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Chapter 14
AFTER DINNER, Charlotte was given an opportunity for studying Sidney Parker a little more closely as, stationing himself by her, he claimed her attention in the most friendly manner. "I am persuaded you will prove an ally of mine, Miss Heywood. I am always on the lookout for one on these occasions," he said, pulling up a chair next to hers. `Till the tea tray is brought in, nobody else will talk of anything but the value of various herbs in digesting what they have just eaten." "For shame, Sidney, you do exaggerate," protested Mr. Parker as he joined them. "Then go and see for yourself whether I do," replied Sidney waving him away. "l grant there may be an occasional digression on the advantages of one medicine over another in further digesting the herb tea; and perhaps a minor disagreement on the exact temperature at which both should be taken to settle the stomach completely. But I do assure you, Miss Heywood, I have sometimes sat for over an hour without wedging another subject into our family discussions." "An hour! What nonsense!" cried Diana, interrupting her own conversation at the far end of the room with an ease which showed her quite capable of listening and talking at the same time. "I would be the last person to deny we are all sad invalids and you give us no sympathy. But, Miss Heywood, you must not believe everything Sidney says. His high spirits often run away with him and he frequently speaks without thinking. I am sure it is impossible for anyone to talk less of their health than we do in general with so much cause." "And I am sure Miss Heywood has already suffered just such ordeals as l have described," retorted Sidney, "and will be ready to join forces with me in repelling them." "phoo, phoo. Now you are being quite ridiculous." "Let him be, Diana," Mr. Parker advised her. "It is only his usual way of talking himself into doing just as he wishes. But we will let him sit next to Miss Heywood if he is so determined on it." And he turned away with great good humour to settle down between his two sisters on the sofa. "Every member of a family thinks he knows the other`s faults," said Sidney, laughing. "But now I have got my own way, I will share the victory by allowing you to choose the topic of our conversation, Miss Heywood." Charlotte was quite ready to talk on any subject and suggested books; and they were soon engaged in comparing their opinions on those she had read; for she did not doubt that he had read a great many more. No one was more calculated to shine in such a conversation than Sidney, who was so far from having any fixed opinion that he could alter it whenever he chose, sometimes agreeing and sometimes dissenting, according to whichever view he decided would provide most entertainment for the moment. He could, therefore, always take either side and always argue with temper. They continued conversing together on a variety of subjects for Sidney seldom dwelt long on any but had something to say on all; and Charlotte was soon convinced that, both in natural abilities and acquired information, he was infinitely superior to the rest of his family. He talked well and with a great deal of sense; and she could not help contrasting his manner and the subject matter he chose with that of the two other young men she had met and conversed with recently. Sir Edward Denham, displaying quotations like framed certificates of culture in his talk, had been a sad disappointment as an amiable acquaintance. And as for Arthur Parker -- he had not the slightest idea how to make himself agreeable to any young lady, believing his diet and his symptoms must be as paramount an interest to all women as they were to his two sisters. Mr. Sidney Parker`s ready address and well-bred ease of manner made him a much more entertaining companion than either of them; and Charlotte found the evening passing more swiftly and delightfully for her than any she had known since her arrival in Sanditon. But having heard his opinion tin many topics, she remained doubtful of his real tastes; for though his mind was clearly well-informed, he frequently surprised her by a lack of conformity and by contradicting one idea with another. In his indifference over maintaining any uniform attitude, Sidney was certainly very unlike his companion, whose judgement had been guided by her parents from an early age and who always adopted a restrained and consistent standpoint. "I see there is absolutely no shaking your common sense, Miss Heywood, and will stop teasing you and let you have your tea," he said, rising at last; and Charlotte was surprised to discover the tea tray had been in the room for some time and could not credit how the interval had passed so quickly. She now felt she had been insensible in monopolising Sidney`s attention in this family circle where all wished to talk to him, and reproached herself for such thoughtlessness in consulting nobody`s pleasure but her own during the last hour. Fearful of being considered negligent of others, she immediately