Chapter 40

by Jane Austen

　　"Well, Miss Dashwood," said Mrs. Jennings,sagaciously smiling, as soon as the gentleman had withdrawn,"I do not ask you what the Colonel has been saying to you;for though, upon my honour, I tried to keep out of hearing,I could not help catching enough to understand his business.And I assure you I never was better pleased in my life,and I wish you joy of it with all my heart.""Thank you, ma'am," said Elinor. "It is a matterof great joy to me; and I feel the goodness of ColonelBrandon most sensibly. There are not many men who wouldact as he has done. Few people who have so compassionatea heart! I never was more astonished in my life.""Lord! my dear, you are very modest. I an't the leastastonished at it in the world, for I have often thoughtof late, there was nothing more likely to happen.""You judged from your knowledge of the Colonel'sgeneral benevolence; but at least you could not foreseethat the opportunity would so very soon occur.""Opportunity!" repeated Mrs. Jennings--"Oh! as to that,when a man has once made up his mind to such a thing,somehow or other he will soon find an opportunity.Well, my dear, I wish you joy of it again and again;and if ever there was a happy couple in the world, I thinkI shall soon know where to look for them.""You mean to go to Delaford after them I suppose,"said Elinor, with a faint smile."Aye, my dear, that I do, indeed. And as to the housebeing a bad one, I do not know what the Colonel would be at,for it is as good a one as ever I saw.""He spoke of its being out of repair.""Well, and whose fault is that? why don't he repair it?--who should do it but himself?"They were interrupted by the servant's coming in toannounce the carriage being at the door; and Mrs. Jenningsimmediately preparing to go, said,--"Well, my dear, I must be gone before I have had halfmy talk out. But, however, we may have it all over inthe evening; for we shall be quite alone. I do not askyou to go with me, for I dare say your mind is too fullof the matter to care for company; and besides, you mustlong to tell your sister all about it."Marianne had left the room before the conversation began."Certainly, ma'am, I shall tell Marianne of it;but I shall not mention it at present to any body else.""Oh! very well," said Mrs. Jennings rather disappointed."Then you would not have me tell it to Lucy, for I thinkof going as far as Holborn to-day.""No, ma'am, not even Lucy if you please.One day's delay will not be very material; and till Ihave written to Mr. Ferrars, I think it ought not to bementioned to any body else. I shall do that directly.It is of importance that no time should be lost with him,for he will of course have much to do relative tohis ordination."This speech at first puzzled Mrs. Jennings exceedingly.Why Mr. Ferrars was to have been written to about itin such a hurry, she could not immediately comprehend.A few moments' reflection, however, produced a very happy idea,and she exclaimed;--"Oh, ho!--I understand you. Mr. Ferrars is to bethe man. Well, so much the better for him. Ay, to be sure,he must be ordained in readiness; and I am very gladto find things are so forward between you. But, my dear,is not this rather out of character? Should not the Colonelwrite himself?--sure, he is the proper person."Elinor did not quite understand the beginning ofMrs. Jennings's speech, neither did she think it worthinquiring into; and therefore only replied to its conclusion."Colonel Brandon is so delicate a man, that he ratherwished any one to announce his intentions to Mr. Ferrarsthan himself.""And so you are forced to do it. Well that is an oddkind of delicacy! However, I will not disturb you (seeingher preparing to write.) You know your own concerns best.So goodby, my dear. I have not heard of any thing toplease me so well since Charlotte was brought to bed."And away she went; but returning again in a moment,"I have just been thinking of Betty's sister, my dear.I should be very glad to get her so good a mistress.But whether she would do for a lady's maid, I am sure Ican't tell. She is an excellent housemaid, and worksvery well at her needle. However, you will think of allthat at your leisure.""Certainly, ma'am," replied Elinor, not hearingmuch of what she said, and more anxious to be alone,than to be mistress of the subject.How she should begin--how she should expressherself in her note to Edward, was now all her concern.The particular circumstances between them madea difficulty of that which to any other person wouldhave been the easiest thing in the world; but sheequally feared to say too much or too little, and satdeliberating over her