feat_summary_path: finished_summaries/gradesaver/Sense and Sensibility/section_3_part_6.txt
feat_book_id: Sense and Sensibility.chapter 36
feat_summary_id: chapter 36
feat_summary: {"name": "Chapter 36", "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20210419170735/https://www.gradesaver.com/sense-and-sensibility/study-guide/summary-chapters-31-40", "summary": "Mrs. Palmer, Mrs. Jennings' daughter, has a son; Mrs. Jennings is with her daughter most days, which means Elinor and Marianne are obliged to spend their days at the Middletons'. Lady Middleton does not care for them because they do not flatter her or the children, and the Miss Steeles are too jealous of the Dashwood girls to like them. The Dashwood girls are invited to a party, although the invitation is mistakenly sent to their brother's house; Marianne, who is much recovered, goes, although she gets little pleasure from any company in town. Robert Ferrars, Edward's brother, is there; he is arrogant and a fool, like the whole of his family, excepting poor, modest Edward. John wishes to invite the Miss Dashwoods to stay with them; but, as usual, Fanny talks him out of it in favor of inviting the Miss Steeles. Elinor worries that Lucy might be able to gain the favor of the Ferrars family, and marry Edward after all.", "analysis": "How dear, sweet Edward could have sprung from such a miserable, poor-spirited family is a complete mystery; the juxtaposition of Edward with his relations makes him seem even more of a good-hearted, rare sort of man. Robert is as condescending toward her as John is, though he makes far more of an effort to speak to the Dashwood girls than his sister Fanny ever attempts. Austen serves up more of her understated wit to mock Robert; her comment Elinor deems him unworthy of \"the compliment of rational opposition\" perfectly displays how Austen infuses proper diction with irony, to achieve a unique brand of social criticism"}
text: 
  
  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 comfort
  they would much rather have remained, at least all the morning, in Mrs.
  Jennings's house; but it was not a thing to be urged against the wishes
  of everybody. Their hours were therefore made over to Lady Middleton and
  the two Miss Steeles, by whom their company, in fact was as little
  valued, as it was professedly sought.
  
  They had too much sense to be desirable companions to the former; and
  by the latter they were considered with a jealous eye, as intruding on
  THEIR ground, and sharing the kindness which they wanted to monopolize.
  Though nothing could be more polite than Lady Middleton's behaviour to
  Elinor and Marianne, she did not really like them at all.  Because they
  neither flattered herself nor her children, she could not believe them
  good-natured; and because they were fond of reading, she fancied them
  satirical: perhaps without exactly knowing what it was to be satirical;
  but THAT did not signify.  It was censure in common use, and easily
  given.
  
  Their presence was a restraint both on her and on Lucy.  It checked the
  idleness of one, and the business of the other.  Lady Middleton was
  ashamed of doing nothing before them, and the flattery which Lucy was
  proud to think of and administer at other times, she feared they would
  despise her for offering.  Miss Steele was the least discomposed of the
  three, by their presence; and it was in their power to reconcile her to
  it entirely.  Would either of them only have given her a full and
  minute account of the whole affair between Marianne and Mr. Willoughby,
  she would have thought herself amply rewarded for the sacrifice of the
  best place by the fire after dinner, which their arrival occasioned.
  But this conciliation was not granted; for though she often threw out
  expressions of pity for her sister to Elinor, and more than once dropt
  a reflection on the inconstancy of beaux before Marianne, no effect was
  produced, but a look of indifference from the former, or of disgust in
  the latter.  An effort even yet lighter might have made her their
  friend.  Would they only have laughed at her about the Doctor!  But so
  little were they, anymore than the others, inclined to oblige her, that
  if Sir John dined from home, she might spend a whole day without
  hearing any other raillery on the subject, than what she was kind
  enough to bestow on herself.
  
  All these jealousies and discontents, however, were so totally
  unsuspected by Mrs. Jennings, that she thought it a delightful thing
  for the girls to be together; and generally congratulated her young
  friends every night, on having escaped the company of a stupid old
  woman so long.  She joined them sometimes at Sir John's, sometimes at
  her own house; but wherever it was, she always came in excellent
  spirits, full of delight and importance, attributing Charlotte's well
  doing to her own care, and ready to give so exact, so minute a detail
  of her situation, as only Miss Steele had curiosity enough to desire.
  One thing DID disturb her; and of that she made her daily complaint.
  Mr. Palmer maintained the common, but unfatherly opinion among his sex,
  of all infants being alike; and though she could plainly perceive, at
  different times, the most striking resemblance between this baby and
  every one of his relations on both sides, there was no convincing his
  father of it; no persuading him to believe that it was not exactly like
  every other baby of the same age; nor could he even be brought to
  acknowledge the simple proposition of its being the finest child in the
  world.
  
