CHAPTER 13

     Their intended excursion to Whitwell turned out

very different from what Elinor had expected.  She was

prepared to be wet through, fatigued, and frightened;

but the event was still more unfortunate, for they did

not go at all.
 
 

     By ten o'clock the whole party was assembled at

the park, where they were to breakfast.  The morning

was rather favourable, though it had rained all night,

as the clouds were then dispersing across the sky,

and the sun frequently appeared.  They were all in high

spirits and good humour, eager to be happy, and determined

to submit to the greatest inconveniences and hardships

rather than be otherwise.
 
 

     While they were at breakfast the letters were brought in.

Among the rest there was one for Colonel Brandon;--he

took it, looked at the direction, changed colour,

and immediately left the room.
 
 

     "What is the matter with Brandon?" said Sir John.
 
 

     Nobody could tell.
 
 

     "I hope he has had no bad news," said Lady Middleton.

"It must be something extraordinary that could make Colonel

Brandon leave my breakfast table so suddenly."
 
 

     In about five minutes he returned.
 
 

     "No bad news, Colonel, I hope;" said Mrs. Jennings,

as soon as he entered the room.
 
 

     "None at all, ma'am, I thank you."
 
 

     "Was it from Avignon?  I hope it is not to say

that your sister is worse."
 
 

     "No, ma'am. It came from town, and is merely

a letter of business."
 
 

     "But how came the hand to discompose you so much,

if it was only a letter of business?  Come, come,

this won't do, Colonel; so let us hear the truth of it."
 
 

     "My dear madam," said Lady Middleton, "recollect what

you are saying."
 
 

     "Perhaps it is to tell you that your cousin Fanny

is married?" said Mrs. Jennings, without attending

to her daughter's reproof.
 
 

     "No, indeed, it is not."
 
 

     "Well, then, I know who it is from, Colonel.  And I

hope she is well."
 
 

     "Whom do you mean, ma'am?" said he, colouring a little.
 
 

     "Oh! you know who I mean."
 
 

     "I am particularly sorry, ma'am," said he,

addressing Lady Middleton, "that I should receive this

letter today, for it is on business which requires

my immediate attendance in town."
 
 

     "In town!" cried Mrs. Jennings.  "What can you

have to do in town at this time of year?"
 
 

     "My own loss is great," be continued, "in being obliged

to leave so agreeable a party; but I am the more concerned,

as I fear my presence is necessary to gain your admittance

at Whitwell."
 
 

     What a blow upon them all was this!
 
 

     "But if you write a note to the housekeeper, Mr. Brandon,"

said Marianne, eagerly, "will it not be sufficient?"
 
 

     He shook his head.
 
 

     "We must go," said Sir John.--"It shall not be put

off when we are so near it.  You cannot go to town till

tomorrow, Brandon, that is all."
 
 

     "I wish it could be so easily settled.  But it

is not in my power to delay my journey for one day!"
 
 

     "If you would but let us know what your business is,"

said Mrs. Jennings, "we might see whether it could be put

off or not."
 
 

     "You would not be six hours later," said Willoughby,

"if you were to defer your journey till our return."
 
 

     "I cannot afford to lose ONE hour."--
 
 

     Elinor then heard Willoughby say, in a low voice to Marianne,

"There are some people who cannot bear a party of pleasure.

Brandon is one of them.  He was afraid of catching cold

I dare say, and invented this trick for getting out of it.

I would lay fifty guineas the letter was of his own writing."
 
 

     "I have no doubt of it," replied Marianne.
 
 

     "There is no persuading you to change your mind,

Brandon, I know of old," said Sir John, "when once you

are determined on anything.  But, however, I hope you

will think better of it.  Consider, here are the two Miss

Careys come over from Newton, the three Miss Dashwoods

walked up from the cottage, and Mr. Willoughby got up

two hours before his usual time, on purpose to go to Whitwell."
 
 

     Colonel Brandon again repeated his sorrow at being

the cause of disappointing the party; but at the same

time declared it to be unavoidable.
 
 

     "Well, then, when will you come back again?"
 
 

     "I hope we shall see you at Barton," added her ladyship,

"as soon as you can conveniently leave town; and we must

put off the party to Whitwell till you return."
 
 

     "You are very obliging.  But it is so uncertain,

when I may have it in my power to return, that I dare

not engage for it at all."
 
 

     "Oh! he must and shall come back," cried Sir John.

"If he is not here by the end of the week, I shall go

after him."
 
 

     "Ay, so do, Sir John," cried Mrs. Jennings, "and then

perhaps you may find out what his business is."
 
 

     "I do not want to pry into other men's concerns.

I suppose it is something he is ashamed of."
 
 

     Colonel Brandon's horses were announced.
 
 

     "You do not go to town on horseback, do you?"

added Sir John.
 
 

     "No. Only to Honiton.  I shall then go post."
 
 

     "Well, as you are resolved to go, I wish you

a good journey.  But you had better change your mind."
 
 

     "I assure you it is not in my power."
 
 

     He then took leave of the whole party.
 
 

     "Is there no chance of my seeing you and your sisters

in town this winter, Miss Dashwood?"
 
 

     "I am afraid, none at all."
 
 

     "Then I must bid you farewell for a longer time

than I should wish to do."
 
 

     To Marianne, he merely bowed and said nothing.
 
 

     "Come Colonel," said Mrs. Jennings, "before you go,

do let us know what you are going about."
 
 

     He wished her a good morning, and, attended by Sir John,

left the room.
 