paper, with the pen in her band,till broken in on by the entrance of Edward himself.He had met Mrs. Jennings at the door in her way tothe carriage, as he came to leave his farewell card; and she,after apologising for not returning herself, had obligedhim to enter, by saying that Miss Dashwood was above,and wanted to speak with him on very particular business.Elinor had just been congratulating herself,in the midst of her perplexity, that however difficult itmight be to express herself properly by letter, it wasat least preferable to giving the information by wordof mouth, when her visitor entered, to force her upon thisgreatest exertion of all. Her astonishment and confusionwere very great on his so sudden appearance. She hadnot seen him before since his engagement became public,and therefore not since his knowing her to be acquaintedwith it; which, with the consciousness of what shehad been thinking of, and what she had to tell him,made her feel particularly uncomfortable for some minutes.He too was much distressed; and they sat down togetherin a most promising state of embarrassment.--Whether hehad asked her pardon for his intrusion on first cominginto the room, he could not recollect; but determiningto be on the safe side, he made his apology in formas soon as he could say any thing, after taking a chair."Mrs. Jennings told me," said he, "that you wishedto speak with me, at least I understood her so--or Icertainly should not have intruded on you in such a manner;though at the same time, I should have been extremelysorry to leave London without seeing you and your sister;especially as it will most likely be some time--itis not probable that I should soon have the pleasureof meeting you again. I go to Oxford tomorrow.""You would not have gone, however," said Elinor,recovering herself, and determined to get over what sheso much dreaded as soon as possible, "without receivingour good wishes, even if we had not been able to give themin person. Mrs. Jennings was quite right in what she said.I have something of consequence to inform you of,which I was on the point of communicating by paper.I am charged with a most agreeable office (breathingrather faster than usual as she spoke.) Colonel Brandon,who was here only ten minutes ago, has desired me to say,that understanding you mean to take orders, he hasgreat pleasure in offering you the living of Delafordnow just vacant, and only wishes it were more valuable.Allow me to congratulate you on having so respectableand well-judging a friend, and to join in his wish thatthe living--it is about two hundred a-year--were muchmore considerable, and such as might better enable youto--as might be more than a temporary accommodation toyourself--such, in short, as might establish all your viewsof happiness."What Edward felt, as he could not say it himself,it cannot be expected that any one else should say for him.He looked all the astonishment which such unexpected,such unthought-of information could not fail of exciting;but he said only these two words,"Colonel Brandon!""Yes," continued Elinor, gathering more resolution,as some of the worst was over, "Colonel Brandon meansit as a testimony of his concern for what has latelypassed--for the cruel situation in which the unjustifiableconduct of your family has placed you--a concernwhich I am sure Marianne, myself, and all your friends,must share; and likewise as a proof of his high esteemfor your general character, and his particular approbationof your behaviour on the present occasion.""Colonel Brandon give me a living!--Can it be possible?""The unkindness of your own relations has made youastonished to find friendship any where.""No," replied be, with sudden consciousness, "not tofind it in you; for I cannot be ignorant that to you,to your goodness, I owe it all.--I feel it--I would expressit if I could--but, as you well know, I am no orator.""You are very much mistaken. I do assure youthat you owe it entirely, at least almost entirely,to your own merit, and Colonel Brandon's discernmentof it. I have had no hand in it. I did not even know,till I understood his design, that the living was vacant;nor had it ever occurred to me that he might havehad such a living in his gift. As a friend of mine,of my family, he may, perhaps--indeed I know he has,still greater pleasure in bestowing it; but, upon my word,you owe nothing to my solicitation."Truth obliged her to acknowledge some small sharein the action, but she was at the same time so unwillingto appear as the benefactress of Edward, that she acknowledgedit with hesitation; which probably contributed to fixthat suspicion in his mind which had