Every Neighbourhood should have a great Lady.—The great Lady of Sanditon, was Lady Denham; & in their Journey from Willingden to the Coast, Mr Parker gave Charlotte a more detailed account of her, than had been called for before.—She had been necessarily often mentioned at Willingden,—for being his Colleague in Speculation, Sanditon itself could not be talked of long, without the introduction of Lady Denham & that she was a very rich old Lady, who had buried two Husbands, who knew the value of Money, was very much looked up to & had a poor Cousin living with her, were [facts] already well known, but some further particulars of [her history & her Character] [served] to lighten the tediousness of a long [Hill], or a heavy bit of road, and to give the visiting Young Lady a suitable Knowledge of the Person [with whom] she might now expect to be daily associating.—Lady D. had been a rich Miss Brereton, born to Wealth but not to Education. Her first Husband had been a Mr Hollis, a man of considerable Property in the Country, of which a large share of the Parish of Sanditon, with Manor & Mansion House made a part. He had been [an elderly] Man when she married him;—her own age about 30.—Her motives for such a Match could be little understood at the distance of 40 years, but she had so well nursed & pleased Mr Hollis, that at his death he left her everything—all his Estates, & all at her Disposal. After a widowhood of some years, she had been induced to marry again. The late Sir Harry Denham, of Denham Park in the Neighbourhood of Sanditon had succeeded in removing her & her large Income to his own Domains, but he cd not succeed in the veiws of permanently enriching his family, which were attributed to him. She had been too wary to put anything out of her own Power—and when on Sir Harry’s Decease she returned again to her own House at Sanditon, she was said to have made this boast to a friend “that though she had got nothing but her Title from the Family, still she had given nothing for it.”—For the Title, it was to be supposed that she had married—& Mr P. acknowledged there being just such a degree of value for it apparent now, as to give [her conduct] that natural explanation. “There is at times said he—a little self-importance—but it is not offensive;—& there are moments, there are points, when her Love of Money is carried [greatly] too far. But she is a goodnatured Woman, a very goodnatured Woman,—a very obliging, friendly Neighbour; .—and her faults [may be entirely] imputed to [her want] of Education. She has good natural Sense, but quite uncultivated.—She has a fine active mind, as well as a fine healthy frame for a Woman of 70, & enters into the improvement of Sanditon with a spirit [truly admirable]—though now & then, a Littleness will appear. She cannot look forward quite as I would have her—& takes alarm at a trifling present expence, without considering what returns it will make her in a year or two. That is—we think differently, we [now & then, see things differently], Miss H.—Those who tell their own Story [you know] must be listened to with Caution.—When you see us in contact, you will judge for yourself.”—Lady D. was indeed a great Lady beyond the common [wants of Society]—for she had many Thousands a year to bequeath, & three distinct sets of People to be courted by; her own relations, who might very reasonably wish for her Original Thirty Thousand Pounds among them, the legal Heirs of Mr Hollis, who must hope to be more endebted to her sense of Justice than [he had allowed them to be] to his, and those Members of the Denham Family, whom her 2d Husband had hoped to make a good Bargain for.—By all of these, or by Branches of them, she had no doubt been long, & still continued to be, well attacked;—and of [these] three divisions, Mr P. did not hesitate to say that Mr Hollis’ [Kindred] were the least in favour & Sir Harry Denham’s the most.—The former he beleived, had done themselves irremediable harm by expressions of very unwise & unjustifiable resentment at the time of Mr. Hollis’s death;—the Latter, to the advantage of being the remnant of a Connection which she certainly valued, joined those of having been known to her from their Childhood, & of being always [at hand to preserve their] interest by reasonable attention. Sir Edward, the present Baronet, nephew to Sir Harry, resided constantly at Denham Park; & Mr P— had little doubt, that he & his Sister Miss D— who [lived] with him, wd be [principally] remembered in her Will. He sincerely hoped it.—Miss Denham had a very small provision—& her Brother was a poor Man for his rank in Society. “He is a warm friend to Sanditon—said Mr Parker—& his hand wd be as liberal as his heart, [had he] the Power.—He would be a noble Coadjutor!