business of self-command she settled very easily;--with strong
affections it was impossible, with calm ones it could have no merit.
That her sister's affections _were_ calm, she dared not deny, though
she blushed to acknowledge it; and of the strength of her own, she
gave a very striking proof, by still loving and respecting that
sister, in spite of this mortifying conviction.

Without shutting herself up from her family, or leaving the house in
determined solitude to avoid them, or lying awake the whole night to
indulge meditation, Elinor found every day afforded her leisure enough
to think of Edward, and of Edward's behaviour, in every possible
variety which the different state of her spirits at different times
could produce,--with tenderness, pity, approbation, censure, and
doubt. There were moments in abundance, when, if not by the absence of
her mother and sisters, at least by the nature of their employments,
conversation was forbidden among them, and every effect of solitude
was produced. Her mind was inevitably at liberty; her thoughts could
not be chained elsewhere; and the past and the future, on a subject so
interesting, must be before her, must force her attention, and engross
her memory, her reflection, and her fancy.

From a reverie of this kind, as she sat at her drawing-table, she was
roused one morning, soon after Edward's leaving them, by the arrival
of company. She happened to be quite alone. The closing of the little
gate, at the entrance of the green court in front of the house, drew
her eyes to the window, and she saw a large party walking up to the
door. Amongst them were Sir John and Lady Middleton and Mrs. Jennings,
but there were two others, a gentleman and lady, who were quite
unknown to her. She was sitting near the window, and as soon as Sir
John perceived her, he left the rest of the party to the ceremony of
knocking at the door, and stepping across the turf, obliged her to
open the casement to speak to him, though the space was so short
between the door and the window, as to make it hardly possible to
speak at one without being heard at the other.

"Well," said he, "we have brought you some strangers. How do you like
them?"

"Hush! they will hear you."

"Never mind if they do. It is only the Palmers. Charlotte is very
pretty, I can tell you. You may see her if you look this way."

As Elinor was certain of seeing her in a couple of minutes, without
taking that liberty, she begged to