ors, and was so very unexhilarating to Edward, that he very soon
got up to go away.

"Going so soon!" said Marianne; "my dear Edward, this must not be."

And drawing him a little aside, she whispered her persuasion that Lucy
could not stay much longer. But even this encouragement failed, for he
would go; and Lucy, who would have outstayed him, had his visit lasted
two hours, soon afterwards went away.

"What can bring her here so often?" said Marianne, on her leaving
them. "Could not she see that we wanted her gone!--how teasing to
Edward!"

"Why so?--we were all his friends, and Lucy has been the longest known
to him of any. It is but natural that he should like to see her as
well as ourselves."

Marianne looked at her steadily, and said, "You know, Elinor, that
this is a kind of talking which I cannot bear. If you only hope to
have your assertion contradicted, as I must suppose to be the case,
you ought to recollect that I am the last person in the world to do
it. I cannot descend to be tricked out of assurances, that are not
really wanted."

She then left the room; and Elinor dared not follow her to say more,
for bound as she was by her promise of secrecy to Lucy, she could give
no information that would convince Marianne; and painful as the
consequences of her still continuing in an error might be, she was
obliged to submit to it. All that she could hope, was that Edward
would not often expose her or himself to the distress of hearing
Marianne's mistaken warmth, nor to the repetition of any other part of
the pain that had attended their recent meeting--and this she had
every reason to expect.

[Illustration: _Drawing him a little aside._]

CHAPTER XXXVI

Within a few days after this meeting, the newspapers announced to the
world, that the lady of Thomas Palmer, Esq. was safely delivered of a
son and heir; a very interesting and satisfactory paragraph, at least
to all those intimate connections who knew it before.

This event, highly important to Mrs. Jennings's happiness, produced a
temporary alteration in the disposal of her time, and influenced, in a
like degree, the engagements of her young friends; for as she wished
to be as much as possible with Charlotte, she went thither every
morning as soon as she was dressed, and did not return till late in
the evening; and the Miss Dashwoods, at the particular request of the
Middletons, spent the whole of every day, in Conduit Street. For their
own c