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1Colonel Brandon's delicate, unobtrusive enquiries were never unwelcome to Miss Dashwood. He had abundantly earned the
2privilege of intimate discussion of her sister's disappointment, by the friendly zeal with which he had endeavoured to
3soften it, and they always conversed with confidence. His chief reward for the painful exertion of disclosing past
4sorrows and present humiliations, was given in the pitying eye with which Marianne sometimes observed him, and the
5gentleness of her voice whenever (though it did not often happen) she was obliged, or could oblige herself to speak to
6him. These assured him that his exertion had produced an increase of good-will towards himself, and these gave Elinor
7hopes of its being farther augmented hereafter; but Mrs. Jennings, who knew nothing of all this, who knew only that the
8Colonel continued as grave as ever, and that she could neither prevail on him to make the offer himself, nor commission
9her to make it for him, began, at the end of two days, to think that, instead of Midsummer, they would not be married
10till Michaelmas, and by the end of a week that it would not be a match at all. The good understanding between the
11Colonel and Miss Dashwood seemed rather to declare that the honours of the mulberry-tree, the canal, and the yew arbour,
12would all be made over to her; and Mrs. Jennings had, for some time ceased to think at all of Mrs. Ferrars. Early in
13February, within a fortnight from the receipt of Willoughby's letter, Elinor had the painful office of informing her
14sister that he was married. She had taken care to have the intelligence conveyed to herself, as soon as it was known
15that the ceremony was over, as she was desirous that Marianne should not receive the first notice of it from the public
16papers, which she saw her eagerly examining every morning. She received the news with resolute composure; made no
17observation on it, and at first shed no tears; but after a short time they would burst out, and for the rest of the day,
18she was in a state hardly less pitiable than when she first learnt to expect the event. The Willoughbys left town as
19soon as they were married; and Elinor now hoped, as there could be no danger of her seeing either of them, to prevail on
20her sister, who had never yet left the house since the blow first fell, to go out again by degrees as she had done
21before. About this time the two Miss Steeles, lately arrived at their cousin's house in Bartlett's Buildings, Holburn,
22presented themselves again before their more grand relations in Conduit and Berkeley Streets; and were welcomed by them
23all with great cordiality. Elinor only was sorry to see them. Their presence always gave her pain, and she hardly knew
24how to make a very gracious return to the overpowering delight of Lucy in finding her still in town. "I should have been
25quite disappointed if I had not found you here still," said she repeatedly, with a strong emphasis on the word. "But I
26always thought I should. I was almost sure you would not leave London yet awhile; though you told me, you know, at
27Barton, that you should not stay above a month. But I thought, at the time, that you would most likely change your mind
28when it came to the point. It would have been such a great pity to have went away before your brother and sister came.
29And now to be sure you will be in no hurry to be gone. I am amazingly glad you did not keep to your word." Elinor
30perfectly understood her, and was forced to use all her self-command to make it appear that she did not. "Well, my
31dear," said Mrs. Jennings, "and how did you travel?" "Not in the stage, I assure you," replied Miss Steele, with quick
32exultation; "we came post all the way, and had a very smart beau to attend us. Dr. Davies was coming to town, and so we
33thought we'd join him in a post-chaise; and he behaved very genteelly, and paid ten or twelve shillings more than we
34did." "Oh, oh!" cried Mrs. Jennings; "very pretty, indeed! and the Doctor is a single man, I warrant you." "There now,"
35said Miss Steele, affectedly simpering, "everybody laughs at me so about the Doctor, and I cannot think why. My cousins
36say they are sure I have made a conquest; but for my part I declare I never think about him from one hour's end to
37another. 'Lord! here comes your beau, Nancy,' my cousin said t'other day, when she saw him crossing the street to the
38house. My beau, indeed! said I--I cannot think who you mean. The Doctor is no beau of mine." "Aye, aye, that is very
39pretty talking--but it won't do--the Doctor is the man, I see." "No, indeed!" replied her cousin, with affected
40earnestness, "and I beg you will contradict it, if you ever hear it talked of." Mrs. Jennings directly gave her the
41gratifying assurance that she certainly would not, and Miss Steele was made completely happy. "I suppose you will go and
42stay with your brother and sister, Miss Dashwood, when they come to town," said Lucy, returning, after a cessation of
43hostile hints, to the charge. "No, I do not think we shall." "Oh, yes, I dare say you will." Elinor would not humour her
44by farther opposition. "What a charming thing it is that Mrs. Dashwood can spare you both for so long a time together!"
45"Long a time, indeed!" interposed Mrs. Jennings. "Why, their visit is but just begun!" Lucy was silenced. "I am sorry we
46cannot see your sister, Miss Dashwood," said Miss Steele. "I am sorry she is not well--" for Marianne had left the room
47on their arrival. "You are very good. My sister will be equally sorry to miss the pleasure of seeing you; but she has
48been very much plagued lately with nervous head-aches, which make her unfit for company or conversation." "Oh, dear,
49that is a great pity! but such old friends as Lucy and me!--I think she might see us; and I am sure we would not speak a
50word." Elinor, with great civility, declined the proposal. Her sister was perhaps laid down upon the bed, or in her
51dressing gown, and therefore not able to come to them. "Oh, if that's all," cried Miss Steele, "we can just as well go
52and see her." Elinor began to find this impertinence too much for her temper; but she was saved the trouble of checking
53it, by Lucy's sharp reprimand, which now, as on many occasions, though it did not give much sweetness to the manners of
54one sister, was of advantage in governing those of the other. CHAPTER XXXIII. After some opposition, Marianne yielded to
55her sister's entreaties, and consented to go out with her and Mrs. Jennings one morning for half an hour. She expressly
56conditioned, however, for paying no visits, and would do no more than accompany them to Gray's in Sackville Street,
57where Elinor was carrying on a negotiation for the exchange of a few old-fashioned jewels of her mother. When they
58stopped at the door, Mrs. Jennings recollected that there was a lady at the other end of the street on whom she ought to
59call; and as she had no business at Gray's, it was resolved, that while her young friends transacted their's, she should
60pay her visit and return for them. On ascending the stairs, the Miss Dashwoods found so many people before them in the
61room, that there was not a person at liberty to tend to their orders; and they were obliged to wait. All that could be
62done was, to sit down at that end of the counter which seemed to promise the quickest succession; one gentleman only was
63standing there, and it is probable that Elinor was not without hope of exciting his politeness to a quicker despatch.
64But the correctness of his eye, and the delicacy of his taste, proved to be beyond his politeness. He was giving orders
65for a toothpick-case for himself, and till its size, shape, and ornaments were determined, all of which, after examining
66and debating for a quarter of an hour over every toothpick-case in the shop, were finally arranged by his own inventive
67fancy, he had no leisure to bestow any other attention on the two ladies, than what was comprised in three or four very
68broad stares; a kind of notice which served to imprint on Elinor the remembrance of a person and face, of strong,
69natural, sterling insignificance, though adorned in the first style of fashion.
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