27 Sense & Sensibility-Bedtime Tales With Stephanie Poppins

If this open weather holds out much longer,

Said Mrs Jennings when they met at breakfast the following morning,

Sir John will not like leaving Barton next week.

It is a sad thing for sportsmen to lose a day's pleasure.

That is true,

Cried Marianne in a cheerful voice.

I had not thought of that.

This weather will keep many sportsmen in the country.

It was a lucky recollection.

All her good spirits were restored by it.

It is charming weather for them indeed,

She continued as she sat down to the breakfast table with a happy countenance.

How much they must enjoy it!

But frost will soon set in and in all probability with severity.

Perhaps it may freeze tonight.

At any rate,

Said Eleanor,

I dare say we shall have Sir John and Lady Middleton in town by the end of next week.

Aye,

My dear,

I'll warrant you we do.

Mary always has her own way.

And now,

Silently conjectured Eleanor,

She will write to Coombe by this day's post.

But if she did,

The letter was written and sent away with a privacy which eluded all her watchfulness to ascertain the fact.

Whatever the truth of it might be,

And as far as Eleanor was feeling from thorough contentment about it,

Yet while she saw Marianne in spirits,

She could not be very uncomfortable herself.

The morning was chiefly spent in leaving cards at the houses of Mrs.

Jennings' acquaintance to inform them of her being in town and Marianne was all the time busy in observing the direction of the wind,

Watching the variations of the sky and imagining an alteration in the air.

Don't you find it colder than it was in the morning,

Eleanor?

I can hardly keep my hands warm,

Even in my mouth.

Eleanor was alternately diverted and pained,

But Marianne persevered and saw every night in the brightness of the fire and every morning in the appearance of the atmosphere,

The certain symptoms of approaching frost.

The Miss Dashwoods had no greater reason to be dissatisfied with Mrs.

Jennings' style of living and set of acquaintance than with her behaviour to themselves,

Which was invariably kind.

Everything in her household arrangements was conducted on the most liberal plan and expecting a few old city friends,

She visited no one to whom an introduction could at all discompose the feelings of her young companions.

Pleased to find herself more comfortably situated in that particular than she had expected,

Eleanor was very willing to compound for the want of much real enjoyment from any of their evening parties,

Which,

Formed only for cards,

Could have little to amuse her.

Colonel Brandon was with them almost every day.

He came to look at Marianne and talk to Eleanor,

Who often derived more satisfaction from conversing with him than from any other daily occurrence,

But who saw at the same time,

With much concern,

His continued regard for her sister.

After about a week,

It became certain that Willoughby was also arrived.

His card was on the table when they came in from the morning's drive.

Good God,

Cried Marianne,

He has been here while we were out.

Eleanor,

Rejoiced to be assured of him being in London,

Now ventured to say,

Depend upon it,

He will call again tomorrow,

But Marianne seemed hardly to hear her and on Mrs Jennings's entrance,

Escaped with the precious card.

This event,

While it raised the spirits of Eleanor,

Restored to those of her sister,

All,

And more than all,

Their former agitation.

From this moment,

The expectation of seeing him every hour of the day made her unfit for anything.

She insisted on being left behind the next morning,

When the others went out.

Eleanor's thoughts were full of what might be passing in Berkeley Street during their absence.

But a moment's glance at her sister when they returned was enough to inform her that Willoughby had paid no second visit there.

A note was just then brought in and laid on the table.

For me,

Cried Marianne,

Stepping hastily forward.

No,

Ma'am,

For my mistress.

You're expecting a letter,

Then,

Said Eleanor,

Unable to be longer silent.

Yes,

A little,

Not much.

After a short pause,

Eleanor said,

You have no confidence in me,

Marianne.

Nay,

Eleanor,

This reproach from you,

You who have confidence in no one.

Me,

Returned Eleanor in some confusion.

Indeed,

Marianne,

I have nothing to tell.

Nor I,

Answered Marianne with energy.

We have neither of us anything to tell because you do not communicate and I conceal nothing.

Eleanor,

Distressed by this charge of reserving herself,

Knew not how to press for greater openness in Marianne.

The note was from Lady Middleton,

Announcing their arrival in Conduit Street the night before and requesting the company of her mother and cousins the following evening.

The invitation was accepted,

But when the hour of appointment drew near,

Eleanor had some difficulty in persuading her sister to go,

For still she had seen nothing of Willoughby.

