Episode 3Every Night, They Praise the Man I LeftPersuasion (Jane Austen)
Her family leaves her behind because "no one will miss Anne if she stays." So Anne goes to her sister's house three miles away, where everyone soon treats her as the one person who'll listen to their complaints. But in that house, the name of the man she gave up eight years ago starts coming up every night, and always as praise.
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In short: Chapters 5–6 of Jane Austen's Persuasion (1817) are the part where Anne Elliot gets left behind. Her father and older sister go off to Bath, so Anne goes to stay with her younger sister Mary at Uppercross, three miles away, and everyone there starts telling her their complaints about each other. Then her new neighbours, the Crofts, turn out to be related to Captain Wentworth, the man Anne refused eight years earlier, and soon his name is being praised in the house every evening.
Sir Walter Elliot, a vain baronet, has spent more money than he has, so he agrees to rent out Kellynch Hall, the family's country house. Admiral Croft, a naval officer, comes to look at it with his wife. The Admiral is so plain-spoken and good-natured that even Sir Walter, who usually looks down on weather-beaten sailors, likes him, and the deal is done quickly. Anne knows Mrs Croft is Captain Frederick Wentworth's sister. She quietly realises that within a few months he could be walking through these same rooms. Sir Walter and his eldest daughter Elizabeth get ready to move to Bath.
Persuasion Chapters 5–6 Summary: Anne Elliot Goes to Uppercross
The original story: what happens in Persuasion chapters 5–6
Sir Walter Elliot, a vain baronet, has spent more money than he has, so he agrees to rent out Kellynch Hall, the family's country house. Admiral Croft, a naval officer, comes to look at it with his wife. The Admiral is so plain-spoken and good-natured that even Sir Walter, who usually looks down on weather-beaten sailors, likes him, and the deal is done quickly. Anne knows Mrs Croft is Captain Frederick Wentworth's sister. She quietly realises that within a few months he could be walking through these same rooms.
Sir Walter and his eldest daughter Elizabeth get ready to move to Bath. Elizabeth chooses Mrs Clay, a charming young widow, as her companion, not Anne. Anne is afraid Mrs Clay is hoping to marry her father and tries to warn Elizabeth gently. Elizabeth brushes the idea aside. Lady Russell, Anne's closest friend and adviser, doesn't like the arrangement either. In the meantime Anne's younger sister Mary, who is always claiming to be ill, asks Anne to come and stay. Anne agrees, because at least there she'll be useful.
At Uppercross Cottage, Anne finds Mary lying on the sofa complaining that she feels unwell and alone. Mary's husband Charles Musgrove is out shooting. After an hour of Anne's company, Mary feels much better. They walk over to the Great House to see Charles's parents, Mr and Mrs Musgrove, and his lively sisters Henrietta and Louisa, who have just come home from school in Exeter. Anne notices that nobody here cares much about the news from Kellynch. To her it is a useful lesson: a person who matters in one small world may matter very little outside it.
Everyone's confidante: the complaints of Uppercross
Austen tells us something surprising about Charles Musgrove. Before he married Mary, he had proposed to Anne, and she said no. He is kind and easygoing, and the household starts treating Anne as the one person who will listen to everyone. Mary grumbles about her husband and her mother-in-law. Mrs Musgrove grumbles that Mary spoils the children and doesn't manage her servants. Louisa is irritated that Mary always insists on going in first because of her rank. Charles privately thinks his wife's illnesses are mostly in her head. Anne listens, smooths things over, and keeps every secret.
In the evenings Anne plays the piano at the Great House. Hardly anyone really listens, and Anne is used to that. Austen hints that Anne has gone without a real audience for her talents since her mother died.
Captain Wentworth's name returns
Once the Crofts have moved into Kellynch, they come to Uppercross to pay a visit. Mrs Croft is described as a brisk, sunburnt woman who has sailed with her husband. As they are leaving, the Admiral mentions that his wife's brother will be coming soon. The children interrupt before Anne can find out which brother he means.
