CHAPTER IV

linor could not find herself in the carriage with Mrs.

Jennings, and beginning a journey to London under her

protection, and as her guest, without wondering at her

own situation, so short had their acquaintance with that lady been,

so wholly unsuited were they in age and disposition, and so many

had been her objections against such a measure only a few days

before! But these objections had all, with that happy ardour of

youth which Marianne and her mother equally shared, been

overcome or overlooked; and Elinor, in spite of every occasional

doubt of Willoughby's constancy, could not witness the rapture of

delightful expectation which filled the whole soul and beamed in

the eyes of Marianne, without feeling how blank was her own

prospect, how cheerless her own state of mind in the comparison,

and how gladly she would engage in the solicitude of Marianne's

situation to have the same animating object in view, the same

possibility of hope. A short, a very short time however must now

decide what Willoughby's intentions were; in all probability he

was already in town. Marianne's eagerness to be gone declared

her dependence on finding him there; and Elinor was resolved not

only upon gaining every new light as to his character which her

own observation or the intelligence of others could give her, but

likewise upon watching his behaviour to her sister with such

zealous attention, as to ascertain what he was and what he meant,

before many meetings had taken place. Should the result of her

observations be unfavourable, she was determined at all events to

open the eyes of her sister; should it be otherwise, her exertions

would be of a different nature―she must then learn to avoid every

selfish comparison, and banish every regret which might lessen

her satisfaction in the happiness of Marianne.

They were three days on their journey, and Marianne's

behaviour as they travelled was a happy specimen of what future

complaisance and companionableness to Mrs. Jennings might be

expected to be. She sat in silence almost all the way, wrapt in her

own meditations, and scarcely ever voluntarily speaking, except

when any object of picturesque beauty within their view drew

from her an exclamation of delight exclusively addressed to her

sister. To atone for this conduct therefore, Elinor took immediate

possession of the post of civility which she had assigned herself,

behaved with the greatest attention to Mrs. Jennings, talked with

her, laughed with her, and listened to her whenever she could;

and Mrs. Jennings on her side treated them both with all possible

kindness, was solicitous on every occasion for their ease and

enjoyment, and only disturbed that she could not make them

choose their own dinners at the inn, nor extort a confession of

their preferring salmon to cod, or boiled fowls to veal cutlets. They

reached town by three o'clock the third day, glad to be released,

after such a journey, from the confinement of a carriage, and

ready to enjoy all the luxury of a good fire.

The house was handsome, and handsomely fitted up, and the

young ladies were immediately put in possession of a very

comfortable apartment. It had formerly been Charlotte's, and over

the mantelpiece still hung a landscape in coloured silks of her

performance, in proof of her having spent seven years at a great

school in town to some effect.

As dinner was not to be ready in less than two hours from their

arrival, Elinor determined to employ the interval in writing to her

mother, and sat down for that purpose. In a few moments

Marianne did the same. "I am writing home, Marianne," said

Elinor; "had not you better defer your letter for a day or two?"

"I am not going to write to my mother," replied Marianne,

hastily, and as if wishing to avoid any farther inquiry. Elinor said

no more; it immediately struck her that she must then be writing

to Willoughby, and the conclusion which as instantly followed was,

that however mysteriously they might wish to conduct the affair,

they must be engaged. This conviction, though not entirely

satisfactory, gave her pleasure, and she continued her letter with

greater alacrity. Marianne's was finished in a very few minutes; in

length it could be no more than a note: it was then folded up,

sealed, and directed with eager rapidity. Elinor thought she could

distinguish a large W. in the direction, and no sooner was it

complete than Marianne, ringing the bell, requested the footman

who answered it to get that letter conveyed for her to the two-

penny post. This decided the matter at once.

Her spirits still continued very high, but there was a flutter in

them which prevented their giving much pleasure to her sister,

and this agitation increased as the evening drew on. She could

scarcely eat any dinner, and when they afterwards returned to the

drawing room, seemed anxiously listening to the sound of every

carriage.

