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1From a reverie of this kind, as she sat at her drawing-table, she was roused one morning, soon after Edward's leaving
2them, by the arrival of company. She happened to be quite alone. The closing of the little gate, at the entrance of the
3green court in front of the house, drew her eyes to the window, and she saw a large party walking up to the door.
4Amongst them were Sir John and Lady Middleton and Mrs. Jennings, but there were two others, a gentleman and lady, who
5were quite unknown to her. She was sitting near the window, and as soon as Sir John perceived her, he left the rest of
6the party to the ceremony of knocking at the door, and stepping across the turf, obliged her to open the casement to
7speak to him, though the space was so short between the door and the window, as to make it hardly possible to speak at
8one without being heard at the other. "Well," said he, "we have brought you some strangers. How do you like them?"
9"Hush! they will hear you." "Never mind if they do. It is only the Palmers. Charlotte is very pretty, I can tell you.
10You may see her if you look this way." As Elinor was certain of seeing her in a couple of minutes, without taking that
11liberty, she begged to be excused. "Where is Marianne? Has she run away because we are come? I see her instrument is
12open." "She is walking, I believe." They were now joined by Mrs. Jennings, who had not patience enough to wait till the
13door was opened before she told her story. She came hallooing to the window, "How do you do, my dear? How does Mrs.
14Dashwood do? And where are your sisters? What! all alone! you will be glad of a little company to sit with you. I have
15brought my other son and daughter to see you. Only think of their coming so suddenly! I thought I heard a carriage last
16night, while we were drinking our tea, but it never entered my head that it could be them. I thought of nothing but
17whether it might not be Colonel Brandon come back again; so I said to Sir John, I do think I hear a carriage; perhaps it
18is Colonel Brandon come back again--" Elinor was obliged to turn from her, in the middle of her story, to receive the
19rest of the party; Lady Middleton introduced the two strangers; Mrs. Dashwood and Margaret came down stairs at the same
20time, and they all sat down to look at one another, while Mrs. Jennings continued her story as she walked through the
21passage into the parlour, attended by Sir John. Mrs. Palmer was several years younger than Lady Middleton, and totally
22unlike her in every respect. She was short and plump, had a very pretty face, and the finest expression of good humour
23in it that could possibly be. Her manners were by no means so elegant as her sister's, but they were much more
24prepossessing. She came in with a smile, smiled all the time of her visit, except when she laughed, and smiled when she
25went away. Her husband was a grave looking young man of five or six and twenty, with an air of more fashion and sense
26than his wife, but of less willingness to please or be pleased. He entered the room with a look of self-consequence,
27slightly bowed to the ladies, without speaking a word, and, after briefly surveying them and their apartments, took up a
28newspaper from the table, and continued to read it as long as he staid. Mrs. Palmer, on the contrary, who was strongly
29endowed by nature with a turn for being uniformly civil and happy, was hardly seated before her admiration of the
30parlour and every thing in it burst forth. "Well! what a delightful room this is! I never saw anything so charming! Only
31think, Mama, how it is improved since I was here last! I always thought it such a sweet place, ma'am! (turning to Mrs.
32Dashwood) but you have made it so charming! Only look, sister, how delightful every thing is! How I should like such a
33house for myself! Should not you, Mr. Palmer?" Mr. Palmer made her no answer, and did not even raise his eyes from the
34newspaper. "Mr. Palmer does not hear me," said she, laughing; "he never does sometimes. It is so ridiculous!" This was
35quite a new idea to Mrs. Dashwood; she had never been used to find wit in the inattention of any one, and could not help
36looking with surprise at them both. Mrs. Jennings, in the meantime, talked on as loud as she could, and continued her
37account of their surprise, the evening before, on seeing their friends, without ceasing till every thing was told. Mrs.
38Palmer laughed heartily at the recollection of their astonishment, and every body agreed, two or three times over, that
39it had been quite an agreeable surprise. "You may believe how glad we all were to see them," added Mrs. Jennings,
40leaning forward towards Elinor, and speaking in a low voice as if she meant to be heard by no one else, though they were
41seated on different sides of the room; "but, however, I can't help wishing they had not travelled quite so fast, nor
42made such a long journey of it, for they came all round by London upon account of some business, for you know (nodding
43significantly and pointing to her daughter) it was wrong in her situation. I wanted her to stay at home and rest this
44morning, but she would come with us; she longed so much to see you all!" Mrs. Palmer laughed, and said it would not do
45her any harm. "She expects to be confined in February," continued Mrs. Jennings. Lady Middleton could no longer endure
46such a conversation, and therefore exerted herself to ask Mr. Palmer if there was any news in the paper. "No, none at
47all," he replied, and read on. "Here comes Marianne," cried Sir John. "Now, Palmer, you shall see a monstrous pretty
48girl." He immediately went into the passage, opened the front door, and ushered her in himself. Mrs. Jennings asked her,
49as soon as she appeared, if she had not been to Allenham; and Mrs. Palmer laughed so heartily at the question, as to
50show she understood it. Mr. Palmer looked up on her entering the room, stared at her some minutes, and then returned to
51his newspaper. Mrs. Palmer's eye was now caught by the drawings which hung round the room. She got up to examine them.
52"Oh! dear, how beautiful these are! Well! how delightful! Do but look, mama, how sweet! I declare they are quite
53charming; I could look at them for ever." And then sitting down again, she very soon forgot that there were any such
54things in the room. When Lady Middleton rose to go away, Mr. Palmer rose also, laid down the newspaper, stretched
55himself and looked at them all around. "My love, have you been asleep?" said his wife, laughing. He made her no answer;
56and only observed, after again examining the room, that it was very low pitched, and that the ceiling was crooked. He
57then made his bow, and departed with the rest. Sir John had been very urgent with them all to spend the next day at the
58park. Mrs. Dashwood, who did not chuse to dine with them oftener than they dined at the cottage, absolutely refused on
59her own account; her daughters might do as they pleased. But they had no curiosity to see how Mr. and Mrs. Palmer ate
60their dinner, and no expectation of pleasure from them in any other way. They attempted, therefore, likewise, to excuse
61themselves; the weather was uncertain, and not likely to be good. But Sir John would not be satisfied--the carriage
62should be sent for them and they must come. Lady Middleton too, though she did not press their mother, pressed them.
63Mrs. Jennings and Mrs. Palmer joined their entreaties, all seemed equally anxious to avoid a family party; and the young
64ladies were obliged to yield. "Why should they ask us?" said Marianne, as soon as they were gone. "The rent of this
65cottage is said to be low; but we have it on very hard terms, if we are to dine at the park whenever any one is staying
66either with them, or with us." "They mean no less to be civil and kind to us now," said Elinor, "by these frequent
67invitations, than by those which we received from them a few weeks ago. The alteration is not in them, if their parties
68are grown tedious and dull. We must look for the change elsewhere." CHAPTER XX.
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