Page:Austen Sanditon and other miscellanea.djvu/96

 68 who have studied right sides and Green Tea scientifically and thoroughly understand all the possibilities of their action on each other.’ Soon after Tea, a Letter was brought to Miss Diana Parker from the Hotel. ‘From Mrs. Charles Dupuis,’ said she—‘some private hand.’ And having read a few lines, exclaimed aloud: ‘Well, this is very extraordinary! very extraordinary indeed! That both should have the same name. Two Mrs. Griffiths! This is a Letter of recommendation and introduction to me, of the Lady from Camberwell, and her name happens to be Griffiths too.’ A few lines more however, and the colour rushed into her Cheeks, and with much Perturbation she added: ‘The oddest thing that ever was!—a Miss Lambe too!—a young West Indian of large Fortune. But it cannot be the same. Impossible that it should be the same.’ She read the Letter aloud for comfort. It was merely to ‘introduce the Bearer, Mrs. Griffiths from Camberwell, and the three young Ladies under her care, to Miss Diana Parker’s notice. Mrs. Griffiths being a stranger at Sanditon, was anxious for a respectable Introduction, and Mrs. Charles Dupuis therefore, at the instance of the intermediate friend, provided her with this Letter, knowing that she could not do her dear Diana a greater kindness than by giving her the means of being useful. Mrs, Griffiths's chief solicitude would be for the accommodation and comfort of one of the young Ladies under her care, a Miss Lambe, a young West Indian of large Fortune, in delicate health.’ ‘It was very strange!—very remarkable!—very extraordinary!’ but they were all agreed in determ[in]ing it to be impossible that there should not be two Families; such a totally distinct set of people as were concerned in the reports of each made that matter quite certain. There must be two Families. Impossible to be otherwise. ‘Impossible’ and ‘Impossible,’ was repeated over and over again with great fervour. An accidental resemblance of