I've read Persuasion many times, but I never realized before the importance of the prolepsis at the end of Chapter 3:

"Anne [...] left the room, to seek the comfort of cool air for her flushed cheeks; and [...] said, with a gentle sigh, 'A few months more, and he, perhaps, may be walking here.'"
All the profound meaning of the novel is included in these words: Anne's wish to stay alone, Anne's love to stay outdoors, Anne's strong passions - and most of all, the prospect of Frederick Wentworth's becoming the master of Kellynch Hall.
Only one example of Jane Austen's superb narrative mastery.