Sense and Sensibility

CHAPTER 40

”Well, Miss Dashwood,” said Mrs. Jennings, sagaciously smiling, as soonas the gentleman had withdrawn, ”I do not ask you what the Colonel hasbeen saying to you; for though, upon my honour, I TRIED to keep out ofhearing, I could not help catching enough to understand his business.And I assure you I never was better pleased in my life, and I wish youjoy of it with all my heart.”

”Thank you, ma'am,” said Elinor. ”It is a matter of great joy to me;and I feel the goodness of Colonel Brandon most sensibly. There arenot many men who would act as he has done. Few people who have socompassionate a heart! I never was more astonished in my life.”

”Lord! my dear, you are very modest. I an't the least astonished at itin the world, for I have often thought of late, there was nothing morelikely to happen.”

”You judged from your knowledge of the Colonel's general benevolence;but at least you could not foresee that the opportunity would so verysoon occur.”

”Opportunity!” repeated Mrs. Jennings--”Oh! as to that, when a man hasonce made up his mind to such a thing, somehow or other he will soonfind an opportunity. Well, my dear, I wish you joy of it again andagain; and if ever there was a happy couple in the world, I think Ishall soon know where to look for them.”

”You mean to go to Delaford after them I suppose,” said Elinor, with afaint smile.

”Aye, my dear, that I do, indeed. And as to the house being a bad one,I do not know what the Colonel would be at, for it is as good a one asever I saw.”

”He spoke of its being out of repair.”

”Well, and whose fault is that? why don't he repair it?--who should doit but himself?”

They were interrupted by the servant's coming in to announce thecarriage being at the door; and Mrs. Jennings immediately preparing togo, said,--

”Well, my dear, I must be gone before I have had half my talk out.But, however, we may have it all over in the evening; for we shall bequite alone. I do not ask you to go with me, for I dare say your mindis too full of the matter to care for company; and besides, you mustlong to tell your sister all about it.”

Marianne had left the room before the conversation began.

”Certainly, ma'am, I shall tell Marianne of it; but I shall not mentionit at present to any body else.”

”Oh! very well,” said Mrs. Jennings rather disappointed. ”Then youwould not have me tell it to Lucy, for I think of going as far asHolborn to-day.”

”No, ma'am, not even Lucy if you please. One day's delay will not bevery material; and till I have written to Mr. Ferrars, I think it oughtnot to be mentioned to any body else. I shall do THAT directly. It isof importance that no time should be lost with him, for he will ofcourse have much to do relative to his ordination.”

This speech at first puzzled Mrs. Jennings exceedingly. Why Mr.Ferrars was to have been written to about it in such a hurry, she couldnot immediately comprehend. A few moments' reflection, however,produced a very happy idea, and she exclaimed;--

”Oh, ho!--I understand you. Mr. Ferrars is to be the man. Well, somuch the better for him. Ay, to be sure, he must be ordained inreadiness; and I am very glad to find things are so forward betweenyou. But, my dear, is not this rather out of character? Should notthe Colonel write himself?--sure, he is the proper person.”

Elinor did not quite understand the beginning of Mrs. Jennings'sspeech, neither did she think it worth inquiring into; and thereforeonly replied to its conclusion.

”Colonel Brandon is so delicate a man, that he rather wished any one toannounce his intentions to Mr. Ferrars than himself.”

”And so YOU are forced to do it. Well THAT is an odd kind of delicacy!However, I will not disturb you (seeing her preparing to write.) Youknow your own concerns best. So goodby, my dear. I have not heard ofany thing to please me so well since Charlotte was brought to bed.”

And away she went; but returning again in a moment,

”I have just been thinking of Betty's sister, my dear. I should bevery glad to get her so good a mistress. But whether she would do fora lady's maid, I am sure I can't tell. She is an excellent housemaid,and works very well at her needle. However, you will think of all thatat your leisure.”

”Certainly, ma'am,” replied Elinor, not hearing much of what she said,and more anxious to be alone, than to be mistress of the subject.

