Austen Said:

Patterns of Diction in Jane Austen's Major Novels

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but you have made it so charming! Only look, sister, how delightful every thing is! How I should like such a house for myself! Should not you, Mr. Palmer?"
Mr. Palmer made her no answer, and did not even raise his eyes from the newspaper.
"Mr. Palmer does not hear me,"
said she, laughing;
"he never does sometimes. It is so ridiculous!"
This was quite a new idea to Mrs. Dashwood; she had never been used to find wit in the inattention of any one, and could not help looking with surprise at them both.
Mrs. Jennings, in the meantime, talked on as loud as she could, and continued her account of their surprise, the evening before, on seeing their friends, without ceasing till every thing was told. Mrs. Palmer laughed heartily at the recollection of their astonishment, and
every body agreed,
two or three times over, that
it had been quite an agreeable surprise.
"You may believe how glad we all were to see them,"
added Mrs. Jennings, leaning forward towards Elinor, and speaking in a low voice as if she meant to be heard by no one else, though they were seated on different sides of the room;
"but, however, I can't help wishing they had not travelled quite so fast, nor made such a long journey of it, for they came all round by London upon account of some business, for you know
(nodding significantly and pointing to her daughter)
it was wrong in her situation. I wanted her to stay at home and rest this morning, but she would come with us; she longed so much to see you all!"
Mrs. Palmer
laughed, and
said
it would not do her any harm.
"She expects to be confined in February,"
continued Mrs. Jennings.
Lady Middleton could no longer endure such a conversation, and therefore exerted herself to ask Mr. Palmer
if there was any news in the paper.
"No, none at all,"
he replied, and read on.
"Here comes Marianne,"
cried Sir John.
"Now, Palmer, you shall see a monstrous pretty girl."
He immediately went into the passage, opened the front door, and ushered her in himself.
Mrs. Jennings asked her,
as soon as she appeared,
if she had not been to Allenham;
and Mrs. Palmer laughed so heartily at the question, as to show she understood it. Mr. Palmer looked up on her entering the room, stared at her some minutes, and then returned to his newspaper. Mrs. Palmer's eye was now caught by the drawings which hung round the room. She got up to examine them.
"Oh! dear, how beautiful these are! Well! how delightful! Do but look, mama, how sweet! I declare they are quite charming; I could look at them for ever."
And then sitting down again, she very soon forgot that there were any such things in the room.
When Lady Middleton rose to go away, Mr. Palmer rose also, laid down the newspaper, stretched himself and looked at them all around.
"My love, have you been asleep?"
said his wife, laughing.
He
made her no answer; and only
observed,
after again examining the room,
that
it was very low pitched, and that the ceiling was crooked.
He then made his bow, and departed with the rest.
Sir John had been very urgent with them all to spend the next day at the park. Mrs. Dashwood, who did not chuse to dine with them oftener than they dined at the cottage, absolutely refused on her own account;
her daughters might do as they pleased.
But they had no curiosity to see how Mr. and Mrs. Palmer ate their dinner, and no expectation of pleasure from them in any other way. They attempted, therefore, likewise, to excuse themselves;
the weather was uncertain, and not likely to be good.
  • Novel: Sense And Sensibility
  • Character: Narrator as Elinor Dashwoodand Marianne Dashwood
  • Link to text in chapter 19
  • Text ID: 01099
But Sir John would not be satisfied —

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