Good evening. Welcome to the Just Sleep podcast. I'm Tasia, your host.

Every week, I will read you an old story to help you relax of the stressful day behind you and drift off to sleep.

Occasionally, we will run ads in order to cover the costs of the production of the podcast.

Rest assured, there will be no ads during or after the story.

If you prefer an ad-free and intro-free show, you can join Just Sleep Premium.

Visit Just Sleeppodcast.com slash support for more information.

Tonight, I will be reading Love by Elizabeth von Arnim.

So lie down, close your eyes, and let me read you a story.

Part 1, Chapter 1

The first time they met, though they didn't know it, for they were unconscious of each other,

was at the immortal hour, then playing to almost empty houses away at King's

Cross.

But they both went so often, and the audience at that time was so conspicuous, because there

were so little of it and so much room to put it in.

But quite soon people who went frequently got to know each other by sight and felt friendly and inclined to nod and smile.

And this happened too to Christopher and Catherine.

She first became aware of him on the evening of her fifth visit,

when she heard two people talking just behind her before the curtain went up,

and one said, sounding proud,

this is my eleventh time, and the other answered carelessly, this is my 32nd, upon which the first one exclaimed, oh, I say, with much the sound of a pricked balloon wailing itself flat,

and she couldn't resist turning her face,

lit up with interest and amusement, to look. Thus she saw Christopher consciously for the first time,

...