tomorrow.

"'I am glad you find Miss Relliot so agreeable.

"'And I wish I could be acquainted with him too,

"'but I have my usual luck.

"'I am always out of the way when anything desirable is going on,

"'always the last of my family to be noticed.

"'What an immense time Mrs Clay has been staying with Elizabeth,

"'does she ever mean to go away?

"'Perhaps if she were to leave the room vacant we might not be invited.

"'Let me know what you think of this.

"'I do not expect my children to be asked,

You know.

"'I can leave them at the Great House very well for a month or six weeks.

"'I have this moment heard the Crofts are going to Bath almost immediately.

"'They think the Admiral gouty.

"'Charles heard it quite by chance.

"'They have not had the civility to give me any notice or of offering to take anything.

"'I do not think they improve us at all as neighbours.

"'We see nothing of them,

"'and this really is an instance of gross inattention.

"'Charles joins me in love and everything proper.

"'Yours affectionately,

Mary M.

' "'I am sorry to say I am very far from well "'and Jemima has just told me "'the butcher says there's a bad sore throat about.

"'I dare say I shall catch it,

"'and my sore throats,

You know,

Are always worse than anybody's.

' So ended the first part of the letter,

Which had been afterwards put into an envelope containing nearly as much more.

I kept my letter open that I might send you word of how Louisa bore her journey,

And now I'm extremely glad I did,

Having a great deal to add.

In the first place,

I had a note from Mrs Croft yesterday offering to convey anything to you.

A very kind,

Friendly note indeed,

Addressed to me just as it ought.

I shall therefore be able to make the letter as long as I like.

The Admiral does not seem very ill,

And I sincerely hope Bath will do him all the good it wants.

I shall be truly glad to have them back again.

Our neighbourhood cannot spare such a pleasant family.

But now for Louisa.

I have something to communicate that will astonish you not a little.

She and the Harvilles came on Tuesday very safely,

And in the evening we went to ask how she did,

And we were rather surprised not to find Captain Benwick of the party,

For he'd been invited as well as the Harvilles.

And what do you think was the reason?

Neither more nor less than his being in love with Louisa,

And not choosing to venture to up-cross till he had an answer from Mr Musgrove,

For it was all settled between,

True upon my honour.

Are you not astonished?

I shall be surprised at least if you ever received a hint of it,

For I never did.

Mrs Musgrove protests solemnly.

She knows nothing of the matter.

We are all very pleased,

However,

But though it's not equal to her marrying Captain Wentworth,

It's infinitely better than Charles Hayter,

And Mr Musgrove has written his consent,

And Captain Benwick is expected today.

Mrs Harville says her husband feels a good deal on this poor sister's account,

But,

However,

Louisa is a great favourite with both.

Indeed,

Mrs Harville and I quite agree.

We love her the better for having nursed her.

Charles wonders what will happen when Captain Wentworth hears,

But,

As you recall,

I never thought him attached to Louisa.

I could never see anything of it.

And this is the end you see of Captain Benwick's being supposed to be an admirer of yours.

How Charles could take such a thing into his head was always incomprehensible to me.

I hope he'll be more agreeable now.

Certainly not a great match for Louisa,

But a million times better than marrying among the haters.

Anne had never in her life been more astonished.

Captain Benwick and Louisa Musgrove,

It was almost too wonderful for belief.

And it was within the greatest effort she could remain in the room,

Preserve an air of calmness,

And answer the common questions of the moment.