Elinor did think the question a very odd one,and her countenance expressed it as she answered that she had never seen Mrs Ferrars.
‘Indeed!’replied Lucy;‘I wonder at that,for I thought you must have seen her at Norland sometimes.Then perhaps you cannot tell me what sort of a woman she is?’
‘No,’returned Elinor,cautious of giving her real opinion of Edward's mother,and not very desirous of satisfying what seemed impertinent curiosity-‘I know nothing of her.’
‘I am sure you think me very strange,for inquiring about her in such a way,’said Lucy,eyeing Elinor attentively as she spoke;‘but perhaps there may be reasons-I wish I might venture;but however I hope you will do me the justice of believing that I do not mean to be impertinent.’
Elinor made her a civil reply,and they walked on a few minutes in silence.It was broken by Lucy,who renewed the subject again by saying with some hesitation-
‘I cannot bear to have you think me impertinently curious;I am sure I would rather do anything in the world than be thought so by a person whose good opinion is so well worth having as yours.And I am sure I should not have the smallest fear of trusting you;indeed I should be very glad of your advice how to manage in such an uncomfortable situation as I am;but however there is no occasion to trouble you.I am sorry you do not happen to know Mrs Ferrars.’
‘I am sorry I do not,’said Elinor in great astonishment,‘if it could be of any use to you to know my opinion of her.But really,I never understood that you were at all connected with that family,and therefore I am a little surprised,I confess,at so serious an inquiry into her character.’
‘I dare say you are,and I am sure I do not at all wonder at it.But if I dared tell you all,you would not be so much surprised.Mrs Ferrars is certainly nothing to me at present-but the time may come-how soon it will come must depend upon herself-when we may be very intimately connected.’
She looked down as she said this,amiably bashful,with only one side-glance at her companion to observe its effect on her.
‘Good heavens!’cried Elinor,‘what do you mean?Are you acquainted with Mr Robert Ferrars?Can you be?’And she did not feel much delighted with the idea of such a sister-in-law.
‘No,’replied Lucy,‘not with Mr Robert Ferrars-I never saw him in my life;but,’fixing her eyes upon Elinor,‘with his elder brother.’
What felt Elinor at that moment?Astonishment,that would have been as painful as it was strong had not an immediate disbelief of the assertion attended it.She turned towards Lucy in silent amazement,unable to divine the reason or object of such a declaration;and though her complexion varied,she stood firm in incredulity,and felt in no danger of a hysterical fit or a swoon.
‘You may well be surprised,’continued Lucy;‘for,to be sure,you could have had no idea of it before;for I dare say he never dropped the smallest hint of it to you or any of your family;because it was always meant to be a great secret,and I am sure has been faithfully kept so by me to this hour.Not a soul of all my relations know of it but Anne,and I never should have mentioned it to you,if I had not felt the greatest dependence in the world upon your secrecy;and I really thought my behaviour in asking so many questions about Mrs Ferrars must seem so odd that it ought to be explained.And I do not think Mr Ferrars can be displeased when he knows I have trusted you,because I know he has the highest opinion in the world of all your family,and looks upon yourself and the other Miss Dashwoods quite as his own sisters.’-She paused.
Elinor for a few moments remained silent.Her astonishment at what she heard was at first too great for words;but at length forcing herself to speak,and to speak cautiously,she said with a calmness of manner which tolerably well concealed her surprise and solicitude-‘May I ask if your engagement is of long standing?’
‘We have been engaged these four years.’
‘Four years!’
‘Yes.’
Elinor,though greatly shocked,still felt unable to believe it.
‘I did not know,’said she,‘that you were even acquainted till the other day.’
‘Our acquaintance,however,is of many years'date.He was under my uncle's care,you know,a considerable while.’
‘Your uncle!’
‘Yes;Mr Pratt.Did you never hear him talk of Mr Pratt?’
‘I think I have,’replied Elinor,with an exertion of spirits which increased with her increase of emotion.
‘He was four years with my uncle,who lives at Longstaple,near Plymouth.It was there our acquaintance begun,for my sister and me was often staying with my uncle,and it was there our engagement was formed,though not till a year after he had quitted as a pupil;but he was almost always with us afterwards.I was very unwilling to enter into it,as you may imagine,without the knowledge and approbation of his mother;but I was too young and loved him too well to be so prudent as I ought to have been.-Though you do not know him so well as me,Miss Dashwood,you must have seen enough of him to be sensible he is very capable of making a woman sincerely attached to him.’
‘Certainly,’answered Elinor,without knowing what she said;but after a moment's reflection,she added with revived security of Edward's honour and love,and her companion's falsehood-‘Engaged to Mr Edward Ferrars!-I confess myself so totally surprised at what you tell me,that really-I beg your pardon;but surely there must be some mistake of person or name.We cannot mean the same Mr Ferrars.’
‘We can mean no other,’cried Lucy,smiling.‘Mr Edward Ferrars,the eldest son of Mrs Ferrars of Park Street,and brother of your sister-in-law,Mrs John Dashwood,is the person I mean;you must allow that I am not likely to be deceived as to the name of the man on whom all my happiness depends.’
‘It is strange,’replied Elinor,in a most painful perplexity,‘that I should never have heard him even mention your name.’
