Chapter 25

by Jane Austen

　　Though Mrs. Jennings was in the habit of spending a largeportion of the year at the houses of her children and friends,she was not without a settled habitation of her own.Since the death of her husband, who had traded with successin a less elegant part of the town, she had resided everywinter in a house in one of the streets near Portman Square.Towards this home, she began on the approach of Januaryto turn her thoughts, and thither she one day abruptly,and very unexpectedly by them, asked the elder MissesDashwood to accompany her. Elinor, without observingthe varying complexion of her sister, and the animated lookwhich spoke no indifference to the plan, immediately gavea grateful but absolute denial for both, in which shebelieved herself to be speaking their united inclinations.The reason alleged was their determined resolutionof not leaving their mother at that time of the year.Mrs. Jennings received the refusal with some surprise,and repeated her invitation immediately."Oh, Lord! I am sure your mother can spare youvery well, and I do beg you will favour me withyour company, for I've quite set my heart upon it.Don't fancy that you will be any inconvenience to me,for I shan't put myself at all out of my way for you.It will only be sending Betty by the coach, and Ihope I can afford that. We three shall be able to govery well in my chaise; and when we are in town,if you do not like to go wherever I do, well and good,you may always go with one of my daughters. I am sureyour mother will not object to it; for I have had suchgood luck in getting my own children off my hands that shewill think me a very fit person to have the charge of you;and if I don't get one of you at least well marriedbefore I have done with you, it shall not be my fault.I shall speak a good word for you to all the young men,you may depend upon it.""I have a notion," said Sir John, "that Miss Mariannewould not object to such a scheme, if her elder sisterwould come into it. It is very hard indeed that sheshould not have a little pleasure, because Miss Dashwooddoes not wish it. So I would advise you two, to set offfor town, when you are tired of Barton, without sayinga word to Miss Dashwood about it.""Nay," cried Mrs. Jennings, "I am sure I shall bemonstrous glad of Miss Marianne's company, whether MissDashwood will go or not, only the more the merrier say I,and I thought it would be more comfortable for them tobe together; because, if they got tired of me, they might talkto one another, and laugh at my old ways behind my back.But one or the other, if not both of them, I must have.Lord bless me! how do you think I can live poking by myself,I who have been always used till this winter to haveCharlotte with me. Come, Miss Marianne, let us strikehands upon the bargain, and if Miss Dashwood will changeher mind by and bye, why so much the better.""I thank you, ma'am, sincerely thank you," said Marianne,with warmth: "your invitation has insured my gratitude for ever,and it would give me such happiness, yes, almost the greatesthappiness I am capable of, to be able to accept it.But my mother, my dearest, kindest mother,--I feel thejustice of what Elinor has urged, and if she were to bemade less happy, less comfortable by our absence--Oh! no,nothing should tempt me to leave her. It should not,must not be a struggle."Mrs. Jennings repeated her assurance that Mrs. Dashwoodcould spare them perfectly well; and Elinor, who nowunderstood her sister, and saw to what indifference toalmost every thing else she was carried by her eagernessto be with Willoughby again, made no farther directopposition to the plan, and merely referred it to hermother's decision, from whom however she scarcely expectedto receive any support in her endeavour to prevent a visit,which she could not approve of for Marianne, and whichon her own account she had particular reasons to avoid.Whatever Marianne was desirous of, her mother would be eagerto promote--she could not expect to influence the latterto cautiousness of conduct in an affair respecting which shehad never been able to inspire her with distrust; and shedared not explain the motive of her own disinclinationfor going to London. That Marianne, fastidious as she was,thoroughly acquainted with Mrs. Jennings' manners,and invariably disgusted by them, should overlook everyinconvenience of that kind, should disregard whatevermust be most wounding to her irritable feelings, in herpursuit of one object, was such a proof, so strong,so full, of the importance of that object to her, as Elinor,in spite of all that had passed, was not prepared to witness.On being informed of the invitation, Mrs. Dashwood,persuaded that such an excursion would be productiveof much amusement to both her daughters, and perceivingthrough all her affectionate attention to herself,how much the heart of Marianne was in it, would not hearof their declining the offer upon her account; insisted ontheir both accepting it directly; and then began to foresee,with her usual cheerfulness, a variety of advantages thatwould accrue to them all, from this separation."I am delighted with the plan," she cried,"it is exactly what I could wish. Margaret and I shallbe as much benefited by it as yourselves. When youand the Middletons are gone, we