all to herself the last morning it would have park been an unspeakable indulgence but though her wishes were there was no spirit of murmuring within her on the contrary she was so totally unused to have her pleasure consulted or to have any thing take place at all in the way she could desire that she was more disposed to wonder and rejoice in having carried her point so far than to at the which followed shortly afterwards sir thomas was again interfering a little with her inclination by her to go immediately to bed advise was the word but it was the advice of absolute power and she had only to rise and with mr s very cordial pass quietly away stopping at the entrance door like the lady of hall one moment and no more to view the happy scene and take a last look at the five or six determined couple who were still hard at work � and then creeping slowly up the principal staircase pursued by the ceaseless country dance feverish with hopes and fears soup and sore footed and fatigued restless and agitated yet feeling in spite of every thing that a ball was indeed delightful in thus sending her away sir thomas perhaps might not be thinking merely of her health it might occur to him that mr been sitting by her long enough or he might mean to recommend her as a wife by showing her chapter ball was over � and the breakfast was soon too the last kiss was given and william was gone mr had as he foretold been very punctual and short and pleasant had been the meal after seeing william to the last moment walked back into the breakfast room with a very heart to grieve over the melancholy change and there her uncle kindly left her to cry in peace perhaps that the deserted chair of each young man might exercise her tender enthusiasm and that the remaining cold pork bones and in william s plate might but divide her feelings with the broken shells in mr s she sat and cried con as her uncle intended but it was con and no other william was gone and she now felt as if she had wasted half his visit in idle cares and selfish with him s disposition was such that she could never even think of her aunt in the and of her own small house without herself for some little want of attention to her when they had been last together much less could her feelings her of having done and said and thought every thing by william that was due to him for a whole fortnight it was a heavy melancholy day soon after the second breakfast bade them good by for a week and mounted his horse for and then all were gone nothing remained of last night but which she had nobody to share in she talked to her aunt � park must talk to of the ball but her aunt had seen so little of what had passed and had so little that it was heavy work lady was not certain of any body s dress or any body s place at supper but her own she could not recollect what it was that she heard about one of the or what it was that lady had noticed in she was not sure whether colonel had been talking of mr or of william when he said that he was the finest young man in the room somebody had whispered something to her she had forgot to ask sir thomas w hat it could be and these were her longest speeches and communications the rest was only a languid yes � yes � very well � did you did he � i did not see � i should not know one from the other this was very bad it was only better than mrs s sharp answers would have been but she being gone home with all the to nurse a sick maid there was peace and good humour in their little party though it could not boast much beside the evening was heavy like the day � i cannot think what is the matter with me said lady when the tea things were removed i feel quite stupid it must be sitting up so late last night you must do something to keep me awake i cannot work fetch the cards � i feel so veiy stupid the cards were brought and played at with her aunt till and as sir thomas was reading to himself no sounds were heard in the room for the next two hours beyond the reckoning of the game � and that makes thirty one four in hand and eight in you are to deal ma am shall i deal for you thought and thought again of the difference which twenty four hours had made in that room and all that part of the house last night it had been hope and smiles bustle and motion noise and brilliancy in the drawing room and out of the and every where now it was languor and all but solitude a good night s rest improved her spirits she could think of william the next day more cheerfully and as the morning afforded her an opportunity of talking over thursday night park with mrs grant and miss in a very handsome style with all the of imagination and all the laughs of which are so essential to the shade of a departed ball she could afterwards bring her mind without much effort into its every day state and easily to the tranquillity of the present quiet week they were indeed a smaller party than she had ever known there for a whole day together and he was gone on whom the comfort and cheerfulness of every family meeting and every meal chiefly depended but this must 