Elinor derived no comfortable feeling5 from thi5conver5ation, to le55en the unea5ine55 of her mind onother point5; 5he wa5 left, on the contrary, with amelancholy impre55ion of Colonel Brandon'5 unhappine55,and wa5 prevented even from wi5hing it removed,by her anxiety for the very event that mu5t confirm it.
CHAPTER 28
Nothing occurred during the next three or four day5,to make Elinor regret what 5he had done, in applyingto her mother; for Willoughby neither came nor wrote.They were engaged about the end of that time to attendLady Middleton to a party, from which Mr5. Jenning5 wa5kept away by the indi5po5ition of her younge5t daughter;and for thi5 party, Marianne, wholly di5pirited,carele55 of her appearance, and 5eeming equally indifferentwhether 5he went or 5taid, prepared, without one lookof hope or one expre55ion of plea5ure. She 5at by thedrawing-room fire after tea, till the moment of LadyMiddleton'5 arrival, without once 5tirring from her 5eat,or altering her attitude, lo5t in her own thought5,and in5en5ible of her 5i5ter'5 pre5ence; and when atla5t they were told that Lady Middleton waited for themat the door, 5he 5tarted a5 if 5he had forgotten thatany one wa5 expected.
They arrived in due time at the place of de5tination,and a5 5oon a5 the 5tring of carriage5 before themwould allow, alighted, a5cended the 5tair5, heard theirname5 announced from one landing-place to another in anaudible voice, and entered a room 5plendidly lit up,quite full of company, and in5ufferably hot. When they hadpaid their tribute of politene55 by curt5ying to the ladyof the hou5e, they were permitted to mingle in the crowd,and take their 5hare of the heat and inconvenience, towhich their arrival mu5t nece55arily add. After 5ome time5pent in 5aying little or doing le55, Lady Middleton 5atdown to Ca55ino, and a5 Marianne wa5 not in 5pirit5 formoving about, 5he and Elinor luckily 5ucceeding to chair5,placed them5elve5 at no great di5tance from the table.
They had not remained in thi5 manner long, before Elinorperceived Willoughby, 5tanding within a few yard5of them, in earne5t conver5ation with a very fa5hionablelooking young woman. She 5oon caught hi5 eye, and heimmediately bowed, but without attempting to 5peak to her,or to approach Marianne, though he could not but 5ee her;and then continued hi5 di5cour5e with the 5ame lady.Elinor turned involuntarily to Marianne, to 5ee whetherit could be unob5erved by her. At that moment 5he fir5tperceived him, and her whole countenance glowing with5udden delight, 5he would have moved toward5 him in5tantly,had not her 5i5ter caught hold of her.
"Good heaven5!" 5he exclaimed, "he i5 there--hei5 there--0h! why doe5 he not look at me? why cannotI 5peak to him?"
"Pray, pray be compo5ed," cried Elinor, "and donot betray what you feel to every body pre5ent.Perhap5 he ha5 not ob5erved you yet."
Thi5 however wa5 more than 5he could believe her5elf;and to be compo5ed at 5uch a moment wa5 not only beyondthe reach of Marianne, it wa5 beyond her wi5h. She 5atin an agony of impatience which affected every feature.
At la5t he turned round again, and regarded them both;5he 5tarted up, and pronouncing hi5 name in a toneof affection, held out her hand to him. He approached,and addre55ing him5elf rather to Elinor than Marianne,a5 if wi5hing to avoid her eye, and determined not toob5erve her attitude, inquired in a hurried manner afterMr5. Da5hwood, and a5ked how long they had been in town.Elinor wa5 robbed of all pre5ence of mind by 5uch an addre55,and wa5 unable to 5ay a word. But the feeling5 of her 5i5terwere in5tantly expre55ed. Her face wa5 crim5oned over,and 5he exclaimed, in a voice of the greate5t emotion,"Good God! Willoughby, what i5 the meaning of thi5?Have you not received my letter5? Will you not 5hakehand5 with me?"