Sense & Sensibility, chapter 26: London Calling
Which means that Marianne is looking for Willoughby in a sea of 100,000. And I just gave myself a math headache for the sake of literary analysis.
So the reason I just put you through all that is because I want to place us not only in Marianne’s frame of mind, but also in Elinor’s. No one knows for sure if Willoughby is in London, only that “Marianne’s eagerness to be gone declared her dependence on finding him there.” And while Elinor is pretty sure that they will see him—and that the courtship proper will resume—she doesn’t have a great feeling about his prolonged absence from Marianne. She hopes to “[gain] every new light as to his character which her own observation or the intelligence of others” so she can “ascertain what he was, and what he meant.” Shapard adds that due to Willoughby’s inconsistent behavior, there is a fear that “Marianne could be binding herself to a man who would not prove to be an ideal husband.”
To sum up: there is a lot riding on this trip to London.
As soon as they arrive, Marianne writes a letter to Willoughby without saying that it’s to Willoughby (but honestly, who else would it be?) and this proves to Elinor that they are indeed engaged. I am grimacing so hard right now. Elinor won’t yet ask question or interfere with Marianne’s unorthodox method of courtship because she senses it would backfire.
Mrs. J misses out on all of this letter-writing (probably by Marianne’s design), but she’s not neglecting her hosting duties. Though Elinor begins the trip with doubts about Mrs. J’s unsuitability as a companion, it turns out that she’s so happy to have the girls along for the ride that she ignores MA’s stand-offish behavior. I mean … three days in the same carriage. That would either make or break a friendship even now. But here she’s encouraging them to choose their favorite seafood for dinner and “treat[ing] them both with all possible kindness.” Guys … she’s kind of wholesome here. Just contrast her chill hostess behavior with her daughter Mrs. Palmer, who, despite being closer in age to the Dashwood sisters, manages to be a less desirable companion during a tedious shopping excursion.
Also, Col. Brandon returns! Though he only stops by for a second (while not elaborating on why he, too, is in London), it’s a breath of fresh air. For the reader, at least. Elinor also appreciates his visit, but Marianne, who initially mistakes his arrival for a surprise visit from Willoughby, all but resents the colonel. Col. Brandon, shocked by MA’s obvious “grief and disappointment in seeing him,” still has it bad for her. Mrs. J wonders aloud whatever shall be done about this love triangle and then tries to wheedle information out of him in a not-so-wholesome kind of way.
All throughout this book, Marianne is a walking contradiction: she does nothing to hide her feelings but never attempts to explain them. Elinor picks up quickly that she is “always on the watch” for Willoughby, whether they’re out shopping or at Mrs. J’s residence. As if MA thinks she’s going to spot him randomly in a crowd of hundreds.* Which, considering the randomness of how the two first met, doesn’t seem quite as beyond the pale as you might think, but of course it doesn’t happen here. There’s no evidence of Willoughby visiting their residence while they were out, either. Poor MA can’t focus on reading due to “the anxiety of expectation and the pain of disappointment.” A stressed-out Elinor resolves to write to Mama Dashwood in the hopes of getting to the bottom of things (and perhaps to advise MA to break the presumed engagement, since it’s, you know, sorta taking a toll on her well-being).
Next chapter, Marianne tries to keep her hopes up, and Col. Brandon’s are seemingly destroyed forever.
*Later it turns out that she’s not as needlessly paranoid as she appears …
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