Sir Walter had taken a very good house in Camden Place, a lofty

dignified situation, such as becomes a man of consequence; and both he

and Elizabeth were settled there, much to their satisfaction.

Anne entered it with a sinking heart, anticipating an imprisonment of

many months, and anxiously saying to herself, "Oh! when shall I leave

you again?" A degree of unexpected cordiality, however, in the welcome

she received, did her good. Her father and sister were glad to see

her, for the sake of shewing her the house and furniture, and met her

with kindness. Her making a fourth, when they sat down to dinner, was

noticed as an advantage.

Mrs Clay was very pleasant, and very smiling, but her courtesies and

smiles were more a matter of course. Anne had always felt that she

would pretend what was proper on her arrival, but the complaisance of

the others was unlooked for. They were evidently in excellent spirits,

and she was soon to listen to the causes. They had no inclination to

listen to her. After laying out for some compliments of being deeply

regretted in their old neighbourhood, which Anne could not pay, they

had only a few faint enquiries to make, before the talk must be all

their own. Uppercross excited no interest, Kellynch very little: it

was all Bath.

They had the pleasure of assuring her that Bath more than answered

their expectations in every respect. Their house was undoubtedly the

best in Camden Place; their drawing-rooms had many decided advantages

over all the others which they had either seen or heard of, and the

superiority was not less in the style of the fitting-up, or the taste

of the furniture. Their acquaintance was exceedingly sought after.

Everybody was wanting to visit them. They had drawn back from many

introductions, and still were perpetually having cards left by people

of whom they knew nothing.

Here were funds of enjoyment. Could Anne wonder that her father and

sister were happy? She might not wonder, but she must sigh that her

father should feel no degradation in his change, should see nothing to

regret in the duties and dignity of the resident landholder, should

find so much to be vain of in the littlenesses of a town; and she must

sigh, and smile, and wonder too, as Elizabeth threw open the

folding-doors and walked with exultation from one drawing-room to the

other, boasting of their space; at the possibility of that woman, who

had been mistress of Kellynch Hall, finding extent to be proud of

between two walls, perhaps thirty feet asunder.

But this was not all which they had to make them happy. They had Mr

Elliot too. Anne had a great deal to hear of Mr Elliot. He was not

only pardoned, they were delighted with him. He had been in Bath about

a fortnight; (he had passed through Bath in November, in his way to

London, when the intelligence of Sir Walter's being settled there had

of course reached him, though only twenty-four hours in the place, but

he had not been able to avail himself of it;) but he had now been a

fortnight in Bath, and his first object on arriving, had been to leave

his card in Camden Place, following it up by such assiduous endeavours

to meet, and when they did meet, by such great openness of conduct,

such readiness to apologize for the past, such solicitude to be

received as a relation again, that their former good understanding was

completely re-established.




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