Austen Said:

if there was any news in the paper.

if she had not been to Allenham;

"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."

"My love, have you been asleep?"

her daughters might do as they pleased.

the weather was uncertain, and not likely to be good.

"Why should they ask us?"

"The rent of this cottage is said to be low; but we have it on very hard terms, if we are to dine at the park whenever any one is staying either with them, or with us."

"They mean no less to be civil and kind to us now,"

"by these frequent invitations, than by those which we received from them a few weeks ago. The alteration is not in them, if their parties are grown tedious and dull. We must look for the change elsewhere."

"I am so glad to see you!"

"for it is so bad a day I was afraid you might not come, which would be a shocking thing, as we go away again tomorrow. We must go, for the Westons come to us next week you know. It was quite a sudden thing our coming at all, and I knew nothing of it till the carriage was coming to the door, and then

Mr. Palmer asked me

He is so droll! He never tells me any thing! I am so sorry we cannot stay longer; however we shall meet again in town very soon, I hope."

"Not go to town!"

"I shall be quite disappointed if you do not. I could get the nicest house in world for you, next door to ours, in Hanover-square. You must come, indeed. I am sure I shall be very happy to chaperon you at any time till I am confined, if Mrs. Dashwood should not like to go into public."

"Oh, my love,"

"you must help me to persuade the Miss Dashwoods to go to town this winter."

"Oh, don't be so sly before us,"

"for we know all about it, I assure you; and I admire your taste very much, for I think he is extremely handsome. We do not live a great way from him in the country, you know. Not above ten miles, I dare say."

"Ah, well! there is not much difference. I never was at his house; but they say it is a sweet pretty place."

"Is it very ugly?"

"then it must be some other place that is so pretty I suppose."

"Did not I tell you, Sir John, when you spoke to me about it before, that it could not be done? They dined with us last."

"You and I, Sir John,"

"should not stand upon such ceremony."

"My love you contradict every body,"

"Do you know that you are quite rude?"

"Ay, you may abuse me as you please,"

"you have taken Charlotte off my hands, and cannot give her back again. So there I have the whip hand of you."

she did not care how cross he was to her, as they must live together.

"Mr. Palmer is so droll!"

"He is always out of humour."

His temper might perhaps be a little soured by finding, like many others of his sex, that through some unaccountable bias in favour of beauty, he was the husband of a very silly woman, —

this kind of blunder was too common for any sensible man to be lastingly hurt by it. — It was rather a wish of distinction,

which produced his contemptuous treatment of every body, and his general abuse of every thing before him. It was the desire of appearing superior to other people. The motive was too common to be wondered at; but the means, however they might succeed by establishing his superiority in ill-breeding, were not likely to attach any one to him except his wife.

"Oh, my dear Miss Dashwood,"

"I have got such a favour to ask of you and your sister. Will you come and spend some time at Cleveland this Christmas? Now, pray do, — and come while the Westons are with us. You cannot think how happy I shall be! It will be quite delightful! — My love,"

"don't you long to have the Miss Dashwoods come to Cleveland?"

"There now," —

"you see Mr. Palmer expects you; so you cannot refuse to come."

"But indeed you must and shall come. I am sure you will like it of all things. The Westons will be with us, and it will be quite delightful. You cannot think what a sweet place Cleveland is; and we are so gay now, for Mr. Palmer is always going about the country canvassing against the election; and so many people came to dine with us that I never saw before, it is quite charming! But, poor fellow! it is very fatiguing to him! for he is forced to make every body like him."

"How charming it will be,"

"when he is in Parliament! — won't it? How I shall laugh! It will be so ridiculous to see all his letters directed to him with an M.P. — But do you know,

he says,

He declares

Don't you, Mr. Palmer?"

"He cannot bear writing, you know,"

"he says

"There now; you see how droll he is. This is always the way with him! Sometimes he won't speak to me for half a day together, and then he comes out with something so droll — all about any thing in the world."