Pride and Prejudice; Sense and Sensibility

Chapter 92 Anxious Marianne

Sister Eleanor and Mrs. Jennings, who had known each other for so little time, so disproportionate in age and character, and who had so much disagreement with the arrangement only a few days before, were now in the same carriage with her. How could it not have struck Eleanor astonished at her position to have embarked on a journey to London, under her tutelage, as her guest!Elinor's objections were either refuted or fell on deaf ears, as the mother had, like Marianne, the zest and enthusiasm of youth.Although Eleanor expressed doubts about Willoughby's fidelity from time to time, she could not help feeling that Marianne was filled with a sense of ecstatic expectation, and her eyes were shining with anticipation. How bleak the future is, how bleak my state of mind is.How willingly she would indulge in Marianne's longing, with equally exciting prospects and equally achievable hopes.What Willoughby intended, however, could be determined in a short time: in all likelihood he was already in town.Marianne's haste to set off showed that she believed Willoughby would be found in the city.Eleanor made up her mind not only to look at Willoughby's personality with fresh eyes, based on her own observations and the information provided by others, but also to be very careful about his attitude towards her sister, so that she could get a better understanding without many meetings. Know what kind of person he is and what his intentions are.If the result of her observation is not good, she should help her sister to open her eyes no matter what; so as not to lessen her satisfaction with Marianne's happiness.

They walked for three days on the road.Marian sat almost silently along the way, always immersed in meditation.It might be an excellent prelude to her future submissiveness to Mrs. Jennings.She seldom speaks out on her own initiative, and even when she sees the beautiful scenery, she only gives a few pleasant surprises admiration, but the words are only for her sister.Therefore, in order to make up for her sister's lack of action, Eleanor immediately assumed the task of showing courtesy according to the original idea.She devoted herself to Mrs. Jennings, talked and laughed with her, and listened to her nagging as much as she could.and Mrs. Jennings treated them with the utmost kindness, and was constantly concerned about their comfort and happiness.The only thing that disturbed her was that they refused to choose their own meals when they were in the hotel.She couldn't ask, though she kept asking, whether they liked salmon and cod, or roast poultry rather than veal fillets.At three o'clock in the afternoon on the third day, they came to the city.After running all the way, freed from the confinement of the carriage, everyone was happy, ready to have a good time by the roaring fire.

Mrs. Jennings's house was very handsome and well furnished, and the two ladies were accommodated in a suite of very comfortable rooms.This room had originally belonged to Charlotte, and over the mantelpiece was a painted silk landscape which she had made herself, showing that she had gone seven years at one of the great schools in the town, and quite a few years. score.

As there were two hours before dinner, Eleanor decided to use the time to write a letter to her mother.So I sat down and started writing.After a while, Marianne followed suit. "I'm writing home, Marianne," said Elinor. "Aren't you a day or two late?"

"I am not writing to my mother," replied Marianne hastily, as if to avoid further questioning from her.Eleanor said nothing more.She realized at once that her sister must be writing to Willoughby.Then she concluded: however mysterious they both tried to keep things, they must be engaged.This judgment, though not wholly convincing, pleased her, and she continued her letter with more gaiety and quickness.Marianne's letter was written in a few minutes.In length, it was only a short letter.Then Marianne hastily folded, sealed, and wrote the names and addresses of the recipients.Elinor thought that from the name and address she made out a capital "W."As soon as the letter was finished, Marianne rang the bell and told the servant who came over to deliver the letter to the two-penny box for her. .In this way, the matter is certain.

Marianne was still in high spirits, but she was a little restless, which kept her sister from being fully cheered.As night fell, Marianne became more and more restless.She could barely eat anything for dinner.Returning to the living room after dinner, she seemed to be listening anxiously to every sound of the carriage.

Elinor was greatly relieved that Mrs. Jennings was in her own room, busy with her own affairs, without seeing all this.The tea things were brought in, and Marianne had more than once been disappointed by the knocking of the neighbors.Suddenly, there was another loud knock on the door, this time it was definitely not someone else's door.Elinor felt that it must be Willoughby, and Marianne rose suddenly, and went towards the door.The room was quiet, and she couldn't bear it any longer. She quickly opened the door, took a few steps towards the stairs, and listened for a while before returning to the room. The agitated look must have convinced her to hear Willoughby's footsteps. natural response to sound.At that time, she was ecstatic for a moment, and couldn't help shouting: "Oh, Eleanor, it's Willoughby, it must be him!" She seemed to be about to throw herself into his arms, but it was Bran who came in. Colonel De.

The shock was so great that Marianne left the room in a daze.Eleanor was also very disappointed, but because she always respected Colonel Brand, she still welcomed his arrival.And it grieved her above all that the man who loved her sister so much should find that when she saw him, she expressed nothing but sadness and disappointment.She immediately discovered that the colonel was not unaware, and he even watched Marianne walk out of the room, surprised and concerned, and didn't even care about the necessary courtesy to Eleanor.

"Is your sister unwell?" he said.

Embarrassed, Eleanor replied that she was not well.Then she mentioned her headaches, her poor spirits, her overtiredness, and so on, and covered everything that could be decently excused for her sister.

The Colonel listened to her attentively, seemed to have regained his composure, and said no more on the subject, but at once said he was glad to see them in London, and asked politely about their journey and about staying at home. situation of friends.

They talked thus peacefully and dullly, both listless and mindful of their own concerns. Elinor would have liked to ask Willoughby if he was in town, but she was afraid that asking about his rival He suffers.At last, in order to find something to say, she asked him if he had been in London since the last time we saw him. "Yes," replied the colonel, with some embarrassment, "almost all the time in London. For a few days, I went to Delaford once or twice, but never got back to Barton."

