Chapter 37 - Part 1 - Sense and Sensibility

Chapter 37 Mrs. Palmer was so well at the end of a fortnight that her mother felt it no longer necessary to give up the whole of her time to her, and, contenting herself with visiting her once or twice a day, returned from that period to her own home and her own habits in which she found the Miss Dashwoods very ready to resume their former share. About the third or fourth morning after their being thus resettled in Berkeley Street, Mrs. Jennings, on returning from her ordinary visit to Mrs. Palmer, entered the drawing room where Eleanor was sitting by herself, with an air of such hurrying importance as prepared her to hear something wonderful, and, giving her time only to form that idea, began to directly justify it by saying, Lord, my dear Miss Dashwood, have you heard the news? No, ma'am, what is it? Something so strange, but you shall hear it all. When I got to Mr. Palmer's I found Charlotte quite in a fuss about the child. She was sure it was very ill. It cried and fretted and was all over pimples. So I looked at it directly, and Lord, my dear, says I, it is nothing in the world but the red gum. Her nurse said just the same, but Charlotte, she would not be satisfied so, Mr. Donovan was sent for, and luckily he happened to just come in from Harley Street, so he stepped over directly, and as soon as ever he saw the child, he said just as we did, that it was nothing in the world but the red gum, and then Charlotte was easy. And so, just as he was going away again, it came into my head, I am sure I do not know how I happened to think of it, but it came into my head to ask him if there was any news. So upon that he smirked and simpered and looked grave, and seemed to know something or other, and at last he said in a whisper.