Sentence:  "... It is a match that must give universal satisfaction. In short, it is a kind of thing that" &mdash; lowering his voice to an <WSD>important</WSD> whisper &mdash; "will be exceedingly welcome to "all parties"." Recollecting himself, however, he added, "That is, I mean to say—your friends are all truly anxious to see you well settled; Fanny particularly ..." 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Pompous; self-important.