] (snip) The General's punctilliousness about the Lord's Day observances when Catherine first arrives would have been picked up by a contemporary reader: presumably JA's comment about Catherine's being forced to travel on a Sunday is to show his inconsistent treatment of her, and to indicate that whatever it is that has vexed him has made him act in a manner not previously forseeable.

That is exactly how those persons behave - when it is to their desires, they can be quite inconsistent, and not even blink an eye! Good point.

] I suspect that the contemporary reader would pick up the fact that the General is now behaving not only unreasonably, but in a manner directly contradictory to his previous actions.

Yes, I think those readers would notice that. Thanks, Caroline, now you know why I want to know as much about JA's "times" as I can.