After a moment's pause, Captain Wentworth said-"Do you mean that she refused him?"

"Oh! yes; certainly."

"When did that happen?"

"I do not exactly know, for Henrietta and I were at school at the time;

but I believe about a year before he married Mary. I wish she had

accepted him. We should all have liked her a great deal better; and

papa and mamma always think it was her great friend Lady Russell's

doing, that she did not. They think Charles might not be learned and

bookish enough to please Lady Russell, and that therefore, she

persuaded Anne to refuse him."

The sounds were retreating, and Anne distinguished no more. Her own

emotions still kept her fixed. She had much to recover from, before

she could move. The listener's proverbial fate was not absolutely

hers; she had heard no evil of herself, but she had heard a great deal

of very painful import. She saw how her own character was considered

by Captain Wentworth, and there had been just that degree of feeling

and curiosity about her in his manner which must give her extreme

agitation.

As soon as she could, she went after Mary, and having found, and walked

back with her to their former station, by the stile, felt some comfort

in their whole party being immediately afterwards collected, and once

more in motion together. Her spirits wanted the solitude and silence

which only numbers could give.

Charles and Henrietta returned, bringing, as may be conjectured,

Charles Hayter with them. The minutiae of the business Anne could not

attempt to understand; even Captain Wentworth did not seem admitted to

perfect confidence here; but that there had been a withdrawing on the

gentleman's side, and a relenting on the lady's, and that they were now

very glad to be together again, did not admit a doubt. Henrietta

looked a little ashamed, but very well pleased;--Charles Hayter

exceedingly happy: and they were devoted to each other almost from the

first instant of their all setting forward for Uppercross.

Everything now marked out Louisa for Captain Wentworth; nothing could

be plainer; and where many divisions were necessary, or even where they

were not, they walked side by side nearly as much as the other two. In

a long strip of meadow land, where there was ample space for all, they

were thus divided, forming three distinct parties; and to that party of

the three which boasted least animation, and least complaisance, Anne

necessarily belonged. She joined Charles and Mary, and was tired

enough to be very glad of Charles's other arm; but Charles, though in

very good humour with her, was out of temper with his wife. Mary had

shewn herself disobliging to him, and was now to reap the consequence,

which consequence was his dropping her arm almost every moment to cut

off the heads of some nettles in the hedge with his switch; and when

Mary began to complain of it, and lament her being ill-used, according

to custom, in being on the hedge side, while Anne was never incommoded

on the other, he dropped the arms of both to hunt after a weasel which

he had a momentary glance of, and they could hardly get him along at

all.




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