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1Marianne had now been brought by degrees, so much into the habit of going out every day, that it was become a matter of
2indifference to her, whether she went or not: and she prepared quietly and mechanically for every evening's engagement,
3though without expecting the smallest amusement from any, and very often without knowing, till the last moment, where it
4was to take her. To her dress and appearance she was grown so perfectly indifferent, as not to bestow half the
5consideration on it, during the whole of her toilet, which it received from Miss Steele in the first five minutes of
6their being together, when it was finished. Nothing escaped her minute observation and general curiosity; she saw every
7thing, and asked every thing; was never easy till she knew the price of every part of Marianne's dress; could have
8guessed the number of her gowns altogether with better judgment than Marianne herself, and was not without hopes of
9finding out before they parted, how much her washing cost per week, and how much she had every year to spend upon
10herself. The impertinence of these kind of scrutinies, moreover, was generally concluded with a compliment, which though
11meant as its douceur, was considered by Marianne as the greatest impertinence of all; for after undergoing an
12examination into the value and make of her gown, the colour of her shoes, and the arrangement of her hair, she was
13almost sure of being told that upon "her word she looked vastly smart, and she dared to say she would make a great many
14conquests." With such encouragement as this, was she dismissed on the present occasion, to her brother's carriage; which
15they were ready to enter five minutes after it stopped at the door, a punctuality not very agreeable to their
16sister-in-law, who had preceded them to the house of her acquaintance, and was there hoping for some delay on their part
17that might inconvenience either herself or her coachman. The events of this evening were not very remarkable. The party,
18like other musical parties, comprehended a great many people who had real taste for the performance, and a great many
19more who had none at all; and the performers themselves were, as usual, in their own estimation, and that of their
20immediate friends, the first private performers in England. As Elinor was neither musical, nor affecting to be so, she
21made no scruple of turning her eyes from the grand pianoforte, whenever it suited her, and unrestrained even by the
22presence of a harp, and violoncello, would fix them at pleasure on any other object in the room. In one of these
23excursive glances she perceived among a group of young men, the very he, who had given them a lecture on toothpick-cases
24at Gray's. She perceived him soon afterwards looking at herself, and speaking familiarly to her brother; and had just
25determined to find out his name from the latter, when they both came towards her, and Mr. Dashwood introduced him to her
26as Mr. Robert Ferrars. He addressed her with easy civility, and twisted his head into a bow which assured her as plainly
27as words could have done, that he was exactly the coxcomb she had heard him described to be by Lucy. Happy had it been
28for her, if her regard for Edward had depended less on his own merit, than on the merit of his nearest relations! For
29then his brother's bow must have given the finishing stroke to what the ill-humour of his mother and sister would have
30begun. But while she wondered at the difference of the two young men, she did not find that the emptiness and conceit of
31the one, put her out of all charity with the modesty and worth of the other. Why they were different, Robert explained
32to her himself in the course of a quarter of an hour's conversation; for, talking of his brother, and lamenting the
33extreme gaucherie which he really believed kept him from mixing in proper society, he candidly and generously attributed
34it much less to any natural deficiency, than to the misfortune of a private education; while he himself, though probably
35without any particular, any material superiority by nature, merely from the advantage of a public school, was as well
36fitted to mix in the world as any other man. "Upon my soul," he added, "I believe it is nothing more; and so I often
37tell my mother, when she is grieving about it. 'My dear Madam,' I always say to her, 'you must make yourself easy. The
38evil is now irremediable, and it has been entirely your own doing. Why would you be persuaded by my uncle, Sir Robert,
39against your own judgment, to place Edward under private tuition, at the most critical time of his life? If you had only
40sent him to Westminster as well as myself, instead of sending him to Mr. Pratt's, all this would have been prevented.'
41This is the way in which I always consider the matter, and my mother is perfectly convinced of her error." Elinor would
42not oppose his opinion, because, whatever might be her general estimation of the advantage of a public school, she could
43not think of Edward's abode in Mr. Pratt's family, with any satisfaction. "You reside in Devonshire, I think,"--was his
44next observation, "in a cottage near Dawlish." Elinor set him right as to its situation; and it seemed rather surprising
45to him that anybody could live in Devonshire, without living near Dawlish. He bestowed his hearty approbation however on
46their species of house. "For my own part," said he, "I am excessively fond of a cottage; there is always so much
47comfort, so much elegance about them. And I protest, if I had any money to spare, I should buy a little land and build
48one myself, within a short distance of London, where I might drive myself down at any time, and collect a few friends
49about me, and be happy. I advise every body who is going to build, to build a cottage. My friend Lord Courtland came to
50me the other day on purpose to ask my advice, and laid before me three different plans of Bonomi's. I was to decide on
51the best of them. 'My dear Courtland,' said I, immediately throwing them all into the fire, 'do not adopt either of
52them, but by all means build a cottage.' And that I fancy, will be the end of it. "Some people imagine that there can be
53no accommodations, no space in a cottage; but this is all a mistake. I was last month at my friend Elliott's, near
54Dartford. Lady Elliott wished to give a dance. 'But how can it be done?' said she; 'my dear Ferrars, do tell me how it
55is to be managed. There is not a room in this cottage that will hold ten couple, and where can the supper be?' I
56immediately saw that there could be no difficulty in it, so I said, 'My dear Lady Elliott, do not be uneasy. The dining
57parlour will admit eighteen couple with ease; card-tables may be placed in the drawing-room; the library may be open for
58tea and other refreshments; and let the supper be set out in the saloon.' Lady Elliott was delighted with the thought.
59We measured the dining-room, and found it would hold exactly eighteen couple, and the affair was arranged precisely
60after my plan. So that, in fact, you see, if people do but know how to set about it, every comfort may be as well
61enjoyed in a cottage as in the most spacious dwelling." Elinor agreed to it all, for she did not think he deserved the
62compliment of rational opposition. As John Dashwood had no more pleasure in music than his eldest sister, his mind was
63equally at liberty to fix on any thing else; and a thought struck him during the evening, which he communicated to his
64wife, for her approbation, when they got home. The consideration of Mrs. Dennison's mistake, in supposing his sisters
65their guests, had suggested the propriety of their being really invited to become such, while Mrs. Jennings's
66engagements kept her from home. The expense would be nothing, the inconvenience not more; and it was altogether an
67attention which the delicacy of his conscience pointed out to be requisite to its complete enfranchisement from his
68promise to his father. Fanny was startled at the proposal. "I do not see how it can be done," said she, "without
69affronting Lady Middleton, for they spend every day with her; otherwise I should be exceedingly glad to do it. You know
70I am always ready to pay them any attention in my power, as my taking them out this evening shows. But they are Lady
71Middleton's visitors. How can I ask them away from her?"
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