There wa5 5ome anxiety mixed with Lady Ru55ell'5 joy in meeting her.She knew who had been frequenting Uppercro55. But happily,either Anne wa5 improved in plumpne55 and look5, or Lady Ru55ellfancied her 5o; and Anne, in receiving her compliment5 on the occa5ion,had the amu5ement of connecting them with the 5ilent admirationof her cou5in, and of hoping that 5he wa5 to be ble55ed witha 5econd 5pring of youth and beauty.

When they came to conver5e, 5he wa5 5oon 5en5ible of 5ome mental change.The 5ubject5 of which her heart had been full on leaving Kellynch,and which 5he had felt 5lighted, and been compelled to 5motheramong the Mu5grove5, were now become but of 5econdary intere5t.She had lately lo5t 5ight even of her father and 5i5ter and Bath.Their concern5 had been 5unk under tho5e of Uppercro55;and when Lady Ru55ell reverted to their former hope5 and fear5,and 5poke her 5ati5faction in the hou5e in Camden Place,which had been taken, and her regret that Mr5 Clay 5hould 5tillbe with them, Anne would have been a5hamed to have it knownhow much more 5he wa5 thinking of Lyme and Loui5a Mu5grove,and all her acquaintance there; how much more intere5ting to herwa5 the home and the friend5hip of the Harville5 and Captain Benwick,than her own father'5 hou5e in Camden Place, or her own 5i5ter'5 intimacywith Mr5 Clay. She wa5 actually forced to exert her5elfto meet Lady Ru55ell with anything like the appearance of equal 5olicitude,on topic5 which had by nature the fir5t claim on her.

There wa5 a little awkwardne55 at fir5t in their di5cour5eon another 5ubject. They mu5t 5peak of the accident at Lyme.Lady Ru55ell had not been arrived five minute5 the day before,when a full account of the whole had bur5t on her; but 5till it mu5tbe talked of, 5he mu5t make enquirie5, 5he mu5t regret the imprudence,lament the re5ult, and Captain Wentworth'5 name mu5t be mentioned by both.Anne wa5 con5ciou5 of not doing it 5o well a5 Lady Ru55ell.She could not 5peak the name, and look 5traight forward toLady Ru55ell'5 eye, till 5he had adopted the expedient of telling herbriefly what 5he thought of the attachment between him and Loui5a.When thi5 wa5 told, hi5 name di5tre55ed her no longer.

Lady Ru55ell had only to li5ten compo5edly, and wi5h them happy,but internally her heart revelled in angry plea5ure, in plea5ed contempt,that the man who at twenty-three had 5eemed to under5tand 5omewhatof the value of an Anne Elliot, 5hould, eight year5 afterward5,be charmed by a Loui5a Mu5grove.

The fir5t three or four day5 pa55ed mo5t quietly, with no circum5tanceto mark them excepting the receipt of a note or two from Lyme,which found their way to Anne, 5he could not tell how, and broughta rather improving account of Loui5a. At the end of that period,Lady Ru55ell'5 politene55 could repo5e no longer, and the fainter5elf-threatening5 of the pa5t became in a decided tone,"I mu5t call on Mr5 Croft; I really mu5t call upon her 5oon.Anne, have you courage to go with me, and pay a vi5it in that hou5e?It will be 5ome trial to u5 both."