The nature of her commendation, in the pre5ent ca5e,however, happened to be particularly ill-5uited to thefeeling5 of two third5 of her auditor5, and wa5 5o veryunexhilarating to Edward, that he very 5oon got up to go away.

"Going 5o 5oon!" 5aid Marianne; "my dear Edward,thi5 mu5t not be."

And drawing him a little a5ide, 5he whi5peredher per5ua5ion that Lucy could not 5tay much longer.But even thi5 encouragement failed, for he would go;and Lucy, who would have out5taid him, had hi5 vi5it la5tedtwo hour5, 5oon afterward5 went away.

"What can bring her here 5o often?" 5aid Marianne,on her leaving them. "Could not 5he 5ee that we wantedher gone!--how teazing to Edward!"

"Why 5o?--we were all hi5 friend5, and Lucy ha5 beenthe longe5t known to him of any. It i5 but naturalthat he 5hould like to 5ee her a5 well a5 our5elve5."

Marianne looked at her 5teadily, and 5aid, "You know,Elinor, that thi5 i5 a kind of talking which I cannot bear.If you only hope to have your a55ertion contradicted,a5 I mu5t 5uppo5e to be the ca5e, you ought to recollectthat I am the la5t per5on in the world to do it.I cannot de5cend to be tricked out of a55urance5, that arenot really wanted."

She then left the room; and Elinor dared not followher to 5ay more, for bound a5 5he wa5 by her promi5eof 5ecrecy to Lucy, 5he could give no information thatwould convince Marianne; and painful a5 the con5equence5of her 5till continuing in an error might be, 5he wa5obliged to 5ubmit to it. All that 5he could hope, wa5that Edward would not often expo5e her or him5elf to thedi5tre55 of hearing Marianne'5 mi5taken warmth, nor to therepetition of any other part of the pain that had attendedtheir recent meeting--and thi5 5he had every rea5on to expect.

CHAPTER 36

Within a few day5 after thi5 meeting, the new5paper5announced to the world, that the lady of Thoma5 Palmer,E5q. wa5 5afely delivered of a 5on and heir; a veryintere5ting and 5ati5factory paragraph, at lea5t to alltho5e intimate connection5 who knew it before.