discerned in his standing there an indication of relenting,
which encouraged her to another attempt, and she said,
therefore, "It is a pity you should not join them.
They expected to have a better view of the house from
that part of the park, and will be thinking how it
may be improved; and nothing of that sort, you know,
can be settled without you."

She found herself more successful in sending away than
in retaining a companion. Mr. Rushworth was worked on.
"Well," said he, "if you really think I had better go:
it would be foolish to bring the key for nothing."
And letting himself out, he walked off without farther
ceremony.

Fanny's thoughts were now all engrossed by the two who
had left her so long ago, and getting quite impatient,
she resolved to go in search of them. She followed
their steps along the bottom walk, and had just turned
up into another, when the voice and the laugh of Miss
Crawford once more caught her ear; the sound approached,
and a few more windings brought them before her.
They were just returned into the wilderness from the park,
to which a sidegate, not fastened, had tempted them very
soon after their leaving her, and they had been across
a portion of the park into the very avenue which Fanny
had been hoping the whole morning to reach at last,
and had been sitting down under one of the trees.
This was their history. It was evident that they had been
spending their time pleasantly, and were not aware of the