Edward Arrives — Sense and Sensibility

Sir John finally secures the Dashwoods' first dinner at Barton Park, half a mile from the cottage. The Middletons live in noisy, elegant hospitality: he hunts and collects young people; she prides herself on her table and her children. Sir John apologizes that moonlight has ruined his plan for a roomful of smart young men; only Colonel Brandon, his silent friend, will join the party besides himself. Mrs. Jennings, Lady Middleton's vulgar, merry mother, arrives and immediately jokes about lovers and husbands, watching whether the sisters blush. Marianne is vexed on Elinor's behalf; Elinor endures the teasing with painful composure.

Colonel Brandon, past thirty-five and grave, seems to Marianne impossibly old, yet his attentive manners impress her more than Sir John's noise or Lady Middleton's cold elegance. When Marianne sings, only Brandon listens without vulgar applause; she grants him respect for restraint while pitying his supposed loss of feeling. The evening defines the local society the Dashwoods must navigate: warmth without refinement, elegance without conversation, and one man whose seriousness will later prove deeper than Willoughby's charm. Elinor sees the group's limits clearly; Marianne measures every person against her standard of passionate taste. Margaret alone is delighted by the noise Sir John supplies.