be excused.

"Where is Marianne? Has she run away because we are come? I see her
instrument is open."

"She is walking, I believe."

They were now joined by Mrs. Jennings, who had not patience enough to
wait till the door was opened before she told _her_ story. She came
hallooing to the window, "How do you do, my dear? How does Mrs.
Dashwood do? And where are your sisters? What! all alone! you will be
glad of a little company to sit with you. I have brought my other son
and daughter to see you. Only think of their coming so suddenly! I
thought I heard a carriage last night, while we were drinking our tea,
but it never entered my head that it could be them. I thought of
nothing but whether it might not be Colonel Brandon come back again;
so I said to Sir John, I do think I hear a carriage; perhaps it is
Colonel Brandon come back again--"

Elinor was obliged to turn from her, in the middle of her story, to
receive the rest of the party; Lady Middleton introduced the two
strangers; Mrs. Dashwood and Margaret came down stairs at the same
time, and they all sat down to look at one another, while Mrs.
Jennings continued her story as she walked through the passage into
the parlour, attended by Sir John.

Mrs. Palmer was several years younger than Lady Middleton, and totally
unlike her in every respect. She was short and plump, had a very
pretty face, and the finest expression of good humour in it that could
possibly be. Her manners were by no means so elegant as her sister's,
but they were much more prepossessing. She came in with a smile,
smiled all the time of her visit, except when she laughed, and smiled
when she went away. Her husband was a grave looking young man of five
or six and twenty, with an air of more fashion and sense than his
wife, but of less willingness to please or be pleased. He entered the
room with a look of self-consequence, slightly bowed to the ladies,
without speaking a word, and, after briefly surveying them and their
apartments, took up a newspaper from the table, and continued to read
it as long as he stayed.

Mrs. Palmer, on the contrary, who was strongly endowed by nature with
a turn for being uniformly civil and happy, was hardly seated before
her admiration of the parlour and every thing in it burst forth.

"Well! what a delightful room this is! I never saw anything so
charming! Only think, Mamma, how it is improved since I was here last!
I always thought it such a sweet place, ma'am!