II.—­Anne Elliot and her Old Lover

Sir Walter and Elizabeth went to Bath, and settled themselves in a good house in Camden Place, while it was arranged that Anne should divide her time between Uppercross Cottage—­where Mr. and Mrs. Charles Musgrove lived—­and Kellynch Lodge, and come on from the latter house to Bath when Lady Russell was prepared to take her.  Sir Walter had included in his party a Mrs. Clay, a young widow, with whom, despite the fact that she had freckles and a projecting tooth, and was the daughter of Mr. Shepherd, the family solicitor, Elizabeth had recently struck up a great friendship.  Anne had tried to warn her sister against this attractive and seemingly designing young woman, but her advice had not been taken in good part; and she had to content herself with hoping that, though her suspicion had been resented, it might yet be remembered.

At Uppercross she found things very little altered.  The

Musgroves saw too much of one another.  The two families were so continually meeting, so much in the habit of running in and out of each other’s houses at all hours, that their various members inevitably found much to complain of in one another’s conduct.  These complaints were brought to Anne, who was treated with such confidence by all parties that if she had not been a very discreet young lady she might have considerably increased the difficulties of the situation.  Mary she found as selfish, as querulous, as ready to think herself ailing, as lacking in sense and understanding, as unable to manage her children as ever.

Charles Musgrove was civil and agreeable; in sense and temper he was undoubtedly superior to his wife, though neither his powers nor his conversation were remarkable.  He did nothing with much zeal but sport; and his time was otherwise trifled away without benefit from books or anything else.  He had, however, excellent spirits, which never seemed much affected by his wife’s occasional moroseness; and he bore with her unreasonableness sometimes to Anne’s admiration.  As for the Miss Musgroves, Henrietta and Louisa, young ladies of nineteen and twenty, they were living to be fashionable, happy and merry.  Their dress had every advantage, their faces were pretty, their spirits good, their manners unembarrassed and pleasant; they were of consequence at home, and favourites abroad.

The Crofts took possession of Kellynch Hall with true naval alertness, and, naturally enough, intercourse was soon established between them and the Musgroves.  Soon it was known that the admiral’s brother-in-law, Captain Wentworth, had come to stop with them; and one day he made the inevitable call at the Cottage on his way to shoot with Charles.  It was soon over.  Anne’s eyes half met his; a bow, a courtesy passed.  He talked to Mary, said all that was right, said something to the Miss Musgroves, enough to mark an easy footing.  Charles showed himself at the window, all was ready, their visitor had bowed and was gone; the Miss Musgroves were gone, too, suddenly resolving to walk to the end of the village with the sportsmen.