24/25 Sense And Sensibility -Bedtime Tales Stephanie Poppins

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen Chapter 24 In a firm,

Though cautious tone,

Elinor thus began.

I should be undeserving of the confidence you have honoured me with,

If I felt no further curiosity on its subject.

I will not apologise,

Therefore,

For bringing it forward again.

Thank you,

Cried Lucy warmly,

For breaking the ice.

I was somehow rather afraid I had offended you by what I told you.

Offended me?

How could you possibly suppose so?

Believe me.

And Elinor spoke with truest sincerity.

Nothing could be further from my intention than to give you such an idea.

And yet I do assure you,

Replied Lucy,

Her little sharp eyes full of meaning,

There seemed to me to be a coldness and displeasure in your manner that made me quite uncomfortable.

But I am very glad to find it was only my own fancy,

And that you do not really blame me.

If you knew what a consolation it was to me to relieve my heart by speaking to you of what I am always thinking of every moment of my life.

Indeed,

I can easily believe it was a very great relief to you to acknowledge your situation to me,

Said Elinor.

You seem to me to be surrounded with difficulties,

And you will have need of all your mutual affection to support you under them.

Mr.

Ferrars,

I believe,

Is entirely dependent on his mother.

He has only £2,

000 of his own.

It would be madness to marry upon that,

Though for my own part I could give up every prospect of more without a sigh.

I have always been used to a very small income,

And could struggle with any poverty for him,

But I love him too well to be the selfish means of robbing him,

Perhaps,

Of all that his mother might give him if he married to please her.

We must wait.

It may be for many years.

With almost every other man in the world it would seem an alarming prospect,

But Edward's affection and constancy nothing can deprive me of,

I know.

" That conviction must be everything to you,

Said Elinor,

And he is undoubtedly supported by the same trust in yours.

Edward's love for me,

Said Lucy,

Has been pretty well put to the test by our long,

Very long absence since we were first engaged.

I can safely say he's never given me one moment's alarm on that account from the start.

Elinor hardly knew whether to smile or sigh at this assertion.

Lucy went on,

".

.

.

I'm rather of a jealous temper too,

By nature,

And from our continual separation I was enough inclined for suspicion to have found out the truth in an instant,

If there had been the slightest alteration in his behaviour to me when we met.

" All this,

Thought Elinor,

Is very pretty,

But it can impose upon neither of us.

But what,

Said she,

After a short silence,

Are your views?

Or have you none but that of waiting for Mrs Ferrer's death?

Is her son determined to submit to this and to all the tediousness of the many years of suspense in which may involve you,

Rather than run the risk of her displeasure for a while by owning the truth?

If we could be but certain that it would be for only a while,

Said Lucy,

But Mrs Ferrer's,

In her first fit of anger upon hearing it,

Would very likely secure everything to Robert,

And the idea of that for Edward's sake frightens away all my inclination for hasty measures.

And for your own sake too,

Or are you carrying your disinterestedness beyond reason?

Lucy looked at Elinor again and was silent.

"'Do you know Mr Robert Ferrer's?

' asked Elinor.

"'Not at all.

I never saw him,

But I fancy he's very unlike his brother.

Silly and a great cockscomb.

' "'Oh,

They're talking of their favourite bow,

I dare say,

' repeated Miss Steele,

Whose ear had caught those words by a sudden pause in Marianne's music.

"'No sister,

' cried Lucy,

'you are mistaken there.

Our favourite bow are not great cockscombs.

' "'I can answer for it that Miss Dashwood's is not,

' said Mrs Jennings,

Laughing heartily,

'for he is one of the modestest,

Prettiest behaved young men I ever saw.

But as for Lucy,

She is such a sly little creature,

There is no finding out who she likes.

' "'Oh,

' cried Miss Steele,

Looking significantly round at them,

"'I dare say Lucy's bow is quite as modest and pretty behaved as Miss Dashwood's.

' Elinor blushed in spite of herself.

Lucy bit her lip and looked angrily at her sister.

A mutual silence took place for some time.

Lucy first put an end to it,

By saying in a lower tone,

"'I will honestly tell you of one scheme which has lately come into my head.

I dare say you've seen enough of Edward to know he would prefer the church to every other profession.

Now my plan is he should take orders as soon as he can,

And then,

Through your interest,

Which I'm sure you'd be kind enough to use out of friendship for him,

Your brother might be persuaded to give him Norland living.

That would be enough for us to marry upon,

And we might trust to time and chance for the rest.