Sir John had contrived to collect around him nearly twenty young people and to amuse them with a ball.

Mr.

And Mrs.

Palmer were of the party.

From the former,

They received no mark of recognition on their entrance.

He looked at them slightly without seeming to know who they were and merely nodded to Mrs.

Jennings from the other side of the room.

Marianne gave one glance round the apartment as she entered.

It was enough,

He was not there,

And she sat down equally ill-disposed to receive or communicate pleasure.

After they had been assembled about an hour,

Mr.

Palmer sauntered towards the Miss Dashwoods to express his surprise on seeing them in town,

Though Colonel Brandon had been first informed of their arrival.

Never had Marianne been so willing to dance in her life as she was that evening and never so much fatigued by the exercise.

She complained of it as they returned to Barclay Street.

I said,

Mrs.

Jennings,

We know the reason of that very well.

If a certain person who shall be nameless had been there,

You would not have been a bit tired.

And to say that you were not tired,

You would not have been a bit tired.

And to say the truth,

It was not very pretty of him not to give you the meeting when he was invited.

Invited?

Cried Marianne.

So my daughter Middleton told me,

For it seems Sir John met him somewhere in the street this morning.

Marianne said no more,

But looked exceedingly hurt.

Impatient in this situation to be doing something that might lead to her sister's relief,

Eleanor resolved to write the next morning to her mother and hoped by awakening her fears for the health of Marianne to procure those inquiries which had been so long delayed.

And she was still more eagerly bent on this measure by perceiving after breakfast on the morrow that Marianne was again writing to Willoughby for she could not suppose it to be to any other person.

About the middle of the day,

Mrs Jennings went out by herself on business and Eleanor began her letter directly.

She was very earnest in her application to her mother relating all that had passed.

Her suspicions of Willoughby's inconstancy urging her by every plea of duty and affection to demand from Marianne an account of her real situation with respect to him.

Her letter was scarcely finished when a rap foretold a visitor and Colonel Brandon was announced.

Marianne,

Who had seen him from the window and who hated company of any kind,

Left the room before he entered.

He looked more than usually grave and sat for some time without saying a word.

Eleanor persuaded he had some communication to make in which her sister was concerned and patiently expected its opening.

After a pause of several minutes their silence was broken by his asking her in a voice of some agitation when he was to congratulate her on the acquisition of a brother.

Eleanor was not prepared for such a question and having no answer ready was obliged to adopt the simple and common expedient of asking what he meant.

He tried to smile as he said your sister's engagement to Mr.

Willoughby is very generally known.

It cannot be generally known,

Turned Eleanor for her own family do not know it.

He looked surprised and said I beg your pardon,

I am afraid my inquiry has been impertinent but I had not supposed any secrecy intended as they openly correspond and universally talked of.

How can that be?

By whom have you heard it mentioned?

By many,

By Mrs.

Jennings,

Mrs.

Palmer and the Middletons but still I might not have believed it if I had not when the servant at me today accidentally seen a letter in his hand directed to Mr.

Willoughby in your sister's writing.

I came to inquire but I was convinced Is everything finally settled?

I believe I have been wrong in saying so much but I hardly know what to do and on your prudence I have the strongest dependence.

Tell me it's all absolutely resolved on that any attempt that in short concealment if concealment be possible is all that remains.

These words which conveyed to Eleanor a direct avowal of his love for her sister affected her very much.

The real state of things between Willoughby and her sister was so little known to herself that in endeavouring to explain it she might be as liable to say too much as too little.

Yet as she was convinced that Marianne's affection for Willoughby could leave no hope of Colonel Brandon's success whatever the event of that affection might be and at the same time wished to shield her conduct from censure she thought it most prudent and kind after some consideration to say more than she really knew or believed.

She acknowledged therefore that though she had never been informed by themselves of the terms on which they stood with each other of their mutual affection she had no doubt and of their correspondence she was not astonished to hear.

Colonel Brandon listened to her with silent attention and on her ceasing to speak he rose directly from his seat after saying in a voice of emotion to your sister I wish all imaginable happiness to Willoughby that he may endeavour to deserve her.

Then he took leave and went away.

Eleanor derived no comfortable feelings from this conversation to lessen the uneasiness of her mind on other points.

She was left on the contrary with a melancholy impression of Colonel Brandon's unhappiness and was prevented even from wishing it removed by her anxiety for the very event that must confirm it.