Her [Mrs Croft's] manners were open, easy, and decided, like one who had no distrust of herself, and no doubts of what to do; without any approach to coarseness, however, or any want of good humour. Anne gave her credit, indeed, for feelings of great consideration towards herself, in all that related to Kellynch; and it pleased her.

And from the whole she deduced this useful lesson, that to go previously engaged to a ball, does not necessarily increase either the dignity or enjoyment of a young lady.

Gratitude, not merely for having once loved her, but for loving her still well enough, to forgive all the petulance and acrimony of her manner in rejecting him, and all the unjust accusations accompanying her rejection.

I was quiet, but I was not blind.

There was a great deal of good sense in all this; but there are some situations of human mind in which good sense has very little power; and Catherine's feelings contradicted almost every position her mother advanced.

It would be most right, and most wise, and, therefore must involve least suffering.

Sir Edward's great object in life was to be seductive. With such personal advantages as he knew himself to possess, and such talents as he did also give himself credit for, he regarded it as his duty. He felt that he was formed to be a dangerous man - quite in line of the Lovelaces.

I will only add, God bless you.

You deserve a longer letter than this; but it is my unhappy fate seldom to treat people so well as they deserve.