in the world if anything could increase her delight it was perceiving that the baby would soon have its first set of caps the news was universally a surprise wherever it spread and mr had his five minutes share of it but five minutes were enough to the idea to his quickness of mind he saw the advantages of the match and rejoiced in them with all the constancy of his wife but the wonder of it was very soon nothing and by the end of an hour he was not far from believing that he had always foreseen it it is to be a secret i conclude said he these matters are always a secret till it is found out that everybody knows them only let me be told when i may speak out i wonder whether jane has any suspicion he went to the next morning and satisfied himself on that point he told her the news was not she like a daughter his eldest daughter � he must tell her and miss being present it passed of course to mrs mrs and mrs immediately afterwards it was no more than the were prepared for they had calculated from the time of its being known at how soon it would be over and were thinking of themselves as the evening wonder in many a family circle with great sagacity in general it was a very well approved match some might think him and others might think her the most in luck one set might recommend their all removing to and leaving for the john and another might among their servants but yet upon the whole there was no serious objection raised except in one habitation � the there the surprise was not softened by any satisfaction mr cared little about it compared with his wife he only hoped the young lady s pride would now be contented w and supposed she had always meant to catch if she could and on the point of living at could exclaim he than i but mrs was very much posed indeed poor poor fellow � sad business for him she was extremely concerned for though very eccentric he had a thousand good qualities how could he be so taken in did not think him at all in love � not in the least poor there would be an end of all pleasant intercourse with him how happy he had been to come and dine with them whenever they asked him but that would be all over now poor fellow no more exploring parties to made for her oh no there would be a mrs to throw cold water on everything extremely disagreeable but she was not at all sorry that she had abused the housekeeper the other day shocking plan living together it would never do she knew a family near grove who had tried it and been obliged to separate before the end of the first quarter chapter passed on a few more to and the party from london would be arriving it was an alarming change and was thinking of it one morning as what must bring a great deal to and grieve her when mr came in and distressing thoughts were put by after the first chat of pleasure he was silent and then in a graver tone began with � i have something to tell you � some news good or bad said she quickly looking up in his face i do not know which it ought to be called oh good i am sure i see it in your countenance you are trying not to smile i am afraid said he his features i am very much afraid my dear that you will not smile when you hear it indeed � but why so i can hardly imagine that anything which pleases or you should not please and amuse me too there is one subject he replied i hope but one on which we do not think alike he paused a moment again smiling with his eyes fixed on her face does nothing occur to you do not you recollect smith her cheeks flushed at the name and she felt afraid of something though she knew not what have you heard from her yourself this morning cried he you have i believe and know the whole no i have not i know nothing pray tell me you are prepared for the worst i see and very bad it is smith robert martin gave a start which did not seem like be ng prepared and her eyes in eager gaze said no this is impossible but her lips were closed it is so indeed continued mr i have it from robert martin himself he left me not half an hour ago she was still looking at him with the most speaking amazement you like it my as little as i feared � i wish our opinions were the same but in time they will time you may be very sure will make one or the other of us think differently and in the mean while we need not talk much on the subject you mistake me you quite mistake me she replied herself it is not that such a circumstance would now make me unhappy but i cannot believe it it seems an impossibility you cannot mean to say that smith has accepted robert martin you cannot mean that he has even proposed to her again � yet you only mean that he it i mean that be has done it answered mr with smiling but determined decision and been accepted good god she cried well then having recourse to her work basket in excuse for leaning down her face and concealing all the exquisite feelings of delight and entertainment which she knew she must be expressing she added well now tell me everything make this intelligible to me how where when let me know it all 