That evening Louisa brings the answer. Mrs Musgrove has remembered that her late son Richard, called Dick, once served on Captain Wentworth's ship, the Laconia. Dick was a difficult boy who was sent to sea and died young, far from home. Austen is frank that his family didn't think much about him while he was alive. His old letters, though, praised his captain warmly. Now the Musgroves can't wait to meet Captain Wentworth and talk about him every night. Anne decides she will have to get used to hearing his name.
What these chapters show: rank, the navy, and a quiet heroine
Persuasion is set in 1814, when Britain's long wars with Napoleon seemed to be over and naval officers were coming home with prize money and new standing. Austen sets the two worlds side by side. Sir Walter has an old title and no money. The Crofts are self-made, practical people who can afford his house. Readers often take this as Austen's comment on a society that was slowly changing.
These chapters also show what makes Anne different from most heroines. She doesn't have big dramatic moments. Her strength is that she pays attention: she notices what's going on, puts up with being overlooked, and helps other people. Many readers see the Uppercross scenes as Austen gently satirising family life, with all its small resentments and its concern over who sits where.
What the manga version changes
Episode 3 of the manga keeps all the main events from the novel: the Crofts renting Kellynch, the move to Bath, Mrs Clay, Anne's stay at Uppercross, the visit, and the news about Dick and Wentworth. The differences are mostly in how these are shown. Austen sums up the complaints in her own narration, so the manga's spoken dialogue and its split-panel layouts, with Mary on one side and Mrs Musgrove or Louisa on the other, are new. The settings for each complaint and the order they come in are also the manga's choices.
Anne's inner monologue is written to follow what Austen's narration says, without copying her words. The way Dick's letter appears on the page, the carriage ride to Uppercross, and the piano scene were all staged by the artists. Faces, costumes, and rooms are based on research into English country houses around 1814, since the novel describes very few of these details.
Where to read it
You can read PERSUASION: A Second Chance at Love on Manga Portal, where every episode is free and you don't need to sign up. If you like seeing Anne politely nod through everyone's grumbling, Episode 3 is a good place to start, and the following episodes lead toward the moment the Captain finally arrives. Austen's original novel is also in the public domain and free to read through Project Gutenberg.
Characters in this episode
Anne Elliot
The 27-year-old heroine, thoughtful and overlooked by her family, who still loves the man she was persuaded to give up eight years ago.
Captain Frederick Wentworth
A naval captain and Mrs Croft's brother who was once engaged to Anne; in these chapters he appears only in other people's conversations.
Sir Walter Elliot
Anne's vain, debt-ridden father, who rents out Kellynch Hall and moves to Bath.
Mary Musgrove
Anne's younger sister, who is often ill and easily offended and who calls Anne to Uppercross for company.
Charles Musgrove
Mary's good-natured husband, who loves shooting and once proposed to Anne.
Admiral and Mrs Croft
A frank, warm naval couple who rent Kellynch Hall; Mrs Croft is Captain Wentworth's sister.
FAQ
What happens in Persuasion chapters 5 and 6?
The Crofts rent Kellynch Hall, and Sir Walter and Elizabeth leave for Bath with Mrs Clay. Anne goes to stay with her sister Mary at Uppercross, where everyone confides in her. At the end, the family finds out that Captain Wentworth, Mrs Croft's brother, is coming to the area.
Why doesn't Anne go to Bath with her family?
Elizabeth picks Mrs Clay as her companion, and Mary asks Anne to come and help her at Uppercross. Lady Russell plans to bring Anne to Bath later on.
Who is Mrs Clay in Persuasion?
She is a widowed daughter of the Elliots' lawyer, Mr Shepherd, and she is good at making people like her. Anne worries that she wants to marry Sir Walter, but Elizabeth won't take the warning seriously.
How are the Musgroves connected to Captain Wentworth?
Their late son Dick once served on Wentworth's ship, the Laconia, and wrote home with praise for his captain. When Mrs Musgrove remembers this, the whole family becomes eager to meet him.
Did Charles Musgrove propose to Anne?
Yes. Austen writes that Charles proposed to Anne first. After she turned him down, he married her sister Mary.
