Austen Said:

Patterns of Diction in Jane Austen's Major Novels

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"Nay, how could I help saying what I did?—Nobody could have helped it. It was not so very bad. I dare say she did not understand me."
"Oh!"
"I know there is not a better creature in the world: but you must allow, that what is good and what is ridiculous are most unfortunately blended in her."
How could she have been so brutal, so cruel to Miss Bates! How could she have exposed herself to such ill opinion in any one she valued! And how suffer him to leave her without saying one word of gratitude, of concurrence, of common kindness!
it was a morning more completely misspent, more totally bare of rational satisfaction at the time, and more to be abhorred in recollection, than any she had ever passed. A whole evening of back-gammon with her father, was felicity to it. There, indeed, lay real pleasure, for there she was giving up the sweetest hours of the twenty-four to his comfort;
As a daughter, she hoped she was not without a heart. She hoped no one could have said to her, "How could you be so unfeeling to your father?—I must, I will tell you truths while I can." Miss Bates should never again— no, never! If attention, in future, could do away the past, she might hope to be forgiven. She had been often remiss,
remiss, perhaps, more in thought than fact; scornful, ungracious. But it should be so no more. In the warmth of true contrition, she would call upon her the very next morning, and it should be the beginning, on her side, of a regular, equal, kindly intercourse.
It was not unlikely,
that she might see Mr. Knightley in her way; or, perhaps, he might come in while she were paying her visit. She had no objection. She would not be ashamed of the appearance of the penitence, so justly and truly hers.
'Well,'
'it must be borne some time or other, and it may as well be now.'
'I can see nobody,'
wishing that the circumstances which she collected from Miss Bates to be now actually determined on, might be as much for Miss Fairfax's advantage and comfort as possible.
"It must be a severe trial to them all. She had understood it was to be delayed till Colonel Campbell's return."
"Where— may I ask?—is Miss Fairfax going?"
"Mrs. Elton, I suppose, has been the person to whom Miss Fairfax owes —"
"You spent the evening with Mrs. Elton?"
"Mr. Knightley was there too, was he?"
"Miss Fairfax, I suppose, though you were not aware of it, had been making up her mind the whole day?"
"Whenever the time may come, it must be unwelcome to her and all her friends—but I hope her engagement will have every alleviation that is possible— I mean, as to the character and manners of the family."
"Ah! madam,"
"if other children are at all like what I remember to have been myself, I should think five times the amount of what I have ever yet heard named as a salary on such occasions, dearly earned."
"And when is Miss Fairfax to leave you?"
"Her friends must all be sorry to lose her; and will not Colonel and Mrs. Campbell be sorry to find that she has engaged herself before their return?"
The contrast between Mrs. Churchill's importance in the world, and Jane Fairfax's,
one was every thing, the other nothing—
'You must go,'
'You and I must part. You will have no business here.—Let it stay, however,'
'give it houseroom till Colonel Campbell comes back. I shall talk about it to him; he will settle for me; he will help me out of all my difficulties.'
"Nothing at all. But is not this a sudden scheme?"
Time, however,
would tell him that they ought to be friends again.
He would have judged better,
if he had not stopped.—
nothing became him more.—It was with him, of so simple, yet so dignified a nature.—
It spoke such perfect amity.—
she wished she had left her ten minutes earlier;—it would have been a great pleasure to talk over Jane Fairfax's situation with Mr. Knightley.—
but it might have happened at a better time—and to have had longer notice of it, would have been pleasanter.—
It was a pity that she had not come back earlier!
how Frank might be affected by the event, how benefited, how freed.
Now, an attachment to Harriet Smith would have nothing to encounter. Mr. Churchill, independent of his wife, was feared by nobody; an easy, guidable man, to be persuaded into any thing by his nephew. All that remained to be wished was, that the nephew should form the attachment,
to be of use to her;
to shew a value for her society, and testify respect and consideration.
to prevail on her to spend a day at Hartfield.
To take her —be it only an hour or two —from her aunt, to give her change of air and scene, and quiet rational conversation, even for an hour or two, might do her good;
she would call for her in the carriage at any hour that Jane would name—
she had Mr. Perry's decided opinion, in favour of such exercise for his patient.
her own note had deserved something better;
she could have no doubt— putting every thing together —that Jane was resolved to receive no kindness from her.
could Mr. Knightley have been privy to all her attempts of assisting Jane Fairfax, could he even have seen into her heart, he would not, on this occasion, have found any thing to reprove.

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