' "'I should be always happy,

' replied Elinor,

"'to show any mark of my esteem and friendship for Mr Ferrars.

But do you not perceive that my interest on such an occasion would be perfectly unnecessary?

He is brother to Mrs John Dashwood,

That must be a recommendation enough to her husband.

' "'But Mrs John Dashwood would not much approve of Edward's going into orders.

' "'Then,

' said Elinor,

"'I rather suspect my interest would do very little.

' They were again silent for many minutes.

At length Lucy exclaimed with a deep sigh,

"'I believe it would be the wisest way to put an end to the business at once,

By dissolving the engagement.

We seem so beset with difficulties on every side,

That though it would make us miserable for a time,

We should be happier perhaps in the end.

But you will not give me your advice,

Miss Dashwood?

' "'No,

' answered Elinor,

With a smile,

"'you know very well my opinion would have no weight with you,

Unless it were on the side of your wishes.

' "'Indeed you wrong me,

' replied Lucy,

With great solemnity.

"'I really do believe that if you was to say,

I advise you by all means to put an end to your engagement with Edward Ferrars,

It will be more for the happiness of both of you.

I should resolve upon doing it immediately.

' Elinor blushed for the insincerity of Edward's future wife,

And replied,

"'This compliment would effectually frighten me from giving any opinion on the subject had I formed one.

The power of dividing two people so tenderly attached is too much for an indifferent person.

' "'Tis because you are an indifferent person,

' said Lucy,

With some pique,

"'that your judgment may justly have such weight with me.

' Another pause of many minutes' duration succeeded this speech,

And Lucy was still the first to end it.

"'Shall you be in town this winter,

Miss Dashwood?

' said she.

"'Certainly not.

' "'I am sorry for that,

' returned the other,

While her eyes brightened at the information.

"'It would have given me such pleasure to meet you there,

But I dare say you will go for all that,

To be sure your brother and sister will ask you to come to them.

"'It would not be in my power to accept their invitation if they do.

' "'How unlucky that is,

' said Lucy.

"'I had quite depended upon meeting you there,

But I only go for the sake of seeing Edward.

He will be there in February.

' Elinor was soon called to the card table by the conclusion of the first rubber,

And the confidential discourse of the two ladies was therefore at an end.

She sat down to the card table with a melancholy persuasion that Edward was not only without affection for the person who was to be his wife,

But that he had not even the chance of being tolerably happy in marriage.

Which sincere affection on her side would have given,

For self-interest alone could induce a woman to keep a man to an engagement of which she seemed so thoroughly aware that he was weary.

From this time the subject was never revived by Elinor,

And when entered on by Lucy,

Who seldom missed an opportunity of introducing it,

Was treated by the former with calmness and caution,

And dismissed as soon as civility would allow.

For she felt such conversations to be an indulgence which Lucy did not deserve,

And which were dangerous to herself.

The visit of the Miss Steeles at Barton Park was lengthened far beyond what the first invitation implied.

They were prevailed on to stay nearly two months at the park,

And to assist in the due celebration of that festival,

Which requires a more than ordinary share of private balls and large dinners to proclaim its importance.

Chapter 25 Though Mrs Jennings was in the habit of spending a large portion of the year at the houses of her children and friends,

She was not without a settled habitation of her own.

Since the death of her husband,

She had resided every winter in a house in one of the streets near Portman Square.

Towards this home she began on the approach of January to turn her thoughts,

And thither,

She one day abruptly,

And very unexpectedly by them,

Asked the elder Miss Dashwoods to accompany her.

Elinor immediately gave a grateful but absolute denial for both,

In which she believed herself to be speaking their united inclinations.

Mrs Jennings received the refusal with some surprise,

And repeated her invitation immediately.

Oh Lord,

I am sure your mother can spare you very well.

Don't fancy that she will be any inconvenience to me,

For I shan't put myself out at all of my way for you.

We three shall be able to go very well in my chaise,

And when we're in town,

If you do not like wherever I go,

Well and good,

You may always go with one of my daughters.

I am sure your mother will not object to it,

For I have had such good luck in getting my own children off my hands,

That she will think me a very fit person to have the charge of you.

And if I don't get one of you at least well married before I've done with you,

It shall not be my fault.

" I have a notion,

Said Sir John,

That Miss Marianne would not object to such a scheme if her elder sister would come into it.

So I would advise you two to set off for town,

Where you are tired of Barton,

Without saying a word to Miss Dashwood about it.

" "'Nay,

' cried Mrs.

Jennings,

"'I am sure I shall be monstrous glad of Miss Marianne's company,

Whether Miss Dashwood would go or not.

