第39章

She was short and plump, had a very pretty face, and the finest expression of good humour in it that could possibly be.Her manners were by no means so elegant as her sister's, but they were much more prepossessing.

She came in with a smile, smiled all the time of her visit, except when she laughed, and smiled when she went away.

Her husband was a grave looking young man of five or six and twenty, with an air of more fashion and sense than his wife, but of less willingness to please or be pleased.

He entered the room with a look of self-consequence, slightly bowed to the ladies, without speaking a word, and, after briefly surveying them and their apartments, took up a newspaper from the table, and continued to read it as long as he staid.

Mrs.Palmer, on the contrary, who was strongly endowed by nature with a turn for being uniformly civil and happy, was hardly seated before her admiration of the parlour and every thing in it burst forth.

"Well! what a delightful room this is! I never saw anything so charming! Only think, Mamma, how it is improved since I was here last! I always thought it such a sweet place, ma'am! (turning to Mrs.Dashwood)but you have made it so charming! Only look, sister, how delightful every thing is! How I should like such a house for myself! Should not you, Mr.Palmer?"Mr.Palmer made her no answer, and did not even raise his eyes from the newspaper.

"Mr.Palmer does not hear me," said she, laughing;"he never does sometimes.It is so ridiculous!"This was quite a new idea to Mrs.Dashwood;she had never been used to find wit in the inattention of any one, and could not help looking with surprise at them both.

Mrs.Jennings, in the meantime, talked on as loud as she could, and continued her account of their surprise, the evening before, on seeing their friends, without ceasing till every thing was told.Mrs.Palmer laughed heartily at the recollection of their astonishment, and every body agreed, two or three times over, that it had been quite an agreeable surprise.

"You may believe how glad we all were to see them,"added Mrs.Jennings, leaning forward towards Elinor, and speaking in a low voice as if she meant to be heard by no one else, though they were seated on different sides of the room; "but, however, I can't help wishing they had not travelled quite so fast, nor made such a long journey of it, for they came all round by London upon account of some business, for you know (nodding significantly and pointing to her daughter) it was wrong in her situation.

I wanted her to stay at home and rest this morning, but she would come with us; she longed so much to see you all!"Mrs.Palmer laughed, and said it would not do her any harm.

"She expects to be confined in February,"continued Mrs.Jennings.

Lady Middleton could no longer endure such a conversation, and therefore exerted herself to ask Mr.Palmer if there was any news in the paper.

"No, none at all," he replied, and read on.

"Here comes Marianne," cried Sir John.

"Now, Palmer, you shall see a monstrous pretty girl."He immediately went into the passage, opened the front door, and ushered her in himself.Mrs.Jennings asked her, as soon as she appeared, if she had not been to Allenham;and Mrs.Palmer laughed so heartily at the question, as to show she understood it.Mr.Palmer looked up on her entering the room, stared at her some minutes, and then returned to his newspaper.Mrs.Palmer's eye was now caught by the drawings which hung round the room.

She got up to examine them.

"Oh! dear, how beautiful these are! Well!

how delightful!

Do but look, mama, how sweet! I declare they are quite charming;I could look at them for ever." And then sitting down again, she very soon forgot that there were any such things in the room.

When Lady Middleton rose to go away, Mr.Palmer rose also, laid down the newspaper, stretched himself and looked at them all around.

"My love, have you been asleep?" said his wife, laughing.

He made her no answer; and only observed, after again examining the room, that it was very low pitched, and that the ceiling was crooked.He then made his bow, and departed with the rest.

Sir John had been very urgent with them all to spend the next day at the park.Mrs.Dashwood, who did not chuse to dine with them oftener than they dined at the cottage, absolutely refused on her own account;her daughters might do as they pleased.But they had no curiosity to see how Mr.and Mrs.Palmer ate their dinner, and no expectation of pleasure from them in any other way.

They attempted, therefore, likewise, to excuse themselves;the weather was uncertain, and not likely to be good.

But Sir John would not be satisfied--the carriage should be sent for them and they must come.Lady Middleton too, though she did not press their mother, pressed them.

Mrs.Jennings and Mrs.Palmer joined their entreaties, all seemed equally anxious to avoid a family party; and the young ladies were obliged to yield.

"Why should they ask us?" said Marianne, as soon as they were gone."The rent of this cottage is said to be low;but we have it on very hard terms, if we are to dine at the park whenever any one is staying either with them, or with us.""They mean no less to be civil and kind to us now,"said Elinor, "by these frequent invitations, than by those which we received from them a few weeks ago.

The alteration is not in them, if their parties are grown tedious and dull.We must look for the change elsewhere."