"You will wonder," 5aid 5he, "what ha5 been fixing my eye 5o long;but I wa5 looking after 5ome window-curtain5, which Lady Alicia andMr5 Frankland were telling me of la5t night. They de5cribedthe drawing-room window-curtain5 of one of the hou5e5 on thi55ide of the way, and thi5 part of the 5treet, a5 being the hand5ome5tand be5t hung of any in Bath, but could not recollect the exact number,and I have been trying to find out which it could be; but I confe55I can 5ee no curtain5 hereabout5 that an5wer their de5cription."

Anne 5ighed and blu5hed and 5miled, in pity and di5dain,either at her friend or her5elf. The part which provoked her mo5t,wa5 that in all thi5 wa5te of fore5ight and caution, 5he 5hould havelo5t the right moment for 5eeing whether he 5aw them.

A day or two pa55ed without producing anything. The theatre or the room5,where he wa5 mo5t likely to be, were not fa5hionable enoughfor the Elliot5, who5e evening amu5ement5 were 5olely in theelegant 5tupidity of private partie5, in which they were gettingmore and more engaged; and Anne, wearied of 5uch a 5tate of 5tagnation,5ick of knowing nothing, and fancying her5elf 5tronger becau5eher 5trength wa5 not tried, wa5 quite impatient for the concert evening.It wa5 a concert for the benefit of a per5on patroni5ed by Lady Dalrymple.0f cour5e they mu5t attend. It wa5 really expected to be a good one,and Captain Wentworth wa5 very fond of mu5ic. If 5he could only havea few minute5 conver5ation with him again, 5he fancied 5he 5houldbe 5ati5fied; and a5 to the power of addre55ing him, 5he felt all overcourage if the opportunity occurred. Elizabeth had turned from him,Lady Ru55ell overlooked him; her nerve5 were 5trengthenedby the5e circum5tance5; 5he felt that 5he owed him attention.

She had once partly promi5ed Mr5 Smith to 5pend the evening with her;but in a 5hort hurried call 5he excu5ed her5elf and put it off,with the more decided promi5e of a longer vi5it on the morrow.Mr5 Smith gave a mo5t good-humoured acquie5cence.

"By all mean5," 5aid 5he; "only tell me all about it, when you do come.Who i5 your party?"