rose too, determined to rectify such selfish behavior. But he protested against this, begging her to remain where she was while he brought their tea; and though approving his civility she still insisted on a slight adjustment of her position which would bring them more into the general discussion. This he acknowledged with a smile as he helped her to the tea things, only adding a cheerful warning. "Perhaps we have managed to escape the worst, but from what I have just overheard, their favourite topic is by no means exhausted." And Charlotte, turning her attention back to the main party and picking up the threads of the conversation, soon realised his sisters had indeed discovered a new hazard to their health. Miss Parker, replying to a polite enquiry from her sister-in-law and acknowledging they were fairly well settled in their new lodgings on the Terrace, had just startled her audience by remarking, in the same languid tones, that she suspected their new scullery maid was, however, slowly poisoning them all. "poison?" exclaimed Mr. Parker, rather aghast. "My dear Susan, you cannot be serious. What is this you are saying?" "Yes, Tom, it is only too true, agreed Miss Diana more energetically. "I am always running to the kitchen every possible second to try to prevent it. But I fear we are being poisoned -- oh, unintentionally, I suppose. The fact is we are convinced this new scullery maid we have hired never rinses the dishes; and soap, as you know, is highly poisonous. But nothing I say seems to convince her of the seriousness of the situation. Would you believe it -- she actually laughed at me -- said her last employers never insisted on rinsing dishes and never knew a day`s illness. Oh, Sally is a good-hearted, pleasant enough girl but I am afraid she will have to go or poor Susan will never be in good health here. And Arthur is now beginning to suffer almost identical symptoms -- spent the most wretched night, scarcely closing his eyes for one minute. Both Susan and I tried everything we could to get him off -- hot bricks and weak cocoa -- though he will never try my favourite concoction for sleeplessness. Warm water steeped with the second rind of an alder stick -- have I recommended that to you before, Mary? But last night poor Arthur begged only for a small glass of port wine; and after a while, I could see none of us would get any sleep unless I gave in, so I judged it best to let him have it. port wine, after all, seldom does great harm and I do believe he spent the rest of the night fairly comfortably. At all events Susan and l got off and heard no more. But today, as a result, we have all been in very poor shape. Had it not been for Sidney`s arrival, I am sure we would have all gone to bed this evening long before dinner." During this account of Arthur`s recent indisposition, Charlotte had turned her eyes towards him where he sat, sipping his cocoa and eating his toast beside his sister-in-law. Beyond a little sleepiness and a great deal of indolence, she could not detect that he had passed such an uncomfortable night as Miss Diana described. Following her gaze and surmising her thoughts, Sidney Parker murmured in a quiet undertone. "Arthur`s health has always been an obsession of theirs. My eldest brother and l had the advantage of being sent away to school before our parents died and thus escaped falling into our sisters` care. Arthur, as you see, was not so lucky. They have cossetted him and pandered to him for so long that he positively enjoys being an invalid now." There was such an air of good humour and frankness in Sidney that Charlotte, though feeling herself unauthorised to speak of his family with so much familiarity, could not but respond to it and speak to him at that moment as he spoke to her. `But surely it is very dreadful for so young a man to take no interest in anything except his health? Cannot something be done to make him adopt a profession? Or at the very least develop some enthusiasm which might take up more of his time?" "I tried my best to take him abroad with me last year, but he had very little eagerness for travel himself; and Susan and Diana between them soon convinced him he would be most uncomfortable moving about from one foreign city to another." "Perhaps if he had some property," said Charlotte, rather hesitantly, "he might bestir himself in trying to improve it. "He has a small competence, quite sufficient for his needs and offering him no great excitement in enlarging it. But discussing money with Arthur is more than uphill work -- I long ago came to the conclusion that no prospect of financial reward would ever push him into exertion. The best we can hope is that he will develop some harmless interest of his own -- an over-riding passion for collecting butterflies, watching birds or breeding dogs; these are the sort of activities which I believe Arthur could enter into with great success, but they are not the sort a brother can guess or force on him. Some chance encounter with an enthusiast or some buried inclination of his own must provide the