Saturday, 21 June 2014

Going My Way



I was rereading Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and ran across this: “You are mistaken, Elinor," said she warmly, "in supposing I know very little of Willoughby. I have not known him long indeed, but I am much better acquainted with him, than I am with any other creature in the world, except yourself and mama. It is not time or opportunity that is to determine intimacy; it is disposition alone. Seven years would be insufficient to make some people acquainted with each other, and seven days are more than enough for others.” Willoughby had offered Marianne a horse, and Elinor was shocked that her sister would consider accepting it. The unspoken reason is of course the question of indebtedness. When we became expats, we were warned not to accept gifts from our new neighbors; advice we patently ignored. We received (and gave) garden produce, baked goods, jams, and even quilts. Of course, horses were never mentioned.

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