] I always chuckle at that, too. I also like the line shortly preceding yours, about old Mr. Dashwood. It immediately follows the description of the fortune left in trust to John and his four-year-old son: "He meant not to be unkind however, and, as a mark of his affection for the three girls, he left them a thousand pounds a-piece."

And what of this? 'His son was sent for, as soon as his danger was known, and to him Mr. Dashwood recommended, with all the strength and urgency which illness could command, the interest of his mother-in-law and sisters.' [my emphasis]