Also, Elinor gets a chance to tell Edward indirectly that she is not after him for his money. He must know from Fanny that the Miss Dashwoods and their mother already have 500 pounds a year, and here is Elinor saying that if she could have only twice that much she would consider her family wealthy! I do believe this is her true sentiment, but it is also a convenient one for her to share with Edward.

] ...and besides, they're just having some fun -- the "oh, if only someone would give us a large fortune apiece!" bit is from Margaret, who is only a child.

] By dialogue = character, I meant that by displaying her main characters, so to speak (with Margaret as the "innocent" bystander who gets them all going), JA gives us a chance to compare their respective characters by looking at their attitudes towards money -- a very important subject in all of her novels, as, indeed, it is in most people's lives in this vale of tears.