Anne herself was become hardened to such affronts; but she felt the imprudence of the arrangement quite as keenly as Lady Russell.  With a great deal of quiet observation, and a knowledge, which she often wished less, of her father’s character, she was sensible that results the most serious to his family from the intimacy were more than possible.  She did not imagine that her father had at present an idea of the kind.  Mrs Clay had freckles, and a projecting tooth, and a clumsy wrist, which he was continually making severe remarks upon, in her absence; but she was young, and certainly altogether well-looking, and possessed, in an acute mind and assiduous pleasing manners, infinitely more dangerous attractions than any merely personal might have been.  Anne was so impressed by the degree of their danger, that she could not excuse herself from trying to make it perceptible to her sister.  She had little hope of success; but Elizabeth, who in the event of such a reverse would be so much more to be pitied than herself, should never, she thought, have reason to reproach her for giving no warning.

She spoke, and seemed only to offend.  Elizabeth could not conceive how such an absurd suspicion should occur to her, and indignantly answered for each party’s perfectly knowing their situation.

“Mrs Clay,” said she, warmly, “never forgets who she is; and as I am rather better acquainted with her sentiments than you can be, I can assure you, that upon the subject of marriage they are particularly nice, and that she reprobates all inequality of condition and rank more strongly than most people.  And as to my father, I really should not have thought that he, who has kept himself single so long for our sakes, need be suspected now.  If Mrs Clay were a very beautiful woman, I grant you, it might be wrong to have her so much with me; not that anything in the world, I am sure, would induce my father to make a degrading match, but he might be rendered unhappy.  But poor Mrs Clay who, with all her merits, can never have been reckoned tolerably pretty, I really think poor Mrs Clay may be staying here in perfect safety.  One would imagine you had never heard my father speak of her personal misfortunes, though I know you must fifty times.  That tooth of her’s and those freckles.  Freckles do not disgust me so very much as they do him.  I have known a face not materially disfigured by a few, but he abominates them.  You must have heard him notice Mrs Clay’s freckles.”

“There is hardly any personal defect,” replied Anne, “which an agreeable manner might not gradually reconcile one to.”

“I think very differently,” answered Elizabeth, shortly; “an agreeable manner may set off handsome features, but can never alter plain ones.  However, at any rate, as I have a great deal more at stake on this point than anybody else can have, I think it rather unnecessary in you to be advising me.”

Anne had done; glad that it was over, and not absolutely hopeless of doing good.  Elizabeth, though resenting the suspicion, might yet be made observant by it.