He staid an hour with them. The elegant little
clock on the mantel-piece had struck “eleven
with its silver sounds,” and the watchman was
beginning to be heard at a distance telling the same
tale, before Mr Elliot or any of them seemed to feel
that he had been there long.
Anne could not have supposed it possible that her
first evening in Camden Place could have passed so
well!
There was one point which Anne, on returning to her
family, would have been more thankful to ascertain
even than Mr Elliot’s being in love with Elizabeth,
which was, her father’s not being in love with
Mrs Clay; and she was very far from easy about it,
when she had been at home a few hours. On going
down to breakfast the next morning, she found there
had just been a decent pretence on the lady’s
side of meaning to leave them. She could imagine
Mrs Clay to have said, that “now Miss Anne was
come, she could not suppose herself at all wanted;”
for Elizabeth was replying in a sort of whisper, “That
must not be any reason, indeed. I assure you
I feel it none. She is nothing to me, compared
with you;” and she was in full time to hear
her father say, “My dear madam, this must not
be. As yet, you have seen nothing of Bath.
You have been here only to be useful. You must
not run away from us now. You must stay to be
acquainted with Mrs Wallis, the beautiful Mrs Wallis.
To your fine mind, I well know the sight of beauty
is a real gratification.”
He spoke and looked so much in earnest, that Anne
was not surprised to see Mrs Clay stealing a glance
at Elizabeth and herself. Her countenance, perhaps,
might express some watchfulness; but the praise of
the fine mind did not appear to excite a thought in
her sister. The lady could not but yield to such
joint entreaties, and promise to stay.
In the course of the same morning, Anne and her father
chancing to be alone together, he began to compliment
her on her improved looks; he thought her “less
thin in her person, in her cheeks; her skin, her complexion,
greatly improved; clearer, fresher. Had she been
using any thing in particular?” “No, nothing.”
“Merely Gowland,” he supposed.
“No, nothing at all.” “Ha!
he was surprised at that;” and added, “certainly
you cannot do better than to continue as you are;
you cannot be better than well; or I should recommend
Gowland, the constant use of Gowland, during the spring
months. Mrs Clay has been using it at my recommendation,
and you see what it has done for her. You see
how it has carried away her freckles.”
If Elizabeth could but have heard this! Such
personal praise might have struck her, especially
as it did not appear to Anne that the freckles were
at all lessened. But everything must take its
chance. The evil of a marriage would be much
diminished, if Elizabeth were also to marry.
As for herself, she might always command a home with
Lady Russell.