—As it is, he does what he can—& is running up a tasteful little Cottage Ornèe, on a strip of Waste Ground [Lady D. has granted him], which I have no doubt [we shall] have many a Candidate for, before the end even of this Season.” Till within the last twelvemonth, Mr P. had considered Sir Edw: as standing without a rival, as [having] [the fairest] chance of succeeding to the greater part of all that she had to give—but there was now another person’s claims to be taken into the account, those of the young female relation, whom Lady D. had been induced to receive into her Family. After having always protested against any such Addition, [and long & often enjoyed] the repeated defeats she had given to every attempt of her [relations] to introduce this young Lady, or that young Lady as a Companion at Sanditon [House], she had brought back with her from London last Michaelmas a Miss Brereton, who bid fair by her Merits to vie in favour with Sir Edward, and to [secure] for herself & her family that share of the accumulated Property which they had certainly the best right to inherit.—Mr Parker spoke warmly of Clara Brereton, & the interest of his story increased very much with the introduction of such a [Character]. Charlotte listened with more than amusement now;—it was solicitude & Enjoyment, as she heard her [described] to be lovely, amiable, gentle, unassuming, conducting herself uniformly with great good sense, & evidently gaining by her innate worth, on the affections of her Patroness.—Beauty, Sweetness, Poverty & Dependance, do not want the imagination of a Man to operate upon. With due exceptions—Woman feels for Woman very [promptly &] compassionately. He gave the particulars which had led to Clara’s admission at Sanditon, as no bad exemplification of that mixture of Character, that union of Littleness with Kindness with Good Sence with even Liberality which he saw in Lady D.— After having avoided [London] for many years, [principally] on account of these [very] [Cousins], who were continually writing, inviting & tormenting her, [& whom she was determined to keep at a distance, she had] been obliged to go [there] last Michaelmas with the certainty of being detained at least a fortnight.—She had gone to an Hotel—living by her own account as prudently as possible, to defy the [reputed] expensiveness of such a home, & at the end of three Days [calling] for her Bill, that she might judge of her state.—It’s amount was such as determined her on staying [not] another hour in the House, & she was preparing in [all the] anger & perturbation [which] a beleif of very gross imposition there, & an ignorance of where to go for better usage, to leave the Hotel at all hazards, when the Cousins, the politic & lucky Cousins, who seemed always to have on her, introduced themselves at this important moment, & learning her situation, [persuaded] her to accept such a home [for the rest of her stay] as their humbler house in inferior part of London, cd offer.—She went; was delighted with her welcome & the hospitality & attention she received from every body—found her good Cousins the B—— [beyond her expectation] worthy people—& finally was impelled by a personal knowledge of their narrow Income & pecuniary difficulties, to invite one of the girls of the family to pass the Winter with her. The invitation was to one, for six months—with the probability of another being then to take her place;—but in selecting the one, Lady D. had shewn the good part of her Character—for passing by the actual daughters of the House, she had chosen Clara, a Neice—, more helpless & more pitiable of course than any—a dependant on Poverty—an additional Burthen on an encumbered Circle—& one, who had been so low in every worldly veiw, as with all her natural endowments & powers, to have been preparing for little better than a Nursery Maid.—Clara had returned with her—& by her good sence & [merit] had now, to all appearance secured a very strong hold in Lady D.’s regard. The six months had long been over—& not a syllable was breathed of any change, or exchange.—She was a general favourite;—the influence of her [steady conduct] & mild, [gentle] Temper was felt by everybody. The prejudices which had met her at first in some quarters, were all dissipated. She was felt to be worthy of Trust—to be the very companion who wd guide & soften Lady D— who wd enlarge her mind & open her hand.—She was as thoroughly amiable as she was lovely—& since [having] had the advantage of their Sanditon Breezes, [that Loveliness] was complete.
CHAPTER 4.
