It's obvious that Marianne and her mother are definitely prone to snap judgements which generally involve seeing things the way they want to see them, imo. They actually seem to take great joy in allowing their imaginations to sour to crazy heights. We know that Elinor is the opposite; she likes to take her time and delve beneath the surface, to find support for her judgements and opinions.

What your post points out though, is the wording JA uses to sucessfully inform our understanding of these characters. I have never isolated the words/phrases she used to accomplish this. This really breaks down the way an author can manipulate the way a reader "sees" the different characters. I had never noticed Elinor weighing the evidence to the extent she does either though in reading the next section for discussion and her thoughts on Edward this week, I have noticed how she takes the time to really observe people. She has already zeroed in on the fact that there is something in Edward's 'want of spirits' that goes beyond being shy or generally quiet. Though she can not be sure of its source, she tries to evlauate it and search for a cause. We'll see further evidence of her ability to take bits of information and combine them with her observations to hone in on what the people she meets are like and what makes them tick. Great post, thanks.