巴顿庄园离那座小屋大约半英里。女士们在沿山谷前行时曾从附近经过，但在家中由于一座小山的突出而被遮挡了视线。那座宅邸宽敞而气派；米德尔顿一家的生活既好客又讲究。前者是为了满足约翰爵士的喜好，后者则是为了取悦他的夫人。他们家里几乎总有些朋友逗留，而且比邻近任何一户人家都更广交各色人等。这对夫妇的幸福都离不开这个；因为无论性情与外在举止如何迥异，他们却极为相似地全然缺乏才情与品味，以至于除社交带来的消遣外，他们的活动范围被局限在极小的圈子里。约翰爵士是个猎手，米德尔顿夫人是个母亲。他打猎、射击，她纵容孩子；这些便是他们仅有的寄托。米德尔顿夫人占了个便宜，一年到头都能溺爱孩子，而约翰爵士那些独立的消遣一年里只有半年可行。然而，家中与外面的应酬不断，补足了天性与教养的一切缺憾；既撑起了约翰爵士的好兴致，又让他的妻子有了施展良好教养的余地。
米德尔顿夫人自诩餐桌的雅致与家事的井井有条；这类虚荣心是她在任何聚会上最大的乐事。但约翰爵士从社交中得到的满足要真切得多；他乐于把比宅子还装不下的年轻人聚在身边，他们越吵闹他越开心。他是邻近所有少年的福星，夏天他总张罗着去户外吃冷火腿和鸡肉的聚会，冬天他私人的舞会也多得足以满足任何未受十五岁无底胃口折磨的年轻小姐。
乡间搬来新人家总叫他欢喜，而从各方各面看，他都对如今安顿在巴顿小屋里的这户人家满心喜爱。达什伍德家的几位小姐年轻、漂亮、不做作。这就足以赢得他的好感；因为一个漂亮姑娘只要不做作，便不缺叫人着迷的心思，正如她容貌动人一般。他天性友善，乐于安顿那些相较过去可算不幸的人家，便觉欣慰。因此向表亲们示好时，他有着好心人真正的满足；而将一户只有女眷的人家安顿在小屋中，他又得了猎手全部的满足；因为猎手虽只看重同为猎手的同性，却也不常愿引他们来自己庄园居住以助长其癖好。
达什伍德太太和女儿们在门口受到约翰爵士迎接，他真心实意地欢迎她们来到巴顿庄园；一路陪往客厅时，他又向几位年轻小姐重提昨日那份遗憾——因没能找来俊俏后生相陪。他说，她们会看到除他之外只有一个男客；那是位暂住庄园的至交，既不甚年轻也不甚风流。他望她们包涵人少，并保证绝不再有下次。他今早去了好几户人家想添些人，无奈月色正好，人人都有约在身。幸而米德尔顿夫人的母亲不到一小时前到了巴顿，她是个爽朗可喜的妇人，他盼几位小姐不致如想象中那般乏味。小姐们与母亲一样，对聚会上有两个全然的生客十分满意，也不盼更多人。
詹宁斯太太，即米德尔顿夫人的母亲，是个好脾气、爱说笑、富态的上了年纪的妇人，话多，显得很快活，也颇有些粗俗。她满嘴玩笑与笑声，饭前便就情人与丈夫的话题说了许多俏皮话；盼她们没把心落在苏塞克斯，又不论她们是否脸红都装作瞧见了。玛丽安替姐姐不平，急切地望向埃莉诺，看她如何承受这些调侃，那份恳切给埃莉诺带来的痛楚，远胜詹宁斯太太那种寻常打趣所能引出的。
布兰登上校，约翰爵士的朋友，论举止投合，似并不比米德尔顿夫人做他妻子、或詹宁斯太太做米德尔顿夫人母亲更相称。他沉默而庄重。然而他的模样并非不讨喜，尽管在玛丽安和玛格丽特看来是个十足的老光棍，因他已过了三十五；虽面貌算不上俊秀，神色却明达，风度尤具绅士派头。
席间无人堪作达什伍德一家的良伴；但米德尔顿夫人那冷冰冰的乏味尤其惹人厌，相形之下，布兰登上校的庄重、乃至约翰爵士与岳母的喧闹嬉笑反倒有趣。米德尔顿夫人似只有饭后四个吵闹孩儿进来才提起兴致，他们扯她衣服、拽她身子，教一切交谈止于他们自身。
晚间，众人发现玛丽安懂音乐，便邀她弹奏。琴开了锁，人人预备着陶醉一番，玛丽安歌喉甚佳，应请唱了米德尔顿夫人嫁入时带来家中的大半曲子；那些谱子或许自那时便一直摆在钢琴原处，因夫人曾以弃乐纪念婚事，虽据其母说她弹得极好，据她自己说也甚喜爱。
玛丽安的演奏大受称赞。约翰爵士每曲终了便高声赞叹，曲中又高声与旁人闲谈。米德尔顿夫人屡次喝令他守规矩，怪人怎可片刻分心于音乐，又请玛丽安唱方才已毕的那首。满座之中唯布兰登上校听她唱而不失态狂喜。他只以专注相敬；她由此生出敬重，他人因可耻的乏品味而失却此资。他对音乐的欢喜虽未到与她相契的狂喜，较之他人的麻木不仁却也可贵；她也通情达理，认一个三十五岁的男人尽可已逝了所有敏锐情思与精妙享受。她全然愿依人道之需，体谅上校年岁已长。
Barton Park was about half a mile from the cottage. The ladies had
passed near it in their way along the valley, but it was screened from
their view at home by the projection of a hill. The house was large and
handsome; and the Middletons lived in a style of equal hospitality and
elegance. The former was for Sir John’s gratification, the latter for
that of his lady. They were scarcely ever without some friends staying
with them in the house, and they kept more company of every kind than
any other family in the neighbourhood. It was necessary to the
happiness of both; for however dissimilar in temper and outward
behaviour, they strongly resembled each other in that total want of
talent and taste which confined their employments, unconnected with
such as society produced, within a very narrow compass. Sir John was a
sportsman, Lady Middleton a mother. He hunted and shot, and she
humoured her children; and these were their only resources. Lady
Middleton had the advantage of being able to spoil her children all the
year round, while Sir John’s independent employments were in existence
only half the time. Continual engagements at home and abroad, however,
supplied all the deficiencies of nature and education; supported the
good spirits of Sir John, and gave exercise to the good breeding of his
wife.
