understand by his words as well as his actions abbey she had from the first been so fortunate as to excite in the general and by a recollection of some most generous and disinterested sentiments on the subject of money which she had more than once heard him utter and which tempted her to think his disposition in such matters misunderstood by his children they were so fully convinced however that their brother would not have the courage to apply in person for his father s consent and so repeatedly assured her that he had never in his life been less likely to come to than at the present time that she suffered her mind to be at ease as to the necessity of any sudden removal of her own but as it was not to be supposed that captain whenever he made his application would give his father any just idea of s conduct it occurred to her as highly expedient that henry should lay the whole business before him as it really was the general by that means to form a cool and impartial opinion and prepare his objections on a fairer ground than of situations she proposed it to him accordingly but he did not catch at the measure so eagerly as she had expected no said he my father s hands need not be strengthened and s confession of folly need not be he must tell his own story � but he will tell only half of it a quarter would be enough a day or two passed away and brought no tidings of captain his brother and sister knew not what to think sometimes it appeared to them as if his silence would be the natural result of the suspected engagement and at others that it was wholly with it the general mean while though o ended every morning by s in writing was free from any real anxiety about him and had no more pressing solicitude than that of making miss s i abbey time at pass pleasantly he often expressed his uneasiness on this head feared the of every day s society and would disgust her with the place wished the lady had been in the country talked every now and then of having a large party to dinner and once or twice began even to calculate the number of young dancing people in the neighbourhood but then it was such a dead time of year no wild fowl no game and the lady were not in the country and it all ended at last in his telling henry one morning that when he next went to wood ton they would take him by there some day or other and eat their mutton with him henry was greatly honoured and very happy and was quite delighted with the scheme and when do you think sir i may look forward to this pleasure i must be at on monday to attend the parish meeting and shall probably be obliged to stay two or three days weu well we will take our chance some one of those days there is no need to fix you are not to put yourself at all out of your way whatever you may happen to have in the house will be enough i think i can answer for the young ladies making allowance for a bachelor s table let me see monday will be a busy day with you we will not come on monday and tuesday will be a busy one with me i expect my from with his report in the morning and afterwards i cannot in decency fail attending the club i really could not face my acquaintance if i staid away now for as i am known to be in the country it would be taken exceedingly amiss and it is a rule with me miss never to give offence to any of my neighbours if a small sacrifice of time and attention can prevent it they are a set of very worthy men they have half a buck from twice a o abbey year and i dine with them whenever i can tuesday therefore we may say is out of the question but on wednesday i think henry you may expect us and we shall be with you early that we may have time to look about us two hours and three quarters will carry us to i suppose we shall be in the carriage by ten so ut a quarter before one on wednesday you may look for us a ball itself could not have been more welcome to than this little excursion so strong was her desire to be acquainted with and her heart was still bounding with joy when henry about an hour afterwards came and great into the room where she and were sitting and said i am come young ladies in a very strain to observe that our pleasures in this world are always to be paid for and that we often purchase them at a great disadvantage giving ready actual happiness for a on the future that may not be honoured witness myself at this present hour because i am to hope for the satisfaction of seeing you at on wednesday which bad weather or twenty other causes may prevent i must go away directly two days before i intended it go away said with a very long face and why why how can you ask the question because no time is to be lost in my old housekeeper out of her wits because i must go and prepare a dinner for you to be sure oh not seriously ay and sadly too for i had much rather stay but how can you think of such a thing after what the general said when he so particularly desired you not to give yourself any trouble because anything would do abbey only smiled i am sure it is quite 