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"His character, however," answered Elinor, "does not rest on ONE act of kindness, to which his affection for Marianne, were humanity out of the case, would have pros, to the Middletons, he has been long and intimately known; they equally love and respect hih lately acquired, is very considerable; and so highly do I value and esteem him, that if Marianne can be happy with him, I shall be as ready as yourself to think our connection the greatest blessing to us in the world What answer did you give him?--Did you allow him to hope?"
"Oh! my love, I could not then talk of hope to hi But he did not ask for hope or encouragement His was an involuntary confidence, an irrepressible effusion to a soothing friend--not an application to a parent Yet after a time I DID say, for at first I was quite overcoreatest happiness would lie in prohtful security, I have repeated it to hiement in my power Ti;--Marianne's heart is not to be wasted for ever on such a hby-- His own e from the Colonel's spirits, however, you have not yet uine"
"No--He thinks Marianne's affection too deeply rooted for any change in it under a great length of tiain free, is too diffident of hie and disposition he could ever attach her There, however, he is quite e is only so e, as to make his character and principles fixed;--and his disposition, I am well convinced, is exactly the very one to make your sister happy And his person, his manners too, are all in his favour My partiality does not blind hby--but at the sa in his countenance-- There was always a sohby's eyes at times, which I did not like"
Elinor could NOT re for her assent, continued, "And histo hby's ever were, but they are of a kind I well know to be enuine attention to other people, and their manly unstudied simplicity is much more accordant with her real disposition, than the liveliness--often artificial, and often ill-tihby turned out as really amiable, as he has proved himself the contrary, Marianne would yet never have been so happy with HIM, as she will be with Colonel Brandon"