by Jane Austen
Chapter 21
Anne recollected with pleasure the next morning her promise of going toMrs Smith, meaning that it should engage her from home at the time whenMr Elliot would be most likely to call; for to avoid Mr Elliot wasalmost a first object.
She felt a great deal of good-will towards him. In spite of themischief of his attentions, she owed him gratitude and regard, perhapscompassion. She could not help thinking much of the extraordinarycircumstances attending their acquaintance, of the right which heseemed to have to interest her, by everything in situation, by his ownsentiments, by his early prepossession. It was altogether veryextraordinary; flattering, but painful. There was much to regret. Howshe might have felt had there been no Captain Wentworth in the case,was not worth enquiry; for there was a Captain Wentworth; and be theconclusion of the present suspense good or bad, her affection would behis for ever. Their union, she believed, could not divide her morefrom other men, than their final separation.
Prettier musings of high-wrought love and eternal constancy, couldnever have passed along the streets of Bath, than Anne was sportingwith from Camden Place to Westgate Buildings. It was almost enough tospread purification and perfume all the way.
She was sure of a pleasant reception; and her friend seemed thismorning particularly obliged to her for coming, seemed hardly to haveexpected her, though it had been an appointment.
An account of the concert was immediately claimed; and Anne'srecollections of the concert were quite happy enough to animate herfeatures and make her rejoice to talk of it. All that she could tellshe told most gladly, but the all was little for one who had beenthere, and unsatisfactory for such an enquirer as Mrs Smith, who hadalready heard, through the short cut of a laundress and a waiter,rather more of the general success and produce of the evening than Annecould relate, and who now asked in vain for several particulars of thecompany. Everybody of any consequence or notoriety in Bath was wellknow by name to Mrs Smith.
"The little Durands were there, I conclude," said she, "with theirmouths open to catch the music, like unfledged sparrows ready to befed. They never miss a concert."
"Yes; I did not see them myself, but I heard Mr Elliot say they were inthe room."
"The Ibbotsons, were they there? and the two new beauties, with thetall Irish officer, who is talked of for one of them."
"I do not know. I do not think they were."
"Old Lady Mary Maclean? I need not ask after her. She never misses, Iknow; and you must have seen her. She must have been in your owncircle; for as you went with Lady Dalrymple, you were in the seats ofgrandeur, round the orchestra, of course."
"No, that was what I dreaded. It would have been very unpleasant to mein every respect. But happily Lady Dalrymple always chooses to befarther 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 for your own amusement. I can understand. Thereis a sort of domestic enjoyment to be known even in a crowd, and thisyou had. You were a large party in yourselves, and you wanted nothingbeyond."
"But I ought to have looked about me more," said Anne, conscious whileshe spoke that there had in fact been no want of looking about, thatthe object only had been deficient.
"No, no; you were better employed. You need not tell me that you had apleasant evening. I see it in your eye. I perfectly see how the hourspassed: that you had always something agreeable to listen to. In theintervals of the concert it was conversation."
Anne half smiled and said, "Do you see that in my eye?"
"Yes, I do. Your countenance perfectly informs me that you were incompany last night with the person whom you think the most agreeable inthe world, the person who interests you at this present time more thanall 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, "Ihope you believe that I do know how to value your kindness in coming tome this morning. It is really very good of you to come and sit withme, when you must have so many pleasanter demands upon your time."
Anne heard nothing of this. She was still in the astonishment andconfusion excited by her friend's penetration, unable to imagine howany report of Captain Wentworth could have reached her. After anothershort silence--
"Pray," said Mrs Smith, "is Mr Elliot aware of your acquaintance withme? Does he know that I am in Bath?"
"Mr Elliot!" repeated Anne, looking up surprised. A moment'sreflection shewed her the mistake she had been under. She caught itinstantaneously; and recovering her courage with the feeling of safety,soon added, more composedly, "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 is a great while since we met."
"I was not at all aware of this. You never mentioned it before. Had Iknown it, I would have had the pleasure of talking to him about you."
"To confess the truth," said Mrs Smith, assuming her usual air ofcheerfulness, "that is exactly the pleasure I want you to have. I wantyou to talk about me to Mr Elliot. I want your interest with him. Hecan 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 isdone."