How she should begin--how she should express herself in her note toEdward, was now all her concern. The particular circumstances betweenthem made a difficulty of that which to any other person would havebeen the easiest thing in the world; but she equally feared to say toomuch or too little, and sat deliberating over her paper, with the penin her hand, till broken in on by the entrance of Edward himself.

He had met Mrs. Jennings at the door in her way to the carriage, as hecame to leave his farewell card; and she, after apologising for notreturning herself, had obliged him to enter, by saying that MissDashwood was above, and wanted to speak with him on very particularbusiness.

Elinor had just been congratulating herself, in the midst of herperplexity, that however difficult it might be to express herselfproperly by letter, it was at least preferable to giving theinformation by word of mouth, when her visitor entered, to force herupon this greatest exertion of all. Her astonishment and confusionwere very great on his so sudden appearance. She had not seen himbefore since his engagement became public, and therefore not since hisknowing her to be acquainted with it; which, with the consciousness ofwhat she had been thinking of, and what she had to tell him, made herfeel particularly uncomfortable for some minutes. He too was muchdistressed; and they sat down together in a most promising state ofembarrassment.--Whether he had asked her pardon for his intrusion onfirst coming into the room, he could not recollect; but determining tobe on the safe side, he made his apology in form as soon as he couldsay any thing, after taking a chair.

”Mrs. Jennings told me,” said he, ”that you wished to speak with me, atleast I understood her so--or I certainly should not have intruded onyou in such a manner; though at the same time, I should have beenextremely sorry to leave London without seeing you and your sister;especially as it will most likely be some time--it is not probable thatI should soon have the pleasure of meeting you again. I go to Oxfordtomorrow.”

”You would not have gone, however,” said Elinor, recovering herself,and determined to get over what she so much dreaded as soon aspossible, ”without receiving our good wishes, even if we had not beenable to give them in person. Mrs. Jennings was quite right in what shesaid. I have something of consequence to inform you of, which I was onthe point of communicating by paper. I am charged with a mostagreeable office (breathing rather faster than usual as she spoke.)Colonel Brandon, who was here only ten minutes ago, has desired me tosay, that understanding you mean to take orders, he has great pleasurein offering you the living of Delaford now just vacant, and only wishesit were more valuable. Allow me to congratulate you on having sorespectable and well-judging a friend, and to join in his wish that theliving--it is about two hundred a-year--were much more considerable,and such as might better enable you to--as might be more than atemporary accommodation to yourself--such, in short, as might establishall your views of happiness.”

What Edward felt, as he could not say it himself, it cannot be expectedthat any one else should say for him. He LOOKED all the astonishmentwhich such unexpected, such unthought-of information could not fail ofexciting; but he said only these two words,

”Colonel Brandon!”

”Yes,” continued Elinor, gathering more resolution, as some of theworst was over, ”Colonel Brandon means it as a testimony of his concernfor what has lately passed--for the cruel situation in which theunjustifiable conduct of your family has placed you--a concern which Iam sure Marianne, myself, and all your friends, must share; andlikewise as a proof of his high esteem for your general character, andhis particular approbation of your behaviour on the present occasion.”

”Colonel Brandon give ME a living!--Can it be possible?”

”The unkindness of your own relations has made you astonished to findfriendship any where.”

”No,” replied he, with sudden consciousness, ”not to find it in YOU;for I cannot be ignorant that to you, to your goodness, I owe itall.--I feel it--I would express it if I could--but, as you well know,I am no orator.”

”You are very much mistaken. I do assure you that you owe it entirely,at least almost entirely, to your own merit, and Colonel Brandon'sdiscernment of it. I have had no hand in it. I did not even know,till I understood his design, that the living was vacant; nor had itever occurred to me that he might have had such a living in his gift.As a friend of mine, of my family, he may, perhaps--indeed I know heHAS, still greater pleasure in bestowing it; but, upon my word, you owenothing to my solicitation.”

Truth obliged her to acknowledge some small share in the action, butshe was at the same time so unwilling to appear as the benefactress ofEdward, that she acknowledged it with hesitation; which probablycontributed to fix that suspicion in his mind which had recentlyentered it. For a short time he sat deep in thought, after Elinor hadceased to speak;--at last, and as if it were rather an effort, he said,

”Colonel Brandon seems a man of great worth and respectability. I havealways heard him spoken of as such, and your brother I know esteems himhighly. He is undoubtedly a sensible man, and in his manners perfectlythe gentleman.”

