Anne had never entered Kellynch since her quitting Lady Russell's house

in September. It had not been necessary, and the few occasions of its

being possible for her to go to the Hall she had contrived to evade and

escape from. Her first return was to resume her place in the modern

and elegant apartments of the Lodge, and to gladden the eyes of its

mistress.

There was some anxiety mixed with Lady Russell's joy in meeting her.

She knew who had been frequenting Uppercross. But happily, either Anne

was improved in plumpness and looks, or Lady Russell fancied her so;

and Anne, in receiving her compliments on the occasion, had the

amusement of connecting them with the silent admiration of her cousin,

and of hoping that she was to be blessed with a second spring of youth

and beauty.

When they came to converse, she was soon sensible of some mental

change. The subjects of which her heart had been full on leaving

Kellynch, and which she had felt slighted, and been compelled to

smother among the Musgroves, were now become but of secondary interest.

She had lately lost sight even of her father and sister and Bath.

Their concerns had been sunk under those of Uppercross; and when Lady

Russell reverted to their former hopes and fears, and spoke her

satisfaction in the house in Camden Place, which had been taken, and

her regret that Mrs Clay should still be with them, Anne would have

been ashamed to have it known how much more she was thinking of Lyme

and Louisa Musgrove, and all her acquaintance there; how much more

interesting to her was the home and the friendship of the Harvilles and

Captain Benwick, than her own father's house in Camden Place, or her

own sister's intimacy with Mrs Clay. She was actually forced to exert

herself to meet Lady Russell with anything like the appearance of equal

solicitude, on topics which had by nature the first claim on her.

There was a little awkwardness at first in their discourse on another

subject. They must speak of the accident at Lyme. Lady Russell had

not been arrived five minutes the day before, when a full account of

the whole had burst on her; but still it must be talked of, she must

make enquiries, she must regret the imprudence, lament the result, and

Captain Wentworth's name must be mentioned by both. Anne was conscious

of not doing it so well as Lady Russell. She could not speak the name,

and look straight forward to Lady Russell's eye, till she had adopted

the expedient of telling her briefly what she thought of the attachment

between him and Louisa. When this was told, his name distressed her no

longer.




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