“And whose very snug-looking Place is this?”—said Charlotte, as in a sheltered Dip within 2 miles of the Sea, they passed [close by] a moderate-sized house, well fenced & planted, & rich in the Garden, [Orchard & Meadows] which are the best embellishments of [such a] Dwelling. “It seems to have as many comforts about it as Willingden.”—“Ah!—said Mr P.—This is my [old] House—the house of my Forefathers—the house where I & all my Brothers & Sisters were born & bred—& where my own 3 eldest Children were born—where Mrs P. & I lived till within the last 2 years—till our new House was finished.—I am glad you are pleased with it.—It is an honest old Place—and Hillier keeps it in very good order. I have given it up [you know] to the Man who occupies the cheif of my Land. He gets a better House by it—& I, a rather better situation!—one other [Hill] brings us to [Sanditon]—[modern Sanditon]—.—Our Ancestors, you know always built in a hole.—Here were we, pent down in this little contracted Nook, without Air or Veiw, only one mile & 3 qrs from the noblest expanse of Ocean between the South foreland & the Land’s end, [& without] the smallest advantage from it. You will not think I have made a bad exchange, when we reach Trafalgar House—which by the bye, I almost wish I had not named Trafalgar—for Waterloo is more the thing now. However, Waterloo is in reserve—& if we have encouragement enough this year for to be ventured on—(as I trust we shall) then, [we shall] be able to call it Waterloo Crescent—& the [name] [joined to the] form of the Building, which always takes, will give us the command of Lodgers—. [In a good Season we] shd have more applications than we could attend to.”—“It was always a very comfortable House—said Mrs Parker—looking [at it] through the back window with [something] like the fondness of regret.—And such a nice Garden—such an excellent Garden.” “Yes, my Love, but that we may be said to carry with us.—It supplies us, as before, with all the fruit & vegetables we want; & we have [in fact] all the comfort of an excellent Kitchen Garden, [without] [the constant Eyesore of] its [formalities]; [or the yearly nuisance of its] decaying vegetation.—Who can endure a Cabbage Bed in October”? “Oh! dear—yes.—[We] are quite as [well off] for Gardenstuff [as ever we were]—for if it is forgot to be brought at any time, we can always buy what we want at Sanditon-House.—The Gardiner there, is glad enough to supply us—. But it was a nice place for the Children to run about in. So shady in Summer!” “My dear, we shall have shade enough [on the Hill] & more than enough [in the course] of a very few years;—[The Growth of my Plantations is a general astonishment]. In the mean while we have the Canvas Awning, which gives us the most complete comfort within doors—& you can get a Parasol at Whitby’s for little Mary at any time, or a large Bonnet at Jebb’s—and as for the Boys, I must say I wd rather them run about in the Sunshine than not. I am sure we agree my dear, in wishing our Boys to be as hardy as possible.”—“Yes indeed, I am sure we do—& I will get Mary a little Parasol, which will make her [as proud as can be]. [How Grave she will walk about with it, and] fancy herself quite a little Woman.—Oh! I have not the smallest doubt of our being a great deal better off where we are now. If we any of us want to [bathe], we have not a qr of a mile to go.—But you know, (still looking back) one loves to look at an old friend, at a place where one has been happy.—The Hilliers did not seem to feel the Storms last Winter [at all].—I remember seeing Mrs Hillier after one of [those] dreadful Nights, when we had been literally rocked in our bed, and she did not seem at all aware of the Wind being anything more than common.” “Yes, yes—that’s likely enough. We have all the Grandeur of the Storm, with less real danger, because the Wind meeting [with] nothing to oppose or confine it around our House, simply rages & passes on—while down in [this Gutter]—nothing is known of the state of the Air, below the Tops of the Trees—and the Inhabitants may be taken totally unawares, [by one] of those dreadful Currents [which do more mischief] in a Valley, [when they do arise] than an open Country ever [experiences] in the heaviest Gale.—But my dear Love—as to Gardenstuff;—you were saying that any accidental omission is supplied in a moment by Ly D.’s Gardiner—but it occurs to me that we ought to [go] elsewhere upon such occasions—& that old [Stringer] & his son have a higher claim. I encouraged him to set up—& am afraid he does not do very well—that is, there has not been time enough yet.—He will do very well [beyond a doubt]—but at first it is Uphill work; and therefore we must give him what [Help] we can—& when any Vegetables or fruit happen to be wanted—& it will not be amiss to have them [often wanted], to have something or other forgotten most days;—Just to have a nominal supply you know, that poor old Andrew may not lose his daily Job—but in fact to buy the cheif of our consumption of [the Stringers].