Though Charles and Mary had remained at Lyme much longer after Mr and

Mrs Musgrove's going than Anne conceived they could have been at all

wanted, they were yet the first of the family to be at home again; and

as soon as possible after their return to Uppercross they drove over to

the Lodge. They had left Louisa beginning to sit up; but her head,

though clear, was exceedingly weak, and her nerves susceptible to the

highest extreme of tenderness; and though she might be pronounced to be

altogether doing very well, it was still impossible to say when she

might be able to bear the removal home; and her father and mother, who

must return in time to receive their younger children for the Christmas

holidays, had hardly a hope of being allowed to bring her with them.

They had been all in lodgings together. Mrs Musgrove had got Mrs

Harville's children away as much as she could, every possible supply

from Uppercross had been furnished, to lighten the inconvenience to the

Harvilles, while the Harvilles had been wanting them to come to dinner

every day; and in short, it seemed to have been only a struggle on each

side as to which should be most disinterested and hospitable.

Mary had had her evils; but upon the whole, as was evident by her

staying so long, she had found more to enjoy than to suffer. Charles

Hayter had been at Lyme oftener than suited her; and when they dined

with the Harvilles there had been only a maid-servant to wait, and at

first Mrs Harville had always given Mrs Musgrove precedence; but then,

she had received so very handsome an apology from her on finding out

whose daughter she was, and there had been so much going on every day,

there had been so many walks between their lodgings and the Harvilles,

and she had got books from the library, and changed them so often, that

the balance had certainly been much in favour of Lyme. She had been

taken to Charmouth too, and she had bathed, and she had gone to church,

and there were a great many more people to look at in the church at

Lyme than at Uppercross; and all this, joined to the sense of being so

very useful, had made really an agreeable fortnight.

Anne enquired after Captain Benwick, Mary's face was clouded directly.

Charles laughed.

"Oh! Captain Benwick is very well, I believe, but he is a very odd

young man. I do not know what he would be at. We asked him to come

home with us for a day or two: Charles undertook to give him some

shooting, and he seemed quite delighted, and, for my part, I thought it

was all settled; when behold! on Tuesday night, he made a very awkward

sort of excuse; 'he never shot' and he had 'been quite misunderstood,'

and he had promised this and he had promised that, and the end of it

was, I found, that he did not mean to come. I suppose he was afraid of

finding it dull; but upon my word I should have thought we were lively

enough at the Cottage for such a heart-broken man as Captain Benwick."




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