. The novels and letters of Jane Austen. vision of his mothers love and liber-ality, to the prejudice of his banished brother,earned only by his own dissipated course of life,and that brothers integrity, was confirming hermost unfavourable opinion of his head and heart. They had scarcely been two minutes by them-selves, before he began to speak of Edward; forhe too had heard of the living, and was very in-quisitive on the subject. Elinor repeated the par-ticulars of it, as she had given them to John, andtheir effect on Robert, though very different, wasnot less striking than it had been on him
. The novels and letters of Jane Austen. vision of his mothers love and liber-ality, to the prejudice of his banished brother,earned only by his own dissipated course of life,and that brothers integrity, was confirming hermost unfavourable opinion of his head and heart. They had scarcely been two minutes by them-selves, before he began to speak of Edward; forhe too had heard of the living, and was very in-quisitive on the subject. Elinor repeated the par-ticulars of it, as she had given them to John, andtheir effect on Robert, though very different, wasnot less striking than it had been on him. Helaughed most immoderately. The idea ofEdwards being a clergyman, and living in asmall parsonage-house, diverted him beyondmeasure; and when to that was added the fancifulimagery of Edward reading prayers in a whitesurplice, and publishing the banns of marriagebetween John Smith and Mary Brown, he couldconceive nothing more ridiculous. Elinor, wMe she waited in silence, and immov-able gravity, the conclusion of such folly, could[184]. SENSE AND SENSIBILITY not restrain her eyes from being fixed on himwith a look that spoke all the contempt it was a look, however, very well bestowed, for itrelieved her own feelings, and gave no intelli-gence to him. He was called from wit to wisdom,not by any reproof of her, but by his own sensi-bility. We may treat it as a joke, said he at last,recovering from the affected laugh which hadconsiderably lengthened out the genuine gaiety ofthe moment—but, upon my soul, it is a mostserious business. Poor Edward! he is ruined forever. I am extremely sorry for it—for I knowhim to be a very good-hearted creature; as wellmeaning a fellow, perhaps, as any in the must not judge of him, Miss Dash wood,from your slight acquaintance. Poor Edward!His manners are certainly not the happiest innature. But we are not all born, you kno\?ir, withthe same powers—the same address. Poor fel-low! to see him in a circle of strangers!—to b
Size: 1281px × 1951px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidnovelsletter, bookyear1906