shall go on so quietlyand happily together with our books and our music! Youwill find Margaret so improved when you come back again!I have a little plan of alteration for your bedrooms too,which may now be performed without any inconvenienceto any one. It is very right that you should go to town;I would have every young woman of your condition in lifeacquainted with the manners and amusements of London.You will be under the care of a motherly good sortof woman, of whose kindness to you I can have no doubt.And in all probability you will see your brother,and whatever may be his faults, or the faults of his wife,when I consider whose son he is, I cannot bear to have you sowholly estranged from each other.""Though with your usual anxiety for our happiness,"said Elinor, "you have been obviating every impedimentto the present scheme which occurred to you, there isstill one objection which, in my opinion, cannot be soeasily removed."Marianne's countenance sunk."And what," said Mrs. Dashwood, "is my dear prudentElinor going to suggest? What formidable obstacle is shenow to bring forward? Do let me hear a word about theexpense of it.""My objection is this; though I think very well ofMrs. Jennings's heart, she is not a woman whose societycan afford us pleasure, or whose protection will giveus consequence.""That is very true," replied her mother, "but ofher society, separately from that of other people,you will scarcely have any thing at all, and you willalmost always appear in public with Lady Middleton.""If Elinor is frightened away by her dislike ofMrs. Jennings," said Marianne, "at least it need not preventmy accepting her invitation. I have no such scruples,and I am sure I could put up with every unpleasantnessof that kind with very little effort."Elinor could not help smiling at this display ofindifference towards the manners of a person, to whom shehad often had difficulty in persuading Marianne to behavewith tolerable politeness; and resolved within herself,that if her sister persisted in going, she wouldgo likewise, as she did not think it proper that Marianneshould be left to the sole guidance of her own judgment,or that Mrs. Jennings should be abandoned to the mercyof Marianne for all the comfort of her domestic hours.To this determination she was the more easily reconciled,by recollecting that Edward Ferrars, by Lucy's account,was not to be in town before February; and thattheir visit, without any unreasonable abridgement,might be previously finished."I will have you both go," said Mrs. Dashwood;"these objections are nonsensical. You will have muchpleasure in being in London, and especially in being together;and if Elinor would ever condescend to anticipate enjoyment,she would foresee it there from a variety of sources;she would, perhaps, expect some from improving heracquaintance with her sister-in-law's family."Elinor had often wished for an opportunity ofattempting to weaken her mother's dependence on theattachment of Edward and herself, that the shock mightbe less when the whole truth were revealed, and nowon this attack, though almost hopeless of success,she forced herself to begin her design by saying,as calmly as she could, "I like Edward Ferrars very much,and shall always be glad to see him; but as to the restof the family, it is a matter of perfect indifferenceto me, whether I am ever known to them or not."Mrs. Dashwood smiled, and said nothing.Marianne lifted up her eyes in astonishment, and Elinorconjectured that she might as well have held her tongue.After very little farther discourse, it was finallysettled that the invitation should be fully accepted.Mrs. Jennings received the information with a greatdeal of joy, and many assurances of kindness and care;nor was it a matter of pleasure merely to her. Sir Johnwas delighted; for to a man, whose prevailing anxietywas the dread of being alone, the acquisition of two,to the number of inhabitants in London, was something.Even Lady Middleton took the trouble of being delighted,which was putting herself rather out of her way;and as for the Miss Steeles, especially Lucy, they hadnever been so happy in their lives as this intelligencemade them.Elinor submitted to the arrangement which counteractedher wishes with less reluctance than she had expectedto feel. With regard to herself, it was now a matterof unconcern whether she went to town or not, and whenshe saw her mother so thoroughly pleased with the plan,and her sister exhilarated by it in look, voice, and manner,restored to all her usual animation, and elevated to morethan her usual gaiety, she could not be dissatisfiedwith the cause, and would hardly allow herself to distrustthe consequence.Marianne's joy was almost a degree beyond happiness,so great was the perturbation of her spirits and herimpatience to be gone. Her unwillingness to quit hermother was her only restorative to calmness; and at themoment of parting her grief on that score was excessive.Her mother's affliction was hardly less, and Elinorwas the only one of the three, who seemed to considerthe separation as any thing short of eternal.Their departure took place in the first week in January.The Middletons were to follow in about a week. The MissSteeles kept their station at the park, and were to quitit only with the rest of the family.