"Only think of Elizabeth's including everybody!" whispered Mary very

audibly. "I do not wonder Captain Wentworth is delighted! You see he

cannot put the card out of his hand."

Anne caught his eye, saw his cheeks glow, and his mouth form itself

into a momentary expression of contempt, and turned away, that she

might neither see nor hear more to vex her.

The party separated. The gentlemen had their own pursuits, the ladies

proceeded on their own business, and they met no more while Anne

belonged to them. She was earnestly begged to return and dine, and

give them all the rest of the day, but her spirits had been so long

exerted that at present she felt unequal to more, and fit only for

home, where she might be sure of being as silent as she chose.

Promising to be with them the whole of the following morning,

therefore, she closed the fatigues of the present by a toilsome walk to

Camden Place, there to spend the evening chiefly in listening to the

busy arrangements of Elizabeth and Mrs Clay for the morrow's party, the

frequent enumeration of the persons invited, and the continually

improving detail of all the embellishments which were to make it the

most completely elegant of its kind in Bath, while harassing herself

with the never-ending question, of whether Captain Wentworth would come

or not? They were reckoning him as certain, but with her it was a

gnawing solicitude never appeased for five minutes together. She

generally thought he would come, because she generally thought he

ought; but it was a case which she could not so shape into any positive

act of duty or discretion, as inevitably to defy the suggestions of

very opposite feelings.

She only roused herself from the broodings of this restless agitation,

to let Mrs Clay know that she had been seen with Mr Elliot three hours

after his being supposed to be out of Bath, for having watched in vain

for some intimation of the interview from the lady herself, she

determined to mention it, and it seemed to her there was guilt in Mrs

Clay's face as she listened. It was transient: cleared away in an

instant; but Anne could imagine she read there the consciousness of

having, by some complication of mutual trick, or some overbearing

authority of his, been obliged to attend (perhaps for half an hour) to

his lectures and restrictions on her designs on Sir Walter. She

exclaimed, however, with a very tolerable imitation of nature:-"Oh! dear! very true. Only think, Miss Elliot, to my great surprise I

met with Mr Elliot in Bath Street. I was never more astonished. He

turned back and walked with me to the Pump Yard. He had been prevented

setting off for Thornberry, but I really forget by what; for I was in a

hurry, and could not much attend, and I can only answer for his being

determined not to be delayed in his return. He wanted to know how

early he might be admitted to-morrow. He was full of 'to-morrow,' and

it is very evident that I have been full of it too, ever since I

entered the house, and learnt the extension of your plan and all that

had happened, or my seeing him could never have gone so entirely out of

my head."




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