|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 47
Charles, Henrietta, and Captain Wentworth were the three in consultation,
and for a little while it was only an interchange of perplexity and terror.
"Uppercross, the necessity of some one's going to Uppercross;
the news to be conveyed; how it could be broken to Mr and Mrs Musgrove;
the lateness of the morning; an hour already gone since they
ought to have been off; the impossibility of being in tolerable time."
At first, they were capable of nothing more to the purpose
than such exclamations; but, after a while, Captain Wentworth,
exerting himself, said--
"We must be decided, and without the loss of another minute.
Every minute is valuable. Some one must resolve on being off
for Uppercross instantly. Musgrove, either you or I must go."
Charles agreed, but declared his resolution of not going away.
He would be as little incumbrance as possible to Captain and Mrs Harville;
but as to leaving his sister in such a state, he neither ought, nor would.
So far it was decided; and Henrietta at first declared the same.
She, however, was soon persuaded to think differently. The usefulness
of her staying! She who had not been able to remain in Louisa's room,
or to look at her, without sufferings which made her worse than helpless!
She was forced to acknowledge that she could do no good,
yet was still unwilling to be away, till, touched by the thought
of her father and mother, she gave it up; she consented,
she was anxious to be at home.
The plan had reached this point, when Anne, coming quietly
down from Louisa's room, could not but hear what followed,
for the parlour door was open.
"Then it is settled, Musgrove," cried Captain Wentworth,
"that you stay, and that I take care of your sister home.
But as to the rest, as to the others, if one stays to assist Mrs Harville,
I think it need be only one. Mrs Charles Musgrove will, of course,
wish to get back to her children; but if Anne will stay, no one so proper,
so capable as Anne."
She paused a moment to recover from the emotion of hearing herself
so spoken of. The other two warmly agreed with what he said,
and she then appeared.
"You will stay, I am sure; you will stay and nurse her;" cried he,
turning to her and speaking with a glow, and yet a gentleness,
which seemed almost restoring the past. She coloured deeply,
and he recollected himself and moved away. She expressed herself
most willing, ready, happy to remain. "It was what she had been
thinking of, and wishing to be allowed to do. A bed on the floor
in Louisa's room would be sufficient for her, if Mrs Harville
would but think so."
One thing more, and all seemed arranged. Though it was rather desirable
that Mr and Mrs Musgrove should be previously alarmed by some
share of delay; yet the time required by the Uppercross horses
to take them back, would be a dreadful extension of suspense;
and Captain Wentworth proposed, and Charles Musgrove agreed,
that it would be much better for him to take a chaise from the inn,
and leave Mr Musgrove's carriage and horses to be sent home
the next morning early, when there would be the farther advantage
of sending an account of Louisa's night.
Captain Wentworth now hurried off to get everything ready on his part,
and to be soon followed by the two ladies. When the plan was
made known to Mary, however, there was an end of all peace in it.
She was so wretched and so vehement, complained so much of injustice
in being expected to go away instead of Anne; Anne, who was
nothing to Louisa, while she was her sister, and had the best right
to stay in Henrietta's stead! Why was not she to be as useful as Anne?
And to go home without Charles, too, without her husband!
No, it was too unkind. And in short, she said more than her husband
could long withstand, and as none of the others could oppose
when he gave way, there was no help for it; the change of Mary for Anne
was inevitable.
Anne had never submitted more reluctantly to the jealous
and ill-judging claims of Mary; but so it must be, and they set off
for the town, Charles taking care of his sister, and Captain Benwick
attending to her. She gave a moment's recollection, as they hurried along,
to the little circumstances which the same spots had witnessed
earlier in the morning. There she had listened to Henrietta's schemes
for Dr Shirley's leaving Uppercross; farther on, she had
first seen Mr Elliot; a moment seemed all that could now be given
to any one but Louisa, or those who were wrapt up in her welfare.
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|