Hi Carol,

I had intended to highlight the salient points to support the assertion in the title of my post. It was late and I gave up trying to figure out how, indeed my impression is that it is no longer possible.

He realized he had been deluding himself...
Her mind, disposition, opinions, and habits wanted no half-concealment, no self-deception on the present, no reliance on future improvement.

He was under no illusion about the value to place on her understanding...
Even in the midst of his late infatuation, he had acknowledged Fanny's mental superiority.

He acknowledged her worth also...
She was of course only too good for him;

And her tender-heartedness...
Timid, anxious, doubting as she was, it was still impossible that such tenderness as hers should not, at times, hold out the strongest hope of success,

And from her point of view...
Let no one presume to give the feelings of a young woman on receiving the assurance of that affection of which she has scarcely allowed herself to entertain a hope.

So I took the cowards' way out (not for the first time) and left it up to the reader to come to their own conclusions. I'll try to do better in future (yet another promise I'll likely not live up to).