Austen Said:

Patterns of Diction in Jane Austen's Major Novels

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“The present always occupies you in such scenes — does it?”
“I am,”
“I hope not.”
“May I ask to what these questions tend?”
“And what is your success?”
“I can readily believe,”
“that reports may vary greatly with respect to me; and I could wish, Miss Bennet, that you were not to sketch my character at the present moment, as there is reason to fear that the performance would reflect no credit on either.”
“I would by no means suspend any pleasure of yours,”
for taking the earliest opportunity of waiting on her, after his return from London, whither he was obliged to go the next day for a short time.
to inquire
after the health of her family.
he had never been so fortunate as to meet Miss Bennet.
“We are speaking of music, madam,”
“I assure you, madam,”
“that she does not need such advice. She practises very constantly.”
having promised to play to him;
“I shall not say that you are mistaken,”
“because you could not really believe me to entertain any design of alarming you; and I have had the pleasure of your acquaintance long enough to know that you find great enjoyment in occasionally professing opinions which in fact are not your own.”
“I am not afraid of you,”
“Pray let me hear what you have to accuse him of,”
“I should like to know how he behaves among strangers.”
“I had not at that time the honour of knowing any lady in the assembly beyond my own party.”
“Perhaps,”
“I should have judged better, had I sought an introduction; but I am ill-qualified to recommend myself to strangers.”
“I can answer your question,”
“without applying to him. It is because he will not give himself the trouble.”
“I certainly have not the talent which some people possess,”
“of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see done.”
“You are perfectly right. You have employed your time much better. No one admitted to the privilege of hearing you can think anything wanting. We neither of us perform to strangers.”
for his intrusion
he had understood all the ladies were to be within.
“Perfectly so, I thank you.”
“I have never heard him say so; but it is probable that he may spend very little of his time there in the future. He has many friends, and he is at a time of life when friends and engagements are continually increasing.”
“I should not be surprised,”
“if he were to give it up as soon as any eligible purchase offers.”
“This seems a very comfortable house. Lady Catherine, I believe, did a great deal to it when Mr. Collins first came to Hunsford.”
“Mr. Collins appears to be very fortunate in his choice of a wife.”
“It must be very agreeable for her to be settled within so easy a distance of her own family and friends.”
“And what is fifty miles of good road? Little more than half a day's journey. Yes, I call it a very easy distance.”
“It is a proof of your own attachment to Hertfordshire. Anything beyond the very neighbourhood of Longbourn, I suppose, would appear far.”
“You cannot have a right to such very strong local attachment. You cannot have been always at Longbourn.”
“Are you pleased with Kent?”
“I have been making the tour of the park,”
“as I generally do every year, and intend to close it with a call at the Parsonage. Are you going much farther?”
“Yes — if Darcy does not put it off again. But I am at his disposal. He arranges the business just as he pleases.”
“He likes to have his own way very well,”
“But so we all do. It is only that he has better means of having it than many others, because he is rich, and many others are poor. I speak feelingly. A younger son, you know, must be inured to self-denial and dependence.”
“These are home questions — and perhaps I cannot say that I have experienced many hardships of that nature. But in matters of greater weight, I may suffer from the want of money. Younger sons cannot marry where they like.”
“Our habits of expense make us too dependent, and there are not many in my rank of life who can afford to marry without some attention to money.”
“No,”