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1"I wrote to him, my love, last week, and rather expect to see, than to hear from him again. I earnestly pressed his
2coming to us, and should not be surprised to see him walk in today or tomorrow, or any day." This was gaining something,
3something to look forward to. Colonel Brandon must have some information to give. Scarcely had she so determined it,
4when the figure of a man on horseback drew her eyes to the window. He stopt at their gate. It was a gentleman, it was
5Colonel Brandon himself. Now she could hear more; and she trembled in expectation of it. But it was not Colonel Brandon;
6neither his air, nor his height. Were it possible, she must say it must be Edward. She looked again. He had just
7dismounted: she could not be mistaken,--it was Edward. She moved away and sat down. "He comes from Mr. Pratt's purposely
8to see us. I will be calm; I will be mistress of myself." In a moment she perceived that the others were likewise aware
9of the mistake. She saw her mother and Marianne change colour; saw them look at herself, and whisper a few sentences to
10each other. She would have given the world to be able to speak--and to make them understand that she hoped no coolness,
11no slight, would appear in their behaviour to him;--but she had no utterance, and was obliged to leave all to their own
12discretion. Not a syllable passed aloud. They all waited in silence for the appearance of their visitor. His footsteps
13were heard along the gravel path; in a moment he was in the passage, and in another he was before them. His countenance,
14as he entered the room, was not too happy, even for Elinor. His complexion was white with agitation, and he looked as if
15fearful of his reception, and conscious that he merited no kind one. Mrs. Dashwood, however, conforming, as she trusted,
16to the wishes of that daughter, by whom she then meant in the warmth of her heart to be guided in every thing, met him
17with a look of forced complacency, gave him her hand, and wished him joy. He coloured, and stammered out an
18unintelligible reply. Elinor's lips had moved with her mother's, and, when the moment of action was over, she wished
19that she had shaken hands with him too. But it was then too late, and with a countenance meaning to be open, she sat
20down again and talked of the weather. Marianne had retreated as much as possible out of sight, to conceal her distress;
21and Margaret, understanding some part, but not the whole of the case, thought it incumbent on her to be dignified, and
22therefore took a seat as far from him as she could, and maintained a strict silence. When Elinor had ceased to rejoice
23in the dryness of the season, a very awful pause took place. It was put an end to by Mrs. Dashwood, who felt obliged to
24hope that he had left Mrs. Ferrars very well. In a hurried manner, he replied in the affirmative. Another pause. Elinor
25resolving to exert herself, though fearing the sound of her own voice, now said, "Is Mrs. Ferrars at Longstaple?" "At
26Longstaple!" he replied, with an air of surprise. "No, my mother is in town." "I meant," said Elinor, taking up some
27work from the table, "to enquire for Mrs. Edward Ferrars." She dared not look up;--but her mother and Marianne both
28turned their eyes on him. He coloured, seemed perplexed, looked doubtingly, and, after some hesitation, said,-- "Perhaps
29you mean--my brother--you mean Mrs.--Mrs. Robert Ferrars." "Mrs. Robert Ferrars!" was repeated by Marianne and her
30mother in an accent of the utmost amazement; and though Elinor could not speak, even her eyes were fixed on him with the
31same impatient wonder. He rose from his seat, and walked to the window, apparently from not knowing what to do; took up
32a pair of scissors that lay there, and while spoiling both them and their sheath by cutting the latter to pieces as he
33spoke, said, in a hurried voice,-- "Perhaps you do not know: you may not have heard that my brother is lately married
34to--to the youngest--to Miss Lucy Steele." His words were echoed with unspeakable astonishment by all but Elinor, who
35sat with her head leaning over her work, in a state of such agitation as made her hardly know where she was. "Yes," said
36he, "they were married last week, and are now at Dawlish." Elinor could sit it no longer. She almost ran out of the
37room, and as soon as the door was closed, burst into tears of joy, which at first she thought would never cease. Edward,
38who had till then looked any where, rather than at her, saw her hurry away, and perhaps saw--or even heard, her emotion;
39for immediately afterwards he fell into a reverie, which no remarks, no inquiries, no affectionate address of Mrs.
40Dashwood could penetrate, and at last, without saying a word, quitted the room, and walked out towards the
41village--leaving the others in the greatest astonishment and perplexity on a change in his situation, so wonderful and
42so sudden;--a perplexity which they had no means of lessening but by their own conjectures. CHAPTER XLIX. Unaccountable,
43however, as the circumstances of his release might appear to the whole family, it was certain that Edward was free; and
44to what purpose that freedom would be employed was easily pre-determined by all;--for after experiencing the blessings
45of one imprudent engagement, contracted without his mother's consent, as he had already done for more than four years,
46nothing less could be expected of him in the failure of that, than the immediate contraction of another. His errand at
47Barton, in fact, was a simple one. It was only to ask Elinor to marry him;--and considering that he was not altogether
48inexperienced in such a question, it might be strange that he should feel so uncomfortable in the present case as he
49really did, so much in need of encouragement and fresh air. How soon he had walked himself into the proper resolution,
50however, how soon an opportunity of exercising it occurred, in what manner he expressed himself, and how he was
51received, need not be particularly told. This only need be said;--that when they all sat down to table at four o'clock,
52about three hours after his arrival, he had secured his lady, engaged her mother's consent, and was not only in the
53rapturous profession of the lover, but, in the reality of reason and truth, one of the happiest of men. His situation
54indeed was more than commonly joyful. He had more than the ordinary triumph of accepted love to swell his heart, and
55raise his spirits. He was released without any reproach to himself, from an entanglement which had long formed his
56misery, from a woman whom he had long ceased to love;--and elevated at once to that security with another, which he must
57have thought of almost with despair, as soon as he had learnt to consider it with desire. He was brought, not from doubt
58or suspense, but from misery to happiness;--and the change was openly spoken in such a genuine, flowing, grateful
59cheerfulness, as his friends had never witnessed in him before. His heart was now open to Elinor, all its weaknesses,
60all its errors confessed, and his first boyish attachment to Lucy treated with all the philosophic dignity of
61twenty-four.
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