21 Persuasion Read By Stephanie Poppins

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Persuasion by Jane Austen Volume 2,

Chapter 9 Anne will be collected with pleasure the next morning,

Her promise of going to Mrs.

Smith,

Meaning that it should engage her from home at the time when Mr.

Elliot would be most likely to call,

For to avoid Mr.

Elliot was almost a first object.

She felt a great deal of goodwill towards him.

In spite of the mischief of his attentions,

She owed him gratitude and regard,

Perhaps compassion.

She could not help thinking much of the extraordinary circumstances attending their acquaintance,

Of the right which he seemed to have to interest her by everything in situation,

By his own sentiments,

By his early pre-possession.

It was altogether very extraordinary,

Flattering,

But painful.

There was much to regret.

How she might have felt had there been no Captain Wentworth in the case was not worth inquiry,

For there was a Captain Wentworth,

And be the conclusion of the present suspense,

Good or bad,

Her affection would be his forever.

Their union,

She believed,

Could not divide her more from other men than their final separation.

Pretty amusings of high-wrought love and eternal constancy could never have passed along the streets of Bath than Anne was sporting them from Camden Place to Westgate's buildings.

It was almost enough to spread purification and perfume all the way.

She was sure of a pleasant reception,

And her friends seemed this morning particularly obliged to her for coming,

Seemed hardly to have expected her,

Though it had been an appointment.

An account of the concert was immediately claimed,

And Anne's recollections of the concert were quite happy enough to animate her features and make her rejoice to talk of it.

All that she could tell she told most gladly,

But the all was little for one who had been there,

And unsatisfactory for such an inquirer as Mrs.

Smith,

Who had already heard,

Through the shortcut of a laundress and a waiter,

Far more of the general success and produce of the evening than Anne could relate,

And who now asked in vain for several particulars of the company.

Every body of any consequence or notoriety in Bath was well known by name to Mrs.

Smith.

The little Durans were there,

I conclude,

Said she,

With their mouths open to catch the music like unfledged sparrows ready to be fed.

They never miss a concert.

Yes,

Replied Anne,

I did not see them myself,

But I heard Mr.

Elliot say they were in the room.

The Ibbotsons were they there,

And the two new beauties with the tall Irish officer who's talked of for one of them.

I do not know.

I do not think they were.

Old Lady Mary McLean,

I need not ask after her.

She never misses,

I know,

And you must have seen her.

She must have been in your own circle,

For as you went with Lady Dalrymple,

You were in the seats of grandeur around the orchestra,

Of course.

No,

That was what I dreaded.

It would have been very unpleasant to me in every respect,

But happily Lady Dalrymple always chooses to be further off,

And we were exceedingly well placed,

That is for hearing.

I must not say for seeing,

Because I appear to have seen very little.

Oh,

You saw enough of your own amusement,

I can tell.

There is a sort of domestic enjoyment to be known,

Even in a crowd,

And this you had.

You were a large party in yourselves,

And you wanted nothing beyond.

But I ought to have looked about me more,

Said Anne,

Conscious while she spoke,

There had in fact been no want of looking about,

That the object only had been deficient.

No,

No,

You were better employed.

You need not tell me that you had a pleasant evening.

I saw it in your eye.

I perfectly see how the hours passed,

That you had always something agreeable to listen to.

In the intervals of the concert,

It was conversation,

Was it not?

Anne half smiled and said,

Do you see that in my eye?

Yes,

I do.

Your countenance perfectly informs me you were in company last night with the person whom you think the most agreeable in the world,

The person who interests you at this present time more than all the rest of the world put together.

A blush overspread Anne's cheeks.

She could say nothing.

And such being the case,

Continued Mrs.

Smith after a short pause,

I hope you believe I do not know how to value your kindness in coming to see me this morning.

It really is very good of you to come and sit with me when you must have so many pleasanter demands upon your time.

Anne heard nothing of this.

She was still in the astonishment and confusion excited by her friend's penetration,

Unable to imagine how any report of Captain Wentworth could have reached her.

Then,

After another short silence,

Pray,

Said Mrs.

Smith,

Is Mr.

Elliot aware of your acquaintance with me?

Does he know I'm in Bath?

Mr.

Elliot,

Repeated Anne,

Looking up surprised.

A moment's reflection showed her the mistake she had been under.

She caught it instantaneously and recovering her courage with a feeling of safety soon added,

Are you acquainted with Mr.

Elliot?

I have been a good deal acquainted with him,

Replied Mrs.

Smith gravely,

But it seems worn out now.

It's a great while since we met.

I was not at all aware of this.

You never mentioned it before,

Said Anne.

