第3章

P. was evidently an amiable, family-man, fond of Wife, Children, Brothers and Sisters—and generally kind-hearted;—Liberal, gentlemanlike, easy to please;—of a sanguine turn of mind, with more Imagination than Judgement. And Mrs. P. was as evidently a gentle, amiable, sweet tempered Woman, the properest wife in the World for a Man of strong Understanding, but not of capacity to supply the cooler reflection which her own Husband sometimes needed, and so entirely waiting to be guided on every occasion, that whether he were risking his Fortune or spraining his Ancle, she remained equally useless.—Sanditon was a second Wife and four Children to him—hardly less Dear—and certainly more engrossing.—He could talk of it for ever.—It had indeed the highest claims;—not only those of Birthplace, Property, and Home,—it was his Mine, his Lottery, his Speculation and his Hobby Horse; his Occupation his Hope and his Futurity.—He was extremely desirous of drawing his good friends at Willingden thither; and his endeavours in the cause, were as grateful and disinterested, as they were warm. He wanted to secure the promise of a visit—to get as many of the Family as his own house would contain, to follow him to Sanditon as soon as possible—and healthy as they all undeniably were—foresaw that every one of them would be benefited by the sea.—He held it indeed as certain, that no person could be really well, no person, (however upheld for the present by fortuitous aids of exercise and spirits in a semblance of Health) could be really in a state of secure and permanent Health without spending at least six weeks by the Sea every year.—The Sea air and Sea Bathing together were nearly infallible, one or the other of them being a match for every Disorder, of the Stomach, the Lungs or the Blood; They were anti-spasmodic, anti-pulmonary, anti-sceptic, anti-bilious and anti- rheumatic. Nobody could catch cold by the Sea, Nobody wanted Appetite by the Sea, Nobody wanted Spirits, Nobody wanted Strength.—They were healing, softing, relaxing—fortifying and bracing—seemingly just as was wanted—sometimes one, sometimes the other.—If the Sea breeze failed, the Sea-Bath was the certain corrective;—and where Bathing disagreed, the Sea Breeze alone was evidently designed by Nature for the cure.—His eloquence however could not prevail. Mr. and Mrs. H. never left home. Marrying early and having a very numerous Family, their movements had been long limited to one small circle; and they were older in Habits than in Age.—Excepting two Journeys to London in the year, to receive his Dividends, Mr. H. went no farther than his feet or his well-tried old Horse could carry him, and Mrs. Heywood's Adventurings were only now and then to visit her Neighbours, in the old Coach which had been new when they married and fresh lined on their eldest Son's coming of age ten years ago.—They had very pretty Property—enough, had their family been of reasonable Limits to have allowed them a very gentlemanlike share of Luxuries and Change—enough for them to have indulged in a new Carriage and better roads, an occasional month at Tunbridge Wells, and symptoms of the Gout and a Winter at Bath;—but the maintenance, Education and fitting out of fourteen Children demanded a very quiet, settled, careful course of Life—and obliged them to be stationary and healthy at Willingden. What Prudence had at first enjoined, was now rendered pleasant by Habit. They never left home, and they had a gratification in saying so.—But very far from wishing their Children to do the same, they were glad to promote their gettingout into the World, as much as possible. They staid at home, that their Children might get out;—and while making that home extremely comfortable, welcomed every change from it which could give useful connections or respectable acquaintance to Sons or Daughters. When Mr. and Mrs. Parker therefore ceased from soliciting a family-visit, and bounded their views to carrying back one Daughter with them, no difficulties were started. It was general pleasure and consent.—Their invitation was to Miss Charlotte Heywood, a very pleasing young woman of two and twenty, the eldest of the Daughters at home, and the one, who under her Mother's directions had been particularly useful and obliging to them; who had attended them most, and knew them best.—Charlotte was to go,—with excellent health, to bathe and be better if she could—to receive every possible pleasure which Sanditon could be made to supply by the gratitude of those she went with—and to buy new Parasols, new Gloves, and new Broches, for her sisters and herself at the Library, which Mr. P. was anxiously wishing to support.—All that Mr. Heywood himself could be persuaded to promise was, that he would send everyone to Sanditon, who asked his advice, and that nothing should ever induce him (as far as the future could be answered for) to spend even five shillings at Brinshore.