a true picture of her times.

[ Live, love and suffer in your own way.

This is really interesting Mandy.
We see that practically it could prove to be a disaster as in the case of Marianne.

Lucy too is not protected by a formal public announcement of their engagement, but is protected by *not* acting like Marianne in public.
So the conclusion is that one should not make ones affections public *until* there is a formal engagement.

And the painting - leaves one feeling quite morbid, to be told in the write up there that she would jump in soon like Orphelia.

Well like you I am ready to believe that it could be Marianne and soon Elinor will come and take her away.

The *other* letters could be the ones Marianne wrote to W and the locket with the picture could well be with the lock of hair.