"You and I, Sir John," said Mrs. Jennings,
"should not stand upon such ceremony."

"Then you would be very ill-bred," cried Mr. Palmer.

"My love you contradict every body," said his wife
with her usual laugh. "Do you know that you are quite rude?"

"I did not know I contradicted any body in calling
your mother ill-bred."

"Ay, you may abuse me as you please," said the good-natured
old lady, "you have taken Charlotte off my hands, and cannot
give her back again. So there I have the whip hand of you."

Charlotte laughed heartily to think that her
husband could not get rid of her; and exultingly said,
she did not care how cross he was to her, as they must
live together. It was impossible for any one to be more
thoroughly good-natured, or more determined to be happy
than Mrs. Palmer. The studied indifference, insolence,
and discontent of her husband gave her no pain;
and when he scolded or abused her, she was highly diverted.

"Mr. Palmer is so droll!" said she, in a whisper,
to Elinor. "He is always out of humour."

Elinor was not inclined, after a little observation,
to give him credit for being so genuinely and unaffectedly
ill-natured or ill-bred as he wished to appear.
His temper might perhaps be a little soured by finding,
like many others of his sex, that through some unaccountable
bias in favour of beauty, he was the husband of a very silly
woman,--but she knew that this kind of blunder was too
common for any sensible man to be lastingly hurt by it.--
It was rather a wish of distinction, she believed,
which produced his contemptuous treatment of every body,
and his general abuse of every thing before him.
It was the desire of appearing superior to other people.
The motive was too common to be wondered at; but the means,
however they might succeed by establishing his superiority
in ill-breeding, were not likely to attach any one to him
except his wife.

"Oh, my dear Miss Dashwood," said Mrs. Palmer soon afterwards,
"I have got such a favour to ask of you and your sister.
Will you come and spend some time at Cleveland this
Christmas? Now, pray do,--and come while the Westons are
with us. You cannot think how happy I shall be! It will
be quite delightful!--My love," applying to her husband,
"don't you long to have the Miss Dashwoods come to Cleveland?"

"Certainly," he replied, with a sneer--"I came
into Devonshire with no other view."

"There now,"--said his lady, "you see Mr. Palmer
expects you; so you cannot refuse to come."

They both eagerly and resolutely declined her invitation.

"But indeed you must and shall come. I am sure you
will like it of all things. The Westons will be with us,
and it will be quite delightful. You cannot think
what a sweet place Cleveland is; and we are so gay now,
for Mr. Palmer is always going about the country canvassing
against the election; and so many people came to dine
with us that I never saw before, it is quite charming! But,
poor fellow! it is very fatiguing to him! for he is forced
to make every body like him."

Elinor could hardly keep her countenance as she
assented to the hardship of such an obligation.

"How charming it will be," said Charlotte, "when he
is in Parliament!--won't it? How I shall laugh! It will
be so ridiculous to see all his letters directed to him
with an M.P.--But do you know, he says, he will never frank
for me? He declares he won't. Don't you, Mr. Palmer?"

Mr. Palmer took no notice of her.

"He cannot bear writing, you know," she continued--
"he says it is quite shocking."

"No," said he, "I never said any thing so irrational.
Don't palm all your abuses of languages upon me."

"There now; you see how droll he is. This is always
the way with him! Sometimes he won't speak to me for half
a day together, and then he comes out with something
so droll--all about any thing in the world."

She surprised Elinor very much as they returned
into the drawing-room, by asking her whether she did
not like Mr. Palmer excessively.

"Certainly," said Elinor; "he seems very agreeable."

"Well--I am so glad you do. I thought you would,
he is so pleasant; and Mr. Palmer is excessively pleased


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