"I should be extremely happy; I hope you cannot doubt my willingness tobe of even the slightest use to you," replied Anne; "but I suspect thatyou are considering me as having a higher claim on Mr Elliot, a greaterright to influence him, than is really the case. I am sure you have,somehow or other, imbibed such a notion. You must consider me only asMr Elliot's relation. If in that light there is anything which yousuppose his cousin might fairly ask of him, I beg you would nothesitate 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. Iought to have waited for official information. But now, my dear MissElliot, 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 allsettled, and build my own selfish schemes on Mr Elliot's good fortune."
"No," replied Anne, "nor next week, nor next, nor next. I assure youthat nothing of the sort you are thinking of will be settled any week.I am not going to marry Mr Elliot. I should like to know why youimagine I am?"
Mrs Smith looked at her again, looked earnestly, smiled, shook herhead, and exclaimed--
"Now, how I do wish I understood you! How I do wish I knew what youwere at! I have a great idea that you do not design to be cruel, whenthe right moment occurs. Till it does come, you know, we women nevermean to have anybody. It is a thing of course among us, that every manis refused, till he offers. But why should you be cruel? Let me pleadfor 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 amore gentlemanlike, agreeable man? Let me recommend Mr Elliot. I amsure you hear nothing but good of him from Colonel Wallis; and who canknow him better than Colonel Wallis?"
"My dear Mrs Smith, Mr Elliot's wife has not been dead much above halfa year. He ought not to be supposed to be paying his addresses to anyone."
"Oh! if these are your only objections," cried Mrs Smith, archly, "MrElliot is safe, and I shall give myself no more trouble about him. Donot forget me when you are married, that's all. Let him know me to bea friend of yours, and then he will think little of the troublerequired, which it is very natural for him now, with so many affairsand engagements of his own, to avoid and get rid of as he can; verynatural, perhaps. Ninety-nine out of a hundred would do the same. Ofcourse, he cannot be aware of the importance to me. Well, my dear MissElliot, I hope and trust you will be very happy. Mr Elliot has senseto understand the value of such a woman. Your peace will not beshipwrecked as mine has been. You are safe in all worldly matters, andsafe in his character. He will not be le
d astray; he will not bemisled by others to his ruin."
"No," said Anne, "I can readily believe all that of my cousin. Heseems to have a calm decided temper, not at all open to dangerousimpressions. I consider him with great respect. I have no reason,from any thing 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 beknown intimately soon. Will not this manner of speaking of him, MrsSmith, convince you that he is nothing to me? Surely this must be calmenough. And, upon my word, he is nothing to me. Should he everpropose to me (which I have very little reason to imagine he has anythought 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 beensupposing, 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 hardlyhave believed so soon in Mr Elliot's failure, but from the perceptionof there being a somebody else. As it was, she instantly submitted,and with all the semblance of seeing nothing beyond; and Anne, eager toescape farther notice, was impatient to know why Mrs Smith should havefancied she was to marry Mr Elliot; where she could have received theidea, 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 muchyou were together, and feeling it to be the most probable thing in theworld to be wished for by everybody belonging to either of you; and youmay depend upon it that all your acquaintance have disposed of you inthe same way. But I never heard it spoken of till two days ago."
"And has it indeed been spoken of?"
"Did you observe the woman who opened the door to you when you calledyesterday?"
"No. Was not it Mrs Speed, as usual, or the maid? I observed no onein particular."
"It was my friend Mrs Rooke; Nurse Rooke; who, by-the-bye, had a greatcuriosity to see you, and was delighted to be in the way to let you in.She came away from Marlborough Buildings only on Sunday; and she it waswho told me you were to marry Mr Elliot. She had had it from MrsWallis herself, which did not seem bad authority. She sat an hour withme on Monday evening, and gave me the whole history." "The wholehistory," repeated Anne, laughing. "She could not make a very longhistory, I think, of one such little article of unfounded news."
Mrs Smith said nothing.
"But," continued Anne, presently, "though there is no truth in myhaving this claim on Mr Elliot, I should be extremely happy to be ofuse to you in any way that I could. Shall I mention to him your beingin Bath? Shall I take any message?"
"No, I thank you: no, certainly not. In the warmth of the moment, andunder a mistaken impression, I might, perhaps, have endeavoured tointerest you in some circumstances; but not now. No, I thank you, Ihave nothing to trouble you with."
"I think you spoke of having known Mr Elliot many years?"
"I did."
"Not before he was married, I suppose?"
"Yes; he was not married when I knew him first."
