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Page 87
On Friday morning she meant to go very early to Lady Russell,
and accomplish the necessary communication; and she would have gone
directly after breakfast, but that Mrs Clay was also going out
on some obliging purpose of saving her sister trouble, which
determined her to wait till she might be safe from such a companion.
She saw Mrs Clay fairly off, therefore, before she began to talk
of spending the morning in Rivers Street.
"Very well," said Elizabeth, "I have nothing to send but my love.
Oh! you may as well take back that tiresome book she would lend me,
and pretend I have read it through. I really cannot be plaguing myself
for ever with all the new poems and states of the nation that come out.
Lady Russell quite bores one with her new publications.
You need not tell her so, but I thought her dress hideous the other night.
I used to think she had some taste in dress, but I was ashamed of her
at the concert. Something so formal and arrange in her air!
and she sits so upright! My best love, of course."
"And mine," added Sir Walter. "Kindest regards. And you may say,
that I mean to call upon her soon. Make a civil message;
but I shall only leave my card. Morning visits are never fair
by women at her time of life, who make themselves up so little.
If she would only wear rouge she would not be afraid of being seen;
but last time I called, I observed the blinds were let down immediately."
While her father spoke, there was a knock at the door. Who could it be?
Anne, remembering the preconcerted visits, at all hours, of Mr Elliot,
would have expected him, but for his known engagement seven miles off.
After the usual period of suspense, the usual sounds of approach were heard,
and "Mr and Mrs Charles Musgrove" were ushered into the room.
Surprise was the strongest emotion raised by their appearance;
but Anne was really glad to see them; and the others were not so sorry
but that they could put on a decent air of welcome; and as soon
as it became clear that these, their nearest relations, were not arrived
with an views of accommodation in that house, Sir Walter and Elizabeth
were able to rise in cordiality, and do the honours of it very well.
They were come to Bath for a few days with Mrs Musgrove, and were
at the White Hart. So much was pretty soon understood;
but till Sir Walter and Elizabeth were walking Mary into
the other drawing-room, and regaling themselves with her admiration,
Anne could not draw upon Charles's brain for a regular history
of their coming, or an explanation of some smiling hints
of particular business, which had been ostentatiously dropped by Mary,
as well as of some apparent confusion as to whom their party consisted of.
She then found that it consisted of Mrs Musgrove, Henrietta,
and Captain Harville, beside their two selves. He gave her a very plain,
intelligible account of the whole; a narration in which she saw
a great deal of most characteristic proceeding. The scheme
had received its first impulse by Captain Harville's wanting to
come to Bath on business. He had begun to talk of it a week ago;
and by way of doing something, as shooting was over, Charles had proposed
coming with him, and Mrs Harville had seemed to like the idea of it
very much, as an advantage to her husband; but Mary could not bear
to be left, and had made herself so unhappy about it, that for a day or two
everything seemed to be in suspense, or at an end. But then,
it had been taken up by his father and mother. His mother had
some old friends in Bath whom she wanted to see; it was thought
a good opportunity for Henrietta to come and buy wedding-clothes
for herself and her sister; and, in short, it ended in being
his mother's party, that everything might be comfortable and easy
to Captain Harville; and he and Mary were included in it
by way of general convenience. They had arrived late the night before.
Mrs Harville, her children, and Captain Benwick, remained with
Mr Musgrove and Louisa at Uppercross.
Anne's only surprise was, that affairs should be in forwardness enough
for Henrietta's wedding-clothes to be talked of. She had imagined
such difficulties of fortune to exist there as must prevent
the marriage from being near at hand; but she learned from Charles that,
very recently, (since Mary's last letter to herself), Charles Hayter
had been applied to by a friend to hold a living for a youth
who could not possibly claim it under many years; and that
on the strength of his present income, with almost a certainty
of something more permanent long before the term in question,
the two families had consented to the young people's wishes,
and that their marriage was likely to take place in a few months,
quite as soon as Louisa's. "And a very good living it was,"
Charles added: "only five-and-twenty miles from Uppercross,
and in a very fine country: fine part of Dorsetshire.
In the centre of some of the best preserves in the kingdom,
surrounded by three great proprietors, each more careful and jealous
than the other; and to two of the three at least, Charles Hayter might get
a special recommendation. Not that he will value it as he ought,"
he observed, "Charles is too cool about sporting. That's the worst of him."
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