Equally unexpected was the meeting on each side.  There was nothing to be done, however, but to stifle feelings, and to be quietly polite, and the Admiral was too much on the alert to leave any troublesome pause.  He repeated again what he had said before about his wife and everybody, insisted on Anne’s sitting down and being perfectly comfortable—­was sorry he must leave her himself, but was sure Mrs. Croft would be down very soon, and would go upstairs and give her notice directly.  Anne was sitting down, but now she arose, again to entreat him not to interrupt Mrs. Croft and re-urge the wish of going away and calling another time.  But the Admiral would not hear of it; and if she did not return to the charge with unconquerable perseverance, or did not with a more passive determination walk quietly out of the room (as certainly she might have done), may she not be pardoned?  If she had no horror of a few minutes’ tete-a-tete with Captain Wentworth, may she not be pardoned for not wishing to give him the idea that she had?  She reseated herself, and the Admiral took leave, but on reaching the door, said—­

‘Frederick, a word with you if you please.’

Captain Wentworth went to him, and instantly, before they were well out of the room, the Admiral continued—­

’As I am going to leave you together, it is but fair I should give you something to talk of; and so, if you please—­’

Here the door was very firmly closed, she could guess by which of the two—­and she lost entirely what immediately followed, but it was impossible for her not to distinguish parts of the rest, for the Admiral, on the strength of the door’s being shut, was speaking without any management of voice, though she could hear his companion trying to check him.  She could not doubt their being speaking of her.  She heard her own name and Kellynch repeatedly.  She was very much disturbed.  She knew not what to do, or what to expect, and among other agonies felt the possibility of Captain Wentworth’s not returning into the room at all, which, after her consenting to stay, would have been—­too bad for language.  They seemed to be talking of the Admiral’s lease of Kellynch.  She heard him say something of the lease being signed—­or not signed—­that was not likely to be a very agitating subject, but then followed—­

’I hate to be at an uncertainty.  I must know at once.  Sophy thinks the same.’

Then in a lower tone Captain Wentworth seemed remonstrating, wanting to be excused, wanting to put something off.

‘Phoo, phoo,’ answered the Admiral, ’now is the time; if you will not speak, I will stop and speak myself.’

‘Very well, sir, very well, sir,’ followed with some impatience from his companion, opening the door as he spoke—­

‘You will then, you promise you will?’ replied the Admiral in all the power of his natural voice, unbroken even by one thin door.