when she has company--for instance, when Anne arrives. And even when Anne wasn't there, she kept her engagement with the Pooles. When Mary is not bored, she's happy, or at least quite content. This is why I don't believe she's depressed in the clinical or medical sense. She's depressed in the way we can all get when we're disappointed, bored, or lonely. The person I know in real life who suffers from depression can sometimes exert herself for visits and social occasions, but often prefers not to go. I'm not sure how characteristic this is--I shouldn't make a medical analysis based on one person, but there it is. Mary just seems too quick to cheer up to me--and perhaps more importantly, cheers up as soon as she's able to be included in something (the party at the Musgroves for instance). She isn't missing out on life due to depression.