was the dread of being alone the acquisition of two to the number of inhabitants in london was something even lady took the trouble of being delighted which was putting herself rather out of her way and as for the miss especially they had never been so happy in their lives as this intelligence made them submitted to the arrangement which her wishes with less reluctance than she had expected to feel with regard to herself it was now a matter of whether she went to town or not and when she saw her mother so thoroughly pleased with the plan and her sister by it in look voice and manner restored to all her i animation and elevated to more than her usual she could not be dissatisfied with the cause and would hardly allow herself to distrust the consequence s joy was almost a degree beyond happiness so great was the of her spirits and her impatience to be gone her to quit her mother was her only to calmness and at the moment of parting her grief on that score was excessive her sense and mother s affliction was less and was the only one of the three who seemed to con the separation as anything short of eternal their departure took place in the first week in january the were to follow in a week the miss kept their station at the park and were to quit it only with the rest of the family chapter xxvi could not find herself in the carriage with mrs and beginning a journey to london under her protection and as her guest without wondering at her own situation so short had their acquaintance with that lady been so wholly were they in age and disposition and so many had been her objections against such a measure only a few days before but these objections had all with that happy of youth which and her mother equally shared been overcome or overlooked and in spite of every occasional doubt of s constancy could not witness the rapture of delightful expectation which filled the whole soul and beamed in the eyes of without feeling how blank was her own prospect how cheerless her own state of mind in the comparison and how gladly she would engage in the solicitude of s situation to have the same object in view the same possibility of hope a short a very short time however must now decide what s intentions were in all probability he was already in town s eagerness to sense and sensibility be declared dependence on finding him there and was resolved not only upon gaining every new light as to his character which her own observation or the intelligence of others could give her but likewise upon watching his behavior to her sister with such zealous attention as to ascertain what he was and what he meant before many meetings had taken place should the result of her observations be she was determined at all events to open the eyes of her sister should it be otherwise her exertions would be of a different nature � she must then learn to avoid every selfish comparison and banish every regret which might lessen her satisfaction in the happiness of they were three days on their journey and s behavior as they travelled was a happy specimen of what her future and to mrs might be expected to be she sat in silence almost all the way wrapped in her own meditations and scarcely ever voluntarily speaking except when any object of picturesque beauty within their view drew from her an exclamation of delight exclusively addressed to her sister to for this conduct therefore took immediate possession of the post of civility which she had assigned herself with the greatest attention to mrs talked with her laughed with her and listened to sense and her whenever she could and mrs on her side treated them both with all possible kindness was on eveiy occasion for their ease and enjoyment and only disturbed that she could not make them choose their own dinners at the inn nor a confession of their preferring salmon to or boiled fowls to real they reached town by three o clock the third day glad to be released after such a journey from the confinement of a carriage and ready to enjoy all the luxury of a good fire the house was handsome and handsomely fitted up and the young ladies were immediately put in possession of a very comfortable apartment it had formerly been s and over the still hung a landscape in colored of her performance in proof of her having spent seven years at a great school in town to some effect as dinner was not to be ready in less than two hours from their arrival determined to employ the interval in writing to her mother and sat down for that purpose in a few moments did the same am writing home said had not you better your letter for a day or two i am not going to write to my mother replied hastily and as if wishing to avoid any further inquiry said no more it im sense and sensibility struck her that she must then be writing to and the conclusion which as instantly followed was that however mysteriously they might wish to conduct the affair they must be engaged this conviction though not entirely satisfactory gave her pleasure and she continued her letter with greater alacrity s was finished in a very few minutes in length it could be no more than a note it was then folded up sealed and directed with eager rapidity thought she could distinguish a large w in the direction and no sooner was it complete than ringing the bell requested the footman who answered it to get that letter conveyed for her to the two penny post this decided the matter at once her 