"And--were you much acquainted?"
"Intimately."
"Indeed! Then do tell me what he was at that time of life. I have agreat curiosity to know what Mr Elliot was as a very young man. Was heat all such as he appears now?"
"I have not seen Mr Elliot these three years," was Mrs Smith's answer,given so gravely that it was impossible to pursue the subject farther;and Anne felt that she had gained nothing but an increase of curiosity.They were both silent: Mrs Smith very thoughtful. At last--
"I beg your pardon, my dear Miss Elliot," she cried, in her naturaltone of cordiality, "I beg your pardon for the short answers I havebeen giving you, but I have been uncertain what I ought to do. I havebeen doubting and considering as to what I ought to tell you. Therewere many things to be taken into the account. One hates to beofficious, to be giving bad impressions, making mischief. Even thesmooth surface of family-union seems worth preserving, though there maybe nothing durable beneath. However, I have determined; I think I amright; I think you ought to be made acquainted with Mr Elliot's realcharacter. Though I fully believe that, at present, you have not thesmallest intention of accepting him, there is no saying what mayhappen. You might, some time or other, be differently affected towardshim. Hear the truth, therefore, now, while you are unprejudiced. MrElliot is a man without heart or conscience; a designing, wary,cold-blooded being, who thinks only of himself; whom for his owninterest or ease, would be guilty of any cruelty, or any treachery,that could be perpetrated without risk of his general character. Hehas no feeling for others. Those whom he has been the chief cause ofleading into ruin, he can neglect and desert without the smallestcompunction. He is totally beyond the reach of any sentiment ofjustice or compassion. Oh! he is black at heart, hollow and black!"
Anne's astonished air, and exclamation of wonder, made her pause, andin a calmer manner, she added,
"My expressions startle you. You must allow for an injured, angrywoman. But I will try to command myself. I will not abuse him. Iwill only tell you what I have found him. Facts shall speak. He wasthe intimate friend of my dear husband, who trusted and loved him, andthought him as good as himself. The intimacy had been formed beforeour marriage. I found them most intimate friends; and I, too, becameexcessively pleased with Mr Elliot, and entertained the highest opinionof him. At nineteen, you know, one does not think very seriously; butMr Elliot appeared to me quite as good as others, and much moreagreeable than most others, and we were almost always together. Wewere principally in town, living in very good style. He was then theinferior in circumstances; he was then the poor one; he had chambers inthe Temple, and it was as much as he could do to support the appearanceof a gentleman. He had always a home with us whenever he chose it; hewas always welcome; he was like a brother. My poor Charles, who hadthe finest, most generous spirit in the world, would have divided hislast farthing with him; and I know that his purse was open to him; Iknow that he often assisted him."
"This must have been about that very period of Mr Elliot's life," saidAnne, "which has always excited my particular curiosity. It must havebeen about the same time that he became known to my father and sister.I never knew him myself; I only heard of him; but there was a somethingin his conduct then, with regard to my father and sister, andafterwards in the circumstances of his marriage, which I never couldquite reconcile with present times. It seemed to announce a differentsort of man."
"I know it all, I know it all," cried Mrs Smith. "He had beenintroduced to Sir Walter and your sister before I was acquainted withhim, but I heard him speak of them for ever. I know he was invited andencouraged, and I know he did not choose to go. I can satisfy you,perhaps, on points which you would little expect; and as to hismarriage, I knew all about it at the time. I was privy to all the forsand againsts; I was the friend to whom he confided his hopes and plans;and though I did not know his wife previously, her inferior situationin society, indeed, rendered that impossible, yet I knew her all herlife afterwards, or at least till within the last two years of herlife, and can answer any question you may wish to put."
"Nay," said Anne, "I have no particular enquiry to make about her. Ihave always understood they were not a happy couple. But I should liketo know why, at that time of his life, he should slight my father'sacquaintance as he did. My father was certainly disposed to take verykind and proper notice of him. Why did Mr Elliot draw back?"
"Mr Elliot," replied Mrs Smith, "at that period of his life, had oneobject in view: to make his fortune, and by a rather quicker processthan the law. He was determined to make it by marriage. He wasdetermined, at least, not to mar it by an imprudent marriage; and Iknow it was his belief (whether justly or not, of course I cannotdecide), that your father and sister, in their civilities andinvitations, were designing a match between the heir and the younglady, and it was impossible that such a mat
ch should have answered hisideas of wealth and independence. That was his motive for drawingback, I can assure you. He told me the whole story. He had noconcealments with me. It was curious, that having just left you behindme in Bath, my first and principal acquaintance on marrying should beyour cousin; and that, through him, I should be continually hearing ofyour father and sister. He described one Miss Elliot, and I thoughtvery affectionately of the other."
