One day, soon after Charlotte’s arrival
at Sanditon, she had the pleasure of
seeing just as she ascended from the
Sands to the Terrace, a Gentleman’s
Carriage with Post Horses standing at
the door of the Hotel, as very lately
arrived, & by the quantity of Luggage
taking off, bringing it might be hoped,
some respectable family determined on
a long residence.--Delighted to have
such good news for M^r & M^{rs} P., who
had both gone home some time before,
she proceeded for Trafalgar House with
as much alacrity as could remain, after
having been contending for the last
2 hours with a very fine wind blowing
( 114 )
directly on shore; but she had not
reached the little Lawn, when she saw
a Lady walking nimbly behind her at
no great distance; and convinced that
it could be no acquaintance of her
own, she resolved to hurry on & get
into the House if possible before her.
But the Stranger’s pace did not allow
this to be accomplished;--Charlotte
was on the steps & had rung, but the
door was not opened, when the other
crossed the Lawn;--and when the
Servant appeared, they were just
equally ready for entering the House.
--The ease of the Lady, her “How do
you do Morgan?--” & Morgan’s Looks
on seeing her, were a moment’s astonishment
--but another moment brought
M^r P. into the Hall to welcome the
Sister he had seen from the Draw^g
room, and she was soon introduced to
Miss Diana Parker. There was a great
( 115 )
deal of surprise but still more pleasure
in seeing her.--Nothing c^d be kinder
than her reception from both Husband
and Wife. “How did she come? & with
whom?--And they were so glad to find
her equal to the Journey!--And that
she was to belong to _them_, was a thing
of course.” Miss Diana P. was about
4 & 30, of middling height & slender;--
delicate looking rather than sickly;
with an agreable face, & a very animated
eye;--her manners resembling
her Brother’s in their ease & frankness,
though with more decision & less mildness
in her Tone. She began an account
of herself without delay.--Thanking
them for their Invitation, but “_that_
was quite out of the question, for they
were all three come, & meant to get
into Lodgings & make some stay.”--
“All three come!--What!--Susan &
Arthur!--Susan able to come too!--
( 116 )
This was better & better.” “Yes--
we are actually all come. Quite unavoidable.
--Nothing else to be done.
--You shall hear all about it.--But
my dear Mary, send for the Children;--
I long to see them.”--“And how
has Susan born the Journey?--& how
is Arthur?--& why do not we see him
here with you?”--“Susan has born
it wonderfully. She had not a wink
of sleep either the night before we set
out, or last night at Chichester, and as
this is not so common with her as with
_me_, I have had a thousand fears for
her--but she has kept up wonderfully.
--had no Hysterics of consequence
till we came within sight of poor old
Sanditon--and the attack was not very
violent--nearly over by the time we
reached your Hotel--so that we got
her out of the Carriage extremely well,
with only M^r Woodcock’s assistance--
( 117 )
& when I left her she was directing the
Disposal of the Luggage, & helping old
Sam uncord the Trunks.--She desired
her best Love, with a thousand regrets
at being so poor a Creature that she
c^d not come with me. And as for poor
Arthur, he w^d not have been unwilling
himself, but there is so much Wind
that I did not think he c^d safely
venture,--for I am _sure_ there is Lumbago
hanging about him--and so I
helped him on with his great Coat
& sent him off to the Terrace, to take
us Lodgings.--Miss Heywood must
have seen our Carriage standing at
the Hotel.--I knew Miss Heywood the
moment I saw her before me on the
Down.--My dear Tom I am glad to
see you walk so well. Let me feel
your Ancle.--That’s right; all right
& clean. The play of your Sinews a
_very_ little affected:--barely perceptible.
