14/15 Sense And Sensibility - Stephanie Poppins

When Marianne Dashwood falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby, she ignores her sister's warning that this impulsive behavior leaves her open to gossip. Elinor meanwhile, always sensitive to social convention, struggles to conceal her romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. In this story, the two sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love. This Episode sees Marianne suffer an unexpected loss.

Transcript

Sense and sensibility by jane austen chapter fourteen the sudden termination of colonel brandon's visit at the park with his steadiness in concealing its cause filled the mind and raised the wonder of mrs jennings for two or three days she wondered with little intermission what could be the reason of it and thought over every kind of distress that could have befallen him with a fixed determination that he should not escape them all something very melancholy must be the matter i am sure said she i could see it in his face i do think he must have been sent for money matters for what else can it be i would give anything to know the truth of it i would lay any wager it's about miss williams i wonder what it could be maybe his sister is worse at avignon and has sent for him over his setting off in such a hurry seems very like it well i wish him out of his trouble with all my heart and a good wife into the bargain so wondered so talked mrs jennings elinor though she felt really interested in the welfare of colonel brandon could not bestow all the wonder of his going so suddenly away which mrs jennings was desirous of her feeling her wonder was engrossed by the extraordinary silence of her sister and willoughby on the subject which they must know to be peculiarly interesting to them all as the silence continued every day made it appear more strange and more incompatible with the disposition of both she could easily conceive that marriage might not be immediately in their power for though willoughby was independent there was no reason to believe him rich his estate had been rated by sir john at about six or seven hundred a year but he lived at an expense to which that income could hardly be equal and he had been and he had himself often complained of his poverty but for this strange kind of secrecy maintained by them relative to their engagement she could not account and it was so wholly contradictory to their general opinions and practice that a doubt sometimes entered her mind of their being really engaged nothing could be more expressive of attachment to them all than willoughby's behaviour to marianne it had all the distinguishing tenderness which a lover's heart could give and to the rest of the family it was the affectionate attention of a son and brother one evening in particular about a week after colonel brandon had left the country his heart seemed more than usually open to every feeling of attachment to the objects around him and on mrs dashwood's happening to mention her design of improving the cottage in the spring he warmly opposed every alteration of a place which affection had established as perfect with him what he exclaimed improve this dear cottage no that i never consent to do not be alarmed said miss dashwood nothing of the kind will be done for my mother will never have money enough to attempt it i am heartily glad of it he cried may she always be poor if she can employ her riches no better thank you willoughby but you may be assured i would not sacrifice one sentiment of local attachment of yours or of any one whom i love for all the improvements in the world but are you really so attached to this place as to see no defect in it i am said he to me it is faultless and were i rich enough i would instantly pull coombe down and build it up again in the exact plan of this cottage with dark narrow stairs and a kitchen that smokes i suppose said eleanor yes cried he in the same eager tone with all and everything belonging to it i flatter myself replied eleanor that even under the disadvantage of better rooms and a broader staircase you will hereafter find your own house as faultless as you do this there certainly are circumstances said willoughby which might greatly endear it to me but this place will always have one claim on my affection which no other can possibly share mrs dashwood looked with pleasure at marianne whose fine eyes were fixed so expressively on willoughby as plainly denoted how well she understood him how often did i wish added he when i was at allenham this time twelvemonth that barton cottage was inhabited though little did i then think the very first news i should hear from mrs smith when i came into the country would be that barton cottage was taken and i felt an immediate satisfaction and interest in the event which nothing but a kind of prescience of what happiness i should experience from it can account for must it not have been so marianne speaking to her in a lowered voice then continuing his former tone he said and yet this house you would spoil mrs dashwood you would rob it of its simplicity by imaginary improvement and this dear parlour in which our acquaintance first lived in the house was a and yet this house you would spoil mrs dashwood you would rob it of its simplicity by imaginary improvement and this dear parlour in which our acquaintance first lived in the house was a and yet this house you would spoil mrs dashwood you would rob it of its simplicity by imaginary improvement and this dear parlour in which our acquaintance first lived in the house was a and yet this