Had I known it,

I would have had the pleasure of talking to him about you.

To confess the truth,

Said Mrs.

Smith,

Assuming her usual air of cheerfulness,

That is exactly the pleasure I want you to have.

I want you to talk about me to Mr.

Elliot.

I want your interest with him.

He can be of essential service to me,

And if you would have the goodness,

My dear Miss Elliot,

To make it an object to yourself,

Of course it is done.

I should be extremely happy,

Said Anne.

I hope you cannot doubt my willingness to be of even the slightest use to you,

But I suspect you're considering me as having a higher claim on Mr.

Elliot,

A greater right to influence him that is really the case.

I am sure you have somehow or another imbibed such a notion.

You must consider me only as Mr.

Elliot's relation.

If in that light there is anything which you suppose his cousin might fairly ask of him,

I beg you would not hesitate to employ me.

Mrs.

Smith gave her a penetrating glance and then,

Smiling,

Said,

I have been a little premature,

I perceive.

I beg your pardon.

I ought to have waited for official information.

But now,

My dear Miss Elliot,

As an old friend,

Do give me a hint as to when I may speak.

Next week?

To be sure,

By next week I may be allowed to think it all settled and build my own selfish schemes on Mr.

Elliot's good fortune.

No,

Replied Anne,

Nor next week,

Nor next,

Nor next.

I assure you that nothing of the sort you're thinking of will be settled any week.

I am not going to marry Mr.

Elliot.

I should like to know why you imagine I am.

Mrs.

Smith looked at her again,

Earnestly.

She smiled,

Then she shook her head and exclaimed,

Now,

How I do wish I understand you.

How I do wish I knew what you are at.

I have a great idea you do not design to be cruel when the right moment occurs.

Till it does come,

You know,

We women never mean to have anybody.

It is a thing of course among us that every man is refused until he offers but why should you be so cruel?

Let me plead for my present friend,

I cannot call him,

But for my former friend.

Where can you look for a more suitable match?

Where could you expect a more gentleman like agreeable man?

Let me recommend Mr.

Elliot.

I'm sure you hear nothing but good of him from Colonel Wallace.

And who can know him better than Colonel Wallace?

My dear Mrs.

Smith,

Mr.

Elliot's wife has not been dead much over half a year.

He ought not to be supposed to be paying his addresses to anyone.

Oh,

If these are your only objections,

Mr.

Elliot is safe,

Cried Mrs.

Smith,

Archly.

I shall give myself no more trouble about him.

Do not forget me when you're married,

That's all.

Let him know me to be a friend of yours and then he will think little of the trouble required,

Which is very natural for him now with so many affairs and engagements of his own.

To avoid and get rid of as he can,

Very natural perhaps.

99 out of 100 would do the same.

Of course he cannot be aware of the importance to me.

Well,

My dear Miss Elliot,

I hope and trust you will be very happy.

Mr.

Elliot has sense to understand the value of such a woman.

Your peace will not be shipwrecked as mine has been.

You are safe in all worldly matters and safe in his character.

He will not be led astray.

He will not be misled by others to his ruin.

No,

Said Anne,

I can readily believe all that of my cousin.

He seems to have a calm,

Decided temper,

Not at all open to dangerous impressions.

I consider him with great respect.

I have no reason from anything that has fallen within my observation to do otherwise.

But I have not known him long,

And he is not a man I think to be known intimately soon.

Will not this manner of speaking of him,

Mrs.

Smith,

Convince you he's nothing to me?

Surely this must be calm enough.

And upon my word he is nothing to me.

Should he ever propose to me,

Which I have very little reason to imagine he's any thought of doing,

I shall not accept him.

I assure you I shall not.

I assure you Mr.

Elliot had not the share which you have been supposing in whatever pleasure the concert of last night might afford.

Not Mr.

Elliot.

It is not Mr.

Elliot that— She stopped,

Regretting with a deep blush that she had implied so much,

But less would hardly have been sufficient.

Mrs.

Smith would hardly have believed so soon in Mr.

Elliot's failure,

But from the perception of their being as somebody else.

As it was,

She instantly submitted,

And with all the semblance of seeing nothing beyond.

And Anne,

Eager to escape further notice,

Was impatient to know why Mrs.

Smith should have fancied she was to marry Mr.

Elliot,

When she could have received the idea,

Or from whom she could have heard it.

Do tell me how it first came into your head.

It first came into my head,

Replied Mrs.

Smith,

Upon finding how much you were together,

And feeling it to be the most probable thing in the world to be wished for by everybody belonging to either of you.

And you may depend upon it,

That all of your acquaintance have disposed of you in the same way.