Sanditon

by Jane Austen

  “Dresses never surrender neatly to folding when one is in a hurry.”

  Mr. Parker, who was also leaving that day, agreed to accompany Miss Lambe to Eastbourne. He had business in London to attend to and the intention of detouring to Willingden Abbots in order to resume his search for a doctor.The idea of bringing one of Charlotte’s sisters back to Sanditon had not occurred to him and might not have done if it had not been for the letter Charlotte received from her father requesting that Abigail be allowed to join them there.With so much to do and so many places to go to Mr. Parker felt with renewed vigor that life was a true adventure. He was a crusader. Miss Lambe, he was told, must be deposited at Mrs. Griffiths’s sister’s house. Every effort must be made to keep the girl out of the way of drafts, even in the post chaise. Mrs. Griffiths gave the details of the address.

  “My sister, she is lately married and become a Mrs. Cheveley, will receive the girl, I insist she stays a month, at least, for medical examinations. It pains me to lose her even temporarily but I must always have her best interests in my heart. I shall miss her, you know, for she never troubles me at all. She barely speaks two words together but she is the greatest listener. My husband, when he was alive, always maintained that I would run out of breath long before I ran out of words.”

  This last convinced Mr. Parker that he was not misleading himself about the presence of a doctor at Sanditon being beneficial, for if the patronage of such illustrious personages as Miss Lambe was to be secured by there being such a man present, then to the task of finding that man he must apply every last drop of his energies.The loss of Miss Lambe for a whole month represented an economic tragedy. But there was nothing to be done!

  Mr. Parker set Miss Lambe right at Eastbourne, spending a full hour with Mrs. Cheveley, finding her a pleasing, if rather simple, woman. He spent a further hour with Sidney, the nature of this time could not be described as pleasant. Sidney, who was apt, in times past, to laugh at life, was sadly disinclined to do so now. His brother, as a means of bringing him to his senses, confessed that he detected no feelings of remorse on the side of Miss Heywood and advised that Sidney would be best recovered, and swiftly too, if he would only put the matter behind him.Thinking that there would be an end to the disappointment Mr. Parker went on to London to complete his business matters with his attorney and looked forward to his later endeavors which would take him back into his beloved Sussex to Willingden Abbots. There, he felt with utter conviction, he would come across the fine medical man of his dreams. It was his hope that Sidney, benefiting from the small measure of filial advice he had proffered, would soon be improved. How unlike himself he now appeared, how shadowy and hushed. Sidney, whose propensity was to burst into a room, had taken possession of the drawing room at the Sovereign Hotel with such an attitude of dejection as made him appear quite a stranger and it was there that his brother left him with very powerful feelings of concern.

  Mr. Parker’s meeting with his attorney, a Mr. Henry Waldegrave of Gracechurch Street, was not to be done with quickly. The two men were on such friendly terms that their mutual enjoyment of the conversation, it was decided, must be continued.

  “I have ordered a fine dinner at my hotel. If you would care to join me, I would rather relish the opportunity of further discussion,” said Mr. Parker, who had indeed secured for himself a comfortable position in the dining room at his boarding place, not too near the window as to catch the draft, but near enough to enjoy observing London life. Mr. Parker relished viewing such activity, it always served to reinforce his opinion that Sanditon, his very own dear Sanditon, was something peaceful, something not far off paradise and certainly superior to any other place. Mr. Waldegrave agreed to join him and the pair met but a few hours later at Mr. Parker’s hotel as arranged. Not expecting to see the Hollises, Mr. Parker did not, at first, recognize them.William Hollis and his sisters Julia and Eliza instantly identified Mr. Parker and went to introduce themselves without delay.The brother, being the eldest, spoke first.

  “Mr. Parker, I say, it is Mr. Parker, is it not? We were quite right, my dears, it is Mr. Parker of Sanditon. What brings you to London, Sir?”

  “Oh!” cried Mr. Parker in surprise,“a matter of business only, I leave tomorrow so I am afraid our acquaintance shall be cut short, but I shall be sure to give intelligence to Lady Denham of my having seen you all.This is all so unexpected. Something of a coincidence, I . . .”

