“But perhaps he may be a little whimsical in his civilities，”replied her uncle.“Your great men often are；and therefore I shall not take him at his word about fishing， as he might change his mind another day，and warn me off his grounds.”
Mrs.Gardiner was surprised and concerned；but as they were now approaching the scene of her former pleasures， every idea gave way to the charm of recollection； and she was too much engaged in pointing out to her husband all the interesting spots in its environs to think of anything else.Fatigued as she had been by the morning's walk they had no sooner dined than she set off again in quest of her former acquaintance，and the evening was spent in the satisfactions of a intercourse renewed after many years' discontinuance.
Elizabeth excused herself as well as she could；said that she had liked him better when they met in Kent than before，and that she had never seen him so pleasant as this morning.
He then asked her to walk into the house―but she declared herself not tired，and they stood together on the lawn.At such a time much might have been said，and silence was very awkward. She wanted to talk，but there seemed to be an embargo on every subject.At last she recollected that she had been travelling，and they talked of Matlock and Dovedale with great perseverance.Yet time and her aunt moved slowly―and her patience and her ideas were nearly worn our before the tête-à-tête was over.