  I come now to the relation of a misfortune, which about this time
  befell Mrs. John Dashwood.  It so happened that while her two sisters
  with Mrs. Jennings were first calling on her in Harley Street, another
  of her acquaintance had dropt in--a circumstance in itself not
  apparently likely to produce evil to her.  But while the imaginations
  of other people will carry them away to form wrong judgments of our
  conduct, and to decide on it by slight appearances, one's happiness
  must in some measure be always at the mercy of chance.  In the present
  instance, this last-arrived lady allowed her fancy to so far outrun
  truth and probability, that on merely hearing the name of the Miss
  Dashwoods, and understanding them to be Mr. Dashwood's sisters, she
  immediately concluded them to be staying in Harley Street; and this
  misconstruction produced within a day or two afterwards, cards of
  invitation for them as well as for their brother and sister, to a small
  musical party at her house.  The consequence of which was, that Mrs.
  John Dashwood was obliged to submit not only to the exceedingly great
  inconvenience of sending her carriage for the Miss Dashwoods, but, what
  was still worse, must be subject to all the unpleasantness of appearing
  to treat them with attention: and who could tell that they might not
  expect to go out with her a second time?  The power of disappointing
  them, it was true, must always be hers.  But that was not enough; for
  when people are determined on a mode of conduct which they know to be
  wrong, they feel injured by the expectation of any thing better from
  them.
  
  Marianne had now been brought by degrees, so much into the habit of
  going out every day, that it was become a matter of indifference to
  her, whether she went or not: and she prepared quietly and mechanically
  for every evening's engagement, though without expecting the smallest
  amusement from any, and very often without knowing, till the last
  moment, where it was to take her.
  
  To her dress and appearance she was grown so perfectly indifferent, as
  not to bestow half the consideration on it, during the whole of her
  toilet, which it received from Miss Steele in the first five minutes of
  their being together, when it was finished.  Nothing escaped HER minute
  observation and general curiosity; she saw every thing, and asked every
  thing; was never easy till she knew the price of every part of
  Marianne's dress; could have guessed the number of her gowns altogether
  with better judgment than Marianne herself, and was not without hopes
  of finding out before they parted, how much her washing cost per week,
  and how much she had every year to spend upon herself.  The
  impertinence of these kind of scrutinies, moreover, was generally
  concluded with a compliment, which though meant as its douceur, was
  considered by Marianne as the greatest impertinence of all; for after
  undergoing an examination into the value and make of her gown, the
  colour of her shoes, and the arrangement of her hair, she was almost
  sure of being told that upon "her word she looked vastly smart, and she
  dared to say she would make a great many conquests."
  
  With such encouragement as this, was she dismissed on the present
  occasion, to her brother's carriage; which they were ready to enter
  five minutes after it stopped at the door, a punctuality not very
  agreeable to their sister-in-law, who had preceded them to the house of
  her acquaintance, and was there hoping for some delay on their part
  that might inconvenience either herself or her coachman.
  
  The events of this evening were not very remarkable.  The party, like
  other musical parties, comprehended a great many people who had real
  taste for the performance, and a great many more who had none at all;
  and the performers themselves were, as usual, in their own estimation,
  and that of their immediate friends, the first private performers in
  England.
  
  As Elinor was neither musical, nor affecting to be so, she made no
  scruple of turning her eyes from the grand pianoforte, whenever it
  suited her, and unrestrained even by the presence of a harp, and
  violoncello, would fix them at pleasure on any other object in the
  room.  In one of these excursive glances she perceived among a group of
  young men, the very he, who had given them a lecture on toothpick-cases
  at Gray's.  She perceived him soon afterwards looking at herself, and
  speaking familiarly to her brother; and had just determined to find out
  his name from the latter, when they both came towards her, and Mr.
  Dashwood introduced him to her as Mr. Robert Ferrars.
  
