her features small, without beauty, and naturally without expression; but a lucky contraction of the brow had rescued her countenance from the disgrace of insipidity, by giving it the strong characters of pride and ill nature. She was not a woman of many words; for, unlike people in general, she proportioned them to the number of her ideas; and of the few syllables that did escape her, not one fell to the share of Miss Dashwood, whom she eyed with the spirited determination of disliking her at all events.

Elinor could not NOW be made unhappy by this behaviour. — A few months ago it would have hurt her exceedingly; but it was not in Mrs.

Ferrars' power to distress her by it now; — and the difference of her manners to the Miss Steeles, a difference which seemed purposely made