Austen Said:

Patterns of Diction in Jane Austen's Major Novels

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"Walter,"
said she,
"get down this moment. You are extremely troublesome. I am very angry with you."
"Walter,"
cried Charles Hayter,
"why do you not do as you are bid? Do not you hear your aunt speak? Come to me, Walter, come to cousin Charles."
But not a bit did Walter stir.
In another moment, however, she found herself in the state of being released from him; some one was taking him from her, though he had bent down her head so much, that his little sturdy hands were unfastened from around her neck, and he was resolutely borne away, before she knew that Captain Wentworth had done it.
Her sensations on the discovery made her perfectly speechless. She could not even thank him. She could only hang over little Charles, with most disordered feelings.
His kindness in stepping forward to her relief, the manner, the silence in which it had passed, the little particulars of the circumstance,
with the conviction soon forced on her by the noise he was studiously making with the child,
that he meant to avoid hearing her thanks, and rather sought to testify that her conversation was the last of his wants,
produced such a confusion of varying, but very painful agitation, as she could not recover from, till enabled by the entrance of Mary and the Miss Musgroves to make over her little patient to their cares, and leave the room. She could not stay. It might have been an opportunity of watching the loves and jealousies of the four -- they were now altogether; but she could stay for none of it.
It was evident that Charles Hayter was not well inclined towards Captain Wentworth.
She had a strong impression of his having said, in a vext tone of voice, after Captain Wentworth's interference,
"You ought to have minded me, Walter; I told you not to teaze your aunt;"
and could comprehend his regretting that Captain Wentworth should do what he ought to have done himself. But neither Charles Hayter's feelings, nor anybody's feelings, could interest her, till she had a little better arranged her own.
She was ashamed of herself, quite ashamed of being so nervous, so overcome by such a trifle;
but so it was, and it required a long application of solitude and reflection to recover her.
Other opportunities of making her observations could not fail to occur. Anne had soon been in company with all the four together often enough to have an opinion, though too wise to acknowledge as much at home,
where she knew
it would have satisfied neither husband nor wife; for while she considered Louisa to be rather the favourite, she could not but think, as far as she might dare to judge from memory and experience, that Captain Wentworth was not in love with either.
They were more in love with him; yet there it was not love. It was a little fever of admiration; but it might, probably must, end in love with some. Charles Hayter seemed aware of being slighted, and yet Henrietta had sometimes the air of being divided between them.
Anne longed for the power of representing to them all what they were about, and of pointing out some of the evils they were exposing themselves to. She did not attribute guile to any. It was the highest satisfaction to her to believe Captain Wentworth not in the least aware of the pain he was occasioning.
There was no triumph, no pitiful triumph in his manner. He had, probably, never heard, and never thought of any claims of Charles Hayter. He was only wrong in accepting the attentions (for accepting must be the word) of two young women at once.
After a short struggle, however, Charles Hayter seemed to quit the field. Three days had passed without his coming once to Uppercross; a most decided change. He had even refused one regular invitation to dinner; and having been found on the occasion by Mr Musgrove with some large books before him,
Mr and Mrs Musgrove
were sure all could not be right, and
talked,
with grave faces,
of his studying himself to death.
It was Mary's hope and belief that he had received a positive dismissal from Henrietta, and her husband lived under the constant dependence of seeing him to-morrow.
Anne could only feel that
Charles Hayter was wise.
One morning, about this time Charles Musgrove and Captain Wentworth being gone a-shooting together, as the sisters in the Cottage were sitting quietly at work, they were visited at the window by the sisters from the Mansion-house.
It was a very fine November day, and
the Miss Musgroves
came through the little grounds, and stopped for no other purpose than
to say, that
they were going to take a long walk,
and therefore concluded
Mary could not like to go with them;
and when Mary immediately replied, with some jealousy at not being supposed a good walker,
"Oh, yes, I should like to join you very much, I am very fond of a long walk;"
Anne
felt persuaded, by the looks of the two girls, that it was precisely what they did not wish, and
admired again
the sort of necessity which the family habits seemed to produce, of everything being to be communicated, and everything being to be done together, however undesired and inconvenient.
She tried to dissuade Mary from going, but in vain; and that being the case, thought it best to accept the Miss Musgroves' much more cordial invitation to herself to go likewise,
as she might be useful in turning back with her sister, and lessening the interference in any plan of their own.

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