The elder Mrs. Ferrars was connected with the Dashwoods in two ways.
John Dashwood had married her daughter, Fanny, and her elder son,
Edward, was the husband of Elinor. In spite of these intermarriages the
two families were very far from being intimate. Mrs. Dashwood had never
been in company with Mrs. Ferrars, Marianne only once, and that four
years ago.
Mrs. Ferrars was a woman whose only claim to eminence was her lack
of amiability. True, she was also wealthy, but a number of people
were wealthier, while for sheer ill-nature, unrelieved by any more
important vice, Mrs. Ferrars attained distinction. Even when obliged
to say or do something that would ordinarily give pleasure she could
contrive to say or do it in a disagreeable manner. Her visit to Edward
was purposely ill-timed. She disliked his wife rather more than she
disliked most of her acquaintances, and to come when Elinor was away,
and the household not at its best, was a sure way of humiliating her
in several ways at once. By coming when her son was alone she made it
clear that she did not wish to see his wife. By finding the domestic
arrangements inadequate, the inefficiency of Elinor as a housekeeper
was demonstrated; and in upsetting the servants, by introducing two of
her own to wait on her, she could feel assured that Elinor’s return
home would be rendered less agreeable by the complaints of her maids.
Edward himself could feel no pleasure in the thought of his mother’s
visit. She despised him for his profession, for his wife, for his
lack of fashion, and for his love of rational pursuits. In order to
enforce her disapproval she brought Robert, the younger brother, whom
she professed to admire for being the opposite of her elder son. Mrs.
Ferrars travelled in state in her own carriage with her man and maid
following in a hired chaise. They were to arrive in time for dinner on
Monday and stay till the following Friday.
Edward implored Marianne to come and do the honours of his
dinner-table, but she would not consent to break in on the family
party, only promising that she and Margaret would walk down to drink
tea with them later. They arrived at the parsonage at a time when
Edward had come to the end of his conversation and was sitting in
awkward silence, while Robert whistled and examined the pictures, and
Mrs. Ferrars was fully occupied in looking displeased.
The entrance of two pretty young women could not but be interesting to
Robert, who stared at them until he was introduced, bowed, and then
stared again.
Mrs. Ferrars remarked disparagingly that Margaret was very like Elinor.
Robert, with the intention of being agreeable, remarked that his mother
was wrong. Miss Margaret was better-looking than Elinor. Mrs. Ferrars
maintained that she was right in thinking them very much alike--they
were both pale and small--and Edward was called upon to decide on the
relative beauty, or lack of beauty, of his wife and her sister.
Marianne had learnt something in her contact with the world of
fashion. She knew that some forms of insolence were best met by a
like incivility. She therefore called on Edward to decide whether the
absent Fanny were most like her mother, Mrs. Ferrars, or her brother,
Mr. Robert, and would have continued the discussion in detail, with
comments on the shapes of noses and the expression of eyes, if Edward
had not stopped it by some obvious remark about the impossibility of
deciding on likenesses as every one saw them differently.
Mrs. Ferrars eyed her opponent with some degree of liking. This
was much better than Elinor’s quiet respect, Fanny’s affectionate
admiration, or even than Lucy’s servile adulation. It was seldom that
she met with a young woman who might very well be rude to her, if
sufficiently annoyed. Margaret need only be ignored, but it could be
expected that there would be pleasure in contradicting Marianne, and
even in being contradicted by her.
The next subject of conversation was the surprisingly early hour
at which Edward dined. She had been unable to eat a dinner at
four o’clock, and she could not take supper. Travelling was very
uncomfortable if it entailed such irregular meals. Here again Marianne
was ready for her. The time that Elinor and Edward had fixed for their
dinner hour was exactly that chosen by the King and the Royal Family,
having been recommended to the King by the Royal physician as being the
best hour to ensure perfect health. Again Edward stopped Marianne’s
flow of talk by remarking that it was impossible to decide on the best
time for dinner as every one preferred a different one, but his mother
had but to say what time she liked and it should be arranged. This,
however, did not please Mrs. Ferrars, for it robbed her of a ground of
complaint. She remarked that she could not think of making any such
suggestion, and then considered a few moments before making her next
attack.
Marianne employed the interval by telling Edward some of the clever
things small Edward had been saying, all of which were noticed by the
grandmother with only one remark:
“All children talk in that way if they are too much indulged.”
