Page:Austen Sanditon and other miscellanea.djvu/82

 56 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 Mr. Woodcock’s assistance, and when I left her she was directing the Disposal of the Luggage, and helping old Sam uncord the Trunks. She desired her best Love, with a thousand regrets at being so poor a Creature that she could not come with me. And as for poor Arthur, he would not have been unwilling himself, but there is so much Wind that I did not think he could safely venture, for I am sure there is Lumbago hanging about him, and so I helped him on with his great Coat and 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 Ankle. That’s right; all right and clean. The play of your Sinews a very little affected—barely perceptible. 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, and the Seminary.’ Here Mr. Parker drew his Chair still nearer to his Sister, and took her hand again most affectionately as he answered: ‘Yes, Yes; How active and how kind you have been!’ ‘The West Indians,’ she continued, ‘whom I look upon as the most desirable of the two—as the Best of the Good—prove to be a Mrs. Griffiths and 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 Mrs. Darling, who is on terms of constant correspondence with Mrs. Griffiths herself Only a short chain, you see, between us, and not a Link wanting. Mrs. Griffiths meant to go to the Sea, for