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Chapter 11
CHARLOTTE had been ten days at Sanditon without seeing Sanditon House, every attempt at calling on Lady Denham having been defeated by meeting with her beforehand. But now it was to be more resolutely undertaken, at a more early hour, that nothing might be neglected of attention to Lady Denham or amusement to Charlotte. "And if you should find a favourable opening, my love," said Mr. Parker, who did not mean to go with them, "I think you had better mention the poor Mullins`s situation and sound her Ladyship as to a subscription for them. I am not fond of charitable subscriptions in a place of this kind -- it is a sort of tax upon all that come. Yet as their distress is very great and I almost promised the poor woman yesterday to get something done for her, I believe we must set a subscription on foot, and, therefore, the sooner the better; and Lady Denham`s name at the head of the list will be a very necessary beginning. You will not dislike speaking to her about it, Mary?" `-I will do whatever you wish me," replied his wife, "but you would do it so much better yourself. I shall not know what to say." "My dear Mary," he cried. "It is impossible you can be really at a loss. Nothing can be more simple. You have only to state the present afflicted situation of the family, their earnest application to me, and my being willing to promote a little subscription for their relief, provided it meet with her approbation." `-The easiest thing in the world," cried Miss Diana Parker, who happened to be calling on them at the moment. All said and done in less time than you have been talking of it now. And while you are on the subject of subscriptions, Mary, I will thank you to mention a very melancholy case to Lady Denham which has been represented to me in the most affecting terms. There is a poor woman in Worcestershire, whom some friends of mine are exceedingly interested about, and I have undertaken to collect whatever I can for her. If you would mention the circumstance to Lady Denham! Lady Denham can give, if she is properly attacked. And I look upon her to be the sort of person who, when once she is prevailed on to undraw her purse, would as readily give ten guineas as five. And therefore, if you find her in a giving mood, you might as well speak in favour of another charity which I and a few more have very much at heart -- the establishment of a Charitable Repository at Burton on Trent. And then there is the family of the poor man who was hung last assizes at York, though we really have raised the sum we wanted for putting them all out, yet if you can get a guinea from her on their behalf, it may as well be done." "My dear Diana!" exclaimed Mrs. Parker, "I could no more mention these things to Lady Denham than I could fly." "Where`s the difficulty? I wish I could go with you myself. But in five minutes I must be at Mrs. Griffiths to encourage Miss Lambe in taking her first dip. She is so frightened, poor thing, that I promised to come and keep up her spirits and go in the machine with her if she wished it. And as soon as that is over, I must hurry home, for Susan is to have leeches at one o clock -- which will be a three hours` business. Therefore I really have not a moment to spare. Besides that, between ourselves, I ought to be in bed myself at this present time for I am hardly able to stand; and when the leeches have done, I dare say we shall both go to our rooms for the rest of the day." "-I am sorry to hear it, indeed. But if this is the case I hope Arthur will come to us." "-If Arthur takes my advice, he will go to bed too, for if he stays up by himself he will certainly eat and drink more than he ought. But you see, Mary, how impossible it is for me to go with you to Lady Denham`s." Upon second thoughts, Mary," said her husband. "I will not trouble you to speak about the Mullinses. I will take an opportunity of seeing Lady Denham myself. I know how little it suits you to be pressing matters upon a mind at all unwilling." His application thus withdrawn, his sister could say no more in support of hers, which was his object, as he felt all their impropriety and all the certainty of their ill effect upon his own better claim. Mrs. Parker was delighted at this release and set off very happy with her friend and her little girl on this walk to Sanditon House. lt was a close, misty morning and, when they reached the brow of the hill, they could not for some time make out what sort of carriage it was which they saw coming up. It appeared at different moments to be everything from a gig to a phaeton, from one horse to four; and just as they were concluding in favour of a tandem, little Mary`s young eyes distinguished the coachman and she eagerly called out, "It is Uncle Sidney, Mama, it is indeed." And so it proved. Mr. Sidney Parker, driving his servant in a very neat carriage, was soon opposite to them, and they all stopped for a few minutes. The manners of the Parkers were always pleasant among themselves; and it was a very friendly meeting between Sidney and his sister-in-law, who was most kindly taking it for granted that he was on his way to Trafalgar House. This he declined, however. He was "just come from Eastbourne proposing to spend two or three days, as it might happen, at Sanditon"; but the hotel must be his quarters. He was expecting to be joined there by a friend or two. The rest was common enquiries and remarks, with kind notice of little Mary, and a very well-bred bow and proper address to Miss Heywood on her being named to him. And they parted to meet again within a few hours. Sidney Parker was about seven or eight and twenty, very good-looking, with a decided air of ease and fashion and a lively countenance. This adventure afforded agreeable discussion for some time. Mrs. Parker entered into all her husband`s joy on the occasion and exulted in the credit which Sidney`s arrival would give to the place. The road to Sanditon House was a broad, handsome, planted approach between fields, leading at the end of a quarter of a mile through second gates into grounds which, though not extensive, had all the beauty and respectability which an abundance of very fine timber could give. These entrance gates were so much in a corner of the grounds or paddock, so near to one of its boundaries, that an outside fence was at first almost pressing on the road, till an angle here and a curve there threw them to a better distance. The fence was a proper park paling in excellent condition, with clusters of fine elms or rows of old thorns following its line almost everywhere. Almost must be stipulated, for there were vacant spaces, and through one of these, Charlotte, as soon as they entered the enclosure, caught a glimpse over the pales of something white and womanish in the field on the other side. It was something which