  Julia Hollis interjected,“How is Lady Denham?”

  Eager to expound upon his own plans and seeing the means to introduce the idea of them in response to the lady’s question, Mr. Parker gave an alarming account of Lady Denham’s health. “Madam, without wishing to distress you unduly I must report that Lady Denham is quite without strength, an afternoon’s sun being the initial cause of her malady. Usually, a person would be quite recovered from such an ailment after a day and night’s rest, but the poor soul is almost entirely without the natural vigor that usually defines her. She is, as you would imagine, receiving every attention from her dear niece Miss Brereton and Miss Denham and Sir Edward are, of course, devoted.” Once these particulars were given Mr. Parker went on to inform the party of his plans for a medical man at Sanditon. William, Julia, and Eliza Hollis exchanged looks of consternation but Mr. Parker was so elated at having their attention that he scarcely noticed and immediately seized the opportunity to give particulars of the speech he had planned for the garden party.There was, after all, no point in wasting an audience.

  It was all decided in a moment, the three Hollises agreed they would travel to Sanditon, their confessed motive was that of wishing to reacquaint themselves with the place. “Your report of Sanditon tells of so many changes, Mr. Parker, that we are hardly able to believe it. My sisters and I are determined to go in to Sussex to see for ourselves.The idea is quite fixed in our minds now.”

  Mr. Parker was gladdened by the apparent success of his promotion. “Oh, you will not be disappointed, Sir, ladies, I assure you, it is the very place to be, and of course you will be better able to assess Lady Denham’s state of health when you see her. My sister Diana—I cannot for the life of me think if you have met her or not—is in the neighborhood, depend upon it she will apply herself to finding you good lodgings, the Terrace is the place.”

  And so it was settled, the Hollis party would reach Sanditon before Mr. Parker was able to return to explain their having met in London. He was still fiercely determined to make it to Willingden Abbots and, feeling that his journeying already had an air of fortuity about it, was certain that this attempt to get a professional man would prove successful.

  CHAPTER 19

  Willingden Abbots, was, as Mr. Heywood had described it, quite down in the weald. In contrast to the steep ascent of Willingden that had overturned his carriage some weeks previously, his curricle was forced to descend a rather dramatic incline to get him into the place. His inquiries, first to a passerby and second at a butcher’s shop, about the whereabouts of the practice featured in the newspaper articles he still kept in his possession, took him to Seymour Lane. Certainly the houses there had about them the very appearance Mr. Parker had expected. The dwellings were neither too humble nor too grand, but with an evenness of fascia and a balanced landscape, these properties were just the style.“This must be the very place,” said Mr. Parker retrieving the papers from his pocket book for confirmation. “Yes, I am certain of it.”

  A gentleman, leaving the fifth house along the row of six, attracted Mr. Parker’s attention by doing so and the latter’s eye was thereby drawn to a sign mounted by the front door. Nothing could suppress Mr. Parker’s impatience and he went toward the said gentleman with eager ideas about an introduction and cried out so loudly that the poor man was rendered quite startled.

  “Sir! My dear fellow,” said Mr. Parker in a state of agitation,“am I right in assuming you to be ...” referring again to the advertisement, “one of these practitioners mentioned here? One of these very gentleman?” said he wit
h a firm jab of his finger at the papers. Mr. Parker was disinclined to wait for the man’s answer, he was now on the path with the gentleman, with the advantage of being able to read the sign which read: Dr. L. M. Kendall and Partner. “Pray tell me, which of the two are you? Dr. Kendall himself or the partner? I dare not hazard to guess the truth.”

  The gentleman, his opportunity to speak now found and grasped, replied, “I am the partner, Sir, or rather I was, for I believe the term implies there must be two practicing and this is not the case. I am afraid this notice may have misled you. I was in partnership, I held a secondary position you understand, with Dr. Kendall, the dissolution of which I assume you are familiar with since the publication of the advertisement.”

  “Indeed, I have all the information, I have studied these cuttings repeatedly,” said Mr. Parker.