—” “Very well my Love, that can [be easily] done—& Cook will be [satisfied]—which will be a great comfort, for she is always complaining of old Andrew now, [& says] he never brings her what she wants.—There—now the old House is quite [left] behind.—What is it, your Brother Sidney says about it’s being a Hospital?” “Oh! my dear Mary, merely a Joke of his. [He pretends to advise me to make a Hospital of it. He pretends to laugh at my Improvements]. Sidney says any thing you know. He has always said what he chose [of & to us, all]. [Most Families have such a member among them I beleive Miss Heywood.—There is a someone in most families privileged by superior abilities or spirits to say anything].—[In ours, it is Sidney; who is a] very clever Young Man,—[and with great powers of pleasing.—He lives too much in the World to be settled; that is his only fault].—[He is here] & there & every where. I wish we may get him to Sanditon. I should like to have you acquainted with him.—And it would be a [fine thing for] the Place!—Such a young Man as Sidney, with his neat equipage & fashionable air,—You & I Mary, know what effect it might have: Many a respectable Family, many a careful Mother, many a pretty Daughter, might it secure us, to the prejudice of E. Bourne & Hastings.”—They were now approaching the Church & [neat] village of [Sanditon], which stood at the foot of the [Hill] they were afterwards to ascend—a Hill, whose side was covered with the Woods & enclosures of Sanditon House [and whose Height ended in] an open [Down] [where the new Buildgs might soon be looked for]. A branch only, of the Valley, [winding more obliquely] towards the Sea, [gave] a passage to an inconsiderable Stream, & [formed] at its mouth, a 3d Habitable Division, in a small cluster of Fisherman’s Houses.—The Village contained little more than Cottages, but the Spirit of the day had been caught, as Mr P. observed with [delight] to Charlotte, & two or three of the best of them were smartened up with a white Curtain & “Lodgings to let”—, and farther on, in the little Green Court of an old Farm House, [two Females] in elegant white were actually to be seen with their books & camp stools—and in turning the corner of the Baker’s shop, the sound of a Harp might be heard [through the upper] Casement.—Such sights & sounds were highly [Blissful] to Mr P.—Not that he had any personal concern in the success of the Village itself; for considering it as too remote from the Beach, he had done nothing there—but it was a most valuable proof of the increasing fashion of the place altogether. If the Village could attract, the Hill [might] be nearly full.—He anticipated an amazing Season.—At the same time last year, (late in July) there had not been a single Lodger in the Village!—nor did he remember any [during] the whole [Summer], excepting one family of children who came from London for sea air after the hooping Cough, [and] whose Mother [would not let them be] nearer [the shore] for fear of their tumbling in.—“Civilization, Civilization indeed!—cried Mr P—, delighted—. Look my dear Mary—Look at [William] Heeley’s windows.—Blue Shoes, & nankin Boots!—Who wd have expected such a sight [at a Shoemaker’s] in old Sanditon!—[This is new within the Month. There was no blue Shoe when we passed this way a month ago].—Glorious indeed!—Well, I think I have done something in my Day.—Now, for our Hill, our health-breathing Hill.—” In ascending, they passed the Lodge-Gates of Sanditon House, & saw the top of the House itself among its Groves. It was the last Building of [former Days] in that line of the Parish. A little higher up, the Modern began; & in crossing the Down, a Prospect House, a Bellevue Cottage, & a Denham Place were to be looked at by Charlotte with the calmness of amused Curiosity, & [by Mr P]. with the eager eye which hoped to see scarcely any empty houses.—More Bills at the Window than he had [calculated] on;—[and a smaller] shew of company on the Hill—Fewer Carriages, fewer Walkers. He had fancied it just the time of day for them to be all returning from their Airings to [dinner]—[But] the Sands [& the Terrace] always attracted some—. [and the Tide] must be flowing—about [half-Tide now].—He longed to be on the Sands, the Cliffs, [at his own] House, & everywhere out of his House [at] [once]. His Spirits rose with the very sight of the Sea & [he cd almost] feel his Ancle getting stronger already.—Trafalgar House, on the most elevated spot [on the Down] [was a light] elegant Building, [standing in a] small Lawn with , [about] an hundred yards from the [brow of] a steep, but not [very lofty] Cliff—and the nearest to it, of every Building, excepting one [short] row of smart-looking Houses, called the Terrace, with a broad walk in front, aspiring to be the Mall of the Place. In this row were the best Milliner’s shop & the Library— detached from it, the Hotel & Billiard Room—Here began the Descent to the Beach, & [to the Bathing] Machines—& this was therefore the favourite spot for Beauty & Fashion.—At Trafalgar House, rising at a little distance behind the Terrace, the Travellers were safely set down, & all was happiness & Joy between Papa & Mama & their Children; while Charlotte having received possession of her apartment, found amusement enough in standing at her [ample, Venetian] window, & looking over the miscellaneous foreground of unfinished Buildings, waving Linen, & tops of Houses, to the Sea, dancing & sparkling in [Sunshine &] Freshness.—
