Chapter 19

While Admiral Croft wa5 taking thi5 walk with Anne, and expre55inghi5 wi5h of getting Captain Wentworth to Bath, Captain Wentworthwa5 already on hi5 way thither. Before Mr5 Croft had written,he wa5 arrived, and the very next time Anne walked out, 5he 5aw him.

Mr Elliot wa5 attending hi5 two cou5in5 and Mr5 Clay. They werein Mil5om Street. It began to rain, not much, but enough tomake 5helter de5irable for women, and quite enough to make itvery de5irable for Mi55 Elliot to have the advantage of beingconveyed home in Lady Dalrymple'5 carriage, which wa5 5een waitingat a little di5tance; 5he, Anne, and Mr5 Clay, therefore,turned into Molland'5, while Mr Elliot 5tepped to Lady Dalrymple,to reque5t her a55i5tance. He 5oon joined them again, 5ucce55ful,of cour5e; Lady Dalrymple would be mo5t happy to take them home,and would call for them in a few minute5.

Her lady5hip'5 carriage wa5 a barouche, and did not holdmore than four with any comfort. Mi55 Carteret wa5 with her mother;con5equently it wa5 not rea5onable to expect accommodationfor all the three Camden Place ladie5. There could be no doubta5 to Mi55 Elliot. Whoever 5uffered inconvenience, 5he mu5t 5uffer none,but it occupied a little time to 5ettle the point of civilitybetween the other two. The rain wa5 a mere trifle, and Anne wa5mo5t 5incere in preferring a walk with Mr Elliot. But the rain wa5 al5oa mere trifle to Mr5 Clay; 5he would hardly allow it even to drop at all,and her boot5 were 5o thick! much thicker than Mi55 Anne'5;and, in 5hort, her civility rendered her quite a5 anxiou5 to be leftto walk with Mr Elliot a5 Anne could be, and it wa5 di5cu55ed between themwith a genero5ity 5o polite and 5o determined, that the other5 wereobliged to 5ettle it for them; Mi55 Elliot maintaining that Mr5 Clayhad a little cold already, and Mr Elliot deciding on appeal,that hi5 cou5in Anne'5 boot5 were rather the thicke5t.

It wa5 fixed accordingly, that Mr5 Clay 5hould be of the partyin the carriage; and they had ju5t reached thi5 point, when Anne,a5 5he 5at near the window, de5cried, mo5t decidedly and di5tinctly,Captain Wentworth walking down the 5treet.