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1"Nay, my dear, I'm sure I don't pretend to say that there an't. I'm sure there's a vast many smart beaux in Exeter; but
2you know, how could I tell what smart beaux there might be about Norland; and I was only afraid the Miss Dashwoods might
3find it dull at Barton, if they had not so many as they used to have. But perhaps you young ladies may not care about
4the beaux, and had as lief be without them as with them. For my part, I think they are vastly agreeable, provided they
5dress smart and behave civil. But I can't bear to see them dirty and nasty. Now there's Mr. Rose at Exeter, a prodigious
6smart young man, quite a beau, clerk to Mr. Simpson, you know, and yet if you do but meet him of a morning, he is not
7fit to be seen. I suppose your brother was quite a beau, Miss Dashwood, before he married, as he was so rich?" "Upon my
8word," replied Elinor, "I cannot tell you, for I do not perfectly comprehend the meaning of the word. But this I can
9say, that if he ever was a beau before he married, he is one still for there is not the smallest alteration in him."
10"Oh! dear! one never thinks of married men's being beaux--they have something else to do." "Lord! Anne," cried her
11sister, "you can talk of nothing but beaux;--you will make Miss Dashwood believe you think of nothing else." And then to
12turn the discourse, she began admiring the house and the furniture. This specimen of the Miss Steeles was enough. The
13vulgar freedom and folly of the eldest left her no recommendation, and as Elinor was not blinded by the beauty, or the
14shrewd look of the youngest, to her want of real elegance and artlessness, she left the house without any wish of
15knowing them better. Not so the Miss Steeles. They came from Exeter, well provided with admiration for the use of Sir
16John Middleton, his family, and all his relations, and no niggardly proportion was now dealt out to his fair cousins,
17whom they declared to be the most beautiful, elegant, accomplished, and agreeable girls they had ever beheld, and with
18whom they were particularly anxious to be better acquainted. And to be better acquainted therefore, Elinor soon found
19was their inevitable lot, for as Sir John was entirely on the side of the Miss Steeles, their party would be too strong
20for opposition, and that kind of intimacy must be submitted to, which consists of sitting an hour or two together in the
21same room almost every day. Sir John could do no more; but he did not know that any more was required: to be together
22was, in his opinion, to be intimate, and while his continual schemes for their meeting were effectual, he had not a
23doubt of their being established friends. To do him justice, he did every thing in his power to promote their unreserve,
24by making the Miss Steeles acquainted with whatever he knew or supposed of his cousins' situations in the most delicate
25particulars; and Elinor had not seen them more than twice, before the eldest of them wished her joy on her sister's
26having been so lucky as to make a conquest of a very smart beau since she came to Barton. "'Twill be a fine thing to
27have her married so young to be sure," said she, "and I hear he is quite a beau, and prodigious handsome. And I hope you
28may have as good luck yourself soon,--but perhaps you may have a friend in the corner already." Elinor could not suppose
29that Sir John would be more nice in proclaiming his suspicions of her regard for Edward, than he had been with respect
30to Marianne; indeed it was rather his favourite joke of the two, as being somewhat newer and more conjectural; and since
31Edward's visit, they had never dined together without his drinking to her best affections with so much significancy and
32so many nods and winks, as to excite general attention. The letter F--had been likewise invariably brought forward, and
33found productive of such countless jokes, that its character as the wittiest letter in the alphabet had been long
34established with Elinor. The Miss Steeles, as she expected, had now all the benefit of these jokes, and in the eldest of
35them they raised a curiosity to know the name of the gentleman alluded to, which, though often impertinently expressed,
36was perfectly of a piece with her general inquisitiveness into the concerns of their family. But Sir John did not sport
37long with the curiosity which he delighted to raise, for he had at least as much pleasure in telling the name, as Miss
38Steele had in hearing it. "His name is Ferrars," said he, in a very audible whisper; "but pray do not tell it, for it's
39a great secret." "Ferrars!" repeated Miss Steele; "Mr. Ferrars is the happy man, is he? What! your sister-in-law's
40brother, Miss Dashwood? a very agreeable young man to be sure; I know him very well." "How can you say so, Anne?" cried
41Lucy, who generally made an amendment to all her sister's assertions. "Though we have seen him once or twice at my
42uncle's, it is rather too much to pretend to know him very well." Elinor heard all this with attention and surprise.
43"And who was this uncle? Where did he live? How came they acquainted?" She wished very much to have the subject
44continued, though she did not chuse to join in it herself; but nothing more of it was said, and for the first time in
45her life, she thought Mrs. Jennings deficient either in curiosity after petty information, or in a disposition to
46communicate it. The manner in which Miss Steele had spoken of Edward, increased her curiosity; for it struck her as
47being rather ill-natured, and suggested the suspicion of that lady's knowing, or fancying herself to know something to
48his disadvantage.--But her curiosity was unavailing, for no farther notice was taken of Mr. Ferrars's name by Miss
49Steele when alluded to, or even openly mentioned by Sir John. CHAPTER XXII. Marianne, who had never much toleration for
50any thing like impertinence, vulgarity, inferiority of parts, or even difference of taste from herself, was at this time
51particularly ill-disposed, from the state of her spirits, to be pleased with the Miss Steeles, or to encourage their
52advances; and to the invariable coldness of her behaviour towards them, which checked every endeavour at intimacy on
53their side, Elinor principally attributed that preference of herself which soon became evident in the manners of both,
54but especially of Lucy, who missed no opportunity of engaging her in conversation, or of striving to improve their
55acquaintance by an easy and frank communication of her sentiments. Lucy was naturally clever; her remarks were often
56just and amusing; and as a companion for half an hour Elinor frequently found her agreeable; but her powers had received
57no aid from education: she was ignorant and illiterate; and her deficiency of all mental improvement, her want of
58information in the most common particulars, could not be concealed from Miss Dashwood, in spite of her constant
59endeavour to appear to advantage. Elinor saw, and pitied her for, the neglect of abilities which education might have
60rendered so respectable; but she saw, with less tenderness of feeling, the thorough want of delicacy, of rectitude, and
61integrity of mind, which her attentions, her assiduities, her flatteries at the Park betrayed; and she could have no
62lasting satisfaction in the company of a person who joined insincerity with ignorance; whose want of instruction
63prevented their meeting in conversation on terms of equality, and whose conduct toward others made every show of
64attention and deference towards herself perfectly valueless. "You will think my question an odd one, I dare say," said
65Lucy to her one day, as they were walking together from the park to the cottage--"but pray, are you personally
66acquainted with your sister-in-law's mother, Mrs. Ferrars?" Elinor did think the question a very odd one, and her
67countenance expressed it, as she answered that she had never seen Mrs. Ferrars. "Indeed!" replied Lucy; "I wonder at
68that, for I thought you must have seen her at Norland sometimes. Then, perhaps, you cannot tell me what sort of a woman
69she is?" "No," returned Elinor, cautious of giving her real opinion of Edward's mother, and not very desirous of
70satisfying what seemed impertinent curiosity; "I know nothing of her." "I am sure you think me very strange, for
71enquiring about her in such a way," said Lucy, eyeing Elinor attentively as she spoke; "but perhaps there may be
72reasons--I wish I might venture; but however I hope you will do me the justice of believing that I do not mean to be
73impertinent."
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