( 118 )
--Well--now for the explanation
of my being here.--I told you in my
Letter, of the two considerable Families,
I was hoping to secure for you--
the West Indians, & the Seminary.--”
Here M^r P. drew his Chair still nearer
to his Sister, & took her hand again
most affectionately as he answered
“Yes, Yes;--How active & how
kind you have been!”--“The Westindians,
she continued, whom I look
upon as the _most_ desirable of the two
--as the Best of the Good--prove to
be a M^{rs} Griffiths & her family. I know
them only through others.--You must
have heard me mention Miss Capper,
the particular friend of _my_ very particular
friend Fanny Noyce;--now,
Miss Capper is extremely intimate with
a M^{rs} Darling, who is on terms of constant
correspondence with M^{rs} Griffiths
herself.--Only a _short_ chain, you see,
( 119 )
between us, & not a Link wanting.
M^{rs} G. meant to go to the Sea, for her
Young People’s benefit--had fixed on
the coast of Sussex, but was undecided
as to the where, wanted something
Private, & wrote to ask the opinion of
her friend M^{rs} Darling.--Miss Capper
happened to be staying with M^{rs} D.
when M^{rs} G.’s Letter arrived, & was
consulted on the question; _she_ wrote
the same day to Fanny Noyce and
mentioned it to her--& Fanny all alive
for _us_, instantly took up her pen &
forwarded the circumstance to me--
except as to _Names_--which have but
lately transpired.--There was but _one_
thing for _me_ to do.--I answered
Fanny’s Letter by the same Post &
pressed for the recommendation of
Sanditon. Fanny had feared your
having no house large enough to receive
such a Family.--But I seem to be
( 120 )
spinning out my story to an endless
length.--You see how it was all
managed. I had the pleasure of hearing
soon afterwards by the same simple
link of connection that Sanditon _had
been_ recommended by M^{rs} Darling, &
that the Westindians were very much
disposed to go thither.--This was the
state of the case when I wrote to you;
--but two days ago;--yes, the day
before yesterday--I heard again from
Fanny Noyce, saying that _she_ had
heard from Miss Capper, who by a
Letter from M^{rs} Darling understood
that M^{rs} G.-- has expressed herself in
a letter to M^{rs} D. more doubtingly on
the subject of Sanditon.--Am I clear?
--I would be anything rather than not
clear.”--“Oh! perfectly, perfectly.
Well?”--“The reason of this hesitation,
was her having no connections in
the place, & no means of ascertaining
( 121 )
that she should have good accomodations
on arriving there;--and she was
particularly careful & scrupulous on all
those matters more on account of a
certain Miss Lambe a young Lady
(probably a Neice) under her care, than
on her own account or her Daughters.
--Miss Lambe has an immense fortune
--richer than all the rest--& very
delicate health.--One sees clearly
enough by all this, the _sort_ of Woman
M^{rs} G. must be--as helpless & indolent,
as Wealth & a Hot Climate are apt to
make us. But we are not all born to
equal Energy.--What was to be done?
--I had a few moments indecision;--
Whether to offer to write to _you_,--or
to M^{rs} Whitby to secure them a House?
--but neither pleased me.--I hate to
employ others, when I am equal to act
myself--and my conscience told me
that this was an occasion which called
( 122 )
for me. Here was a family of helpless
Invalides whom I might essentially
serve.--I sounded Susan--the same
Thought had occurred to her.--Arthur
made no difficulties--our plan was
arranged immediately, we were off
yesterday morn^g at 6--, left Chichester
at the same hour today--& here we
are.--” “Excellent!--Excellent!--
cried M^r Parker.--Diana, you are unequal’d
in serving your friends & doing
Good to all the World.--I know nobody
like you.--Mary, my Love, is not she
a wonderful Creature?--Well--and
now, what House do you design to
engage for them?--What is the size
of their family?--” “I do not at all
know--replied his Sister--have not the
least idea;--never heard any particulars;
--but I am very sure that the
largest house at Sanditon cannot be
_too_ large. They are more likely to
( 123 )
want a second.--I shall take only one
however, & that, but for a week certain.
--Miss Heywood, I astonish you.--
You hardly know what to make of me.
--I see by your Looks, that you are
not used to such quick measures.”--
The words “Unaccountable Officiousness!
