Persuasion | Page 6

to
spend less; he had done nothing but what Sir Walter Elliot was
imperiously called on to do; but blameless as he was, he was not only
growing dreadfully in debt, but was hearing of it so often, that it
became vain to attempt concealing it longer, even partially, from his
daughter. He had given her some hints of it the last spring in town; he
had gone so far even as to say, "Can we retrench? Does it occur to you
that there is any one article in which we can retrench?" and Elizabeth,
to do her justice, had, in the first ardour of female alarm, set seriously
to think what could be done, and had finally proposed these two
branches of economy, to cut off some unnecessary charities, and to
refrain from new furnishing the drawing-room; to which expedients she
afterwards added the happy thought of their taking no present down to
Anne, as had been the usual yearly custom. But these measures,
however good in themselves, were insufficient for the real extent of the

evil, the whole of which Sir Walter found himself obliged to confess to
her soon afterwards. Elizabeth had nothing to propose of deeper
efficacy. She felt herself ill-used and unfortunate, as did her father; and
they were neither of them able to devise any means of lessening their
expenses without compromising their dignity, or relinquishing their
comforts in a way not to be borne.
There was only a small part of his estate that Sir Walter could dispose
of; but had every acre been alienable, it would have made no difference.
He had condescended to mortgage as far as he had the power, but he
would never condescend to sell. No; he would never disgrace his name
so far. The Kellynch estate should be transmitted whole and entire, as
he had received it.
Their two confidential friends, Mr Shepherd, who lived in the
neighbouring market town, and Lady Russell, were called to advise
them; and both father and daughter seemed to expect that something
should be struck out by one or the other to remove their
embarrassments and reduce their expenditure, without involving the
loss of any indulgence of taste or pride.
Chapter 2
Mr Shepherd, a civil, cautious lawyer, who, whatever might be his hold
or his views on Sir Walter, would rather have the disagreeable
prompted by anybody else, excused himself from offering the slightest
hint, and only begged leave to recommend an implicit reference to the
excellent judgement of Lady Russell, from whose known good sense he
fully expected to have just such resolute measures advised as he meant
to see finally adopted.
Lady Russell was most anxiously zealous on the subject, and gave it
much serious consideration. She was a woman rather of sound than of
quick abilities, whose difficulties in coming to any decision in this
instance were great, from the opposition of two leading principles. She
was of strict integrity herself, with a delicate sense of honour; but she
was as desirous of saving Sir Walter's feelings, as solicitous for the

credit of the family, as aristocratic in her ideas of what was due to them,
as anybody of sense and honesty could well be. She was a benevolent,
charitable, good woman, and capable of strong attachments, most
correct in her conduct, strict in her notions of decorum, and with
manners that were held a standard of good-breeding. She had a
cultivated mind, and was, generally speaking, rational and consistent;
but she had prejudices on the side of ancestry; she had a value for rank
and consequence, which blinded her a little to the faults of those who
possessed them. Herself the widow of only a knight, she gave the
dignity of a baronet all its due; and Sir Walter, independent of his
claims as an old acquaintance, an attentive neighbour, an obliging
landlord, the husband of her very dear friend, the father of Anne and
her sisters, was, as being Sir Walter, in her apprehension, entitled to a
great deal of compassion and consideration under his present
difficulties.
They must retrench; that did not admit of a doubt. But she was very
anxious to have it done with the least possible pain to him and
Elizabeth. She drew up plans of economy, she made exact calculations,
and she did what nobody else thought of doing: she consulted Anne,
who never seemed considered by the others as having any interest in
the question. She consulted, and in a degree was influenced by her in
marking out the scheme of retrenchment which was at last submitted to
Sir Walter. Every emendation of Anne's had been on the side of
honesty against importance. She wanted more vigorous measures, a
more complete reformation, a quicker release from debt, a much higher
tone