 

     The complaints and lamentations which politeness

had hitherto restrained, now burst forth universally;

and they all agreed again and again how provoking it was

to be so disappointed.
 
 

     "I can guess what his business is, however,"

said Mrs. Jennings exultingly.
 
 

     "Can you, ma'am?" said almost every body.
 
 

     "Yes; it is about Miss Williams, I am sure."
 
 

     "And who is Miss Williams?" asked Marianne.
 
 

     "What! do not you know who Miss Williams is? I am

sure you must have heard of her before.  She is a relation

of the Colonel's, my dear; a very near relation.  We will

not say how near, for fear of shocking the young ladies."

Then, lowering her voice a little, she said to Elinor,

"She is his natural daughter."
 
 

     "Indeed!"
 
 

     "Oh, yes; and as like him as she can stare.

I dare say the Colonel will leave her all his fortune."
 
 

     When Sir John returned, he joined most heartily

in the general regret on so unfortunate an event;

concluding however by observing, that as they were

all got together, they must do something by way of

being happy; and after some consultation it was agreed,

that although happiness could only be enjoyed at Whitwell,

they might procure a tolerable composure of mind by driving

about the country.  The carriages were then ordered;

Willoughby's was first, and Marianne never looked

happier than when she got into it.  He drove through

the park very fast, and they were soon out of sight;

and nothing more of them was seen till their return,

which did not happen till after the return of all the rest.

They both seemed delighted with their drive; but said

only in general terms that they had kept in the lanes,

while the others went on the downs.
 
 

     It was settled that there should be a dance in the evening,

and that every body should be extremely merry all day long.

Some more of the Careys came to dinner, and they had the

pleasure of sitting down nearly twenty to table, which Sir

John observed with great contentment.  Willoughby took

his usual place between the two elder Miss Dashwoods.

Mrs. Jennings sat on Elinor's right hand; and they had not

been long seated, before she leant behind her and Willoughby,

and said to Marianne, loud enough for them both to hear,

"I have found you out in spite of all your tricks.

I know where you spent the morning."
 
 

     Marianne coloured, and replied very hastily,

"Where, pray?"--
 
 

     "Did not you know," said Willoughby, "that we had

been out in my curricle?"
 
 

     "Yes, yes, Mr. Impudence, I know that very well,

and I was determined to find out WHERE you had been to.--

I hope you like your house, Miss Marianne.  It is a very

large one, I know; and when I come to see you, I hope you

will have new-furnished it, for it wanted it very much

when I was there six years ago."
 
 

     Marianne turned away in great confusion.

Mrs. Jennings laughed heartily; and Elinor found that in her

resolution to know where they had been, she had actually

made her own woman enquire of Mr. Willoughby's groom;

and that she had by that method been informed that they

had gone to Allenham, and spent a considerable time there

in walking about the garden and going all over the house.
 
 

     Elinor could hardly believe this to be true,

as it seemed very unlikely that Willoughby should propose,

or Marianne consent, to enter the house while Mrs. Smith was

in it, with whom Marianne had not the smallest acquaintance.
 
 

     As soon as they left the dining-room, Elinor enquired

of her about it; and great was her surprise when she

found that every circumstance related by Mrs. Jennings

was perfectly true.  Marianne was quite angry with her

for doubting it.
 
 

     "Why should you imagine, Elinor, that we did not

go there, or that we did not see the house?  Is not it

what you have often wished to do yourself?"
 
 

     "Yes, Marianne, but I would not go while Mrs. Smith

was there, and with no other companion than Mr. Willoughby."
 
 

     "Mr. Willoughby however is the only person who can

have a right to shew that house; and as he went in an open

carriage, it was impossible to have any other companion.

I never spent a pleasanter morning in my life."
 
 

     "I am afraid," replied Elinor, "that the pleasantness

of an employment does not always evince its propriety."
 
 

     "On the contrary, nothing can be a stronger proof

of it, Elinor; for if there had been any real impropriety

in what I did, I should have been sensible of it at

the time, for we always know when we are acting wrong,

and with such a conviction I could have had no pleasure."
 
 

     "But, my dear Marianne, as it has already exposed you

to some very impertinent remarks, do you not now begin

to doubt the discretion of your own conduct?"
 
 

     "If the impertinent remarks of Mrs. Jennings are

to be the proof of impropriety in conduct, we are all

offending every moment of our lives.  I value not her

censure any more than I should do her commendation.

I am not sensible of having done anything wrong in walking

over Mrs. Smith's grounds, or in seeing her house.

They will one day be Mr. Willoughby's, and--"
 
 

     "If they were one day to be your own, Marianne,

you would not be justified in what you have done."
 
 

     She blushed at this hint; but it was even visibly

gratifying to her; and after a ten minutes' interval of

earnest thought, she came to her sister again, and said

with great good humour, "Perhaps, Elinor, it WAS rather

ill-judged in me to go to Allenham; but Mr. Willoughby wanted

particularly to shew me the place; and it is a charming house,

I assure you.--There is one remarkably pretty sitting room

up stairs; of a nice comfortable size for constant use,

and with modern furniture it would be delightful.

It is a corner room, and has windows on two sides.

On one side you look across the bowling-green, behind

the house, to a beautiful hanging wood, and on the other you

have a view of the church and village, and, beyond them,

of those fine bold hills that we have so often admired.

I did not see it to advantage, for nothing could be

more forlorn than the furniture,--but if it were newly

fitted up--a couple of hundred pounds, Willoughby says,

would make it one of the pleasantest summer-rooms

in England."
 
 

     Could Elinor have listened to her without interruption

from the others, she would have described every room

in the house with equal delight.