The time now approached for Lady Russell's return: the day was even

fixed; and Anne, being engaged to join her as soon as she was

resettled, was looking forward to an early removal to Kellynch, and

beginning to think how her own comfort was likely to be affected by it.

It would place her in the same village with Captain Wentworth, within

half a mile of him; they would have to frequent the same church, and

there must be intercourse between the two families. This was against

her; but on the other hand, he spent so much of his time at Uppercross,

that in removing thence she might be considered rather as leaving him

behind, than as going towards him; and, upon the whole, she believed

she must, on this interesting question, be the gainer, almost as

certainly as in her change of domestic society, in leaving poor Mary

for Lady Russell.

She wished it might be possible for her to avoid ever seeing Captain

Wentworth at the Hall: those rooms had witnessed former meetings which

would be brought too painfully before her; but she was yet more anxious

for the possibility of Lady Russell and Captain Wentworth never meeting

anywhere. They did not like each other, and no renewal of acquaintance

now could do any good; and were Lady Russell to see them together, she

might think that he had too much self-possession, and she too little.

These points formed her chief solicitude in anticipating her removal

from Uppercross, where she felt she had been stationed quite long

enough. Her usefulness to little Charles would always give some

sweetness to the memory of her two months' visit there, but he was

gaining strength apace, and she had nothing else to stay for.

The conclusion of her visit, however, was diversified in a way which

she had not at all imagined. Captain Wentworth, after being unseen and

unheard of at Uppercross for two whole days, appeared again among them

to justify himself by a relation of what had kept him away.

A letter from his friend, Captain Harville, having found him out at

last, had brought intelligence of Captain Harville's being settled with

his family at Lyme for the winter; of their being therefore, quite

unknowingly, within twenty miles of each other. Captain Harville had

never been in good health since a severe wound which he received two

years before, and Captain Wentworth's anxiety to see him had determined

him to go immediately to Lyme. He had been there for four-and-twenty

hours. His acquittal was complete, his friendship warmly honoured, a

lively interest excited for his friend, and his description of the fine

country about Lyme so feelingly attended to by the party, that an

earnest desire to see Lyme themselves, and a project for going thither

was the consequence.




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