10 Persuasion Read By Stephanie Poppins

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Persuasion by Jane Austen Chapter 10 Other opportunities of making our observations could not fail to occur.

Anne had soon been accompanied 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,

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 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 occasionally.

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 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'd 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 him studying himself to death.

It was Mary's hope and belief he had received a positive dismissal from Henrietta and her husband lived under the constant dependence of seeing him tomorrow.

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.

It was a very fine November day and the Miss Musgroves came through the little grounds and stopped for no other purpose than to say as they were going to take a long walk and concluded Mary could not like to go with them.

And when Mary immediately replied with some jealousy,

Oh yes,

I should like to join you very much.

I'm fond of a long walk.

Anne felt persuaded by the looks of the two girls.

It was precisely what they did not wish.

She tried to dissuade Mary from going,

But in vain.

That being the case,

Thought it best to accept the Miss Musgroves much more cordial invitation to herself to go likewise,

As she might be useful in turning back with her sister and lessening the interference in any plan of their own.

I cannot imagine why they should suppose I do not like a long walk,

Said Mary as she went upstairs.

Everybody's always opposing I'm not a good walker and yet they would not have been pleased if we'd have refused to join them.

When people come in this manner on purpose to ask us,

How can one say no?

Just as they were setting off,

The gentleman returned.

They'd taken out a young dog who'd spoiled their sport and sent them back early.

Their time and strength and spirits were therefore exactly ready for this walk and they entered into it with pleasure.

Could Anne have foreseen such a junction,

She would have stayed at home.

But from some feelings of interest and curiosity,

She fancied now it was too late to attract and the whole six set forward together in the direction chosen by the Miss Musgroves,

Who evidently considered the walk as under their guidance.

Anne's object was not to be in the way of anybody and where the narrow paths cross the fields made many separations necessary to keep with her brother and sister.

Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise in the day,

From the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves and withered hedges and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn,

That season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness,

That season which had drawn from every poet worthy of being read some attempted description or some lines of feeling.

She occupied her mind as much as possible in such like musings and quotations,

But it was not possible that when within reach of Captain Wentworth's conversation with either of the Miss Musgroves,

She should not try to hear it.

Yet she caught little very remarkable.

It was mere lively chat,

Such as any young person on an intimate footing might fall into.

He was more engaged with Louisa than Henrietta.

Louisa certainly put more forward for his notice than her sister.

This distinction appeared to increase and there was one speech of Louisa's which struck her.

After one of the many praises of the day,

Which were continually bursting forth,

Captain Wentworth added,

What glorious weather for the admiral and my sister.

They meant to take a long drive this morning.

Perhaps we may hail them from some of these hills.

They talked of coming into this side of the country.

I wonder whereabouts they will upset today.

It doesn't happen very often,

I assure you,

But my sister makes nothing of it.

Oh,

You make the most of it,

I know,

Cried Louisa,

But if it were really so,

I should do just the same in her place.

If I loved a man as she loves the admiral,

I would always be with him.

Nothing should ever separate us and I would rather be overturned by him than driven safely by anybody else.

This was spoken with enthusiasm.

Had you,

Cried he,

Catching the same tone,

I honour you.

And then there was silence between them for a little while.

Anne could not immediately fall into a quotation again.

The sweet scenes of autumn were for a while put by,

Unless some tender sonnet fraught with the apt analogy of the declining year with declining happiness and the images of youth and hope and spring all gone together blessed her memory.

She roused herself to say as they struck by order into another path.

Is this not one of the ways to Winthrop?

But nobody heard,

Or at least nobody answered her.

Winthrop,

However,

Or its environs,

The young men are sometimes to be met with strolling about near home.

What's their destination?

And after another half mile of gradual ascent through large enclosures with a plows at work and the fresh made path spoke the farmer counteracting the sweets of poetical despondence and meaning to have spring again,

They gained the summit of the most considerable hill which parted up across and Winthrop and soon commanded a full view of the latter at the foot of the hill on the other side.

Winthrop without beauty and without dignity was stretched before them an indifferent house standing low and hemmed in by the barns and buildings and farmyard.

Mary exclaimed,

Bless me,

Here is Winthrop.

I declare I had no idea.

Well,

Now I think we'd better turn back.

I'm excessively tired.

Henrietta,

Conscious and ashamed and seeing no cousin Charles walking along any path or leaning against any gate was ready to do as Mary wished.

But no,

Said Charles Musgrove.

And no,

Cried Louisa more eagerly.

Charles,

In the meanwhile,

Was very decidedly declaring his resolution of calling on his aunt now he was so near.

But this was one of the points on which the lady showed her strength and when he recommended the advantage of resting herself a quarter of an hour at Winthrop as she felt so tired,

She resolutely answered.

