I was ready to move heaven and earth to persuade my sister, and at last I did persuade her.

You know the distance to Sotherton; it was in the middle of winter, and the roads almost impassable, but I did persuade her." "I know how great, how justly great, your influence is with Lady Bertram and her children, and am the more concerned that it should not have been." "My dear Sir Thomas, if you had seen the state of the roads _that_ day! I thought we should never have got through them, though we had the four horses of course; and poor old coachman would attend us, out of his great love and kindness, though he was hardly able to sit the box on account of the rheumatism which I had been doctoring him for ever since Michaelmas.

I cured him at last; but he was very bad all the winter--and this was such a day, I could not help going to him up in his room before we set off to advise him not to venture: he was putting on his wig; so I said, 'Coachman, you had much better not go; your Lady and I shall be very safe; you know how steady Stephen is, and Charles has been upon the leaders so often now, that I am sure there is no fear.' But, however, I soon found it would not do; he was bent upon going, and as I hate to be worrying and officious, I said no more; but my heart quite ached for him at every jolt, and when we got into the rough lanes about Stoke, where, what with frost and snow upon beds of stones, it was worse than anything you can imagine, I was quite in an agony about him.

And then the poor horses too! To see them straining away! You know how I always feel for the horses.

And when we got to the bottom of Sandcroft Hill, what do you think I did?
You will laugh at me; but I got out and walked up.