  “I am Dr. Wellscott, the remaining partner, if you need attention I would be happy to open the surgery and attend you, my mission is not one of urgency, I can postpone my trip to town on your account, Sir.” Mr. Parker thought better of claiming no particular ailment and decided that some attention to his ankle, despite its being quite restored, might be the best means of securing this invite. And such was the nature of their business discussion; Mr. Parker readily praised the excellence of his precious Sanditon, with his lower leg exposed and laid bare for the doctor’s perusal. All was decided with expediency. Dr. Wellscott had been going that very morning to send a letter of inquiry to a practice he had lately learned of which was situated in a village in the north of England. The primary concern of his investigation was to ascertain if the surgeon there was, as he believed, in need of a partner. Happenstance had led Mr. Parker to Dr. Wellscott. It was fortuity indeed that he had come that very day.There was no persuasion needed.

  Dr.Wellscott thought the coincidence of events to be a blessing. “Such a pleasing chance for me, Sir,” he said. “The lease on this building is due to expire. It is common knowledge in the neighborhood that my departure is imminent. My patients are already seeking advice from a neighboring man. I admit, I was loathe to deposit myself so far into the north of the country, but, until presented with your proposition, I felt I had little choice in the matter.”

  A propensity for swiftness of decision, on Mr. Parker’s side, and Dr. Wellscott’s eagerness to establish himself more locally, meant that the two gentlemen were soon shaking hands upon an agreement. The former was to return to Sanditon that afternoon, his detour must not be forgot, there was still the journey to Willingden proper to be made, and the collection of Charlotte’s sister Abigail to be seen to. Dr.Wellscott, quite enamored with all he had heard, was to arrive at Sanditon the following week.

  “I will have in my company a maid servant, she will accompany me. I generally refer to her as my nurse although the arrangement came about due to a combination of factors. She is not truly a nurse, Mr. Parker, I dare not make any such boasts on her behalf, but she is bright enough and has a mind fit for learning, she can mix a paste, prepare a poultice, or concoct linctuses as well as any medical person might do.To have such an assistant is an invaluable asset in my line of business.The sick you know, are never satisfied unless prescribed some foul-smelling, evil-tasting, ineffectual remedy. I can never overlook these placebos, the seriously ill care nothing for them, but those who imagine themselves at risk of expiry really seem to consider these prescriptions a confirmation of the severity of their disorders. Now this can go no further, Sir, but I confess I have had Maisie, that is my nurse you understand, prepare compounds and elixirs that consist of nothing more than components you or I would consider those ordinary gardenstuffs that are consumed daily. Oh! The effects of such preparations on the afflicted are miraculous! Any random extract will do them and by any means; consumed, inhaled, occluded, the modes of administration are seemingly endless, and the patients entirely willing to try any, or in some cases, all of them.”

  Mr. Parker smiled. “I think I can guarantee, Sir, your first patients to be my very own sisters and younger brother! Each one of the three has given up entirely on medical assistance and they are all currently in favor of, what I call, self doctoring.” He clapped his hands. “You are exactly the kind of fellow I had hoped for, Dr. Wellscott, exactly the kind. I shall have everything ready at Sanditon to ensure you a warm welcome, and of course the same applies to your nurse, she sounds something of a treasure.”

  “Indeed, she is, she is visiting the sick at present but you will soon enough acquaint with her at Sanditon. She is something of an enigma, there is very little known of her past. My involvement with her came about through Dr. Kendall. A year or so gone by Maisie was placed in an infirmary in London, Dr. Kendall saved her from the madhouse, Sir. Memory loss, nothing more, nothing less. Memory loss can give the appearance of madness in the sufferer. Kendall brought her here, thank the Lord; through his kindness she escaped the indignity of such an institution.You might conclude, Sir, that Dr. Kendall is a good man, and in doing so, you would be correct. Quite so, he is such a person. If it were not for him, Maisie’s destiny would have been quite different.As it is, the girl, as I have already illustrated, has a fine little existence and a sweeter, more willing assistant you will not find. She keeps good hours, is thorough in her work, honest in spirit, and very well presented. She does put one in mind of a girl who has been in service but there we are, that remains a mystery, she cannot remember any of her own history whatsoever!”

