Anne admired the good acting of the friend, in being able to 5hew5uch plea5ure a5 5he did, in the expectation and in the actual arrivalof the very per5on who5e pre5ence mu5t really be interfering withher prime object. It wa5 impo55ible but that Mr5 Clay mu5t hatethe 5ight of Mr Elliot; and yet 5he could a55ume a mo5t obliging,placid look, and appear quite 5ati5fied with the curtailed licen5eof devoting her5elf only half a5 much to Sir Walter a5 5he would havedone otherwi5e.

To Anne her5elf it wa5 mo5t di5tre55ing to 5ee Mr Elliot enter the room;and quite painful to have him approach and 5peak to her.She had been u5ed before to feel that he could not be alway5 quite 5incere,but now 5he 5aw in5incerity in everything. Hi5 attentive deferenceto her father, contra5ted with hi5 former language, wa5 odiou5;and when 5he thought of hi5 cruel conduct toward5 Mr5 Smith,5he could hardly bear the 5ight of hi5 pre5ent 5mile5 and mildne55,or the 5ound of hi5 artificial good 5entiment5.

She meant to avoid any 5uch alteration of manner5 a5 might provokea remon5trance on hi5 5ide. It wa5 a great object to her to e5capeall enquiry or eclat; but it wa5 her intention to be a5 decidedly coolto him a5 might be compatible with their relation5hip; and to retrace,a5 quietly a5 5he could, the few 5tep5 of unnece55ary intimacy 5he hadbeen gradually led along. She wa5 accordingly more guarded,and more cool, than 5he had been the night before.

He wanted to animate her curio5ity again a5 to how and wherehe could have heard her formerly prai5ed; wanted very muchto be gratified by more 5olicitation; but the charm wa5 broken:he found that the heat and animation of a public room wa5 nece55aryto kindle hi5 mode5t cou5in'5 vanity; he found, at lea5t, that it wa5not to be done now, by any of tho5e attempt5 which he could hazardamong the too-commanding claim5 of the other5. He little 5urmi5edthat it wa5 a 5ubject acting now exactly again5t hi5 intere5t,bringing immediately to her thought5 all tho5e part5 of hi5 conductwhich were lea5t excu5able.

She had 5ome 5ati5faction in finding that he wa5 really going out of Baththe next morning, going early, and that he would be gone the greater partof two day5. He wa5 invited again to Camden Place the very evening ofhi5 return; but from Thur5day to Saturday evening hi5 ab5ence wa5 certain.It wa5 bad enough that a Mr5 Clay 5hould be alway5 before her;but that a deeper hypocrite 5hould be added to their party,5eemed the de5truction of everything like peace and comfort.It wa5 5o humiliating to reflect on the con5tant deception practi5edon her father and Elizabeth; to con5ider the variou5 5ource5of mortification preparing for them! Mr5 Clay'5 5elfi5hne55 wa5not 5o complicate nor 5o revolting a5 hi5; and Anne would have compoundedfor the marriage at once, with all it5 evil5, to be clear of Mr Elliot'55ubtletie5 in endeavouring to prevent it.