--Activity run mad!”--had just
passed through Charlotte’s mind--but
a civil answer was easy. “I dare say
I do look surprised, said she--because
these are very great exertions, & I know
what Invalides both you & your Sister
are.” “Invalides indeed.--I trust there
are not three People in England who
have so sad a right to that appellation!
--But my dear Miss Heywood, we are
sent into this World to be as extensively
useful as possible, & where some
degree of Strength of Mind is given, it
is not a feeble body which will excuse
us--or incline us to excuse ourselves.--
( 124 )
The World is pretty much divided
between the Weak of Mind & the Strong
--between those who can act & those
who can not, & it is the bounden Duty
of the Capable to let no opportunity of
being useful escape them.--My Sister’s
Complaints & mine are happily not
often of a Nature, to threaten Existence
_immediately_--& as long as we _can_
exert ourselves to be of use of others,
I am convinced that the Body is the
better, for the refreshment the Mind
receives in doing it’s Duty.--While
I have been travelling, with this object
in veiw, I have been perfectly well.”--
The entrance of the Children ended this
little panegyric on her own Disposition
--& after having noticed & caressed
them all,--she prepared to go.--“Cannot
you dine with us?--Is not it
possible to prevail on you to dine
with us?” was then the cry; and _that_
( 125 )
being absolutely negatived, it was
“And when shall we see you again?
and how can we be of use to you?”--
and M^r P. warmly offered his assistance
in taking the house for M^{rs} G.--“I
will come to you the moment I have
dined, said he, & we will go about
together.”--But this was immediately
declined.--“No, my dear Tom, upon
no account in the World, shall you stir
a step on any business of mine.--Your
Ancle wants rest. I see by the position
of your foot, that you have used it too
much already.--No, I shall go about
my House-taking directly. Our Dinner
is not ordered till six--& by that time
I hope to have completed it. It is
now only ½ past 4.--As to seeing _me_
again today--I cannot answer for it;
the others will be at the Hotel all the
Even^g, & delighted to see you at any
time, but as soon as I get back I shall
( 126 )
hear what Arthur has done about our
own Lodgings, & probably the moment
Dinner is over, shall be out again on
business relative to them, for we
hope to get into some Lodgings or
other & be settled after breakfast to-
morrow.--I have not much confidence
in poor Arthur’s skill for Lodging-
taking, but he seemed to like the commission.--”
“I think you are doing
too much, said M^r P. You will knock
yourself up. You sh^d not move again
after Dinner.” “No, indeed you should
not. cried his wife, for Dinner is such
a mere _name_ with you all, that it can
do you no good.--I know what your
appetites are.--” “My appetite is
very much mended I assure you lately.
I have been taking some Bitters of my
own decocting, which have done wonders.
Susan never eats I grant you--
& just at present _I_ shall want nothing;
( 127 )
I never eat for about a week after
a Journey--but as for Arthur, he is
only too much disposed for Food. We
are often obliged to check him.”--
“But you have not told me any thing
of the _other_ Family coming to Sanditon,
said M^r P. as he walked with her to the
door of the House--the Camberwell
Seminary; have we a good chance of
_them_?” “Oh! Certain--quite certain.
--I had forgotten them for the
moment, but I had a letter 3 days ago
from my friend M^{rs} Charles Dupuis
which assured me of Camberwell. Camberwell
will be here to a certainty, &
very soon.--_That_ good Woman (I do
not know her name) not being so
wealthy & independant as M^{rs} G.--
can travel & chuse for herself.--I will
tell you how I got at _her_. M^{rs} Charles
Dupuis lives almost next door to a
Lady, who has a relation lately settled
( 128 )
at Clapham, who actually attends the
Seminary and gives lessons on Eloquence
and Belles Lettres to some of
the Girls.--I got that Man a Hare
from one of Sidney’s friends--and
he recommended Sanditon;--Without
_my_ appearing however--M^{rs} Charles
Dupuis managed it all.--”
( 129 )