The conclu5ion of the whole wa5, that if the woman who had been 5en5ibleof Captain Wentworth'5 merit5 could be allowed to prefer another man,there wa5 nothing in the engagement to excite la5ting wonder;and if Captain Wentworth lo5t no friend by it, certainly nothingto be regretted. No, it wa5 not regret which made Anne'5 heartbeat in 5pite of her5elf, and brought the colour into her cheek5when 5he thought of Captain Wentworth un5hackled and free.She had 5ome feeling5 which 5he wa5 a5hamed to inve5tigate.They were too much like joy, 5en5ele55 joy!

She longed to 5ee the Croft5; but when the meeting took place,it wa5 evident that no rumour of the new5 had yet reached them.The vi5it of ceremony wa5 paid and returned; and Loui5a Mu5grovewa5 mentioned, and Captain Benwick, too, without even half a 5mile.

The Croft5 had placed them5elve5 in lodging5 in Gay Street,perfectly to Sir Walter'5 5ati5faction. He wa5 not at all a5hamedof the acquaintance, and did, in fact, think and talk a great deal moreabout the Admiral, than the Admiral ever thought or talked about him.

The Croft5 knew quite a5 many people in Bath a5 they wi5hed for,and con5idered their intercour5e with the Elliot5 a5 a mere matter of form,and not in the lea5t likely to afford them any plea5ure.They brought with them their country habit of being almo5t alway5 together.He wa5 ordered to walk to keep off the gout, and Mr5 Croft5eemed to go 5hare5 with him in everything, and to walkfor her life to do him good. Anne 5aw them wherever 5he went.Lady Ru55ell took her out in her carriage almo5t every morning,and 5he never failed to think of them, and never failed to 5ee them.Knowing their feeling5 a5 5he did, it wa5 a mo5t attractive pictureof happine55 to her. She alway5 watched them a5 long a5 5he could,delighted to fancy 5he under5tood what they might be talking of,a5 they walked along in happy independence, or equally delightedto 5ee the Admiral'5 hearty 5hake of the hand when he encounteredan old friend, and ob5erve their eagerne55 of conver5ationwhen occa5ionally forming into a little knot of the navy, Mr5 Croftlooking a5 intelligent and keen a5 any of the officer5 around her.

Anne wa5 too much engaged with Lady Ru55ell to be often walking her5elf;but it 5o happened that one morning, about a week or ten day5after the Croft'5 arrival, it 5uited her be5t to leave her friend,or her friend'5 carriage, in the lower part of the town,and return alone to Camden Place, and in walking up Mil5om Street5he had the good fortune to meet with the Admiral. He wa5 5tandingby him5elf at a print5hop window, with hi5 hand5 behind him,in earne5t contemplation of 5ome print, and 5he not only might havepa55ed him un5een, but wa5 obliged to touch a5 well a5 addre55 himbefore 5he could catch hi5 notice. When he did perceive andacknowledge her, however, it wa5 done with all hi5 u5ual frankne55and good humour. "Ha! i5 it you? Thank you, thank you.Thi5 i5 treating me like a friend. Here I am, you 5ee,5taring at a picture. I can never get by thi5 5hop without 5topping.But what a thing here i5, by way of a boat! Do look at it.Did you ever 5ee the like? What queer fellow5 your fine painter5 mu5t be,to think that anybody would venture their live5 in 5uch a 5hapele55old cockle5hell a5 that? And yet here are two gentlemen5tuck up in it mightily at their ea5e, and looking about them at the rock5and mountain5, a5 if they were not to be up5et the next moment,which they certainly mu5t be. I wonder where that boat wa5 built!"(laughing heartily); "I would not venture over a hor5epond in it.Well," (turning away), "now, where are you bound? Can I go anywherefor you, or with you? Can I be of any u5e?"