That's the everybody of conversation, of course, by which I mean at least three characters.

In this latest example you cite, Edmund fails to enforce the deal he had with Tom, which he could have done by walking out of the production as soon as Tom invited Charles Maddox or anyone of that ilk. I wouldn't have been sorry to see the selfish triumph unravel, but Edmund seems to be letting his other motive -- his solicitude for Miss Crawford's comfort -- decide the matter.

In other threads, we've seen overly obliging behaviour from both Fanny ("Fanny refuses to act. (Ch.15.)" etc), whom many regard as a victim, and from Miss Crawford ("Mary Crawford opportunistic in chapter 15" etc), whom many regard as a manipulator.