 not a doubt of
their being established friends.
    To do him justice, he did every thing in his power to promote their
unreserve, by making the Miss Steeles acquainted with whatever he knew or
supposed of his cousins' situations in the most delicate particulars, - and
Elinor had not seen them more than twice, before the eldest of them wished her
joy on her sister's having been so lucky as to make a conquest of a very smart
beau since she came to Barton.
    »'Twill be a fine thing to have her married so young to be sure,« said she,
»and I hear he is quite a beau, and prodigious handsome. And I hope you may have
as good luck yourself soon, - but perhaps you may have a friend in the corner
already.«
    Elinor could not suppose that Sir John would be more nice in proclaiming his
suspicions of her regard for Edward, than he had been with respect to Marianne;
indeed it was rather his favourite joke of the two, as being somewhat newer and
more conjectural; and since Edward's visit, they had never dined together,
without his drinking to her best affections with so much significancy and so
many nods and winks, as to excite general attention. The letter F - had been
likewise invariably brought forward, and found productive of such countless
jokes, that its character as the wittiest letter in the alphabet had been long
established with Elinor.
    The Miss Steeles, as she expected, had now all the benefit of these jokes,
and in the eldest of them they raised a curiosity to know the name of the
gentleman alluded to, which, though often impertinently expressed, was perfectly
of a piece with her general inquisitiveness into the concerns of their family.
But Sir John did not sport long with the curiosity which he delighted to raise,
for he had at least as much pleasure in telling the name, as Miss Steele had in
hearing it.
    »His name is Ferrars,« said he, in a very audible whisper; »but pray do not
tell it, for it's a great secret.«
    »Ferrars!« repeated Miss Steele; »Mr. Ferrars is the happy man, is he? What!
your sister-in-law's brother. Miss Dashwood? a very agreeable young man to be
sure; I know him very well.«
    »How can you say so, Anne?« cried Lucy, who generally made an amendment to
all her sister's assertions. »Though we have seen him once or twice at my
uncle's, it is