  He addressed her with easy civility, and twisted his head into a bow
  which assured her as plainly as words could have done, that he was
  exactly the coxcomb she had heard him described to be by Lucy.  Happy
  had it been for her, if her regard for Edward had depended less on his
  own merit, than on the merit of his nearest relations!  For then his
  brother's bow must have given the finishing stroke to what the
  ill-humour of his mother and sister would have begun.  But while she
  wondered at the difference of the two young men, she did not find that
  the emptiness of conceit of the one, put her out of all charity with
  the modesty and worth of the other.  Why they WERE different, Robert
  exclaimed to her himself in the course of a quarter of an hour's
  conversation; for, talking of his brother, and lamenting the extreme
  GAUCHERIE which he really believed kept him from mixing in proper
  society, he candidly and generously attributed it much less to any
  natural deficiency, than to the misfortune of a private education;
  while he himself, though probably without any particular, any material
  superiority by nature, merely from the advantage of a public school,
  was as well fitted to mix in the world as any other man.
  
  "Upon my soul," he added, "I believe it is nothing more; and so I often
  tell my mother, when she is grieving about it.  'My dear Madam,' I
  always say to her, 'you must make yourself easy.  The evil is now
  irremediable, and it has been entirely your own doing.  Why would you
  be persuaded by my uncle, Sir Robert, against your own judgment, to
  place Edward under private tuition, at the most critical time of his
  life?  If you had only sent him to Westminster as well as myself,
  instead of sending him to Mr. Pratt's, all this would have been
  prevented.' This is the way in which I always consider the matter, and
  my mother is perfectly convinced of her error."
  
  Elinor would not oppose his opinion, because, whatever might be her
  general estimation of the advantage of a public school, she could not
  think of Edward's abode in Mr. Pratt's family, with any satisfaction.
  
  "You reside in Devonshire, I think,"--was his next observation, "in a
  cottage near Dawlish."
  
  Elinor set him right as to its situation; and it seemed rather
  surprising to him that anybody could live in Devonshire, without living
  near Dawlish.  He bestowed his hearty approbation however on their
  species of house.
  
  "For my own part," said he, "I am excessively fond of a cottage; there
  is always so much comfort, so much elegance about them.  And I protest,
  if I had any money to spare, I should buy a little land and build one
  myself, within a short distance of London, where I might drive myself
  down at any time, and collect a few friends about me, and be happy.  I
  advise every body who is going to build, to build a cottage.  My friend
  Lord Courtland came to me the other day on purpose to ask my advice,
  and laid before me three different plans of Bonomi's.  I was to decide
  on the best of them.  'My dear Courtland,' said I, immediately throwing
  them all into the fire, 'do not adopt either of them, but by all means
  build a cottage.' And that I fancy, will be the end of it.
  
  "Some people imagine that there can be no accommodations, no space in a
  cottage; but this is all a mistake.  I was last month at my friend
  Elliott's, near Dartford.  Lady Elliott wished to give a dance.  'But
  how can it be done?' said she; 'my dear Ferrars, do tell me how it is
  to be managed.  There is not a room in this cottage that will hold ten
  couple, and where can the supper be?' I immediately saw that there
  could be no difficulty in it, so I said, 'My dear Lady Elliott, do not
  be uneasy.  The dining parlour will admit eighteen couple with ease;
  card-tables may be placed in the drawing-room; the library may be open
  for tea and other refreshments; and let the supper be set out in the
  saloon.'  Lady Elliott was delighted with the thought.  We measured the
  dining-room, and found it would hold exactly eighteen couple, and the
  affair was arranged precisely after my plan.  So that, in fact, you
  see, if people do but know how to set about it, every comfort may be as
  well enjoyed in a cottage as in the most spacious dwelling."
  
  Elinor agreed to it all, for she did not think he deserved the
  compliment of rational opposition.
  
  As John Dashwood had no more pleasure in music than his eldest sister,
  his mind was equally at liberty to fix on any thing else; and a thought
  struck him during the evening, which he communicated to his wife, for
  her approbation, when they got home.  The consideration of Mrs.
  Dennison's mistake, in supposing his sisters their guests, had
  suggested the propriety of their being really invited to become such,
  while Mrs. Jennings's engagements kept her from home.  The expense would
  be nothing, the inconvenience not more; and it was altogether an
  attention which the delicacy of his conscience pointed out to be
  requisite to its complete enfranchisement from his promise to his
  father.  Fanny was startled at the proposal.
  
  "I do not see how it can be done," said she, "without affronting Lady
  Middleton, for they spend every day with her; otherwise I should be
  exceedingly glad to do it.  You know I am always ready to pay them any
  attention in my power, as my taking them out this evening shews.  But
  they are Lady Middleton's visitors.  How can I ask them away from her?"
  