Oh,

No,

Indeed,

Walking up that hill again would do me more good than harm than any sitting down could.

And in short,

Her look and manner declared that go she would not.

After a little succession of these sort of debates and consultations,

It was settled between Charles and his two sisters that he and Henrietta should run down for a few minutes to see their aunt and cousins while the rest of the party waited for them at the top of the hill.

Louisa seemed the principal arranger of the plan,

And as she went a little way with them down the hill,

Still talking to Henrietta,

Mary took the opportunity of looking scornfully around her and saying to Captain Wentworth,

It's very unpleasant having such connections,

But I assure you I've never been in the house above twice in my life.

She received no other answer than an artificial assenting smile followed by a contemptuous glance as she turned away,

Which Anne perfectly knew the meaning of.

The brow of the hill,

While they remained,

Was a cheerful spot.

Louisa returned,

And Mary,

Finding a comfortable seat for herself on the step of the stile,

Was very well satisfied as long as the others all stood about her.

But when Louisa drew Captain Wentworth away to try for a gleaning of nuts in an adjoining hedgerow,

And they were gone by degrees quite out of sight and sound,

Mary was happy no longer.

She quarrelled with her seat,

Was sure Louisa had got a much better somewhere,

And nothing could prevent her from going to look for a better also.

She turned through the same gate,

But could not see them.

Anne found a nice seat for her on a dry sunny bank under the hedgerow,

In which she had no doubt of their still being in some spot or another.

Anne,

Really tired herself,

Was glad to sit down,

And she very soon heard Captain Wentworth and Louisa in the hedgerow behind her,

As if making their way back along the rough,

Wild sort of channel down the centre.

They were speaking as they drew near.

Louisa's voice was the first distinguished.

She seemed to be in the middle of some eager speech,

What Anne first heard was.

And so I made her go.

I could not bear she should be frightened from the visit by such nonsense.

What,

Would I be turned back from doing such a thing that I determined to,

And I knew to be right by the airs and interference of such a person,

Or any person might say.

No,

I have no idea of being so easily persuaded.

When I've made up my mind,

I've made it up,

And Henrietta seemed entirely to have made up hers to call it Wentworth today,

And yet she was as near giving it up out of nonsensical complacence.

She would have turned back then,

But for you.

She would indeed,

I'm almost ashamed to say it.

Happy for her to have such a mind as yours at hand.

After the hints you gave just now,

Which did but confirm my own observations the last time I was in company with him,

I need not affect to have no comprehension of what is going on.

Your sister is an amiable creature,

But yours is the character of decision and firmness I see.

If you value her conduct or happiness,

Infuse as much of your own spirit into her as you can,

Said Captain Wentworth.

But this no doubt you've always been doing.

You are never sure of a good impression being durable.

Everybody may sway it.

Let those who would be happy be firm.

Then he said,

Here is a nut,

Catching one down from an upper bow.

To exemplify,

This nut,

While so many of its brethren have fallen and been trodden underfoot,

Is still in possession of all the happiness that a hazelnut can be supposed capable of.

My first wish for all whom I'm interested in,

Is that they should be firm.

If Louisa Musgrove would be beautiful and happy in her November of life,

She will cherish all her present powers of mind.

It would have surprised Anne if Louisa could readily have answered such a speech.

Words of such interest spoken with such serious warmth.

Mary is good-natured enough in many respects,

She replied,

But she does sometimes provoke me excessively by her nonsense and pride,

The Elliot pride.

She has a great deal too much of the Elliot pride.

We do so wish Charles had married Anne instead.

I suppose you know he wanted to marry Anne.

After a moment's pause,

Captain Wentworth said,

Do you mean she refused him?

Oh yes,

Certainly.

When did that happen?

I don't exactly know,

For Henrietta and I were at school at the time,

But I believe about a year before he married Mary.

Oh,

If she had accepted him,

We should all have liked her a great deal better,

And Papa and Mama always think it was her great friend Lady Russell's doing that she did not.

They think Charles might not be learned and bookish enough to please Lady Russell,

And that therefore she persuaded Anne to refuse him.

The sounds were retreating and Anne distinguished no more.

Her own emotions kept her fixed.

She had much to recover from before she could move.

The listener's proverbial fate was not absolutely hers.

She had heard no evil of herself,

But she'd heard a great deal of very painful import.

She saw how her own character was considered by Captain Wentworth,

And there had been just that degree of feeling and curiosity about her in his manner,

Which must give her extreme agitation.

As soon as she could,

She went after Mary,

And having found and walked back with her to their former station,

She felt some comfort in their whole party being immediately collected and once more in motion together.

Her spirits now craved the solitude and silence which only numbers could give.