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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