The surprise of finding himself almost alone with Anne Elliot,deprived his manners of their usual composure:he started, and could only say,“I thought the Miss Musgroves had been here:Mrs Musgrove told me I should find them here,” before he walked to the window to recollect himself,and feel how he ought to behave.
“They are up stairs with my sister:they will be down in a few moments, I dare say,” had been Anne’s reply,in all the confusion that was natural;and if the child had not called her to come and do something for him,she would have been out of the room the next moment,and released Captain Wentworth as well as herself.
He continued at the window;and after calmly and politely saying,“I hope the little boy is better,” was silent.
She was obliged to kneel down by the sofa,and remain there to satisfy her patient;and thus they continued a few minutes, when,to her very great satisfaction,she heard some other person crossing the little vestibule.She hoped, on turning her head,to see the master of the house;but it proved to be one much less calculated for making matters easy—Charles Hayter, probably not at all better pleased by the sight of Captain Wentworth than Captain Wentworth had been by the sight of Anne.
She only attempted to say, “How do you do?Will you not sit down?The others will be here presently.”
Captain Wentworth, however, came from his window,apparently not ill-disposed for conversation;but Charles Hayter soon put an end to his attempts by seating himself near the table, and taking up the newspaper; and Captain Wentworth returned to his window.
Another minute brought another addition.The younger boy, a remarkable stout, forward child,of two years old, having got the door opened for him by some one without,made his determined appearance among them,and went straight to the sofa to see what was going on,and put in his claim to anything good that might be giving away.
There being nothing to eat,he could only have some play;and as his aunt would not let him tease his sick brother,he began to fasten himself upon her, as she knelt,in such a way that, busy as she was about Charles,she could not shake him off. She spoke to him, ordered,entreated, and insisted in vain.Once she did contrive to push him away,but the boy had the greater pleasure in getting upon her back again directly.
“Walter,” said she, “get down this moment.You are extremely troublesome.I am very angry with you.”
“Walter,” cried Charles Hayter,“why do you not do as you are bid?Do not you hear your aunt speak?Come to me, Walter, come to cousin Charles.”
But not a bit did Walter stir.
In another moment, however,she found herself in the state of being released from him;some one was taking him from her,though he had bent down her head so much,that his little sturdy hands were unfastened from around her neck,and he was resolutely borne away,before she knew that Captain Wentworth had done it.
Her sensations on the discovery made her perfectly speechless.She could not even thank him.She could only hang over little Charles,with most disordered feelings.His kindness in stepping forward to her relief,the manner, the silence in which it had passed,the little particulars of the circumstance,with the conviction soon forced on her by the noise he was studiously making with the child, that he meant to avoid hearing her thanks, and rather sought to testify that her conversation was the last of his wants, produced such a confusion of varying, but very painful agitation, as she could not recover from, till enabled by the entrance of Mary and the Miss Musgroves to make over her little patient to their cares, and leave the room. She could not stay. It might have been an opportunity of watching the loves and jealousies of the four—they were now altogether; but she could stay for none of it. It was evident that Charles Hayter was not well inclined towards Captain Wentworth. She had a strong impression of his having said, in a vext tone of voice, after Captain Wentworth’s interference, “You ought to have minded _me_, Walter; I told you not to teaze your aunt;” and could comprehend his regretting that Captain Wentworth should do what he ought to have done himself. But neither Charles Hayter’s feelings, nor anybody’s feelings, could interest her, till she had a little better arranged her own. She was ashamed of herself, quite ashamed of being so nervous, so overcome by such a trifle; but so it was, and it required a long application of solitude and reflection to recover her.
CHAPTER X.
Other opportunities of making her observations could not fail to occur.Anne had soon been in company with all the four together often enough to have an opinion, though too wise to acknowledge as much at home, where she knew it would have satisfied neither husband nor wife; for while she considered Louisa to be rather the favourite, she could not but think, as far as she might dare to judge from memory and experience, that Captain Wentworth was not in love with either. They were more in love with him; yet there it was not love. It was a little fever of admiration; but it might, probably must, end in love with some. Charles Hayter seemed aware of being slighted, and yet Henrietta had sometimes the air of being divided between them. Anne longed for the power of representing to them all what they were about, and of pointing out some of the evils they were exposing themselves to. She did not attribute guile to any. It was the highest satisfaction to her to believe Captain Wentworth not in the least aware of the pain he was occasioning. There was no triumph, no pitiful triumph in his manner. He had, probably, never heard, and never thought of any claims of Charles Hayter. He was only wrong in accepting the attentions (for accepting must be the word) of two young women at once.
After a short struggle, however,Charles Hayter seemed to quit the field.Three days had passed without his coming once to Uppercross;a most decided change.He had even refused one regular invitation to dinner;and having been found on the occasion by Mr Musgrove with some large books before him, Mr and Mrs Musgrove were sure all could not be right, and talked, with grave faces, of his studying himself to death. It was Mary’s hope and belief that he had received a positive dismissal from Henrietta, and her husband lived under the constant dependence of seeing him to-morrow. Anne could only feel that Charles Hayter was wise.
One morning, about this time Charles Musgrove and Captain Wentworth being gone a-shooting together, as the sisters in the Cottage were sitting quietly at work, they were visited at the window by the sisters from the Mansion-house.