“Oh! you saw enough for your own amusement.  I can understand.  There is a sort of domestic enjoyment to be known even in a crowd, and this you had.  You were a large party in yourselves, and you wanted nothing beyond.”

“But I ought to have looked about me more,” said Anne, conscious while she spoke that there had in fact been no want of looking about, that the object only had been deficient.

“No, no; you were better employed.  You need not tell me that you had a pleasant evening.  I see it in your eye.  I perfectly see how the hours passed:  that you had always something agreeable to listen to.  In the intervals of the concert it was conversation.”

Anne half smiled and said, “Do you see that in my eye?”

“Yes, I do.  Your countenance perfectly informs me that you were in company last night with the person whom you think the most agreeable in the world, the person who interests you at this present time more than all the rest of the world put together.”

A blush overspread Anne’s cheeks.  She could say nothing.

“And such being the case,” continued Mrs Smith, after a short pause, “I hope you believe that I do know how to value your kindness in coming to me this morning.  It is really very good of you to come and sit with me, when you must have so many pleasanter demands upon your time.”

Anne heard nothing of this.  She was still in the astonishment and confusion excited by her friend’s penetration, unable to imagine how any report of Captain Wentworth could have reached her.  After another short silence—­

“Pray,” said Mrs Smith, “is Mr Elliot aware of your acquaintance with me?  Does he know that I am in Bath?”

“Mr Elliot!” repeated Anne, looking up surprised.  A moment’s reflection shewed her the mistake she had been under.  She caught it instantaneously; and recovering her courage with the feeling of safety, soon added, more composedly, “Are you acquainted with Mr Elliot?”

“I have been a good deal acquainted with him,” replied Mrs Smith, gravely, “but it seems worn out now.  It is a great while since we met.”

“I was not at all aware of this.  You never mentioned it before.  Had I known it, I would have had the pleasure of talking to him about you.”

“To confess the truth,” said Mrs Smith, assuming her usual air of cheerfulness, “that is exactly the pleasure I want you to have.  I want you to talk about me to Mr Elliot.  I want your interest with him.  He can be of essential service to me; and if you would have the goodness, my dear Miss Elliot, to make it an object to yourself, of course it is done.”

“I should be extremely happy; I hope you cannot doubt my willingness to be of even the slightest use to you,” replied Anne; “but I suspect that you are considering me as having a higher claim on Mr Elliot, a greater right to influence him, than is really the case.  I am sure you have, somehow or other, imbibed such a notion.  You must consider me only as Mr Elliot’s relation.  If in that light there is anything which you suppose his cousin might fairly ask of him, I beg you would not hesitate to employ me.”