第25章

I am sure you must have heard of her before.She is a relation of the Colonel's, my dear; a very near relation.We will not say how near, for fear of shocking the young ladies."Then, lowering her voice a little, she said to Elinor, "She is his natural daughter.""Indeed!"

"Oh, yes; and as like him as she can stare.

I dare say the Colonel will leave her all his fortune."When Sir John returned, he joined most heartily in the general regret on so unfortunate an event;concluding however by observing, that as they were all got together, they must do something by way of being happy; and after some consultation it was agreed, that although happiness could only be enjoyed at Whitwell, they might procure a tolerable composure of mind by driving about the country.The carriages were then ordered;Willoughby's was first, and Marianne never looked happier than when she got into it.He drove through the park very fast, and they were soon out of sight;and nothing more of them was seen till their return, which did not happen till after the return of all the rest.

They both seemed delighted with their drive; but said only in general terms that they had kept in the lanes, while the others went on the downs.

It was settled that there should be a dance in the evening, and that every body should be extremely merry all day long.

Some more of the Careys came to dinner, and they had the pleasure of sitting down nearly twenty to table, which Sir John observed with great contentment.Willoughby took his usual place between the two elder Miss Dashwoods.

Mrs.Jennings sat on Elinor's right hand; and they had not been long seated, before she leant behind her and Willoughby, and said to Marianne, loud enough for them both to hear, "I have found you out in spite of all your tricks.

I know where you spent the morning."

Marianne coloured, and replied very hastily, "Where, pray?"--"Did not you know," said Willoughby, "that we had been out in my curricle?""Yes, yes, Mr.Impudence, I know that very well, and I was determined to find out WHERE you had been to.--I hope you like your house, Miss Marianne.It is a very large one, I know; and when I come to see you, I hope you will have new-furnished it, for it wanted it very much when I was there six years ago."Marianne turned away in great confusion.

Mrs.Jennings laughed heartily; and Elinor found that in her resolution to know where they had been, she had actually made her own woman enquire of Mr.Willoughby's groom;and that she had by that method been informed that they had gone to Allenham, and spent a considerable time there in walking about the garden and going all over the house.

Elinor could hardly believe this to be true, as it seemed very unlikely that Willoughby should propose, or Marianne consent, to enter the house while Mrs.Smith was in it, with whom Marianne had not the smallest acquaintance.

As soon as they left the dining-room, Elinor enquired of her about it; and great was her surprise when she found that every circumstance related by Mrs.Jennings was perfectly true.Marianne was quite angry with her for doubting it.

"Why should you imagine, Elinor, that we did not go there, or that we did not see the house? Is not it what you have often wished to do yourself?""Yes, Marianne, but I would not go while Mrs.

Smith was there, and with no other companion than Mr.Willoughby.""Mr.Willoughby however is the only person who can have a right to shew that house; and as he went in an open carriage, it was impossible to have any other companion.

I never spent a pleasanter morning in my life.""I am afraid," replied Elinor, "that the pleasantness of an employment does not always evince its propriety.""On the contrary, nothing can be a stronger proof of it, Elinor; for if there had been any real impropriety in what I did, I should have been sensible of it at the time, for we always know when we are acting wrong, and with such a conviction I could have had no pleasure.""But, my dear Marianne, as it has already exposed you to some very impertinent remarks, do you not now begin to doubt the discretion of your own conduct?""If the impertinent remarks of Mrs.Jennings are to be the proof of impropriety in conduct, we are all offending every moment of our lives.I value not her censure any more than I should do her commendation.

I am not sensible of having done anything wrong in walking over Mrs.Smith's grounds, or in seeing her house.

They will one day be Mr.Willoughby's, and--""If they were one day to be your own, Marianne, you would not be justified in what you have done."She blushed at this hint; but it was even visibly gratifying to her; and after a ten minutes' interval of earnest thought, she came to her sister again, and said with great good humour, "Perhaps, Elinor, it WAS rather ill-judged in me to go to Allenham; but Mr.Willoughby wanted particularly to shew me the place; and it is a charming house, I assure you.--There is one remarkably pretty sitting room up stairs; of a nice comfortable size for constant use, and with modern furniture it would be delightful.

It is a corner room, and has windows on two sides.

On one side you look across the bowling-green, behind the house, to a beautiful hanging wood, and on the other you have a view of the church and village, and, beyond them, of those fine bold hills that we have so often admired.

I did not see it to advantage, for nothing could be more forlorn than the furniture,--but if it were newly fitted up--a couple of hundred pounds, Willoughby says, would make it one of the pleasantest summer-rooms in England."Could Elinor have listened to her without interruption from the others, she would have described every room in the house with equal delight.