It was a great satisfaction to Elinor that Mrs. Jennings, by being

much engaged in her own room, could see little of what was

passing. The tea things were brought in, and already had

Marianne been disappointed more than once by a rap at a

neighbouring door, when a loud one was suddenly heard which

could not be mistaken for one at any other house, Elinor felt

secure of its announcing Willoughby's approach, and Marianne,

starting up, moved towards the door. Every thing was silent; this

could not be borne many seconds, she opened the door, advanced

a few steps towards the stairs, and after listening half a minute,

returned into the room in all the agitation which a conviction of

having heard him would naturally produce; in the ecstasy of her

feelings at that instant she could not help exclaiming, "Oh, Elinor,

it is Willoughby, indeed it is!" and seemed almost ready to throw

herself into his arms, when Colonel Brandon appeared.

It was too great a shock to be borne with calmness, and she

immediately left the room. Elinor was disappointed too; but at the

same time her regard for Colonel Brandon ensured his welcome

with her; and she felt particularly hurt that a man so partial to her

sister should perceive that she experienced nothing but grief and

disappointment in seeing him. She instantly saw that it was not

unnoticed by him, that he even observed Marianne as she quitted

the room, with such astonishment and concern, as hardly left him

the recollection" title="n.回忆；追想；记忆力">recollection of what civility demanded towards herself.

"Is your sister ill?" said he.

Elinor answered in some distress that she was, and then talked

of head-aches, low spirits, and over fatigues; and of every thing to

which she could decently attribute her sister's behaviour.

He heard her with the most earnest attention, but seeming to

recollect himself, said no more on the subject, and began directly

to speak of his pleasure at seeing them in London, making the

usual inquiries about their journey, and the friends they had left

behind.

In this calm kind of way, with very little interest on either side,

they continued to talk, both of them out of spirits, and the

thoughts of both engaged elsewhere. Elinor wished very much to

ask whether Willoughby were then in town, but she was afraid of

giving him pain by any inquiry after his rival; and at length by way

of saying something, she asked if he had been in London ever

since she had seen him last. "Yes," he replied, with some

embarrassment, "almost ever since; I have been once or twice at

Delaford for a few days, but it has never been in my power to

return to Barton."

This, and the manner in which it was said, immediately brought

back to her remembrance all the circumstances of his quitting that

place, with the uneasiness and suspicions they had caused to Mrs.

Jennings, and she was fearful that her question had implied much

more curiosity on the subject than she had ever felt.

Mrs. Jennings soon came in. "Oh! Colonel," said she, with her

usual noisy cheerfulness, "I am monstrous glad to see you―sorry I

could not come before―beg your pardon, but I have been forced

to look about me a little, and settle my matters; for it is a long

while since I have been at home, and you know one has always a

world of little odd things to do after one has been away for any

time; and then I have had Cartwright to settle with―Lord, I have

been as busy as a bee ever since dinner! But pray, Colonel, how

came you to conjure out that I should be in town to-day?"

"I had the pleasure of hearing it at Mr. Palmer's, where I have

been dining."

"Oh, you did; well, and how do they all do at their house? How

does Charlotte do? I warrant you she is a fine size by this time."

"Mrs. Palmer appeared quite well, and I am commissioned to

tell you, that you will certainly see her to-morrow."

"Ay, to be sure, I thought as much. Well, Colonel, I have

brought two young ladies with me, you see―that is, you see but

one of them now, but there is another somewhere. Your friend,

Miss Marianne, too―which you will not be sorry to hear. I do not

know what you and Mr. Willoughby will do between you about

her. Ay, it is a fine thing to be young and handsome. Well! I was

young once, but I never was very handsome―worse luck for me.

However, I got a very good husband, and I don't know what the

greatest beauty can do more. Ah! poor man! he has been dead

these eight years and better. But Colonel, where have you been to

since we parted? And how does your business go on? Come, come,

let's have no secrets among friends."

He replied with his accustomary mildness to all her inquiries,

but without satisfying her in any. Elinor now began to make the

tea, and Marianne was obliged to appear again.

