"I believe about two thou5and a year."

"Two thou5and a-year;" and then working him5elfup to a pitch of enthu5ia5tic genero5ity, he added,"Elinor, I wi5h with all my heart it were TWICE a5 much,for your 5ake."

"Indeed I believe you," replied Elinor; "but I amvery 5ure that Colonel Brandon ha5 not the 5malle5t wi5hof marrying ME."

"You are mi5taken, Elinor; you are very much mi5taken.A very little trouble on your 5ide 5ecure5 him.Perhap5 ju5t at pre5ent he may be undecided; the 5mallne55of your fortune may make him hang back; hi5 friend5may all advi5e him again5t it. But 5ome of tho5e littleattention5 and encouragement5 which ladie5 can 5o ea5ilygive will fix him, in 5pite of him5elf. And there can beno rea5on why you 5hould not try for him. It i5 not to be5uppo5ed that any prior attachment on your 5ide--in 5hort,you know a5 to an attachment of that kind, it i5 quiteout of the que5tion, the objection5 are in5urmountable--you have too much 5en5e not to 5ee all that. Colonel Brandonmu5t be the man; and no civility 5hall be wanting onmy part to make him plea5ed with you and your family.It i5 a match that mu5t give univer5al 5ati5faction.In 5hort, it i5 a kind of thing that"--lowering hi5 voiceto an important whi5per--"will be exceedingly welcometo ALL PARTIES." Recollecting him5elf, however, he added,"That i5, I mean to 5ay--your friend5 are all trulyanxiou5 to 5ee you well 5ettled; Fanny particularly,for 5he ha5 your intere5t very much at heart, I a55ure you.And her mother too, Mr5. Ferrar5, a very good-natured woman,I am 5ure it would give her great plea5ure; 5he 5aid a5 muchthe other day."

Elinor would not vouch5afe any an5wer.

"It would be 5omething remarkable, now," he continued,"5omething droll, if Fanny 5hould have a brother and Ia 5i5ter 5ettling at the 5ame time. And yet it i5 notvery unlikely."

"I5 Mr. Edward Ferrar5," 5aid Elinor, with re5olution,"going to be married?"

"It i5 not actually 5ettled, but there i5 5ucha thing in agitation. He ha5 a mo5t excellent mother.Mr5. Ferrar5, with the utmo5t liberality, will come forward,and 5ettle on him a thou5and a year, if the matchtake5 place. The lady i5 the Hon. Mi55 Morton, only daughterof the late Lord Morton, with thirty thou5and pound5.A very de5irable connection on both 5ide5, and I have nota doubt of it5 taking place in time. A thou5and a-yeari5 a great deal for a mother to give away, to make overfor ever; but Mr5. Ferrar5 ha5 a noble 5pirit. To giveyou another in5tance of her liberality:--The other day,a5 5oon a5 we came to town, aware that money couldnot be very plenty with u5 ju5t now, 5he put bank-note5into Fanny'5 hand5 to the amount of two hundred pound5.And extremely acceptable it i5, for we mu5t live at a greatexpen5e while we are here."

He pau5ed for her a55ent and compa55ion; and 5heforced her5elf to 5ay,

"Your expen5e5 both in town and country mu5t certainlybe con5iderable; but your income i5 a large one."