as well, that Lucy already has doubts about Edward and his affections. Of course, she would want to convince Elinor that his loyalty was unshakable, in order to plany doubts in Elinor's mind and "warn her off," so to speak.

At the same time, however, knowing something of Edward's character and the fact that he doesn't have the worldly interests of, oh, say, a certain tooth-pick enthusiast, are we surprised that he chose to stand by Lucy and do the right thing? Surely other characters, the ones with monetary interests, are shocked that financial pressure doesn't change his mind. To my mind, though, Elinor in particular doesn't seem too surprised by the fact that Edward stands by his commitment.