  Her husband, but with great humility, did not see the force of her
  objection.  "They had already spent a week in this manner in Conduit
  Street, and Lady Middleton could not be displeased at their giving the
  same number of days to such near relations."
  
  Fanny paused a moment, and then, with fresh vigor, said,
  
  "My love I would ask them with all my heart, if it was in my power.
  But I had just settled within myself to ask the Miss Steeles to spend a
  few days with us.  They are very well behaved, good kind of girls; and
  I think the attention is due to them, as their uncle did so very well
  by Edward.  We can ask your sisters some other year, you know; but the
  Miss Steeles may not be in town any more.  I am sure you will like
  them; indeed, you DO like them, you know, very much already, and so
  does my mother; and they are such favourites with Harry!"
  
  Mr. Dashwood was convinced.  He saw the necessity of inviting the Miss
  Steeles immediately, and his conscience was pacified by the resolution
  of inviting his sisters another year; at the same time, however, slyly
  suspecting that another year would make the invitation needless, by
  bringing Elinor to town as Colonel Brandon's wife, and Marianne as
  THEIR visitor.
  
  Fanny, rejoicing in her escape, and proud of the ready wit that had
  procured it, wrote the next morning to Lucy, to request her company and
  her sister's, for some days, in Harley Street, as soon as Lady
  Middleton could spare them.  This was enough to make Lucy really and
  reasonably happy.  Mrs. Dashwood seemed actually working for her,
  herself; cherishing all her hopes, and promoting all her views!  Such
  an opportunity of being with Edward and his family was, above all
  things, the most material to her interest, and such an invitation the
  most gratifying to her feelings!  It was an advantage that could not be
  too gratefully acknowledged, nor too speedily made use of; and the
  visit to Lady Middleton, which had not before had any precise limits,
  was instantly discovered to have been always meant to end in two days'
  time.
  
  When the note was shown to Elinor, as it was within ten minutes after
  its arrival, it gave her, for the first time, some share in the
  expectations of Lucy; for such a mark of uncommon kindness, vouchsafed
  on so short an acquaintance, seemed to declare that the good-will
  towards her arose from something more than merely malice against
  herself; and might be brought, by time and address, to do every thing
  that Lucy wished.  Her flattery had already subdued the pride of Lady
  Middleton, and made an entry into the close heart of Mrs. John
  Dashwood; and these were effects that laid open the probability of
  greater.
  
  The Miss Steeles removed to Harley Street, and all that reached Elinor
  of their influence there, strengthened her expectation of the event.
  Sir John, who called on them more than once, brought home such accounts
  of the favour they were in, as must be universally striking.  Mrs.
  Dashwood had never been so much pleased with any young women in her
  life, as she was with them; had given each of them a needle book made
  by some emigrant; called Lucy by her Christian name; and did not know
  whether she should ever be able to part with them.
  
  
  
  
  
  [At this point in the first and second editions, Volume II ended.]
  
  
  
  
feat_summary_name: Chapter 36
target: Mrs. Palmer, Mrs. Jennings' daughter, has a son; Mrs. Jennings is with her daughter most days, which means Elinor and Marianne are obliged to spend their days at the Middletons'. Lady Middleton does not care for them because they do not flatter her or the children, and the Miss Steeles are too jealous of the Dashwood girls to like them. The Dashwood girls are invited to a party, although the invitation is mistakenly sent to their brother's house; Marianne, who is much recovered, goes, although she gets little pleasure from any company in town. Robert Ferrars, Edward's brother, is there; he is arrogant and a fool, like the whole of his family, excepting poor, modest Edward. John wishes to invite the Miss Dashwoods to stay with them; but, as usual, Fanny talks him out of it in favor of inviting the Miss Steeles. Elinor worries that Lucy might be able to gain the favor of the Ferrars family, and marry Edward after all.
feat_summary_analysis: How dear, sweet Edward could have sprung from such a miserable, poor-spirited family is a complete mystery; the juxtaposition of Edward with his relations makes him seem even more of a good-hearted, rare sort of man. Robert is as condescending toward her as John is, though he makes far more of an effort to speak to the Dashwood girls than his sister Fanny ever attempts. Austen serves up more of her understated wit to mock Robert; her comment Elinor deems him unworthy of "the compliment of rational opposition" perfectly displays how Austen infuses proper diction with irony, to achieve a unique brand of social criticism