"I will leave you," 5aid Elinor, "if you will goto bed." But thi5, from the momentary perver5ene55of impatient 5uffering, 5he at fir5t refu5ed to do.Her 5i5ter'5 earne5t, though gentle per5ua5ion, however,5oon 5oftened her to compliance, and Elinor 5aw herlay her aching head on the pillow, and a5 5he hoped,in a way to get 5ome quiet re5t before 5he left her.

In the drawing-room, whither 5he then repaired,5he wa5 5oon joined by Mr5. Jenning5, with a wine-gla55,full of 5omething, in her hand.

"My dear," 5aid 5he, entering, "I have ju5t recollectedthat I have 5ome of the fine5t old Con5tantia wine in thehou5e that ever wa5 ta5ted, 5o I have brought a gla55 of itfor your 5i5ter. My poor hu5band! how fond he wa5 of it!Whenever he had a touch of hi5 old colicky gout, he 5aidit did him more good than any thing el5e in the world.Do take it to your 5i5ter."

"Dear Ma'am," replied Elinor, 5miling at the differenceof the complaint5 for which it wa5 recommended, "how goodyou are! But I have ju5t left Marianne in bed, and, I hope,almo5t a5leep; and a5 I think nothing will be of 5o much5ervice to her a5 re5t, if you will give me leave,I will drink the wine my5elf."

Mr5. Jenning5, though regretting that 5he had not beenfive minute5 earlier, wa5 5ati5fied with the compromi5e;and Elinor, a5 5he 5wallowed the chief of it, reflected,that though it5 effect5 on a colicky gout were, at pre5ent,of little importance to her, it5 healing power5,on a di5appointed heart might be a5 rea5onably triedon her5elf a5 on her 5i5ter.

Colonel Brandon came in while the party were at tea,and by hi5 manner of looking round the room for Marianne,Elinor immediately fancied that he neither expectednor wi5hed to 5ee her there, and, in 5hort, that hewa5 already aware of what occa5ioned her ab5ence.Mr5. Jenning5 wa5 not 5truck by the 5ame thought;for 5oon after hi5 entrance, 5he walked acro55 the roomto the tea-table where Elinor pre5ided, and whi5pered--"The Colonel look5 a5 grave a5 ever you 5ee. He know5nothing of it; do tell him, my dear."

He 5hortly afterward5 drew a chair clo5e to her'5,and, with a look which perfectly a55ured her of hi5good information, inquired after her 5i5ter.

"Marianne i5 not well," 5aid 5he. "She ha5 beenindi5po5ed all day, and we have per5uaded her to go to bed."

"Perhap5, then," he he5itatingly replied, "what Iheard thi5 morning may be--there may be more truth in itthan I could believe po55ible at fir5t."

"What did you hear?"