Austen Said:

"This is beyond every thing!"

"His character is now before you; expensive, dissipated, and worse than both. Knowing all this, as I have now known it many weeks, guess what I must have felt on seeing your sister as fond of him as ever, and on being assured that she was to marry him: guess what I must have felt for all your sakes. When I came to you last week and found you alone, I came determined to know the truth; though irresolute what to do when it WAS known. My behaviour must have seemed strange to you then; but now you will comprehend it. To suffer you all to be so deceived; to see your sister — but what could I do? I had no hope of interfering with success; and sometimes I thought your sister's influence might yet reclaim him. But now, after such dishonorable usage, who can tell what were his designs on her. Whatever they may have been, however, she may now, and hereafter doubtless WILL turn with gratitude towards her own condition, when she compares it with that of my poor Eliza, when she considers the wretched and hopeless situation of this poor girl, and pictures her to herself, with an affection for him so strong, still as strong as her own, and with a mind tormented by self-reproach, which must attend her through life. Surely this comparison must have its use with her. She will feel her own sufferings to be nothing. They proceed from no misconduct, and can bring no disgrace. On the contrary, every friend must be made still more her friend by them. Concern for her unhappiness, and respect for her fortitude under it, must strengthen every attachment. Use your own discretion, however, in communicating to her what I have told you. You must know best what will be its effect; but had I not seriously, and from my heart believed it might be of service, might lessen her regrets, I would not have suffered myself to trouble you with this account of my family afflictions, with a recital which may seem to have been intended to raise myself at the expense of others."

"I have been more pained,"

"by her endeavors to acquit him than by all the rest; for it irritates her mind more than the most perfect conviction of his unworthiness can do. Now, though at first she will suffer much, I am sure she will soon become easier. Have you,"

"ever seen Mr. Willoughby since you left him at Barton?"

"Yes,"

"once I have. One meeting was unavoidable."

"What? have you met him to — "

"I could meet him no other way. Eliza had confessed to me, though most reluctantly, the name of her lover; and when he returned to town, which was within a fortnight after myself, we met by appointment, he to defend, I to punish his conduct. We returned unwounded, and the meeting, therefore, never got abroad."

"Such,"

"has been the unhappy resemblance between the fate of mother and daughter! and so imperfectly have I discharged my trust!"

"Is she still in town?"

"No; as soon as she recovered from her lying-in, for I found her near her delivery, I removed her and her child into the country, and there she remains."

his seduction and desertion of Miss Williams, the misery of that poor girl, and the doubt of what his designs might ONCE have been on herself,

entirely wrong, formed on mistaken grounds, and that by requiring her longer continuance in London it deprived her of the only possible alleviation of her wretchedness, the personal sympathy of her mother, and doomed her to such society and such scenes as must prevent her ever knowing a moment's rest.

what brought evil to herself would bring good to her sister;

though their longer stay would therefore militate against her own happiness, it would be better for Marianne than an immediate return into Devonshire.

he was married.

"I should have been quite disappointed if I had not found you here STILL,"

"But I always thought I SHOULD. I was almost sure you would not leave London yet awhile; though you TOLD me, you know, at Barton, that you should not stay above a MONTH. But I thought, at the time, that you would most likely change your mind when it came to the point. It would have been such a great pity to have went away before your brother and sister came. And now to be sure you will be in no hurry to be gone. I am amazingly glad you did not keep to YOUR WORD."

"Not in the stage, I assure you,"

"we came post all the way, and had a very smart beau to attend us. Dr. Davies was coming to town, and so we thought we'd join him in a post-chaise; and he behaved very genteelly, and paid ten or twelve shillings more than we did."

"There now,"

"everybody laughs at me so about the Doctor, and I cannot think why.

My cousins say

but for my part I declare I never think about him from one hour's end to another.

my cousin said t'other day,

when she saw him crossing the street to the house. My beau, indeed! said I — I cannot think who you mean. The Doctor is no beau of mine."

"No, indeed!"

"and I beg you will contradict it, if you ever hear it talked of."

"I suppose you will go and stay with your brother and sister, Miss Dashwood, when they come to town,"

"No, I do not think we shall."

"Oh, yes, I dare say you will."

"What a charming thing it is that Mrs. Dashwood can spare you both for so long a time together!"

"I am sorry we cannot see your sister, Miss Dashwood,"

"I am sorry she is not well — "

"You are very good. My sister will be equally sorry to miss the pleasure of seeing you; but she has been very much plagued lately with nervous head-aches, which make her unfit for company or conversation."

"Oh, dear, that is a great pity! but such old friends as Lucy and me! — I think she might see US; and I am sure we would not speak a word."

"Oh, if that's all,"

"we can just as well go and see HER."

"Excellent indeed. Their attention to our comfort, their friendliness in every particular, is more than I can express."

"Yes; he has very good property in Dorsetshire."

"Me, brother! what do you mean?"

"I believe about two thousand a year."

"Indeed I believe you,"

"but I am very sure that Colonel Brandon has not the smallest wish of marrying ME."

"Is Mr. Edward Ferrars,"

"going to be married?"

"Your expenses both in town and country must certainly be considerable; but your income is a large one."

"More than you think it really and intrinsically worth."