His words, and the manner in which he spoke, immediately reminded Eleanor of the scene when he left Barton, and of Mrs. Jennings' uneasiness and suspicion at that time.Eleanor was a little worried: Her questioning would make it sound like she was curious about the subject, but she didn't mean it.

Presently Mrs. Jennings entered. "Oh, Colonel!" she cried, with her usual boisterous glee, "I'm so glad to see you--I'm sorry I didn't come down sooner--I'll have to walk around, if you'll excuse me. Look, take care of some things. I've been away for a while, you know, when you're away, no matter how long, there's always a lot of miscellaneous things to do when you come back. And then there's Cartwright Last name of the housekeeper. Accounts cleared. Good God, I've been as busy as a bee after supper! But, Colonel, how did you guess I'm here today?"

"I had the good fortune to hear it at Mr. Palmer's, where I was having dinner."

"Oh! Is it? That's the way it is. How are they all, then? How is Charlotte? I say she must be round by now."

"Mrs. Palmer looks very well. I have been ordered to tell you that she will come to see you tomorrow."

"Well, no problem, I've expected that. You see, Colonel, I've brought two young ladies—I mean, you're only seeing one of them now, and there's another who's somewhere Well. That's your friend Miss Marianne--you won't be displeased to hear that. I don't know what you and Mr. Willoughby are going to do with her. Oh, it's a thing to be young and pretty. Good thing. Well, I was young, but I was never very beautiful - my luck is terrible. However, I have met a very good husband, I really don't know the most beautiful woman in the world can be luckier than me Where are you going? Ah, poor old chap! It's been more than eight years since he died. But, Colonel, where have you been since you parted from us? How is your business doing? Well, well, my friend Don't keep any secrets between them."
The colonel answered her inquiries one by one in his usual tactful tone, but none of the answers satisfied her.Eleanor began to make tea, and Marianne had to reappear.

Seeing her enter the room, Colonel Bland became more preoccupied and less talkative than before. Mrs. Jennings tried to persuade him to stay a little longer, but did not keep him.There were no other guests that night, and the ladies agreed to go to bed early.

The next morning Marianne arose in her usual spirits and cheerfulness.She seemed so hopeful about the day that she forgot the disappointment of the night before.Not long after everyone finished breakfast, they heard Mrs. Palmer's carriage pull up in front of the door.After a while, she came into the room with a smile.She was overjoyed to see them, and you would hardly have been able to tell which she was happier to see, her mother, or the Miss Dashwoods.Though she had been looking forward to their coming to town, the arrival of the Dashwood ladies was a great surprise to her.And it annoyed her that they should refuse her invitation and then accept her mother's, though she would never forgive them if they did not come at all! "Mr. Palmer will be very glad to see you," she said. "What do you think he said when he heard you came with my mother? I can't remember now, but it was true." Humor!"

There was an hour or two of chatting together, which, as her mother called it, was pleasant chatter: Mrs. Jennings' incessant inquiries about all their acquaintances, and Mrs. Palmer's inexplicable Laughing non-stop.After the laughing, Mrs. Palmer suggested that they all accompany her to some shops.Mrs. Jennings and Eleanor readily agreed, for they had things to buy themselves.Although Marianne refused to go at first, she was persuaded to go along with her.

She was evidently always on the lookout wherever they went.Especially on Bond Street, there are a lot of things that people have to buy in large quantities. Her eyes are looking around all the time. No matter which store you go to, she turns a blind eye to everything in front of you. Things that others are interested in and take time to pay attention to, She was all absent-minded.She appeared restless and impatient everywhere she went, and when her sister asked for her opinion on a purchase, she would not answer a word even though it might be an item they both would buy.She was not interested in any of it, except an urgent concern about going back soon.She could hardly contain her chagrin at seeing Mrs. Palmer go on and on.The lady's eyes are always attracted by those exquisite, expensive and fashionable products. She wants to buy everything, but she can't make up her mind for anything, and all the time is wasted in her ecstasy and indecision. up.

Near noon.They went home.As soon as she entered, Marianne flew upstairs in a hurry.Elinor followed and found her turned from the table with a look of dismay on her face, and it appeared that Willoughby had not come.

"Hasn't anyone written for me since we went out?" said Marianne to the footman who came in at that moment to deliver the mail.The answer she got was no. "Are you sure you haven't?" she asked. "Are you sure no servant or porter ever came in to deliver me a letter or a note?"

The manservant replied that no one had come to deliver the letter.

"How strange!" said Marianne in a low, disappointed tone, and turned to the window.

"How queer!" repeated Elinor to herself, as she eyed her sister uncomfortably, and thought to herself: "If she hadn't known he was in town, she would never have written to him, and Only writes to Combe House. If he's in the city, it's odd that he neither visits nor writes! Oh, mother dear! You shouldn't have allowed such a young daughter to be with such a ignorant I’m engaged to a man of my own, and they’ve made things so unpredictable, I really want to ask, but how can I do this kind of thing?”

She had thought it over and decided that if the situation continued uncomfortably for many days, she would write to her mother, urging her to pursue the matter seriously.

Mrs. Palmer, and two old ladies whom Mrs. Jennings had met and invited in the morning, dined with them.Mrs Palmer left shortly after tea to meet her evening appointments.Eleanor kindly helped them build a table of whist cards, the four were divided into two groups, and they played against each other with a full deck of cards, and bridge evolved from it.Bureau.Marianne could not help in this case, for she would not learn to play cards at all.But though she thus had free command of her time, she passed the whole evening no happier than Eleanor, for she had been suffering the anxiety of expectation and the pain of disappointment.Sometimes she forced herself to read for a while, but soon put the book aside and walked up and down the room, which was better than reading.Whenever I go to the window, I always stop for a while, hoping to hear the long-awaited knock on the door.

(End of this chapter)