"Perhaps," cried Anne, struck by a sudden idea, "you sometimes spoke ofme to Mr Elliot?"
"To be sure I did; very often. I used to boast of my own Anne Elliot,and vouch for your being a very different creature from--"
She checked herself just in time.
"This accounts for something which Mr Elliot said last night," criedAnne. "This explains it. I found he had been used to hear of me. Icould not comprehend how. What wild imaginations one forms where dearself is concerned! How sure to be mistaken! But I beg your pardon; Ihave interrupted you. Mr Elliot married then completely for money?The circumstances, probably, which first opened your eyes to hischaracter."
Mrs Smith hesitated a little here. "Oh! those things are too common.When one lives in the world, a man or woman's marrying for money is toocommon to strike one as it ought. I was very young, and associatedonly with the young, and we were a thoughtless, gay set, without anystrict rules of conduct. We lived for enjoyment. I think differentlynow; time and sickness and sorrow have given me other notions; but atthat period I must own I saw nothing reprehensible in what Mr Elliotwas doing. 'To do the best for himself,' passed as a duty."
"But was not she a very low woman?"
"Yes; which I objected to, but he would not regard. Money, money, wasall that he wanted. Her father was a grazier, her grandfather had beena butcher, but that was all nothing. She was a fine woman, had had adecent education, was brought forward by some cousins, thrown by chanceinto Mr Elliot's company, and fell in love with him; and not adifficulty or a scruple was there on his side, with respect to herbirth. All his caution was spent in being secured of the real amountof her fortune, before he committed himself. Depend upon it, whateveresteem Mr Elliot may have for his own situation in life now, as a youngman he had not the smallest value for it. His chance for the Kellynchestate was something, but all the honour of the family he held as cheapas dirt. I have often heard him declare, that if baronetcies weresaleable, anybody should have his for fifty pounds, arms and motto,name and livery included; but I will not pretend to repeat half that Iused to hear him say on that subject. It would not be fair; and yetyou ought to have proof, for what is all this but assertion, and youshall have proof."
"Indeed, my dear Mrs Smith, I want none," cried Anne. "You haveasserted nothing contradictory to what Mr Elliot appeared to be someyears ago. This is all in confirmation, rather, of what we used tohear and believe. I am more curious to know why he should be sodifferent now."
"But for my satisfaction, if you will have the goodness to ring forMary; stay: I am sure you will have the still greater goodness ofgoing yourself into my bedroom, and bringing me the small inlaid boxwhich you will find on the upper shelf of the closet."
Anne, seeing her friend to be earnestly bent on it, did as she wasdesired. The box was brought and placed before her, and Mrs Smith,sighing over it as she unlocked it, said--
"This is full of papers belonging to him, to my husband; a smallportion only of what I had to look over when I lost him. The letter Iam looking for was one written by Mr Elliot to him before our marriage,and happened to be saved; why, one can hardly imagine. But he wascareless and immethodical, like other men, about those things; and whenI came to examine his papers, I found it with others still moretrivial, from different people scattered here and there, while manyletters and memorandums of real importance had been destroyed. Here itis; I would not burn it, because being even then very little satisfiedwith Mr Elliot, I was determined to preserve every document of formerintimacy. I have now another motive for being glad that I can produceit."
This was the letter, directed to "Charles Smith, Esq. Tunbridge Wells,"and dated from London, as far back as July, 1803:--
"Dear Smith,--I have received yours. Your kindness almost overpowersme. I wish nature had made such hearts as yours more common, but Ihave lived three-and-twenty years in the world, and have seen none likeit. At present, believe me, I have no need of your services, being incash again. Give me joy: I have got rid of Sir Walter and Miss. Theyare gone back to Kellynch, and almost made me swear to visit them thissummer; but my first visit to Kellynch will be with a surveyor, to tellme how to bring it with best advantage to the hammer. The baronet,nevertheless, is not unlikely to marry again; he is quite fool enough.If he does, however, they will leave me in peace, which may be a decentequivalent for the reversion. He is worse than last year.
