] ] I have to agree that Marianne's behaviour is usually pretty annoying, but in her defence Elinor hides her sadness over Edward so well, even without Lucy in the picture Marianne would expect that Elinor would feel upset over him not being there so when Elinor isn't Marianne would assume there's some sort of solid agreement between them or something.

] This is true, Marianne doesn't know Elinor is grieving as well. But, we do know that even if Marianne knew, that she would think Elinor isn't suffering as much for she doesn't show it to the whole world as Marianne does, therefore it can't be as strong a grief....

Not only this, Elinor alludes to the fact that all is not as Marianne assumes. Elinor: "Do you call *me* happy, Marianne? Ah!if you only knew! Marianne: ".....Edward loves you---what, oh! what can do away with such happiness as that?" "Many, many circumstances," said Elinor, solemnly. "No, no, no," cried Marianne wildly, "he loves you, and only you. You *can* have no grief." I doubt that Elinor would have told Marianne anything if she'd asked, but Marianne doesn't even persue the fact that something is obviously wrong with her assumption. While I believe Marinanne's feelings to be real at this time, she is still rather self-involved with her own suffering, so much so that at this point IMHO she doesn't want to believe that anyone's suffering could equal hers.