Lady Middleton piqued herself upon the elegance of her table, and of
all her domestic arrangements; and from this kind of vanity was her
greatest enjoyment in any of their parties. But Sir John’s satisfaction
in society was much more real; he delighted in collecting about him
more young people than his house would hold, and the noisier they were
the better was he pleased. He was a blessing to all the juvenile part
of the neighbourhood, for in summer he was for ever forming parties to
eat cold ham and chicken out of doors, and in winter his private balls
were numerous enough for any young lady who was not suffering under the
unsatiable appetite of fifteen.
The arrival of a new family in the country was always a matter of joy
to him, and in every point of view he was charmed with the inhabitants
he had now procured for his cottage at Barton. The Miss Dashwoods were
young, pretty, and unaffected. It was enough to secure his good
opinion; for to be unaffected was all that a pretty girl could want to
make her mind as captivating as her person. The friendliness of his
disposition made him happy in accommodating those, whose situation
might be considered, in comparison with the past, as unfortunate. In
showing kindness to his cousins therefore he had the real satisfaction
of a good heart; and in settling a family of females only in his
cottage, he had all the satisfaction of a sportsman; for a sportsman,
though he esteems only those of his sex who are sportsmen likewise, is
not often desirous of encouraging their taste by admitting them to a
residence within his own manor.
Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters were met at the door of the house by
Sir John, who welcomed them to Barton Park with unaffected sincerity;
and as he attended them to the drawing room repeated to the young
ladies the concern which the same subject had drawn from him the day
before, at being unable to get any smart young men to meet them. They
would see, he said, only one gentleman there besides himself; a
particular friend who was staying at the park, but who was neither very
young nor very gay. He hoped they would all excuse the smallness of the
party, and could assure them it should never happen so again. He had
been to several families that morning in hopes of procuring some
addition to their number, but it was moonlight and every body was full
of engagements. Luckily Lady Middleton’s mother had arrived at Barton
within the last hour, and as she was a very cheerful agreeable woman,
he hoped the young ladies would not find it so very dull as they might
imagine. The young ladies, as well as their mother, were perfectly
satisfied with having two entire strangers of the party, and wished for
no more.
Mrs. Jennings, Lady Middleton’s mother, was a good-humoured, merry,
fat, elderly woman, who talked a great deal, seemed very happy, and
rather vulgar. She was full of jokes and laughter, and before dinner
was over had said many witty things on the subject of lovers and
husbands; hoped they had not left their hearts behind them in Sussex,
and pretended to see them blush whether they did or not. Marianne was
vexed at it for her sister’s sake, and turned her eyes towards Elinor
to see how she bore these attacks, with an earnestness which gave
Elinor far more pain than could arise from such common-place raillery
as Mrs. Jennings’s.
Colonel Brandon, the friend of Sir John, seemed no more adapted by
resemblance of manner to be his friend, than Lady Middleton was to be
his wife, or Mrs. Jennings to be Lady Middleton’s mother. He was silent
and grave. His appearance however was not unpleasing, in spite of his
being in the opinion of Marianne and Margaret an absolute old bachelor,
for he was on the wrong side of five and thirty; but though his face
was not handsome, his countenance was sensible, and his address was
particularly gentlemanlike.
There was nothing in any of the party which could recommend them as
companions to the Dashwoods; but the cold insipidity of Lady Middleton
was so particularly repulsive, that in comparison of it the gravity of
Colonel Brandon, and even the boisterous mirth of Sir John and his
mother-in-law was interesting. Lady Middleton seemed to be roused to
enjoyment only by the entrance of her four noisy children after dinner,
who pulled her about, tore her clothes, and put an end to every kind of
discourse except what related to themselves.
In the evening, as Marianne was discovered to be musical, she was
invited to play. The instrument was unlocked, every body prepared to be
charmed, and Marianne, who sang very well, at their request went
through the chief of the songs which Lady Middleton had brought into
the family on her marriage, and which perhaps had lain ever since in
the same position on the pianoforte, for her ladyship had celebrated
that event by giving up music, although by her mother’s account, she
had played extremely well, and by her own was very fond of it.
Marianne’s performance was highly applauded. Sir John was loud in his
admiration at the end of every song, and as loud in his conversation
with the others while every song lasted. Lady Middleton frequently
called him to order, wondered how any one’s attention could be diverted
from music for a moment, and asked Marianne to sing a particular song
which Marianne had just finished. Colonel Brandon alone, of all the
party, heard her without being in raptures. He paid her only the
compliment of attention; and she felt a respect for him on the
occasion, which the others had reasonably forfeited by their shameless
want of taste. His pleasure in music, though it amounted not to that
ecstatic delight which alone could sympathize with her own, was
estimable when contrasted against the horrible insensibility of the
others; and she was reasonable enough to allow that a man of five and
thirty might well have outlived all acuteness of feeling and every
exquisite power of enjoyment. She was perfectly disposed to make every
allowance for the colonel’s advanced state of life which humanity
required.