"I wish I had any name but Elliot. I am sick of it. The name ofWalter I can drop, thank God! and I desire you will never insult mewith my second W. again, meaning, for the rest of my life, to be onlyyours truly,--Wm. Elliot."
Such a letter could not be read without putting Anne in a glow; and MrsSmith, observing the high colour in her face, said--
"The language, I know, is highly disrespectful. Though I have forgotthe exact terms, I have a perfect impression of the general meaning.But it shows you the man. Mark his professions to my poor husband.Can any thing be stronger?"
Anne could not immediately get over the shock and mortification offinding such words applied to her father. She was obliged to recollectthat her seeing the letter was a violation of the laws of honour, thatno one ought to be judged or to be known by such testimonies, that noprivate correspondence could bear the eye of others, before she couldrecover calmness enough to return the letter which she had beenmeditating over, and say--
"Thank you. This is full proof undoubtedly; proof of every thing youwere saying. But why be acquainted with us now?"
"I can explain this too," cried Mrs Smith, smiling.
"Can you really?"
"Yes. I have shewn you Mr Elliot as he was a dozen years ago, and Iwill shew him as he is now. I cannot produce written proof again, butI can give as authentic oral testimony as you can desire, of what he isnow wanting, and what he is now doing. He is no hypocrite now. Hetruly wants to marry you. His present attentions to your family arevery sincere: quite from the heart. I will give you my authority: hisfriend Colonel Wallis."
"Colonel Wallis! you are acquainted with him?"
"No. It does not come to me in quite so direct a line as that; ittakes a bend or two, but nothing of consequence. The stream is as goodas at first; the little rubbish it collects in the turnings is easilymoved away. Mr Elliot talks unreservedly to Colonel Wallis of hisviews on you, which said Colonel Wallis, I imagine to be, in himself, asensible, careful, discerning sort of character; but Colonel Wallis hasa very pretty silly wife, to whom he tells things which he had betternot, and he repeats it all to her. She in the overflowing spirits ofher recovery, repeats it all to her nurse; and the nurse knowing myacquaintance with you, very naturally brings it all to me. On Mondayevening, my good friend Mrs Rooke let me thus much into the secrets ofMarlborough Buildings. When I talked of a whole history, therefore,you see I was not romancing so much as you supposed."
"My dear Mrs Smith, your authority is deficient. This will not do. MrElliot's having any views on me will not in the least account for theefforts he made towards a reconciliation with my father. That was allprior to my coming to Bath. I found them on the most friendly termswhen I arrived."
"I know you did; I know it all perfectly, but--"
"Indeed, Mrs Smith, we must not expect to get real information in sucha line. Facts or opinions which are to pass through the hands of somany, to be misconceived by folly in one, and ignorance in another, canhardly have much truth left."
"Only give me a hearing. You will soon be able to judge of the generalcredit due, by listening to some particulars which you can yourselfimmed
iately contradict or confirm. Nobody supposes that you were hisfirst inducement. He had seen you indeed, before he came to Bath, andadmired you, but without knowing it to be you. So says my historian,at least. Is this true? Did he see you last summer or autumn,'somewhere down in the west,' to use her own words, without knowing itto be you?"
"He certainly did. So far it is very true. At Lyme. I happened to beat Lyme."
"Well," continued Mrs Smith, triumphantly, "grant my friend the creditdue to the establishment of the first point asserted. He saw you thenat Lyme, and liked you so well as to be exceedingly pleased to meetwith you again in Camden Place, as Miss Anne Elliot, and from thatmoment, I have no doubt, had a double motive in his visits there. Butthere was another, and an earlier, which I will now explain. If thereis anything in my story which you know to be either false orimprobable, stop me. My account states, that your sister's friend, thelady now staying with you, whom I have heard you mention, came to Bathwith Miss Elliot and Sir Walter as long ago as September (in short whenthey first came themselves), and has been staying there ever since;that she is a clever, insinuating, handsome woman, poor and plausible,and altogether such in situation and manner, as to give a general idea,among Sir Walter's acquaintance, of her meaning to be Lady Elliot, andas general a surprise that Miss Elliot should be apparently, blind tothe danger."
