34 Sense & Sensibility -Bedtime Tales With Stephanie Poppins

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Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen Chapter 34 Mrs.

John Dashwood had so much confidence in her husband's judgment of her,

That she waited the very next day,

Both on Mrs.

Jennings and her daughter.

And her confidence was rewarded by finding even the former by no means unworthy her notice.

And as for Lady Middleton,

She found her one of the most charming women in the world.

Lady Middleton was equally pleased with Mrs.

Dashwood.

There was a kind of cold-hearted selfishness on both sides,

Which mutually attracted them.

The same manners,

However,

Which recommended Mrs.

John Dashwood to the good opinion of Lady Middleton did not suit the fancy of Mrs.

Jennings.

And to her,

She appeared nothing more than a little,

Proud-looking woman of uncordial address,

Who met her husband's sisters without any affection and almost without having anything to say to them.

Eleanor wanted very much to know,

Though she did not choose to ask,

Whether Edward was then in town.

But nothing would have induced Fanny voluntarily to mention his name before her,

Till able to tell her that his marriage with Miss Morton was resolved on,

Or till her husband's expectations on Colonel Brandon were answered.

The intelligence,

However,

Soon flowed from another quarter.

Lucy came very shortly to claim Eleanor's compassion on being unable to see Edward,

Though he had arrived in town with Mr.

And Mrs.

Dashwood.

He dared not come to the Bartlett buildings for fear of detection,

And they could do nothing at present but write.

Edward assured them himself of his being in town within a very short time,

By twice calling in Barclay Street.

Eleanor was pleased he had called,

And still more pleased that she still missed him.

The Dashwoods were so prodigiously delighted with the Middletons that they determined to give them a dinner,

And soon after their acquaintance began,

Invited them to dine in Harley Street,

Where they had taken a very good house for three months.

Their sisters and Mrs.

Jennings were invited likewise,

And John Dashwood was careful to secure Colonel Brandon.

They were to meet Mrs.

Ferrars,

But Eleanor could not learn whether her sons were to be at the party.

The expectation of seeing her,

However,

Was enough to make her interested in the engagement.

The interest with which she thus anticipated the party was soon afterwards increased,

More powerfully than pleasantly,

By her hearing the Miss Steeles were also to be there.

So well had they recommended themselves to Lady Middleton,

She was as ready as Sir John to ask them to spend a week or two in Conduit Street.

Their claims to the notice of Mrs.

John Dashwood as the nieces of the gentleman,

Who for many years had the care of her brother,

Might not have done much,

However,

Towards procuring them seats to her table.

But as Lady Middleton's guests,

They must be welcome,

And Lucy had seldom been happier in her life than she was on receiving Mrs.

John Dashwood's card.

On Eleanor,

Its effect was very different.

She began immediately to determine that Edward,

Who lived with his mother,

Must be asked,

As was his mother,

To a party given by his sister.

But to see him for the first time after all that had passed in the company of Lucy,

She hardly knew how she could bear it.

These apprehensions were relieved,

However,

By the goodwill of Lucy,

Who believed herself to be inflicting a severe disappointment when she told her Edward would certainly not be in Harley Street on Tuesday.

The important Tuesday came that was to introduce the two young ladies to this formidable mother-in-law.

"'Pity me,

Dear Miss Dashwood,

' said Lucy,

As they walked up the stairs together.

"'I declare I can hardly stand.

Good gracious,

In a moment I shall see the person all my happiness depends on,

That is to be my mother!

' Mrs.

Ferrars was a little thin woman.

Her complexion was sallow and her features small,

Without beauty and naturally without expression.

But a lucky contraction of the brow had rescued her countenance from the disgrace of insipidity by giving it the strong characters of pride and ill nature.

She was not a woman of many words.

Of the few syllables that did escape her,

Not one fell to the share of Miss Dashwood,

Whom she eyed with the spirited determination of disliking her at all events.

Eleanor could not now be made unhappy by this behaviour,

And the difference of her manners to the Miss Steele's,

A difference which seemed purposely to humble her more,

Only amused her.

She could not but smile to see the graciousness of both mother and daughter towards the very person whom of all others,

Had they known as much as she did,

They would have been most anxious to mortify,

While she herself,

Who had comparatively no power to wound them,

Sat pointedly slighted by both.

Lucy was all exultation on being so honourably distinguished,

And Miss Steele wanted only to be teased about Mr.

Davis to be perfectly happy.

The dinner was a grand one,

The servants were numerous,

And everything bespoke the mistress's inclination for show and the master's ability to support it.

In spite of the improvements and additions which they were making to the Norland estate,

And in spite of its owner having once been within some thousand pounds of being obliged to sell out at a loss,

No poverty of any kind except of conversation appeared,

But there the deficiency was considerable.