CHAPTER 5.
When they met before dinner, Mr P. was looking over Letters.—“Not a Line from Sidney!—said he.—He is an idle fellow.—I sent him an account of my accident from Willingden, & thought he would have vouchsafed me an Answer.—[But perhaps] it implies that he is coming himself.—[I trust it may].—But here is a Letter from one of my Sisters. They never fail me.—Women are the only Correspondents to be depended on.—Now Mary, (smiling at his Wife)—before I open it, what shall we guess as to the state of health of those it comes from—or rather what wd Sidney [say] if he were here?—Sidney is a saucy fellow, Miss H.—And you must know, he will have it there is a good deal of Imagination in my [two] Sisters’ complaints—but it really is not so—or very little—They have wretched health, as you have heard us say [frequently], & are [subject to a variety of very serious] Disorders.—Indeed, I do not beleive they know what a day’s health is;—& at the same time, they are such excellent useful Women & have so much energy of Character that, where any Good is to be done, they force themselves on exertions which to those who do not thoroughly know them, have an extraordinary appearance.—But there is really no affectation about them. They have only weaker constitutions & stronger minds than are often met with, either separate or together.—And our Youngest Br—who lives with them, & who is not [much] above [20], I am sorry to say, is almost as great an Invalid as themselves.—He is so delicate that he can engage in no [Profession].—Sidney laughs at him—but it really is no Joke—tho’ Sidney often makes me laugh at them all in spite of myself.—Now, if he were here, I know he wd be offering odds that either Susan Diana or Arthur [wd appear by this letter to have been] at the point of death within the last month.”—Having run his eye over the Letter, he shook his head & [began]—“No chance of seeing them at Sanditon I am sorry to say.—A very indifferent account of them indeed. Seriously, a very indifferent account.—Mary, you will be quite sorry to hear how ill they have been & are.—Miss H., if you will give me leave, I will read Diana’s Letter aloud.—I like to have my friends acquainted with each other—& I am afraid this is the only sort of acquaintance I shall have the means of [accomplishing between you].—And I can have no scruple on Diana’s account—for her Letters [shew] her exactly as she is, the most active, friendly, warm hearted Being in existence, & therefore must give a good impression.” He read.—“My dear Tom, We were all much greived [at your accident], & if you had not described yourself as fallen into such very good hands, I shd have been with you at all hazards the day after the recpt of your Letter, though it [found me] [suffering] under a more severe attack than usual of my old greivance, Spasmodic Bile [& hardly able to crawl from my Bed to the Sofa].—But how were you treated?—Send me more Particulars in your next.—If indeed a simple Sprain, as you denominate it, nothing wd have been so judicious as Friction, Friction by the hand alone, supposing it could be applied instantly.—Two years ago I happened to be calling on Mrs Sheldon when her Coachman sprained his foot as he was cleaning the Carriage & cd hardly limp into the House—but by the immediate [use] of Friction alone, [steadily] persevered in, (& I rubbed his Ancle with my own hand for [six] Hours without Intermission)—he was well in three days.—Many Thanks my dear Tom for the kindness with respect to us, which had so large a share in bringing on your accident—But pray never run into Peril again, in looking for an Apothecary on our account, for had you the most experienced Man in his Line settled at Sanditon, it wd be no recommendation to us. We have entirely done with the whole Medical Tribe. We have consulted Physician after Phyn in vain, till we are quite convinced that they can do nothing for us & that we must trust to our own knowledge of our own wretched Constitutions for any [releif].—But if you think it advisable for the interest of the Place, to get a Medical Man there, I will undertake the commission with pleasure, & have no doubt of succeeding.