But one or the other,

If not both of them,

I must have.

Come,

Miss Marianne,

Let us strike hands upon the bargain,

And if Miss Dashwood will change her mind by and by,

Why so much the better?

' "'I thank you,

Ma'am,

Seriously thank you,

' said Marianne with a warmth.

"'Your invitation has ensured my gratitude for ever.

But my mother,

My dearest,

Kindest mother!

No,

Nothing should tempt me to leave her.

'" Mrs.

Jennings repeated her assurance that Mrs.

Dashwood could spare them perfectly well,

And Eleanor,

Who now understood her sister and saw to what indifference to almost everything else she was carried by her eagerness to be with Willoughby again,

Made no further direct opposition to the plan and merely referred it to her mother's decision.

Whatever Marianne was desirous of,

Her mother would be eager to promote.

She could not expect to influence the latter to cautiousness of conduct in an affair,

Respecting which she had never been able to inspire her with distrust,

And she dared not explain the motive of her own disinclination for going to London.

That Marianne,

Thoroughly acquainted with Mrs.

Jennings' manners and invariably disgusted by them,

Should overlook every inconvenience of that kind in her pursuit of one object,

Was such a proof so strong,

So full of the importance of that object to her as Eleanor,

In spite of all that had passed,

Was not prepared to witness.

On being informed of the invitation,

Mrs.

Dashwood would not hear of their declining offer upon her account,

Insisting on their both accepting it directly,

And then began to foresee a variety of advantages that would accrue to them all from this separation.

I am delighted with the plan,

She cried.

It is exactly what I could wish.

Margaret and I shall be as much benefited by it as yourselves.

We shall go on so quietly and happily together with our books and our music.

You will be under the care of a motherly good sort of woman,

And whose kindness to you I can have no doubt.

And in all probability you will see your brother,

And whatever may be his faults,

Or the faults of his wife,

When I consider whose son he is,

I cannot bear to have you so wholly estranged from each other.

Though with your usual anxiety for our happiness,

Said Eleanor,

There is still one objection which in my opinion cannot be so easily removed.

" Marianne's countenance sunk.

And what,

Said Mrs.

Dashwood,

Is my dear prudent Eleanor going to suggest?

What formidable obstacle is she now to bring forward?

My objection is this,

Said Eleanor,

Though I think very well of Mrs.

Jennings's heart,

She is not a woman whose society can afford us pleasure,

Or whose protection will give us consequence.

That is very true,

Replied her mother,

But of her society you will scarcely have anything at all,

And you will almost always appear in public with Lady Middleton.

If Eleanor is frightened away by her dislike of Mrs.

Jennings,

Said Marianne,

It need not prevent my accepting her invitation.

I could put up with every unpleasantness of that kind with very little effort.

Eleanor resolved within herself that if her sister persisted in going,

She would have to go likewise,

As she did not think it proper that Marianne should be left to the sole guidance of her own judgment,

Or that Mrs.

Jennings should be abandoned to the mercy of Marianne for all the comfort of her domestic hours.

To this determination she was the more easily reconciled by recollecting that Edward Ferrars,

By Lucy's account,

Was not to be in town before February.

I will have you both go,

Said Mrs.

Dashwood.

These objections are nonsensical,

And if Eleanor would ever condescend to anticipate enjoyment,

She would foresee it there from a variety of sources.

She would perhaps expect some from improving her acquaintance with her sister-in-law's family.

Eleanor had often wished for an opportunity of attempting to weaken her mother's dependence on the attachment of Edward and herself,

That the shock might be the less when the whole truth were revealed,

And she forced herself to begin her design by saying as calmly as she could,

I like Edward Ferrars very much and shall always be glad to see him,

But as to the rest of the family,

It is a matter of perfect indifference to me whether I am ever known to them or not.

After very little further discourse,

It was finally settled that the invitation should be fully accepted.

Eleanor submitted to the arrangement which counteracted her wishes with less reluctance than she had expected to feel.

When she saw her mother so thoroughly pleased with the plan,

And her sister exhilarated by it in look,

Voice and manner,

Restored to all her usual animation,

She could not be dissatisfied with the cause and would hardly allow herself to distrust the consequence.

Marianne's joy was almost a degree beyond happiness,

So great was her impatience to be gone.

Her unwillingness to quit her mother was her only restorative to calmness.

And at the moment of parting,

Her grief on that score was excessive.

Her mother's affliction was hardly less,

And Eleanor was the only one of the three who seemed to consider the separation as anything short of eternal.