She was heartily ashamed of her ignorance - a misplaced shame. Where people wish to attach, they should always be ignorant. To come with a well−informed mind is to come with an inability of administering to the vanity of others, which a sensible person would always wish to avoid. A woman especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can.

It was rather too late in the day to set about being simple-minded and ignorant.

Mary wished to say something very sensible, but knew not how.

Elinor agreed to it all, for she did not think he deserved the compliment of rational opposition.