—I [could soon] put the necessary Irons in the fire.—As for getting to Sanditon myself, it is quite an Impossibility. I greive to say that I dare not attempt it, but my feelings tell me too plainly that in my present state, the Sea air wd probably be the death of me.—And neither of my dear Companions will leave me, or I wd promote their going down to you for a fortnight. But in truth, I doubt whether Susan’s nerves wd be equal to the effort. She has been suffering much from the Headache [and] Six Leaches a day for [10 days together] releived her [so little] that [we] thought it right to change our measures—and being convinced on examination that much of the Evil lay in her Gum, I persuaded her to attack the disorder there. She has [accordingly] had 3 Teeth drawn, & is decidedly better, but her Nerves are a good deal deranged. She can only speak in a whisper—and fainted away twice this morning on poor Arthur’s [trying to suppress a cough]. He, I am happy to say is tolerably well—tho’ more languid than I like—& I fear for his Liver.—I have heard nothing of Sidney since your being together in Town, but conclude his scheme to the I. of Wight has not taken place, or we should have seen him in his way.—Most sincerely do we wish you a good Season at Sanditon, & though we cannot contribute to your Beau Monde in person, we are doing our utmost to send you Company worth [having; &] think we may safely reckon on securing you two large Families, [one] a rich West Indian from Surry, the other, a most respectable [Girls] Boarding School, or Academy, from Camberwell.—I will not tell you how many People I have employed in the business—Wheel within wheel.—[But] Success more than repays.—Yours most affecly—&c” “Well—said Mr P.—[as he finished]. [Though I dare say] [Sidney] might find something [extremely entertaining] in this Letter [& make us laugh for half an hour together] I declare I [by myself, can see nothing in] it but what is [either] very pitiable or very creditable.—With all their sufferings, you perceive how much they are occupied [in promoting] the Good of others!—So anxious for Sanditon! Two large Families—One, for Prospect House probably, the other, for No 2. Denham Place—or the end house of the Terrace,—& [extra] Beds at the Hotel.—I told you my Sisters were excellent Women, Miss H——.” “And I am sure they must be very extraordinary ones.—said Charlotte. I am [astonished] at the chearful style of the Letter, considering the state in which both Sisters appear to be.—Three Teeth drawn at once!—[frightful]!—Your Sister Diana seems almost as ill as possible, but those 3 Teeth of your Sister Susan’s, are [more] [distressing] than all the rest.—” “Oh!—they are so used to the operation—to every operation—& have such Fortitude!—” “Your Sisters know what they are about, I dare say, but their Measures seem to touch on Extremes.—I feel that in any illness, I should be so anxious for Professional advice, so very little venturesome for myself, or any body I loved!—But then, we have been so healthy a family, that I can be no Judge of what the habit of self-doctoring may do.—” “Why to [own] the truth, said Mrs P.—I do think the Miss Parkers carry it too far sometimes—& so do you my Love, you know.—You often think they wd be better, if they wd leave themselves more alone—& especially [Arthur]. I know you think it a great pity they shd give him such a turn for being ill.—” “Well, well—my dear Mary—I grant you, it is unfortunate for poor Arthur, that, at his time of Life he shd be encouraged to give way to Indisposition. It is bad;—it is bad that he should be fancying himself too sickly for any Profession—& sit down at [1 & 20], on the interest of his own little Fortune, without any idea of attempting to improve it, or [of engaging] in any occupation that may be of use to himself or others.—But let us talk of pleasanter things.—These two large Families are just what we wanted—But—here is something at hand, pleasanter still—Morgan, with his “Dinner on Table.”—
CHAPTER 6.
