Austen Said:

Patterns of Diction in Jane Austen's Major Novels

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He had never had an idea of throwing himself off; he had feared that he was thrown off, but knew not why, and delicacy had kept him silent.
  • Novel: Persuasion
  • Character: Narrator as Sir Walter Elliott and Elizabeth Elliott as Mr. Elliot
  • Link to text in chapter 15
  • Text ID: 01579
He, who had ever boasted of being an Elliot, and whose feelings, as to connection, were only too strict to suit the unfeudal tone of the present day. He was astonished, indeed, but his character and general conduct must refute it. He could refer Sir Walter to all who knew him;
  • Novel: Persuasion
  • Character: Narrator as Sir Walter Elliott and Elizabeth Elliott as Mr. Elliot
  • Link to text in chapter 15
  • Text ID: 01582
"a most charming woman, quite worthy of being known in Camden Place,"
his apologies for calling at so unusual an hour,
"he could not be so near without wishing to know that neither she nor her friend had taken cold the day before, &c. &c;"
be received as an acquaintance already.
He had spent his whole solitary evening in the room adjoining theirs; had heard voices, mirth continually; thought they must be a most delightful set of people, longed to be with them, but certainly without the smallest suspicion of his possessing the shadow of a right to introduce himself. If he had but asked who the party were! The name of Musgrove would have told him enough.
"Well, it would serve to cure him of an absurd practice of never asking a question at an inn, which he had adopted, when quite a young man, on the principal of its being very ungenteel to be curious.
"The notions of a young man of one or two and twenty,"
"as to what is necessary in manners to make him quite the thing, are more absurd, I believe, than those of any other set of beings in the world. The folly of the means they often employ is only to be equalled by the folly of what they have in view."
But he must not be addressing his reflections to Anne alone:
he was soon diffused again among the others, and it was only at intervals that he could return to Lyme.
Having alluded to
he must hear the whole.
he had looked at her with some earnestness.
their being nothing in themselves,
as a family connexion, as good company, as those who would collect good company around them, they had their value.
"You are mistaken,"
"that is not good company; that is the best. Good company requires only birth, education, and manners, and with regard to education is not very nice. Birth and good manners are essential; but a little learning is by no means a dangerous thing in good company; on the contrary, it will do very well. My cousin Anne shakes her head. She is not satisfied. She is fastidious. My dear cousin"
"you have a better right to be fastidious than almost any other woman I know; but will it answer? Will it make you happy? Will it not be wiser to accept the society of those good ladies in Laura Place, and enjoy all the advantages of the connexion as far as possible? You may depend upon it, that they will move in the first set in Bath this winter, and as rank is rank, your being known to be related to them will have its use in fixing your family (our family let me say) in that degree of consideration which we must all wish for."
"Pardon me, dear cousin, you are unjust in your own claims. In London, perhaps, in your present quiet style of living, it might be as you say: but in Bath; Sir Walter Elliot and his family will always be worth knowing: always acceptable as acquaintance."
"I love your indignation,"
"it is very natural. But here you are in Bath, and the object is to be established here with all the credit and dignity which ought to belong to Sir Walter Elliot. You talk of being proud; I am called proud, I know, and I shall not wish to believe myself otherwise; for our pride, if investigated, would have the same object, I have no doubt, though the kind may seem a little different. In one point, I am sure, my dear cousin,"
"in one point, I am sure, we must feel alike. We must feel that every addition to your father's society, among his equals or superiors, may be of use in diverting his thoughts from those who are beneath him."
in having been wished for, regretted, and at the same time honoured for staying away in such a cause.
her a most extraordinary young woman; in her temper, manners, mind, a model of female excellence.
Lady Dalrymple would be most happy to take them home, and would call for them in a few minutes.
his cousin Anne's boots were rather the thickest.
was grieved to have kept her waiting, and anxious to get her away without further loss of time and before the rain increased;
"Yes, yes, I see you are. I see you know nothing of the matter. You have only knowledge enough of the language to translate at sight these inverted, transposed, curtailed Italian lines, into clear, comprehensible, elegant English. You need not say anything more of your ignorance. Here is complete proof."
"I have not had the pleasure of visiting in Camden Place so long,"
"without knowing something of Miss Anne Elliot; and I do regard her as one who is too modest for the world in general to be aware of half her accomplishments, and too highly accomplished for modesty to be natural in any other woman."
"Perhaps,"
"I have had a longer acquaintance with your character than you are aware of."
"I knew you by report long before you came to Bath. I had heard you described by those who knew you intimately. I have been acquainted with you by character many years. Your person, your disposition, accomplishments, manner; they were all present to me."
"No, no, some time or other, perhaps, but not now. He would mention no names now; but such, he could assure her, had been the fact. He had many years ago received such a description of Miss Anne Elliot as had inspired him with the highest idea of her merit, and excited the warmest curiosity to know her."
"The name of Anne Elliot,"
"has long had an interesting sound to me. Very long has it possessed a charm over my fancy; and, if I dared, I would breathe my wishes that the name might never change."
He begged her pardon, but she must be applied to, to explain Italian again. Miss Carteret was very anxious to have a general idea of what was next to be sung.
if baronetcies were saleable, anybody should have his for fifty pounds, arms and motto, name and livery included;
"Dear Smith -- I have received yours. Your kindness almost overpowers me. I wish nature had made such hearts as yours more common, but I have lived three-and-twenty years in the world, and have seen none like it. At present, believe me, I have no need of your services, being in cash again. Give me joy: I have got rid of Sir Walter and Miss. They are gone back to Kellynch, and almost made me swear to visit them this summer; but my first visit to Kellynch will be with a surveyor, to tell me how to bring it with best advantage to the hammer. The baronet, nevertheless, is not unlikely to marry again; he is quite fool enough. If he does, however, they will leave me in peace, which may be a decent equivalent for the reversion. He is worse than last year.
"I wish I had any name but Elliot. I am sick of it. The name of Walter I can drop, thank God! and I desire you will never insult me with my second W. again, meaning, for the rest of my life, to be only yours truly -- Wm. Elliot."
he was really going out of Bath the next morning, going early, and
he would be gone the greater part of two days.