 less called on
to speak their opinion than Fanny. In a quiet way, very little attended to, she
paid her tribute of admiration to Miss Crawford's beauty; but as she still
continued to think Mr. Crawford very plain, in spite of her two cousins having
repeatedly proved the contrary, she never mentioned him. The notice which she
excited herself, was to this effect. »I begin now to understand you all, except
Miss Price,« said Miss Crawford, as she was walking with the Mr. Bertrams.
»Pray, is she out, or is she not? - I am puzzled. - She dined at the parsonage,
with the rest of you, which seemed like being out; and yet she says so little,
that I can hardly suppose she is.«
    Edmund, to whom this was chiefly addressed, replied, »I believe I know what
you mean - but I will not undertake to answer the question. My cousin is grown
up. She has the age and sense of a woman, but the outs and not outs are beyond
me.«
    »And yet in general, nothing can be more easily ascertained. The distinction
is so broad. Manners as well as appearance are, generally speaking, so totally
different. Till now, I could not have supposed it possible to be mistaken as to
a girl's being out or not. A girl not out, has always the same sort of dress; a
close bonnet for instance, looks very demure, and never says a word. You may
smile - but it is so I assure you - and except that it is sometimes carried a
little too far, it is all very proper. Girls should be quiet and modest. The
most objectionable part is, that the alteration of manners on being introduced
into company is frequently too sudden. They sometimes pass in such very little
time from reserve to quite the opposite - to confidence! That is the faulty part
of the present system. One does not like to see a girl of eighteen or nineteen
so immediately up to every thing - and perhaps when one has seen her hardly able
to speak the year before. Mr. Bertram, I dare say you have sometimes met with
such changes.«
    »I believe I have; but this is hardly fair; I see what you are at. You are
quizzing me and Miss Anderson.«
    »No indeed. Miss Anderson! I do not know who or what you mean. I am quite in
the dark. But I will quiz you with a great deal of pleasure, if you