dear parlour in which our acquaintance first lived in the house was a and yet this dear parlour in which our acquaintance first lived in the house was a and yet this dear parlour in which our acquaintance first lived in the house was a you were degraded to the condition of a common entrance mrs dashwood again assured him no alteration of the kind should be attempted you are a good woman he warmly replied your promise makes me easy extend it a little further and it will make me happy tell me that not only your house will remain the same but that i should ever find you unchanged as your dwelling and that you will always consider me with a kindness which has made everything belonging to you so dear to me the promise was readily given and willoughby's behaviour during the whole of the evening declared at once his affection and happiness shall we see you to-morrow to dinner asked mrs dashwood when he was leaving then i do not ask you to come in the morning for we must walk to the park to call on lady middleton i he engaged to be with them by four o'clock chapter fifteen this is dashwood's visit to lady middleton took place the next day and two of her daughters went with her but marianne excused herself from being of the party under some trifling pretext of employment and her mother who concluded a promise had been made by willoughby the night before of calling on her while they were absent was perfectly satisfied with her remaining at home on their return from the park they found willoughby's curricle and servant in waiting at the cottage and mrs dashwood was convinced her conjecture had been just they were no sooner in the passage than marianne came hastily out of the parlour apparently in violent affliction with her handkerchief at her eyes and without noticing them ran up-stairs surprised and alarmed they proceeded directly into the room she had just quitted where they found only willoughby is anything the matter with her cried mrs dashwood as she entered is she ill i hope not he replied trying to look cheerful and with a forced smile he presently added it is i who may rather expect to be ill for i am now suffering under a very heavy disappointment disappointment yes for i am unable to keep my engagement with you mrs smith has this morning exercised the privilege of riches upon a poor dependent cousin by sending me on business to london to london and are you going this morning almost this moment this is very unfortunate but mrs smith must be obliged and her business will not detain you from us long i hope willoughby coloured as he replied you are very kind but i have no idea of returning to devonshire immediately my visits to mrs smith are never repeated within the twelvemonth and is mrs smith your only friend for shame willoughby can you wait for an invitation here his colour increased and with his eyes fixed on the ground he only replied you are too good mrs dashwood looked at eleanor with surprise eleanor felt equal amazement for a few moments every one was silent mrs dashwood first spoke i have only to add my dear willoughby that at barton cottage you will always be welcome for i will not press you to return here immediately because you can only judge how far that might be pleasing to mrs smith my engagements at present replied willoughby confusedly are of such a nature that-i dare not flatter myself but i have no intention of returning here immediately mrs dashwood i have only to add my dear willoughby that at barton cottage you will always be welcome for i will not press you to return here immediately because you can only judge how far that might be pleasing to mrs smith my engagements at present replied willoughby confusedly are of such a nature that-i dare not flatter myself i dare not flatter myself he stopped mrs dashwood was too much astonished to speak and another pause succeeded this was broken by willoughby who said with a faint smile it is folly to linger in this manner i will not torment myself any longer by remaining among friends whose society it is impossible for me now to enjoy he then hastily took leave of them all and left the room mrs dashwood felt too much for speech and instantly quitted the parlor to give way in solitude to the concern and alarm which this sudden departure occasioned elinor's uneasiness was at least equal to her mother's willoughby's behavior in taking leave of them his embarrassment and affectation of cheerfulness and above all his unwillingness to accept her mother's invitation greatly disturbed her one moment she feared no serious design had ever been formed on his side and the next that some unfortunate quarrel had taken place between him and her sister though when she considered what marianne's love for him was a quarrel seemed almost impossible in about half an hour her mother returned and though her eyes were red her countenance was not uncheerful our dear willoughby is now some miles from barton elinor said she as she sat down to work and with how heavy a heart does he travel it is all very strange so suddenly to be gone said elinor and last night he was with us so happy so cheerful so affectionate and now after only ten minutes notice gone too without intending to return something more than what he owned to us must have happened what can it be can they have quarreled why else should he have shown such unwillingness to accept your invitation here he had not the power of accepting it i've thought it all over i assure you and i can perfectly account for everything that at first seemed strange to me as well to you said her mother can you indeed yes i have explained