  CHAPTER 20

  Mr. Parker was quick to calculate that by the same time the following week Sanditon would have no less than six new inhabitants. Two of these would be permanent: Dr. Wellscott and his nurse, Maisie; the others, the Hollises and Abigail Heywood, would be a welcome addition in terms of numbers.

  Charlotte Heywood’s features were, as seemed the defining factor in her family, fine but strong, being beautiful without fragility. There was a familial resemblance between the two sisters, but Abigail had more of youth in her looks, being the younger by three years. She was happy to see Mr. Parker again and made polite inquiries about the progress of his ankle, since his injuring it at Willingden had been the means of their introduction. Almost the very same narrative as he had used to divert Charlotte during her first journey into Sanditon he now employed as a method of entertaining and informing her younger sister. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Heywood, had not altered and could not have been expected to. Despite Mr. Parker, once again, attempting to induce them to partake of Sanditon they would not be prevailed upon.There was always a reason, always something in the way of a country obligation, for them to stay close to their own hearth.

  By the time their travels had taken them to Sanditon, Abigail Heywood had been well informed by Mr. Parker and felt herself to be as intimately acquainted as anyone could be with a place without having actually set foot in it.

  The amount of premeditation that went into Sir Edward Denham’s farewell was great indeed, for he knew he must bid adieu to Clara Brereton, the Miss Beauforts, and Miss Heywood in a manner that would encourage them to mourn his absence. Sir Edward Denham could not bear to be absent and disregarded. His departure to London, he declared, had been planned some months. If the Miss Beauforts were dejected at the thought of his absence, Charlotte was not.

  “I shall not grieve for want of him.” To grieve for want of another was so much her occupation that to give even the slightest consideration to Sir Edward Denham was beyond her. Departures! Was every soul to rush away on a whim? She imagined Sanditon as a deserted remedial paradise. Sidney and Miss Lambe were in Eastbourne, together. It was certain that Miss Lambe was already being attended to by Sidney, was it not? His courteous nature would not allow him to overlook her. Rebounding love might be the impetus to spur Sidney toward pretty Miss Lambe. She might not be so readily diverted by his jokes as Charlotte had been, but she would no doubt bewitch him with her demure little nods. Frustration bit at Charlotte’s senses, she had not been aware that her design was to procure a husband, had she not denied it with fervo
r to Mrs. Parker? How different this very day would be if she had taken Sidney at his word. “He was serious and I responded by insulting him, he must despise me; he must think me frivolous,” thought she.

  There was rarely a period of solitude when Charlotte did not recollect Sidney’s proposal. This memory was her ghost, the shadow that threatened eternal possession of her thoughts. She berated herself. How easily she could have answered yes, how simple it would have been to declare her tenderness if she had not first opened her window that evening. Without a preconceived notion of any joke, she would never have presumed the intention to have been that of comedy.Were not his words and his countenance the very likeness of truth? I spoke with sincerity, Miss Heywood, when I said it may seem ridiculous I meant only that you might think me so, for being so little acquainted with you and yet so in love. Love she had induced and then extinguished. For want of a little less pride she might have responded differently. “I was prejudiced against him from the very start, his natural inclination to amuse and see the amusing was what I took to be his entire nature,” she thought. Am I so blind? Can I have been so irrational as to think the jester his only role? Why did I not recall his words: Never mistake me for nothing more than a comedian. It was insufferable. She had rejoiced in knowing him, in finding a kindred heart so certain to fill her own, in meeting with a mind designed so perfectly to adjoin hers. She had forfeited love for the sake of being forthright. From a fatuous determination to be wilful, opinionated, and impenetrable came her loneliness and her complete despair. “I do not want to live in the world dreading the risk of hearing that he has married,” thought she, “the pain of suffering news of his having a family I shall fear all my days. I could never respond kindly to such intelligence, no amount of lifetimes could transport me far enough away from memories of him to allow me to feel generosity. Oh! But how I wish to, how calmed my poor heart is at the thought of him, no acrimony resides there, no resentment, but regret has withered my spirit. I have loved, I must resign to it. I do love, but have relinquished the object of my affections because of pure imprudence. My love is so abundant, so replete as to consume all areas of my affection; there is not the smallest space that another could fill.”