The Party were very soon moving after Dinner. Mr P. could not be satisfied without an early visit to the Library, & the Library Subscription book, & Charlotte was glad to see as much, [& as quickly] as possible, where all was new. They were out in the very quietest part of a Watering-place Day, when the important [Business] of Dinner or of sitting after Dinner was going on in almost every inhabited Lodging;—here & there a solitary [Elderly] Man might be seen, who was forced to move early & walk for health—but in general, it was a thorough pause of Company, it was Emptiness & Tranquillity on the Terrace, the Cliffs, [& the Sands].—The Shops were deserted—the Straw Hats & pendant Lace seemed left to their fate both within [the House] & without, and Mrs Whitby at the Library was sitting in [her inner room], reading one of her own Novels, for want of [Employment].—The List of Subscribers was but commonplace. The Lady Denham, Miss Brereton, Mr & Mrs P—— Sir Edw: Denham & Miss Denham, whose names might be said to lead off the Season, were followed by nothing better [than]—Mrs Mathews—Miss Mathews, Miss E. Mathews, Miss H. Mathews.—Dr & Mrs [Brown]—Mr Richard Pratt.—[Lieut:] Smith R.N. Capt: Little,—Limehouse.—Mrs Jane Fisher. Miss Fisher. Miss Scroggs.—Rev: Mr Hanking. Mr Beard—Solicitor, Grays Inn.—Mrs Davis. & Miss Merryweather.—Mr P. could not but feel that [the List was not only] without Distinction, but less numerous than he had hoped. It was but July however, & August & September were the Months;—And besides, the promised large Families from Surry & Camberwell, [were an ever-ready consolation].—Mrs Whitby came forward [without delay] from her Literary recess, delighted to see Mr Parker again, whose manners recommended him to every body, & they were fully occupied in their various Civilities & Communications, while Charlotte having added her name to the [List] as the first offering to the success of the Season, was [busy in] some immediate purchases for the [further] good of Every body, as soon as Miss Whitby could be hurried down from her Toilette, with all her glossy curls & [smart Trinkets] to wait on her.—The Library of course, afforded every thing; all the useless things in the World that cd not be done without, & among so many pretty Temptations, & with so much good will for Mr P. to encourage Expenditure, Charlotte began to feel that she must check herself—or rather [she reflected] that at two & Twenty there cd be no excuse [for her] doing otherwise—& that it wd not do for her to be spending all her Money [the very first Evening]. [She took up a Book; it happened to be a vol: of Camilla]. She had not Camilla’s Youth, & had no intention of having her Distress,—[so, she turned from the Drawers of rings & Broches] repressed farther solicitation & paid for what she bought.—For her particular gratification, they were then to take a Turn on the Cliff—but as they quitted the Library they were met by two Ladies whose arrival made an alteration necessary, Lady Denham & Miss Brereton.—They had been to Trafalgar House, [& been directed thence] to the Library, & though [Lady D.] was a great deal too active to regard the walk of a mile as any thing requiring rest, & talked of going home again directly, the Parkers knew that to be pressed into their House, & obliged to take her Tea with them, would suit her best,—& therefore the stroll on the Cliff gave way to an immediate return home.—“No, no, said her Ladyship—I will not have you hurry your Tea on my account.—I know you like your Tea late.—My early hours are not to put my Neighbours to inconvenience. No, no, Miss Clara & I will get back to our own Tea.—We came out with no other Thought.—We wanted just to see [you & make sure of your] being really come—, but we get back to our own Tea.”—She went on however towards Trafalgar House & took possession of the Drawing room [very quietly]—without seeming to hear a word of Mrs P.’s orders to the Servant as they entered, to bring Tea directly. Charlotte was fully consoled for the loss of her walk, by finding herself in company with those, whom the conversation of the morng had given her a great curiosity to see. [She observed them well].—Lady D. was of middle height, stout, upright & alert in her motions, with a shrewd [eye, &] self-satisfied air—but not an unagreable Countenance—& tho’ her manner was rather downright & abrupt, as of a person who valued herself on [being free-spoken], there was a good humour & cordiality [about her]—a civility & readiness to be acquainted with Charlotte herself, & a heartiness [of welcome] towards her old friends, which [was] inspiring the Good will, she seemed to feel;—And as for Miss Brereton, her appearance so completely justified Mr P.’s praise that Charlotte thought she had never beheld a more lovely, or more Interesting young Woman.—Elegantly tall, regularly handsome, with great delicacy of complexion & soft Blue eyes, Address, Charlotte could [see in] her [only the] most perfect representation of [whatever Heroine might be most beautiful & bewitching], in all the numerous vol:s they had left behind them [on Mrs Whitby’s] shelves.—Perhaps it [might] be partly oweing to her having just issued from a Circulating Library—but she cd not separate the idea of a complete Heroine from Clara Brereton. Her situation with Lady Denham so very much in favour of it!—She seemed placed with her on purpose to be ill-used. [Such Poverty] & Dependance joined to [such Beauty] & Merit, seemed to leave no choice in the business.