it to myself in the most satisfactory way it will not satisfy you elinor i know but you shall not talk me out of my trust in it i am persuaded that mrs smith suspects his regard for marianne disapproves of it and on that account is eager to get him away he is moreover aware that she does disapprove the connection and he feels himself obliged from his dependent situation to give in to her schemes and absent himself from devonshire for a while you will tell me i know that this may or may not have happened but i will listen to no cavil unless you can point out any other method of understanding the affair as satisfactory as this and now elinor what have you to say nothing for you have anticipated my answer oh elinor how incomprehensible are your feelings you had rather look out for misery for marianne and guilt for poor willoughby than an apology for the latter is nothing due to the man whom we have all so much reason to love and no reason in the world to think ill of and after all what is it you suspect him of i can hardly tell you myself said elinor but suspicion of something unpleasant is the inevitable consequence of such an alteration as we've just witnessed in him willoughby may undoubtedly have very sufficient reasons for his conduct and i will hope he has but it would have been more like willoughby to acknowledge them at once secrecy may be advisable but still i cannot help wondering at it being practised by him do not blame him however for departing from his character said her mother where the deviation is necessary but you really do admit the justice of what i've said in his defence not entirely said elinor it may be proper to conceal their engagement if they are engaged from mrs smith but this is no excuse for their concealing it from us my dear child do you accuse willoughby and marianne of concealment this is strange indeed when your eyes have been reproaching them every day for incautiousness i want no proof of their affair affection said elinor but of their engagement i do my elinor is it possible to doubt their engagement how is it to be supposed that willoughby persuaded as he must be of your sister's love should leave her and leave her perhaps for months without telling her of his affection that they should part without a mutual exchange of confidence i confess replied elinor that every circumstance except one is in favour of their engagement but that one is the total silence of both on the subject how strange this is said her mother you must think wretchedly indeed of willoughby if after all that has openly passed between them you can doubt the nature of the terms on which they are together do you suppose him really indifferent to her no i cannot think that he must and does love her i'm sure but said mrs dashwood with a strange kind of tenderness if he can leave her with such indifference such carelessness of the future as you attribute to him you must remember my dear mother that i have never considered this matter as certain i have had my doubts i confess but they are fainter than they were if we find they correspond every fear of mine will be removed a mighty concession indeed said mrs dashwood if you were to see them at the altar you would suppose they were going to be married but i require no such proof nothing in my opinion has ever passed to justify doubt you cannot doubt your sister's wishes it must be willoughby therefore whom you suspect but why has there been any inconsistency on his side to create alarm can he be deceitful i hope not-i believe not cried eleanor i love willoughby sincerely love him i was startled i confess by the alteration in his manners this morning he did not speak like himself and did not return your kindness with any cordiality but all this may be explained by such a situation of his affairs as you have supposed he had just parted from my sister had seen her leave him in the greatest affliction and if he felt obliged to resist the temptation of returning here soon he might well be embarrassed and disturbed in such a case a plain and open avowal of his difficulties would have been more to his honor i think but i will not raise objections against any one's conduct on such a matter on so illiberal a foundation you speak very properly said her mother willoughby certainly does not deserve to be suspected had he been in a situation to act independently and marry immediately it might have been odd he should leave us without acknowledging everything to me at once but this is not the case it is an engagement in some respects not prosperously begun for their marriage must be at a very uncertain distance and even secrecy as far as it can be observed may now be very advisable they saw nothing of marianne till dinner-time when she entered the room and took her place at the table without saying a word her eyes were red and swollen she avoided the looks of them all could neither eat nor speak and after some time on her mother's silently pressing her hand with tender compassion her small degree of fortitude was quite overcome she burst into tears and left the room this violent oppression of spirits continued the whole evening the slightest mention of anything relative to willoughby overpowered her in an instant and though her family were most anxiously attentive to her her and though her family were most anxiously attentive to her comfort it was impossible for them if they spoke at all to keep clear of every subject which her feelings connected with him

Reviews

Excited to eventually make it through this but love how fast it puts me into dreamland 💕💕
But uh oh, willoughby!