stimulus. Our family are not usually lacking in enthusiasm after all. On the contrary, my sisters` whims and oddities frequently run away with them." Deciding Sidney`s discussion of his family was now becoming rather too outspoken for her to encourage, Charlotte made no reply and, turning slightly, directed her attention back to the group. But the rest of the Parkers being still engaged on the failings of temporary servants, their resistance to training and the possible recmits at present available from Sanditon village, no immediate opening presented itself for her to join in. Mr. Parker, having run through the list of candidates for Sally`s place, soon began trying to persuade his sisters that the bracing effects of sea air alone would be sufficient to counteract any dire results they expected from the soap poisoning. And, after sitting for some little time, listening to him expound on this well-worn theme, Charlotte heard a chuckle at her elbow and Sidney Parker speaking again in a low voice. "You know, in some ways Tom is the worst of them all. His fancy for medicine takes a different turn. He places all his blind reliance in Dr. Sanditon, which is just as foolish and even more wayward than my sisters` faith in quack remedies." While she did not censure these opinions, Charlotte felt all the impropriety of his making them known to her, who was little more than a stranger. And yet Sidney Parker`s manners were so obviously those of the fashionable world that she also felt both priggish and provincial for daring to criticise them. His ease and openness and the delight with which he seized on anything which might contribute to his own amusement or that of others -- all these, she conceded, were perfectly allowable in someone who spent the greater part of his time in the wider society of London. But in her narrow and limited experience, which so far had extended little beyond her own comfortable and well-regulated family circle, a very` different style of behaviour was practised and a very different set of values the only acceptable ones. The exercise of continual restraint in all social meetings, a proper consideration of both neighbours and relations, and a tactful forbearance in censuring the foibles of others were the principles she had always been taught to respect. She recognized their importance in maintaining good relations among people who were destined to meet each other every day of their lives, but could perceive their drawbacks where any contribution of wit or liveliness might be expected in the gaieties of small talk; and though she envied Sidney Parker his freedom of saying whatever came into his head to whoever he happened to be near, she made no attempt to follow his example. But with some surprise at her continued silence, he pressed even more pointedly for her opinion till Charlotte realised there was no avoiding a reply. "You cannot really expect me to agree with you, Mr. Parker," she said with evident reluctance and in a tone of mild seriousness. "For although there may be no harm in your speaking of your own family in such terms, it would be the greatest impertinence for me to do the same." It was said and she could not regret it. She felt some mortification in having been forced to reveal her own sober standards of conduct and even more in reflecting that he would probably find her both dull and slow-witted beside his usual companions. But the reproof which had cost her such deliberation to deliver was met only with a shout of delighted laughter. "Oh sensible, prudent Miss Heywood, how very correct in you to rebuke me," said he, very much amused. "You are already so well acquainted with my family that I had forgotten how short a while we have known each other. I should, of course, have waited at least a month before trying to compare our opinions on all my relations." "I very much doubt that a month would bring any great change in my outlook," replied Charlotte, quite firmly. "Very few of us lack superficial faults and we must rely on each other`s kindness to overlook them." "But people take such trouble with their faults and go to such lengths to make them fascinating to others that it is really very unkind to overlook them," protested Sidney. "They would much rather be laughed at on their own merits than politely ignored as members of a community." Charlotte could not help smiling at so light-hearted a defence of his own forthright methods in conversation; but very satisfied to have made her own point while exciting so little ill-will, she was now quite determined to end any private discussion between them; and pretending the general talk among the others had absorbed her full attention, she managed to shift her chair by almost imperceptible movements towards the larger circle. He saw what she was about and good-naturedly let her have her way, making only one last attempt to provoke another smile from her before rising to surrender his position. "Here comes Arthur. I am sure you will find conversation with him less of an effort. No need at all to ponder over the correct reply