While Admiral Croft was taking this walk with Anne, and expressing his

wish of getting Captain Wentworth to Bath, Captain Wentworth was

already on his way thither. Before Mrs Croft had written, he was

arrived, and the very next time Anne walked out, she saw him.

Mr Elliot was attending his two cousins and Mrs Clay. They were in

Milsom Street. It began to rain, not much, but enough to make shelter

desirable for women, and quite enough to make it very desirable for

Miss Elliot to have the advantage of being conveyed home in Lady

Dalrymple's carriage, which was seen waiting at a little distance; she,

Anne, and Mrs Clay, therefore, turned into Molland's, while Mr Elliot

stepped to Lady Dalrymple, to request her assistance. He soon joined

them again, successful, of course; Lady Dalrymple would be most happy

to take them home, and would call for them in a few minutes.

Her ladyship's carriage was a barouche, and did not hold more than four

with any comfort. Miss Carteret was with her mother; consequently it

was not reasonable to expect accommodation for all the three Camden

Place ladies. There could be no doubt as to Miss Elliot. Whoever

suffered inconvenience, she must suffer none, but it occupied a little

time to settle the point of civility between the other two. The rain

was a mere trifle, and Anne was most sincere in preferring a walk with

Mr Elliot. But the rain was also a mere trifle to Mrs Clay; she would

hardly allow it even to drop at all, and her boots were so thick! much

thicker than Miss Anne's; and, in short, her civility rendered her

quite as anxious to be left to walk with Mr Elliot as Anne could be,

and it was discussed between them with a generosity so polite and so

determined, that the others were obliged to settle it for them; Miss

Elliot maintaining that Mrs Clay had a little cold already, and Mr

Elliot deciding on appeal, that his cousin Anne's boots were rather the

thickest.

It was fixed accordingly, that Mrs Clay should be of the party in the

carriage; and they had just reached this point, when Anne, as she sat

near the window, descried, most decidedly and distinctly, Captain

Wentworth walking down the street.

Her start was perceptible only to herself; but she instantly felt that

she was the greatest simpleton in the world, the most unaccountable and

absurd! For a few minutes she saw nothing before her; it was all

confusion. She was lost, and when she had scolded back her senses, she

found the others still waiting for the carriage, and Mr Elliot (always

obliging) just setting off for Union Street on a commission of Mrs

Clay's.




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