After her entrance, Colonel Brandon became more thoughtful

and silent than he had been before, and Mrs. Jennings could not

prevail on him to stay long. No other visitor appeared that

evening, and the ladies were unanimous in agreeing to go early to

bed.

Marianne rose the next morning with recovered spirits and

happy looks. The disappointment of the evening before seemed

forgotten in the expectation of what was to happen that day. They

had not long finished their breakfast before Mrs. Palmer's

barouche stopped at the door, and in a few minutes she came

laughing into the room; so delighted to see them all, that it was

hard to say whether she received most pleasure from meeting her

mother or the Miss Dashwoods again. So surprised at their coming

to town, though it was what she had rather expected all along; so

angry at their accepting her mother's invitation after having

declined her own, though at the same time she would never have

forgiven them if they had not come!

"Mr. Palmer will be so happy to see you," said she; "What do

you think he said when he heard of your coming with mama? I

forget what it was now, but it was something so droll!"

After an hour or two spent in what her mother called

comfortable chat, or in other words, in every variety of inquiry

concerning all their acquaintance on Mrs. Jennings's side, and in

laughter without cause on Mrs. Palmer's, it was proposed by the

latter that they should all accompany her to some shops where she

had business that morning, to which Mrs. Jennings and Elinor

readily consented, as having likewise some purchases to make

themselves; and Marianne, though declining it at first, was

induced to go likewise.

Wherever they went, she was evidently always on the watch. In

Bond-street especially, where much of their business lay, her eyes

were in constant inquiry; and in whatever shop the party were

engaged, her mind was equally abstracted from every thing

actually before them, from all that interested and occupied the

others. Restless and dissatisfied every where, her sister could

never obtain her opinion of any article of purchase, however it

might equally concern them both; she received no pleasure from

any thing; was only impatient to be at home again, and could with

difficulty govern her vexation at the tediousness of Mrs. Palmer,

whose eye was caught by every thing pretty, expensive, or new;

who was wild to buy all, could determine on none, and dawdled

away her time in rapture and indecision.

It was late in the morning before they returned home; and no

sooner had they entered the house than Marianne flew eagerly up

stairs, and when Elinor followed, she found her turning from the

table with a sorrowful countenance, which declared that no

Willoughby had been there.

"Has no letter been left here for me since we went out?" said

she to the footman who then entered with the parcels. She was

answered in the negative. "Are you quite sure of it?" she replied.

"Are you certain that no servant, no porter has left any letter or

note?"

The man replied that none had.

"How very odd!" said she, in a low and disappointed voice, as

she turned away to the window.

"How odd, indeed!" repeated Elinor within herself, regarding

her sister with uneasiness. "If she had not known him to be in

town she would not have written to him, as she did; she would

have written to Combe Magna; and if he is in town, how odd that

he should neither come nor write! Oh! my dear mother, you must

be wrong in permitting an engagement between a daughter so

young, a man so little known, to be carried on in so doubtful, so

mysterious a manner! I long to inquire; and how will my

interference be borne."

She determined, after some consideration, that if appearances

continued many days longer as unpleasant as they now were, she

would represent in the strongest manner to her mother the

necessity of some serious inquiry into the affair.

Mrs. Palmer and two elderly ladies of Mrs. Jennings's intimate

acquaintance, whom she had met and invited in the morning,

dined with them. The former left them soon after tea to fulfil her

evening engagements; and Elinor was obliged to assist in making a

whist table for the others. Marianne was of no use on these

occasions, as she would never learn the game; but though her time

was therefore at her own disposal, the evening was by no means

more productive of pleasure to her than to Elinor, for it was spent

in all the anxiety of expectation and the pain of disappointment.

She sometimes endeavoured for a few minutes to read; but the

book was soon thrown aside, and she returned to the more

interesting employment of walking backwards and forwards

across the room, pausing for a moment whenever she came to the

window, in hopes of distinguishing the long-expected rap.
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