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1Lady Middleton looked as if she thanked heaven that she had never made so rude a speech. "Marianne can never keep long
2from that instrument you know, ma'am," said Elinor, endeavouring to smooth away the offence; "and I do not much wonder
3at it; for it is the very best toned piano-forte I ever heard." The remaining five were now to draw their cards.
4"Perhaps," continued Elinor, "if I should happen to cut out, I may be of some use to Miss Lucy Steele, in rolling her
5papers for her; and there is so much still to be done to the basket, that it must be impossible I think for her labour
6singly, to finish it this evening. I should like the work exceedingly, if she would allow me a share in it." "Indeed I
7shall be very much obliged to you for your help," cried Lucy, "for I find there is more to be done to it than I thought
8there was; and it would be a shocking thing to disappoint dear Annamaria after all." "Oh! that would be terrible,
9indeed," said Miss Steele. "Dear little soul, how I do love her!" "You are very kind," said Lady Middleton to Elinor;
10"and as you really like the work, perhaps you will be as well pleased not to cut in till another rubber, or will you
11take your chance now?" Elinor joyfully profited by the first of these proposals, and thus by a little of that address
12which Marianne could never condescend to practise, gained her own end, and pleased Lady Middleton at the same time. Lucy
13made room for her with ready attention, and the two fair rivals were thus seated side by side at the same table, and,
14with the utmost harmony, engaged in forwarding the same work. The pianoforte at which Marianne, wrapped up in her own
15music and her own thoughts, had by this time forgotten that any body was in the room besides herself, was luckily so
16near them that Miss Dashwood now judged she might safely, under the shelter of its noise, introduce the interesting
17subject, without any risk of being heard at the card-table. CHAPTER XXIV. In a firm, though cautious tone, Elinor thus
18began. "I should be undeserving of the confidence you have honoured me with, if I felt no desire for its continuance, or
19no farther curiosity on its subject. I will not apologize therefore for bringing it forward again." "Thank you," cried
20Lucy warmly, "for breaking the ice; you have set my heart at ease by it; for I was somehow or other afraid I had
21offended you by what I told you that Monday." "Offended me! How could you suppose so? Believe me," and Elinor spoke it
22with the truest sincerity, "nothing could be farther from my intention than to give you such an idea. Could you have a
23motive for the trust, that was not honourable and flattering to me?" "And yet I do assure you," replied Lucy, her little
24sharp eyes full of meaning, "there seemed to me to be a coldness and displeasure in your manner that made me quite
25uncomfortable. I felt sure that you was angry with me; and have been quarrelling with myself ever since, for having took
26such a liberty as to trouble you with my affairs. But I am very glad to find it was only my own fancy, and that you
27really do not blame me. If you knew what a consolation it was to me to relieve my heart speaking to you of what I am
28always thinking of every moment of my life, your compassion would make you overlook every thing else I am sure."
29"Indeed, I can easily believe that it was a very great relief to you, to acknowledge your situation to me, and be
30assured that you shall never have reason to repent it. Your case is a very unfortunate one; you seem to me to be
31surrounded with difficulties, and you will have need of all your mutual affection to support you under them. Mr.
32Ferrars, I believe, is entirely dependent on his mother." "He has only two thousand pounds of his own; it would be
33madness to marry upon that, though for my own part, I could give up every prospect of more without a sigh. I have been
34always used to a very small income, and could struggle with any poverty for him; but I love him too well to be the
35selfish means of robbing him, perhaps, of all that his mother might give him if he married to please her. We must wait,
36it may be for many years. With almost every other man in the world, it would be an alarming prospect; but Edward's
37affection and constancy nothing can deprive me of I know." "That conviction must be every thing to you; and he is
38undoubtedly supported by the same trust in your's. If the strength of your reciprocal attachment had failed, as between
39many people, and under many circumstances it naturally would during a four years' engagement, your situation would have
40been pitiable, indeed." Lucy here looked up; but Elinor was careful in guarding her countenance from every expression
41that could give her words a suspicious tendency. "Edward's love for me," said Lucy, "has been pretty well put to the
42test, by our long, very long absence since we were first engaged, and it has stood the trial so well, that I should be
43unpardonable to doubt it now. I can safely say that he has never gave me one moment's alarm on that account from the
44first." Elinor hardly knew whether to smile or sigh at this assertion. Lucy went on. "I am rather of a jealous temper
45too by nature, and from our different situations in life, from his being so much more in the world than me, and our
46continual separation, I was enough inclined for suspicion, to have found out the truth in an instant, if there had been
47the slightest alteration in his behaviour to me when we met, or any lowness of spirits that I could not account for, or
48if he had talked more of one lady than another, or seemed in any respect less happy at Longstaple than he used to be. I
49do not mean to say that I am particularly observant or quick-sighted in general, but in such a case I am sure I could
50not be deceived." "All this," thought Elinor, "is very pretty; but it can impose upon neither of us." "But what," said
51she after a short silence, "are your views? or have you none but that of waiting for Mrs. Ferrars's death, which is a
52melancholy and shocking extremity?--Is her son determined to submit to this, and to all the tediousness of the many
53years of suspense in which it may involve you, rather than run the risk of her displeasure for a while by owning the
54truth?" "If we could be certain that it would be only for a while! But Mrs. Ferrars is a very headstrong proud woman,
55and in her first fit of anger upon hearing it, would very likely secure every thing to Robert, and the idea of that, for
56Edward's sake, frightens away all my inclination for hasty measures." "And for your own sake too, or you are carrying
57your disinterestedness beyond reason." Lucy looked at Elinor again, and was silent. "Do you know Mr. Robert Ferrars?"
58asked Elinor. "Not at all--I never saw him; but I fancy he is very unlike his brother--silly and a great coxcomb." "A
59great coxcomb!" repeated Miss Steele, whose ear had caught those words by a sudden pause in Marianne's music. "Oh, they
60are talking of their favourite beaux, I dare say." "No sister," cried Lucy, "you are mistaken there, our favourite beaux
61are not great coxcombs." "I can answer for it that Miss Dashwood's is not," said Mrs. Jennings, laughing heartily; "for
62he is one of the modestest, prettiest behaved young men I ever saw; but as for Lucy, she is such a sly little creature,
63there is no finding out who she likes." "Oh," cried Miss Steele, looking significantly round at them, "I dare say Lucy's
64beau is quite as modest and pretty behaved as Miss Dashwood's." Elinor blushed in spite of herself. Lucy bit her lip,
65and looked angrily at her sister. A mutual silence took place for some time. Lucy first put an end to it by saying in a
66lower tone, though Marianne was then giving them the powerful protection of a very magnificent concerto,--
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