One question after this only remained undecided,between them, one difficulty only was to be overcome.They were brought together by mutual affection,with the warmest approbation of their real friends;their intimate knowledge of each other seemed to make their happiness certain—and they only wanted something to live upon. Edward had two thousand pounds, and Elinor one, which, with Delaford living, was all that they could call their own; for it was impossible that Mrs. Dashwood should advance anything; and they were neither of them quite enough in love to think that three hundred and fifty pounds a-year would supply them with the comforts of life.
Edward was not entirely without hopes of some favourable change in his mother towards him; and on _that_ he rested for the residue of their income. But Elinor had no such dependence; for since Edward would still be unable to marry Miss Morton, and his chusing herself had been spoken of in Mrs. Ferrars’s flattering language as only a lesser evil than his chusing Lucy Steele, she feared that Robert’s offence would serve no other purpose than to enrich Fanny.
About four days after Edward’s arrival Colonel Brandon appeared,to complete Mrs. Dashwood’s satisfaction,and to give her the dignity of having,for the first time since her living at Barton,more company with her than her house would hold.Edward was allowed to retain the privilege of first comer,and Colonel Brandon therefore walked every night to his old quarters at the Park; from whence he usually returned in the morning, early enough to interrupt the lovers’ first tête-à-tête before breakfast.
A three weeks’ residence at Delaford, where,in his evening hours at least,he had little to do but to calculate the disproportion between thirty-six and seventeen, brought him to Barton in a temper of mind which needed all the improvement in Marianne’s looks, all the kindness of her welcome, and all the encouragement of her mother’s language, to make it cheerful. Among such friends, however, and such flattery, he did revive. No rumour of Lucy’s marriage had yet reached him:—he knew nothing of what had passed; and the first hours of his visit were consequently spent in hearing and in wondering. Every thing was explained to him by Mrs. Dashwood, and he found fresh reason to rejoice in what he had done for Mr. Ferrars, since eventually it promoted the interest of Elinor.
It would be needless to say,that the gentlemen advanced in the good opinion of each other,as they advanced in each other’s acquaintance,for it could not be otherwise.Their resemblance in good principles and good sense,in disposition and manner of thinking,would probably have been sufficient to unite them in friendship,without any other attraction;but their being in love with two sisters,and two sisters fond of each other,made that mutual regard inevitable and immediate,which might otherwise have waited the effect of time and judgment.
The letters from town,which a few days before would have made every nerve in Elinor’s body thrill with transport, now arrived to be read with less emotion than mirth. Mrs. Jennings wrote to tell the wonderful tale, to vent her honest indignation against the jilting girl, and pour forth her compassion towards poor Mr. Edward, who, she was sure, had quite doted upon the worthless hussy, and was now, by all accounts, almost broken-hearted, at Oxford. “I do think,” she continued, “nothing was ever carried on so sly; for it was but two days before Lucy called and sat a couple of hours with me. Not a soul suspected anything of the matter, not even Nancy, who, poor soul!came crying to me the day after,in a great fright for fear of Mrs. Ferrars,as well as not knowing how to get to Plymouth;for Lucy it seems borrowed all her money before she went off to be married,on purpose we suppose to make a show with,and poor Nancy had not seven shillings in the world;so I was very glad to give her five guineas to take her down to Exeter,where she thinks of staying three or four weeks with Mrs.Burgess, in hopes, as I tell her,to fall in with the Doctor again.And I must say that Lucy’s crossness not to take them along with them in the chaise is worse than all. Poor Mr. Edward!I cannot get him out of my head,but you must send for him to Barton,and Miss Marianne must try to comfort him.”
Mr. Dashwood’s strains were more solemn. Mrs.Ferrars was the most unfortunate of women—poor Fanny had suffered agonies of sensibility—and he considered the existence of each, under such a blow, with grateful wonder. Robert’s offence was unpardonable, but Lucy’s was infinitely worse. Neither of them were ever again to be mentioned to Mrs. Ferrars; and even, if she might hereafter be induced to forgive her son, his wife should never be acknowledged as her daughter, nor be permitted to appear in her presence. The secrecy with which everything had been carried on between them, was rationally treated as enormously heightening the crime, because, had any suspicion of it occurred to the others, proper measures would have been taken to prevent the marriage; and he called on Elinor to join with him in regretting that Lucy’s engagement with Edward had not rather been fulfilled, than that she should thus be the means of spreading misery farther in the family. He thus continued:—
“Mrs. Ferrars has never yet mentioned Edward’s name,which does not surprise us; but,to our great astonishment,not a line has been received from him on the occasion.Perhaps, however, he is kept silent by his fear of offending,and I shall, therefore, give him a hint,by a line to Oxford,that his sister and I both think a letter of proper submission from him,addressed perhaps to Fanny,and by her shown to her mother,might not be taken amiss;for we all know the tenderness of Mrs. Ferrars’s heart,and that she wishes for nothing so much as to be on good terms with her children.”
This paragraph was of some importance to the prospects and conduct of Edward.It determined him to attempt a reconciliation,though not exactly in the manner pointed out by their brother and sister.
“A letter of proper submission!” repeated he; “would they have me beg my mother’s pardon for Robert’s ingratitude to _her_, and breach of honour to _me?_ I can make no submission.I am grown neither humble nor penitent by what has passed.I am grown very happy; but that would not interest.I know of no submission that _is_ proper for me to make. ”
“You may certainly ask to be forgiven,” said Elinor,“because you have offended;—and I should think you might _now_ venture so far as to profess some concern for having ever formed the engagement which drew on you your mother’s anger.”
He agreed that he might.
“And when she has forgiven you,perhaps a little humility may be convenient while acknowledging a second engagement, almost as imprudent in _her_ eyes as the first.”
He had nothing to urge against it,but still resisted the idea of a letter of proper submission;and therefore, to make it easier to him,as he declared a much greater willingness to make mean concessions by word of mouth than on paper, it was resolved that, instead of writing to Fanny, he should go to London, and personally intreat her good offices in his favour. “And if they really _do_ interest themselves,” said Marianne, in her new character of candour, “in bringing about a reconciliation, I shall think that even John and Fanny are not entirely without merit.”
After a visit on Colonel Brandon’s side of only three or four days,the two gentlemen quitted Barton together.They were to go immediately to Delaford,that Edward might have some personal knowledge of his future home,and assist his patron and friend in deciding on what improvements were needed to it; and from thence, after staying there a couple of nights, he was to proceed on his journey to town.
CHAPTER L.