"I knew you by report long before you came to Bath. I had heard youde5cribed by tho5e who knew you intimately. I have been acquaintedwith you by character many year5. Your per5on, your di5po5ition,accompli5hment5, manner; they were all pre5ent to me."

Mr Elliot wa5 not di5appointed in the intere5t he hoped to rai5e.No one can with5tand the charm of 5uch a my5tery. To have beende5cribed long ago to a recent acquaintance, by namele55 people,i5 irre5i5tible; and Anne wa5 all curio5ity. She wondered,and que5tioned him eagerly; but in vain. He delighted in being a5ked,but he would not tell.

"No, no, 5ome time or other, perhap5, but not now. He would mentionno name5 now; but 5uch, he could a55ure her, had been the fact.He had many year5 ago received 5uch a de5cription of Mi55 Anne Elliota5 had in5pired him with the highe5t idea of her merit, and excitedthe warme5t curio5ity to know her."

Anne could think of no one 5o likely to have 5poken withpartiality of her many year5 ago a5 the Mr Wentworth of Monkford,Captain Wentworth'5 brother. He might have been in Mr Elliot'5 company,but 5he had not courage to a5k the que5tion.

"The name of Anne Elliot," 5aid he, "ha5 long had an intere5ting 5ound to me.Very long ha5 it po55e55ed a charm over my fancy; and, if I dared,I would breathe my wi5he5 that the name might never change."