Austen Said:

"What else have you been spunging?"

"Yes, ma'am, indeed,"

"there will be some satisfaction in looking on now, and I think it was rather a pity they should have been obliged to part. Young folks in their situation should be excused complying with the common forms. I wonder my son did not propose it."

"Oh dear! Miss Julia and Mr. Crawford. Yes, indeed, a very pretty match. What is his property?"

"Very well. Those who have not more must be satisfied with what they have. Four thousand a year is a pretty estate, and he seems a very genteel, steady young man, so I hope Miss Julia will be very happy."

"I believe we must be satisfied with less,"

"There would not be time, and other difficulties would arise. We must rather adopt Mr. Crawford's views, and make the performance, not the theatre, our object. Many parts of our best plays are independent of scenery."

"Now, Edmund, do not be disagreeable,"

"Nobody loves a play better than you do, or can have gone much farther to see one."

"This is not behaving well by the absent,"

"Here are not women enough. Amelia and Agatha may do for Maria and me, but here is nothing for your sister, Mr. Crawford."

"You do not seem afraid of not keeping your countenance when I come in with a basket of provisions—though one might have supposed— —but it is only as Agatha that I was to be so overpowering!"

"Do not be afraid of my wanting the character,"

"I am not to be Agatha, and I am sure I will do nothing else; and as to Amelia, it is of all parts in the world the most disgusting to me. I quite detest her. An odious, little, pert, unnatural, impudent girl. I have always protested against comedy, and this is comedy in its worst form."

"I am sure I would give up the part to Julia most willingly, but that though I shall probably do it very ill, I feel persuaded she would do it worse,"

"I take the part which Lady Ravenshaw was to have done, and"

"Miss Crawford is to be Amelia."

"We see things very differently,"

"I am perfectly acquainted with the play, I assure you; and with a very few omissions, and so forth, which will be made, of course, I can see nothing objectionable in it; and I am not the only young woman you find who thinks it very fit for private representation."

"I am much obliged to you, Edmund; you mean very well, I am sure: but I still think you see things too strongly; and I really cannot undertake to harangue all the rest upon a subject of this kind. There would be the greatest indecorum, I think."

"If I were to decline the part,"

"Julia would certainly take it."

"Oh! she might think the difference between us— the difference in our situations —that she need not be so scrupulous as I might feel necessary. I am sure she would argue so. No; you must excuse me; I cannot retract my consent; it is too far settled, everybody would be so disappointed, Tom would be quite angry; and if we are so very nice, we shall never act anything."

"the Mansfield theatricals would enliven the whole neighbourhood exceedingly,"

"And I do believe she can say every word of it,"

"for she could put Mrs. Grant right the other day in twenty places. Fanny, I am sure you know the part."

"My father is come! He is in the hall at this moment."

"I need not be afraid of appearing before him."

"It is time to think of our visitors,"

"Where did you leave Miss Crawford, Fanny?"

"The Thrush is gone out of harbour, please sir, and one of the officers has been here to—"