"Mr. Willoughby however is the only person who can

have a right to shew that house; and as he went in an open

carriage, it was impossible to have any other companion.

I never spent a pleasanter morning in my life."

"I am afraid," replied Elinor, "that the pleasantness

of an employment does not always evince its propriety."

"On the contrary, nothing can be a stronger proof

of it, Elinor; for if there had been any real impropriety

in what I did, I should have been sensible of it at

the time, for we always know when we are acting wrong,

and with such a conviction I could have had no pleasure."

"But, my dear Marianne, as it has already exposed you

to some very impertinent remarks, do you not now begin

to doubt the discretion of your own conduct?"

"If the impertinent remarks of Mrs. Jennings are

to be the proof of impropriety in conduct, we are all

offending every moment of our lives. I value not her

censure any more than I should do her commendation.

I am not sensible of having done anything wrong in walking

over Mrs. Smith's grounds, or in seeing her house.

They will one day be Mr. Willoughby's, and--"

"If they were one day to be your own, Marianne,

you would not be justified in what you have done."

She blushed at this hint; but it was even visibly

gratifying to her; and after a ten minutes' interval of

earnest thought, she came to her sister again, and said

with great good humour, "Perhaps, Elinor, it WAS rather

ill-judged in me to go to Allenham; but Mr. Willoughby wanted

particularly to shew me the place; and it is a charming house,

I assure you.--There is one remarkably pretty sitting room

up stairs; of a nice comfortable size for constant use,

and with modern furniture it would be delightful.

It is a corner room, and has windows on two sides.

On one side you look across the bowling-green, behind

the house, to a beautiful hanging wood, and on the other you

have a view of the church and village, and, beyond them,

of those fine bold hills that we have so often admired.