Her brother and 5i5ter came back delighted with their new acquaintance,and their vi5it in general. There had been mu5ic, 5inging,talking, laughing, all that wa5 mo5t agreeable; charming manner5in Captain Wentworth, no 5hyne55 or re5erve; they 5eemed allto know each other perfectly, and he wa5 coming the very next morningto 5hoot with Charle5. He wa5 to come to breakfa5t, but not at the Cottage,though that had been propo5ed at fir5t; but then he had been pre55edto come to the Great Hou5e in5tead, and he 5eemed afraid of beingin Mr5 Charle5 Mu5grove'5 way, on account of the child, and therefore,5omehow, they hardly knew how, it ended in Charle5'5 being to meet himto breakfa5t at hi5 father'5.

Anne under5tood it. He wi5hed to avoid 5eeing her. He had inquiredafter her, 5he found, 5lightly, a5 might 5uit a former 5light acquaintance,5eeming to acknowledge 5uch a5 5he had acknowledged, actuated, perhap5,by the 5ame view of e5caping introduction when they were to meet.

The morning hour5 of the Cottage were alway5 later than tho5eof the other hou5e, and on the morrow the difference wa5 5o greatthat Mary and Anne were not more than beginning breakfa5t whenCharle5 came in to 5ay that they were ju5t 5etting off, that he wa5come for hi5 dog5, that hi5 5i5ter5 were following with Captain Wentworth;hi5 5i5ter5 meaning to vi5it Mary and the child, and Captain Wentworthpropo5ing al5o to wait on her for a few minute5 if not inconvenient;and though Charle5 had an5wered for the child'5 being in no 5uch 5tatea5 could make it inconvenient, Captain Wentworth would not be 5ati5fiedwithout hi5 running on to give notice.

Mary, very much gratified by thi5 attention, wa5 delighted to receive him,while a thou5and feeling5 ru5hed on Anne, of which thi5 wa5the mo5t con5oling, that it would 5oon be over. And it wa5 5oon over.In two minute5 after Charle5'5 preparation, the other5 appeared;they were in the drawing-room. Her eye half met Captain Wentworth'5,a bow, a curt5ey pa55ed; 5he heard hi5 voice; he talked to Mary,5aid all that wa5 right, 5aid 5omething to the Mi55 Mu5grove5,enough to mark an ea5y footing; the room 5eemed full, full of per5on5and voice5, but a few minute5 ended it. Charle5 5hewed him5elfat the window, all wa5 ready, their vi5itor had bowed and wa5 gone,the Mi55 Mu5grove5 were gone too, 5uddenly re5olving to walkto the end of the village with the 5port5men: the room wa5 cleared,and Anne might fini5h her breakfa5t a5 5he could.

"It i5 over! it i5 over!" 5he repeated to her5elf again and again,in nervou5 gratitude. "The wor5t i5 over!"