”Indeed,” replied Elinor, ”I believe that you will find him, on fartheracquaintance, all that you have heard him to be, and as you will besuch very near neighbours (for I understand the parsonage is almostclose to the mansion-house,) it is particularly important that heSHOULD be all this.”

Edward made no answer; but when she had turned away her head, gave hera look so serious, so earnest, so uncheerful, as seemed to say, that hemight hereafter wish the distance between the parsonage and themansion-house much greater.

”Colonel Brandon, I think, lodges in St. James Street,” said he, soonafterwards, rising from his chair.

Elinor told him the number of the house.

”I must hurry away then, to give him those thanks which you will notallow me to give YOU; to assure him that he has made me a very--anexceedingly happy man.”

Elinor did not offer to detain him; and they parted, with a veryearnest assurance on HER side of her unceasing good wishes for hishappiness in every change of situation that might befall him; on HIS,with rather an attempt to return the same good will, than the power ofexpressing it.

”When I see him again,” said Elinor to herself, as the door shut himout, ”I shall see him the husband of Lucy.”

And with this pleasing anticipation, she sat down to reconsider thepast, recall the words and endeavour to comprehend all the feelings ofEdward; and, of course, to reflect on her own with discontent.

When Mrs. Jennings came home, though she returned from seeing peoplewhom she had never seen before, and of whom therefore she must have agreat deal to say, her mind was so much more occupied by the importantsecret in her possession, than by anything else, that she reverted toit again as soon as Elinor appeared.

”Well, my dear,” she cried, ”I sent you up the young man. Did not Ido right?--And I suppose you had no great difficulty--You did not findhim very unwilling to accept your proposal?”

”No, ma'am; THAT was not very likely.”

”Well, and how soon will he be ready?--For it seems all to depend uponthat.”

”Really,” said Elinor, ”I know so little of these kind of forms, that Ican hardly even conjecture as to the time, or the preparationnecessary; but I suppose two or three months will complete hisordination.”

”Two or three months!” cried Mrs. Jennings; ”Lord! my dear, how calmlyyou talk of it; and can the Colonel wait two or three months! Lordbless me!--I am sure it would put ME quite out of patience!--And thoughone would be very glad to do a kindness by poor Mr. Ferrars, I do thinkit is not worth while to wait two or three months for him. Suresomebody else might be found that would do as well; somebody that is inorders already.”

”My dear ma'am,” said Elinor, ”what can you be thinking of?-- Why,Colonel Brandon's only object is to be of use to Mr. Ferrars.”

”Lord bless you, my dear!--Sure you do not mean to persuade me that theColonel only marries you for the sake of giving ten guineas to Mr.Ferrars!”

The deception could not continue after this; and an explanationimmediately took place, by which both gained considerable amusement forthe moment, without any material loss of happiness to either, for Mrs.Jennings only exchanged one form of delight for another, and stillwithout forfeiting her expectation of the first.

”Aye, aye, the parsonage is but a small one,” said she, after the firstebullition of surprise and satisfaction was over, ”and very likely MAYbe out of repair; but to hear a man apologising, as I thought, for ahouse that to my knowledge has five sitting rooms on the ground-floor,and I think the housekeeper told me could make up fifteen beds!--and toyou too, that had been used to live in Barton cottage!-- It seems quiteridiculous. But, my dear, we must touch up the Colonel to do something to the parsonage, and make it comfortable for them, before Lucygoes to it.”

”But Colonel Brandon does not seem to have any idea of the living'sbeing enough to allow them to marry.”

”The Colonel is a ninny, my dear; because he has two thousand a-yearhimself, he thinks that nobody else can marry on less. Take my wordfor it, that, if I am alive, I shall be paying a visit at DelafordParsonage before Michaelmas; and I am sure I shan't go if Lucy an'tthere.”

Elinor was quite of her opinion, as to the probability of their notwaiting for any thing more.