Here Mrs Smith paused a moment; but Anne had not a word to say, and shecontinued--
"This was the light in which it appeared to those who knew the family,long before you returned to it; and Colonel Wallis had his eye uponyour father enough to be sensible of it, though he did not then visitin Camden Place; but his regard for Mr Elliot gave him an interest inwatching all that was going on there, and when Mr Elliot came to Bathfor a day or two, as he happened to do a little before Christmas,Colonel Wallis made him acquainted with the appearance of things, andthe reports beginning to prevail. Now you are to understand, that timehad worked a very material change in Mr Elliot's opinions as to thevalue of a baronetcy. Upon all points of blood and connexion he is acompletely altered man. Having long had as much money as he couldspend, nothing to wish for on the side of avarice or indulgence, he hasbeen gradually learning to pin his happiness upon the consequence he isheir to. I thought it coming on before our acquaintance ceased, but itis now a confirmed feeling. He cannot bear the idea of not being SirWilliam. You may guess, therefore, that the news he heard from hisfriend could not be very agreeable, and you may guess what it produced;the resolution of coming back to Bath as soon as possible, and offixing himself here for a time, with the view of renewing his formeracquaintance, and recovering such a footing in the family as might givehim the means of ascertaining the degree of his danger, and ofcircumventing the lady if he found it material. This was agreed uponbetween the two friends as the only thing to be done; and ColonelWallis was to assist in every way that he could. He was to beintroduced, and Mrs Wallis was to be introduced, and everybody was tobe introduced. Mr Elliot came back accordingly; and on application wasforgiven, as you know, and re-admitted into the family; and there itwas his constant object, and his only object (till your arrival addedanother motive), to watch Sir Walter and Mrs Clay. He omitted noopportunity of being with them, threw himself in their way, called atall hours; but I need not be particular on this subject. You canimagine what an artful man would do; and with this guide, perhaps, mayrecollect what you have seen him do."
"Yes," said Anne, "you tell me nothing which does not accord with whatI have known, or could imagine. There is always something offensive inthe details of cunning. The manoeuvres of selfishness and duplicitymust ever be revolting, but I have heard nothing which really surprisesme. I know those who would be shocked by such a representation of MrElliot, who would have difficulty in believing it; but I have neverbeen satisfied. I have always wanted some other motive for his conductthan appeared. I should like to know his present opinion, as to theprobability of the event he has been in dread of; whether he considersthe danger to be lessening or not."
"Lessening, I understand," replied Mrs Smith. "He thinks Mrs Clayafraid of him, aware that he sees through her, and not daring toproceed as she might do in his absence. But since he must be absentsome time or other, I do not perceive how he can ever be secure whileshe holds her present influence. Mrs Wallis has an amusing idea, asnurse tells me, that it is to be put into the marriage articles whenyou and Mr Elliot marry, that your father is not to marry Mrs Clay. Ascheme, worthy of Mrs Wallis's understanding, by all accounts; but mysensible nurse Rooke sees the absurdity of it. 'Why, to be sure,ma'am,' said she, 'it would not prevent his marrying anybody else.'And, indeed, to own the truth, I do not think nurse, in her heart, is avery strenuous opposer of Sir Walter's making a second match. She mustbe allowed to be a favourer of matrimony, you know; and (since selfwill intrude) who can say that she may not have some flying visions ofattending the next Lady Elliot, through Mrs Wallis's recommendation?"
"I am very glad to know all this," said Anne, after a littlethoughtfulness. "It will be more painful to me in some respects to bein company with him, but I shall know better what to do. My line ofconduct will be more direct. Mr Elliot is evidently a disingenuous,artificial, worldly man, who has never had any better principle toguide him than selfishness."
But Mr Elliot was not done with. Mrs Smith had been carried away fromher first direction, and Anne had forgotten, in the interest of her ownfamily concerns, how much had been originally implied against him; buther attention was now called to the explanation of those first hints,and she listened to a recital which, if it did not perfectly justifythe unqualified bitterness of Mrs Smith, proved him to have been veryunfeeling in his conduct towards her; very deficient both in justiceand compassion.
