Sense and Stupidity

Right now I'm reading Sense and Sensibility. Why? Because I was tasked with the job of reading the whole book during the summer holidays by my English teacher. With it being an old-fashioned book, some of the sentences can get very lengthy. For example:

"Mrs. Dashwood remained at Norland several months; not from any disinclination to move when the sight of every well known spot ceased to raise the violent emotion which it produced for a while; for when her spirits began to revive, and her mind became capable of some other exertion than that of heightening its affliction by melancholy remembrances, she was impatient to be gone, and indefatigable in her inquiries for a suitable dwelling in the neighbourhood of Norland; for to remove far from that beloved spot was impossible."

That's one sentence. One sentence. Why is there so much 'beating around the bush' in Victorian literature? I'm not an author by any means, but I'm pretty sure I could sum up what's written there in about 2 or 3 lines. Back to reading I go, then!