to any of his statements," he said. "l can tell by the look on, his face that he intends to explain in great detail how and why the cranberry custard at dinner did not make him quite bilious." She tried to look disapprovingly at him as he moved off to occupy the vacated chair by his sister-in-law but found it harder to repress the smile when Arthur, having taken the seat beside her in exchange, began in almost the exact style his brother had predicted. It was the roast duckling he selected to illustrate his point and not the cranberry custard, but Charlotte had great difficulty in keeping her countenance as she listened. Indeed, once when she looked up and noticed Sidney`s eyes on her as he leaned forward to enjoy Arthur`s recital himself, she had to turn away quickly on the prerext of finding her workbox and sorting a fringe of Mrs. Parker`s. It was only after she had picked it up that she remembered her promise of having it ready soon after dinner. She had been so well entertained ever since that she had completely forgotten Mrs. Parker`s fringe. She busied herself with it now, resolving to do penance for the very real enjoyment the evening had already afforded her. The others were soon engaged in discussing the arrival of Sidney`s friends; and he was very willing to outline the many schemes he had in mind for their entertainment. "I doubt whether Reginald will remain more than a day in Sanditon -- probably not more than a few hours -- so we need not plan much on his behalf unless he decides to drive over again from Brighton. But with Henry, no effort will be too great. I know l can rely on you to make him feel welcome; but it occurs to me that more is required to keep his mind off his own problems. lf he could be constantly moving among an entirely new set of people -- and we could organise some little excursions and parties for his benefit -- " "Excursions, parties! What can you be thinking of, Sidney? Here are Susan and I quite worn out with settling ourselves down in Sanditon! What can you mean us to do for your friend?" "We could all take walks in pleasant groups, go for drives to local beauty spots," Sidney suggested with alacrity. "And I am not only referring to us but to the neighbouring families in general," throwing his arms wide to include the whole of Sanditon. "There are Mrs. Griffiths and her party you have been speaking of this evening. And I remember Tom saying on my last visit that the Denhams were a presentable young couple -- and then there is that niece or cousin or whoever it is Lady Denham has with her -- " "Miss Brereton," supplied Mr. Parker. "She and Lady Denham are often with us as a matter of course in our comings and goings." "Indeed she and Miss Heywood are to bathe together for the first time tomorrow, said Mrs. Parker. "But Lady Denham herself has become so very settled in her ways that I doubt she would welcome more contact with her neighbours. And my dear Sidney, beyond these daily meetings we have with our friends, what can you want us to be attempting? "A ball or a dance or something of that sort," Sidney told her promptly. "A ball! A dance!" "Well at least there are young ladies enough in Sanditon -- "Impossible!" cried Mr. Parker, shrugging his despair at this suggestion. "Only last year we tried to arrange a few fortnightly assemblies during the season and the project was abandoned for want of support. "But am I not now pointing out you will find more support this season? Sidney persisted. A little discouragement to be overcome was apparently no evil to him. He rather derived spirits from it and, always confident of success, began demanding to know where last year`s assemblies would have been held. "To be sure there is a capital set of assembly rooms close by the hotel," Mr. Parker told him with some pride and more vexation. "I am telling you the only difficulty is that there is nobody to fill them. Be reasonable, Sidney. This is not Brighton, you know." "Not Brighton perhaps. But what is that other resort you are forever mentioning? Bridley or Brincombe?" "You mean Brinshore?" "Brinshore. The very place. I am convinced they have more by way of entertainment in Brinshore, In fact, I would be extremely surprised to learn that Brinshore had no fortnightly assemblies." Charlotte saw directly that Sidney Parker was now trying to assail his brother on his most vulnerable side. He probably knew nothing whatsoever about what went on in Brinshore but as a lever for persuasion he realised its value; and his perseverance in his own schemes, which had not been damped by any objections, redoubled as he saw the way he could achieve them. By skilfully throwing Brinshore into the discussion at the opportune moment, he had soon awakened eager speculation on what Sanditon could also offer its visitors in the matter of entertainment. And Charlotte, watching and listening to all of this, decided Sidney`s exertions on behalf of his friend were going to prove quite equal in scope to anything his sister Diana ever attempted.
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