She learned that (the intimacy between them continuing unimpaired by MrElliot's marriage) they had been as before always together, and MrElliot had led his friend into expenses much beyond his fortune. MrsSmith did not want to take blame to herself, and was most tender ofthrowing any on her husband; but Anne could collect that their incomehad never been equal to their style of living, and that from the firstthere had been a great deal of general and joint extravagance. Fromhis wife's account of him she could discern Mr Smith to have been a manof warm feelings, easy temper, careless habits, and not strongunderstanding, much more amiable than his friend, and very unlike him,led by him, and probably despised by him. Mr Elliot, raised by hismarriage to great affluence, and disposed to every gratification ofpleasure and vanity which could be commanded without involving himself,(for with all his self-indulgence he had become a prudent man), andbeginning to be rich, just as his friend ought to have found himself tobe poor, seemed to have had no concern at all for that friend'sprobable finances, but, on the contrary, had been prompting andencouraging expenses which could end only in ruin; and the Smithsaccordingly had been ruined.
The husband had died just in time to be spared the full knowledge ofit. They had previously known embarrassments enough to try thefriendship of their friends, and to prove that Mr Elliot's had betternot be tried; but it was not till his death that the wretched state ofhis affairs was fully known. With a confidence in Mr Elliot's regard,more creditable to his feelings than his judgement, Mr Smith hadappointed him the executor of his will; but Mr Elliot would not act,and the difficulties and distress which this refusal had heaped on her,in addition to the inevitable sufferings of her situation, had beensuch as could not be related without anguish of spirit, or listened towithout corresponding indignation.
Anne was shewn some letters of his on the occasion, answers to urgentapplications from Mrs Smith, which all breathed the same sternresolution of not engaging in a fruitless trouble, and, under a coldcivility, the same hard-hearted indifference to any of the evils itmight bring on her. It was a dreadful picture of ingratitude andinhumanity; and Anne felt, at some moments, that no flagrant open crimecould have been worse. She had a great deal to listen to; all theparticulars of past sad scenes, all the mi
nutiae of distress upondistress, which in former conversations had been merely hinted at, weredwelt on now with a natural indulgence. Anne could perfectlycomprehend the exquisite relief, and was only the more inclined towonder at the composure of her friend's usual state of mind.
There was one circumstance in the history of her grievances ofparticular irritation. She had good reason to believe that someproperty of her husband in the West Indies, which had been for manyyears under a sort of sequestration for the payment of its ownincumbrances, might be recoverable by proper measures; and thisproperty, though not large, would be enough to make her comparativelyrich. But there was nobody to stir in it. Mr Elliot would do nothing,and she could do nothing herself, equally disabled from personalexertion by her state of bodily weakness, and from employing others byher want of money. She had no natural connexions to assist her evenwith their counsel, and she could not afford to purchase the assistanceof the law. This was a cruel aggravation of actually straitened means.To feel that she ought to be in better circumstances, that a littletrouble in the right place might do it, and to fear that delay might beeven weakening her claims, was hard to bear.
It was on this point that she had hoped to engage Anne's good officeswith Mr Elliot. She had previously, in the anticipation of theirmarriage, been very apprehensive of losing her friend by it; but onbeing assured that he could have made no attempt of that nature, sincehe did not even know her to be in Bath, it immediately occurred, thatsomething might be done in her favour by the influence of the woman heloved, and she had been hastily preparing to interest Anne's feelings,as far as the observances due to Mr Elliot's character would allow,when Anne's refutation of the supposed engagement changed the face ofeverything; and while it took from her the new-formed hope ofsucceeding in the object of her first anxiety, left her at least thecomfort of telling the whole story her own way.
After listening to this full description of Mr Elliot, Anne could notbut express some surprise at Mrs Smith's having spoken of him sofavourably in the beginning of their conversation. "She had seemed torecommend and praise him!"
"My dear," was Mrs Smith's reply, "there was nothing else to be done.I considered your marrying him as certain, though he might not yet havemade the offer, and I could no more speak the truth of him, than if hehad been your husband. My heart bled for you, as I talked ofhappiness; and yet he is sensible, he is agreeable, and with such awoman as you, it was not absolutely hopeless. He was very unkind tohis first wife. They were wretched together. But she was too ignorantand giddy for respect, and he had never loved her. I was willing tohope that you must fare better."
Anne could just acknowledge within herself such a possibility of havingbeen induced to marry him, as made her shudder at the idea of themisery which must have followed. It was just possible that she mighthave been persuaded by Lady Russell! And under such a supposition,which would have been most miserable, when time had disclosed all, toolate?
It was very desirable that Lady Russell should be no longer deceived;and one of the concluding arrangements of this important conference,which carried them through the greater part of the morning, was, thatAnne had full liberty to communicate to her friend everything relativeto Mrs Smith, in which his conduct was involved.