—These feelings were not the result of any spirit of Romance in Charlotte herself. No, she was a very sober-minded young Lady, sufficiently well-read in Novels to supply her Imagination with amusement, but not at all unreasonably influenced by them; & while she pleased [herself] the [first 5] minutes with fancying the Persecutions which ought to [be the Lot of] the interesting Clara, especially in the form of the most barbarous conduct on Lady Denham’s side, she found no reluctance to admit from subsequent observation, that they appeared to be on very comfortable Terms.—She cd see nothing worse in Lady [Denham], than the sort of oldfashioned formality of always calling her Miss Clara—nor anything objectionable in the degree of observance & attention which Clara paid.—On one side it seemed protecting kindness, on the other grateful & affectionate respect.—The Conversation turned entirely upon Sanditon, its present number of Visitants & the Chances of a good Season. It was evident that Lady D. had more anxiety, more fears of loss, than her Coadjutor. She wanted to have the Place fill faster, & seemed to have many harassing apprehensions of the Lodgings being in some instances underlet.—Miss Diana Parker’s two large Families were not forgotten. “[Very] good, very good, said her Ladyship.—A West Indy Family & a school. That sounds well. That will bring Money.”—“No people [spend] more freely, I beleive, than W. Indians.” observed Mr Parker.—“Aye—so I have heard—and because they have full Purses, [fancy] themselves equal, may be, to your old Country Families. [But] then, they who [scatter] their Money so freely, never think of whether they may not be doing mischeif by raising the price of Things—And I have heard that’s very much the case with your West-injines—and if they come among us to raise the price of our necessaries of Life, we shall not much thank them Mr Parker.”—“My dear Madam, They can only raise the price of consumeable Articles, by such an extraordinary Demand for them & such a diffusion of Money among us, as must do us more Good than harm.—Our Butchers & Bakers & Traders in general cannot get rich without bringing Prosperity to us.—If they do not gain, our rents must be insecure—& in proportion to their profit must be ours eventually in the increased value of our Houses.” “Oh!—well.—But I should not like to have Butcher’s meat raised, though—& I shall keep it down as long as I can.—Aye—that young Lady [smiles] I see;—[I dare say] she thinks me an odd sort of a [Creature],—but she will come to care about such matters herself in time. Yes, Yes, my Dear, depend upon it, you will be thinking of the price of Butcher’s meat in time—tho’ you may not happen to have quite such a Servants Hall full to feed, as I have.—And I do beleive those are best off, that have fewest Servants.—I am not a Woman of Parade, [as all] the World knows, & if it was not for what I owe to poor Mr Hollis’s memory, I should never keep up Sanditon House as I do;—it is not for my own pleasure.—Well Mr Parker—and the other is a Boarding school, a French Boarding School, is it?—No harm in that.—They’ll stay their six weeks.—And out of such a number, who knows but some may be consumptive & want Asses milk—& I have two Milch asses at this present time.—But perhaps the little Misses may hurt the Furniture.—I hope they will have a good sharp Governess to look after them.—” Poor Mr Parker got no more [credit] from Lady D. than he had from his Sisters, for the Object which had taken him to Willingden. “Lord! my dear Sir, she cried, how could you think of such a thing? I am very sorry you met with your accident, but upon my word you deserved it.—Going after a Doctor!—Why, what shd we do with a Doctor here? It wd be only encouraging our Servants & the Poor to fancy themselves ill, if there was a Dr at hand.—Oh! pray, let us have none of the Tribe at Sanditon. We go on very well as we are. There is the Sea & the Downs & my Milch-asses—& I have told Mrs Whitby that if any body enquires for a [Chamber-House], they may be supplied at a fair rate—(poor Mr Hollis’s [Chamber-House], as good as new)—and what can People want for more?—Here have I lived 70 good years in the world & never took Physic above twice—and never saw the face of a Doctor in all my Life, on my own account.—And I verily beleive if [my poor] dear Sir Harry had never seen one neither, he wd have been alive now.—Ten fees, one after another, did the Man take who sent him out of the World.—I beseech you Mr Parker, no Doctors here.”—The Tea things were brought in.—“Oh! my dear Mrs Parker—you should not indeed—why would you do so? I was just upon the point of wishing you good Evening. But since you are so very neighbourly, I beleive Miss Clara [& I] must stay.”——