immediately brought Miss Brereton into her head; and stepping to the pales, she saw indeed -- and very decidedly, in spite of the mist -- Miss Brereton seated not far before her at the foot of the bank which sloped down from the outside of the paling and which a narrow path seemed to skirt along -- Miss Brereton seated, apparently very composedly, and Sir Edward Denham by her side. They were sitting so near each other and appeared so closely engaged in gentle conversation that Charlotte instantly felt she had nothing to do but to step back again and say not a word. privacy was certainly their object. lt could not but strike her rather unfavourably with regard to Clara; but hers was a situation which must not be judged with severity. She was glad to perceive that nothing had been discerned by Mrs. Parker. If Charlotte had not been considerably the taller of the two, Miss Brereton`s white ribbons might not have fallen within the ken of her more observant eyes. Among other points of moralising reflection which the sight of this tete-a-tete produced, Charlotte could not but think of the extreme difficulty which secret lovers must have in finding a proper spot for their stolen interviews. Here perhaps they had thought themselves so perfectly secure from observation -- the whole field open before them; a steep bank and pales never crossed by the foot of man at their back, and a great thickness of air to aid them as well! Yet here she had seen them. They were really ill-used. The house was large and handsome. Two servants appeared to admit them and everything had a suitable air of property and order, Lady Denham valued herself upon her liberal establishment and had great enjoyment in the order and importance of her style of living. They were shown into the usual sitting room, well proportioned and well furnished, though it was furniture rather originally good and extremely well kept than new or showy. And as Lady Denham was not there, Charlotte had leisure to look about her and to be told by Mrs. Parker that the whole-length portrait of a stately gentleman which, placed over the mantelpiece, caught the eye immediately, was the picture of Sir Henry Denham; and that one among many miniatures in another part of the room, little conspicuous, represented Mr. Hollis. poor Mr. Hollis! lt was impossible not to feel him hardly used: to be obliged to stand back in his own house and see the best place by the fire constantly occupied by Sir Henry Denham. Lady Denham`s brisk style of greeting on entering made it plain that, though she regarded their visit as a necessary piece of civility, she had no intention of exercising equal civility in being inconvenienced by it herself. "Very fortunate indeed you find me at home, Mrs. Parker," she said in her abrupt way. "I was on the point of setting out for the library and in a few minutes we may all walk back that way together. Hodges has it from Mrs. Whitby that Mrs. Griffiths has actually been enquiring about a chamber-horse. The wonder of it is she mentioned no such thing when I called on her the day before yesterday. And if Miss Lambe is not to be benefited by asses` milk, how am I to guess that daily indoor exercise on a chamber-horse is exactly what this physician of hers recommends? I have no patience with invalids who spurn one aid to health and clutch at another. But no matter -- the ill wind is still blowing in my direction. Mr. Hollis`s chamber-horse is in excellent condition and we may have it delivered to the Terrace this very day, as soon as I have gone round and settled the terms. I am only waiting now for Miss Clara to return from the Jacksons ; and their cottage is not a quarter of a mile across the park." Charlotte, suspecting Lady Denham might have to wait rather longer than she intended, wondered how a formal call could be indefinitely prolonged after so unpromising a beginning; the more especially as their hostess, making no move to sit down herself and lending only half an ear to Mrs. Parker`s polite remarks, showed no readiness for any conversation which did not advance her own immediate plans. But in her quiet, unassuming fashion, Mrs. Parker persevered steadily on, enquiring after the health of old Mrs. Jackson, mentioning Mr. Sidney Parker`s arrival in Sanditon, and commenting on a fine display of irises and roses in one alcove A pause succeeded for a few moments while Lady Denham fidgeted impatiently about the room. Neither Charlotte nor Mrs. Parker had disarranged anything there; but little Mary, having seated herself first on one chair and then on another, had hollowed several cushions, slightly rumpled their seat covers, shifted a footstool and disturbed a small hearthrug. It was apparent that Lady Denham could not endure waiting till her guests had gone before restoring each item of furniture to its exact and appointed place, and Charlotte watched in amazement as the minor modifications Mary had made to the room were fussily adjusted. "I wonder what can have detained Miss Clara?" Lady Denham said at last, patting a final cushion back into shape. "It was only the usual pail of soup we send across whenever cook has it on hand -- beef soup, you know. But she cannot be wasting the whole day on such errands -- and my day as well, she might consider. Hiring out the chamber-horse is a great deal more to the point this morning, and Miss Clara could be supervising Betsy removing the dust covers up in the garret." Disconcerted by so self-centred a train of thought being voiced aloud, Charlotte decided Lady Denham was put out by their call and trying to discourage them from staying. Beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable herself, she wished Mrs. Parker would make some movement to speed their departure. But Mrs. Parker, who knew their hostess rather better, continued seated and made several more of her gentle, commonplace observations. Over a period of years, she had come to understand that this discourtesy towards casual visitors did not arise from any unwillingness to entertain them, any deficiency in the appointment or arrangement of the household, nor even any real lack of hospitality. The truth lay more in a failure of mental resilience, an unfortunate but inevitable result of Lady Denham`s declining years; she preferred everything and everybody about her to remain comfortably settled in their proper places. Charlotte could only think her very impolite. But Mrs. Parker, restraining Mary from further movement, could recognise the selfishness but still excuse it from the circumstances of Lady Denham`s having had rather tto much her own way all her life, and being too old to change those ways now. So she set herself out to be as pleasant as possible; and having decided in advance how long their call was to last, refused to be provoked into curtailing it.
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