recently entered it.For a short time he sat deep in thought, after Elinor had ceasedto speak;--at last, and as if it were rather an effort, he said,"Colonel Brandon seems a man of great worth and respectability.I have always heard him spoken of as such, and your brotherI know esteems him highly. He is undoubtedly a sensible man,and in his manners perfectly the gentleman.""Indeed," replied Elinor, "I believe that you will find him,on farther acquaintance, all that you have heard him to be,and as you will be such very near neighbours (for I understandthe parsonage is almost close to the mansion-house,)it is particularly important that he should be all this."Edward made no answer; but when she had turnedaway her head, gave her a look so serious, so earnest,so uncheerful, as seemed to say, that he might hereafter wishthe distance between the parsonage and the mansion-housemuch greater."Colonel Brandon, I think, lodges in St. James Street,"said he, soon afterwards, rising from his chair.Elinor told him the number of the house."I must hurry away then, to give him those thankswhich you will not allow me to give you; to assure himthat he has made me a very--an exceedingly happy man."Elinor did not offer to detain him; and they parted,with a very earnest assurance on her side of her unceasinggood wishes for his happiness in every change of situationthat might befall him; on his, with rather an attempt toreturn the same good will, than the power of expressing it."When I see him again," said Elinor to herself,as the door shut him out, "I shall see him the husbandof Lucy."And with this pleasing anticipation, she sat downto reconsider the past, recall the words and endeavourto comprehend all the feelings of Edward; and, of course,to reflect on her own with discontent.When Mrs. Jennings came home, though she returnedfrom seeing people whom she had never seen before,and of whom therefore she must have a great deal to say,her mind was so much more occupied by the important secretin her possession, than by anything else, that shereverted to it again as soon as Elinor appeared."Well, my dear," she cried, "I sent you up to theyoung man. Did not I do right?--And I suppose you hadno great difficulty--You did not find him very unwillingto accept your proposal?""No, ma'am; that was not very likely.""Well, and how soon will he be ready?--For it seemsall to depend upon that.""Really," said Elinor, "I know so little of these kindof forms, that I can hardly even conjecture as to the time,or the preparation necessary; but I suppose two or threemonths will complete his ordination.""Two or three months!" cried Mrs. Jennings; "Lord! my dear,how calmly you talk of it; and can the Colonel wait twoor three months! Lord bless me!--I am sure it would put mequite out of patience!--And though one would be very gladto do a kindness by poor Mr. Ferrars, I do think it isnot worth while to wait two or three months for him.Sure somebody else might be found that would do as well;somebody that is in orders already.""My dear ma'am," said Elinor, "what can you be thinking of?--Why, Colonel Brandon's only object is to be of use to Mr. Ferrars.""Lord bless you, my dear!--Sure you do not mean to persuademe that the Colonel only marries you for the sake of givingten guineas to Mr. Ferrars!"The deception could not continue after this;and an explanation immediately took place, by which bothgained considerable amusement for the moment, without anymaterial loss of happiness to either, for Mrs. Jenningsonly exchanged one form of delight for another, and stillwithout forfeiting her expectation of the first."Aye, aye, the parsonage is but a small one," said she,after the first ebullition of surprise and satisfactionwas over, "and very likely may be out of repair; but to heara man apologising, as I thought, for a house that to myknowledge has five sitting rooms on the ground-floor, and Ithink the housekeeper told me could make up fifteen beds!--and to you too, that had been used to live in Barton cottage!--It seems quite ridiculous. But, my dear, we musttouch up the Colonel to do some thing to the parsonage,and make it comfortable for them, before Lucy goes to it.""But Colonel Brandon does not seem to have any ideaof the living's being enough to allow them to marry.""The Colonel is a ninny, my dear; because he has twothousand a-year himself, he thinks that nobody else can marryon less. Take my word for it, that, if I am alive, I shallbe paying a visit at Delaford Parsonage before Michaelmas;and I am sure I sha'nt go if Lucy an't there."Elinor was quite of her opinion, as to the probabilityof their not waiting for any thing more.