Recovery — Sense and Sensibility

Edward's integrity wins Mrs. Jennings's praise, but only his sisters grasp how little worldly reward his constancy brings. Marianne cannot sustain brave talk of Edward without comparing herself unfavorably to Elinor. In Kensington Gardens Anne Steele tells Elinor how Edward, after being dismissed by his family, offered to release Lucy from their engagement because he now has only two thousand pounds; Lucy refused, insisting they will marry on a curacy when he takes orders. Elinor is horrified to learn Anne overheard this by listening at a door. Lucy writes begging Elinor and Mrs. Jennings to recommend Edward for a living and to visit Bartlett's Buildings.

Mrs. Jennings reads the letter with delight, predicting poverty and annual babies. Elinor sees Edward's marriage as fixed though distant, dependent on preferment that seems unlikely. Edward's goodness and Lucy's tenacity are both confirmed here, deepening Elinor's private grief and Marianne's remorseful admiration for a sister who has borne more than she ever guessed. Anne Steele's door-listening makes Elinor sick with contempt, yet the overheard scene proves Edward offered Lucy honorable release and Lucy refused because poverty with him still beat losing her hold on the Ferrars name. Mrs. Jennings treats the letter as comic romance while Elinor sees a fixed future she must learn to endure without breaking.