younger than herself, so exceedingly ancient as he appeared

to the youthful fancy of her daughter, ventured to clear

Mrs. Jennings from the probability of wishing to throw

ridicule on his age.

"But at least, Mamma, you cannot deny the absurdity

of the accusation, though you may not think it intentionally

ill-natured. Colonel Brandon is certainly younger than

Mrs. Jennings, but he is old enough to be MY father;

and if he were ever animated enough to be in love,

must have long outlived every sensation of the kind.

It is too ridiculous! When is a man to be safe from such wit,

if age and infirmity will not protect him?"

"Infirmity!" said Elinor, "do you call Colonel Brandon

infirm? I can easily suppose that his age may appear much

greater to you than to my mother; but you can hardly

deceive yourself as to his having the use of his limbs!"

"Did not you hear him complain of the rheumatism?

and is not that the commonest infirmity of declining life?"

"My dearest child," said her mother, laughing,

"at this rate you must be in continual terror of MY decay;

and it must seem to you a miracle that my life has been

extended to the advanced age of forty."

"Mamma, you are not doing me justice. I know very well

that Colonel Brandon is not old enough to make his friends

yet apprehensive of losing him in the course of nature.

He may live twenty years longer. But thirty-five has

nothing to do with matrimony."

"Perhaps," said Elinor, "thirty-five and seventeen had

better not have any thing to do with matrimony together.

But if there should by any chance happen to be a woman

who is single at seven and twenty, I should not think

Colonel Brandon's being thirty-five any objection to his

marrying HER."

"A woman of seven and twenty," said Marianne,

after pausing a moment, "can never hope to feel or inspire

affection again, and if her home be uncomfortable,

or her fortune small, I can suppose that she might