John Dashwood had not much to say for himself that was worth hearing,

And his wife had still less.

But there was no peculiar disgrace in this,

For it was very much the case with the chief of their visitors,

Who almost all laboured under one or other of these disqualifications for being agreeable.

Want of sense,

Either natural or improved,

Want of elegance,

Want of spirits,

Or want of temper.

When the ladies withdrew to the drawing-room after dinner,

This poverty was particularly evident,

For the gentleman had supplied the discourse with some variety.

But then it was all over,

And one subject only engaged the ladies till coffee came in,

Which was the comparative heights of Harry Dashwood and Lady Middleton's second son,

William.

The party stood thus.

The two mothers,

Though each really convinced her own son was the tallest,

Politely decided in favour of the other.

The two grandmothers,

With not less partiality but more sincerity,

Were equally earnest in support of their own descendant.

Lucy thought the boys were both remarkably tall for their age,

And could not conceive there could be the smallest difference in the world between them.

Eleanor,

Having once delivered her opinion on William's side,

Did not see the necessity of enforcing it by any further assertion,

And Marianne,

When called for hers,

Offended them all by declaring she had never thought about it.

Before her removing from Norland,

Eleanor had painted a very pretty pair of screens for her sister-in-law,

Which being now dismounted and brought home,

Ornamented with the same and brought home,

Ornamented her present drawing room,

And these screens,

Catching the eye of John Dashwood on his following the other gentlemen into the room,

Were officiously handed by him to Colonel Brandon for his admiration.

These are done by my elder sister,

Said he.

I do not know whether you have happened to see any of her performances before,

But she is in general reckoned to draw extremely well.

The Colonel warmly admired the screens,

As he would have done anything painted by Miss Dashwood,

And they were handed round for general inspection.

Mrs Ferrars,

Not aware of there being Eleanor's work,

Particularly requested to look at them,

And after they had received the gratifying testimony of Lady Middleton,

Fanny presented them to her mother,

Considerably informing her at the same time they were done by Miss Dashwood.

Hmm,

Said Mrs Ferrars,

Very pretty,

And without regarding them at all would turn them to her daughter.

Perhaps Fanny thought for a moment that her mother had been quite rude enough,

For colouring a little,

She immediately said,

They are very pretty,

Ma'am,

Aren't they?

But then again,

The dread of having been too civil probably came over her,

For she added,

Do you not think there's something in Miss Morton's style of painting,

Ma'am?

She does paint most delightfully.

Beautifully indeed,

But she does everything well.

Marianne could not bear this.

Such ill-timed praise of another at Eleanor's expense provoked her immediately to say with warmth,

This is an admiration of a very particular kind.

What is Miss Morton to us?

Who knows,

Or who cares for her?

It is Eleanor of whom we think and speak.

Mrs Ferrars looked exceedingly angry,

And drawing herself up more stiffly than ever pronounced and retort,

Miss Morton is Lord Morton's daughter.

Fanny looked very angry too,

And her husband was all in a fright at his sister's audacity.

Eleanor was much more hurt by Marianne's warmth than she'd been by what produced it.

But Colonel Brandon's eyes,

As they were fixed on Marianne,

Declared he noticed only what was amiable,

The affectionate heart which could not bear to see a sister slighted in the smallest point.

Marianne's feelings did not stop here.

The cold insolence of Mrs Ferrars' general behaviour to her sister seemed to her to foretell such difficulties and distresses to Eleanor as her own wounded heart taught her to think of with horror,

And she moved after a moment to her sister's chair,

And putting one arm round her neck and one cheek close to hers,

She said,

In a low but eager voice,

Dear,

Dear Eleanor,

Don't mind them,

Don't let them make you unhappy.

She could say no more,

Hiding her face on Eleanor's shoulder.

She burst into tears.

Colonel Brandon rose up and went to them without knowing what he did.

Mrs Jennings,

With a very intelligent,

Oh,

Poor dear,

Immediately gave her salts,

And Sir John felt so desperately enraged against the altar of this nervous distress,

That he instantly changed his seat to one close by Lucy Steele,

And gave her,

In a whisper,

A brief account of the whole shocking affair.

In a few minutes,

However,

Marianne was recovered enough to sit down amongst the rest,

Though her spirits retained the impression of what had passed the whole evening.

Poor Marianne,

Said her brother to Colonel Brandon in a low voice.

She has not such good health as her sister,

She has not Eleanor's constitution,

And one must allow there's something very trying to a young woman who has been a beauty in the loss of her personal attractions.

You would not think it,

Perhaps,

But Marianne was remarkably handsome a few months ago,

Quite as handsome as Eleanor.

Now,

You see,

It is all gone.