which was putting herself rather out of her way; and
as for the Miss Steeles, especially Lucy, they had never
been so happy in their lives as this intelligence made
them.

Elinor submitted to the arrangement which counter-
acted her wishes, with less reluctance than she had
expected to feel. With regard to herself, it was now
a matter of unconcern whether she went to town or not,
and when she saw her mother so thoroughly pleased
with the plan, and her sister exhilarated by it in look,
voice, and manner, restored to all her usual animation,
and elevated to more than her usual gaiety, she could
not be dissatisfied with the cause, and would hardly
allow herself to distrust the consequence.

Marianne's joy was almost a degree beyond happiness,
so great was the perturbation of her spirits and her
impatience to be gone. Her unwillingness to quit her
mother was her only restorative to calmness; and at
the moment of parting, her grief on that score was
excessive. Her mother's affliction was hardly less, and
Elinor was the only one of the three, who seemed to
consider the separation as any thing short of eternal.

Their departure took place in the first week in January.
The Middletons were to follow in about a week. The
Miss Steeles kept their station at the park, and were to
quit it only with the rest of the family.

-158-