Mrs. Ferrars now asked for Marianne’s agreement on a point in question
between herself and Edward. She was dissatisfied to find that Edward
was unwilling to leave the parish for the space of a week or two in
order to accompany her to Scotland. She evidently did not particularly
desire his society, but she did not like to have to go alone. Edward,
though ready enough to yield on unimportant matters, was now firm. He
would not consider absenting himself from Sunday duty. As Robert had
engagements in town there was no help for it. Their mother must go to
Scotland alone. Marianne expressed pity for the lonely traveller, but
agreed with Edward that he could not leave his work to make one of his
mother’s retinue.
“It is unfortunate, madam, that you did not come here a little earlier.
My husband and his friend are but just gone to Scotland and would have
been happy to escort you,” said Marianne with more of politeness than
truth.
Mrs. Ferrars made no reply, with the design of showing Marianne that
the happiness would not have been shared.
“They have gone to stay with Lord G---- to shoot on the moors,”
Marianne added.
This intelligence roused Mrs. Ferrars, whose acquaintance did not
include so many titles as to render her indifferent to them. Mrs.
Brandon, though Elinor’s sister, appeared to know some people of
importance. She was also rich and handsome, and these advantages began
to have some effect on Mrs. Ferrars.
“And why did you not go with them?” she asked.
“I had my sister with me and the care of the two children,” replied
Marianne.
Mrs. Ferrars darted a vicious look at Margaret, as though to say that
she did not matter, and continued:
“Elinor should return. She has been away quite long enough. If she came
back you could join your husband. Edward, if you will go and fetch
Elinor home I will take Mrs. Brandon to Scotland. We will start on
Friday.”
Marianne resolutely declined, but Mrs. Ferrars only looked at her with
renewed distaste, and said:
“You should be with your husband. Young women should be with their
husbands. Elinor should not be so long from Edward, and you should come
to Scotland with me.”
Edward was roused to saying that Elinor might not wish to come home
yet, and that Margaret must be considered.
Robert was all for solving this problem by taking Miss Margaret back
to London with him to visit Lucy, and Mrs. Ferrars dealt with it by
remarking that there would be room in the carriage for Miss Margaret if
she did not mind sitting backward.
Marianne again declared that she had not the power to accept Mrs.
Ferrars’s kind offer of conveying her to her husband, and soon
afterwards took leave, being sped on her way by a look of resentment
from the little lady’s eye and a final: “You should be with your
husband.” While Margaret was dismissed with a nod and the information
that she was certainly very like her sister Elinor.
Marianne was not so entirely opposed to the scheme of joining her
husband in Scotland as she had pretended. The difficulties were not
great, and she had only dwelt on them with the intention of being
contradictory. She felt--Marianne was incapable of scheming--but she
felt, without putting it into words, that to decline Mrs. Ferrars’s
proposal would only make her more determined that it should be
accepted. It would certainly be renewed on every occasion that they
met, with added venom and reproach.
As the sisters returned to the mansion-house Marianne put before
Margaret the advantage of the scheme, beginning with the charm of being
again with her husband and ending with that of being in a position to
tease Mrs. Ferrars through a journey of several days.
“I delight in vexing her. She has not been opposed as she should, and
it must be of use to her to have something to be cross about and some
one who deserves her displeasure. She would be just as cross anyway,
and for less reason. I consider that, while amusing myself, I do her a
real service.”
“I question if it would be good for either of you for so long a time
as the journey to Scotland would occupy, or in so small a space as her
coach.”
“No, I should be obliged to rest sometimes, or the enjoyment of
quarrelling would lessen. But consider, Margaret, would you not greatly
like to see Scotland? You have never been far from home, and you said
but a few days ago how much you wished to travel. This method of
travelling would be comfortable and respectable. We could not go in a
public conveyance, but we may be sure that, however disagreeable Mrs.
Ferrars may wish to be, there will be nothing about her arrangements to
displease us. Do let us see if it can be managed. Edward could start
for Barton to-morrow, and Elinor and he would be back on Friday. Nanny
can be trusted to care for the children for the one day that we shall
all be away. If you consent I will write to Mamma, and Edward can take
it to-morrow.”
Margaret saw that her sister was attracted by the idea, and would
not oppose her. Edward could be relied on to do as he was asked, for
there could be no question of their journeyings interfering with his
Sunday work. He would certainly rejoice in the prospect of missing the
remainder of his mother’s visit, and getting his wife home. Margaret
was willing to leave the decision to Marianne. There was no fear that
their stay in Scotland would be a long one, for as soon as she was with
her husband Marianne would certainly begin to long for her child, and
the scheme of joining Colonel Brandon would be more likely to shorten
than to lengthen his absence from home.