MANSFIELD PARK

By Jane Austen

Contents

CHAPTER I

About thirty years ago Miss Maria Ward,open ended fort building kits of Huntingdon, with only seven thousandpounds, had the good luck to captivate Sir Thomas Bertram, of Mansfield Park,in the county of Northampton, and to be thereby raised to the rank of abaronet’s lady, with all the comforts and consequences of an handsomehouse and large income. All Huntingdon exclaimed on the greatness of the match,and her uncle, the lawyer, himself, allowed her to be at least three thousandpounds short of any equitable claim to it. She had two sisters to be benefitedby her elevation; and such of their acquaintance as thought Miss Ward and MissFrances quite as handsome as Miss Maria, did not scruple to predict theirmarrying with almost equal advantage. But there certainly are not so many menof large fortune in the world as there are pretty women to deserve them. MissWard, at the end of half a dozen years, found herself obliged to be attached tothe Rev. Mr. Norris, a friend of her brother-in-law, with scarcely any privatefortune, and Miss Frances fared yet worse. Miss Ward’s match, indeed,when it came to the point, was not contemptible: Sir Thomas being happily ableto give his friend an income in the living of Mansfield; and Mr. and Mrs.Norris began their career of conjugal felicity with very little less than athousand a year. But Miss Frances married, in the common phrase, to disobligeher family, and by fixing on a lieutenant of marines, without education,fortune, or connexions, did it very thoroughly. She could hardly have made amore untoward choice. Sir Thomas Bertram had interest, which, from principle aswell as pride—from a general wish of doing right, and a desire of seeingall that were connected with him in situations of respectability, he would havebeen glad to exert for the advantage of Lady Bertram’s sister; but herhusband’s profession was such as no interest could reach; and before hehad time to devise any other method of assisting them, an absolute breachbetween the sisters had taken place. It was the natural result of the conductof each party, and such as a very imprudent marriage almost always produces. Tosave herself from useless remonstrance, Mrs. Price never wrote to her family onthe subject till actually married. Lady Bertram, who was a woman of verytranquil feelings, and a temper remarkably easy and indolent, would havecontented herself with merely giving up her sister, and thinking no more of thematter; but Mrs. Norris had a spirit of activity, which could not be satisfiedtill she had written a long and angry letter to Fanny, to point out the follyof her conduct, and threaten her with all its possible ill consequences. Mrs.Price, in her turn, was injured and angry; and an answer, which comprehendedeach sister in its bitterness, and bestowed such very disrespectful reflectionson the pride of Sir Thomas as Mrs. Norris could not possibly keep to herself,put an end to all intercourse between them for a considerable period.

Their homes were so distant, and the circles in which they moved so distinct,as almost to preclude the means of ever hearing of each other’s existenceduring the eleven following years, or, at least, to make it very wonderful toSir Thomas that Mrs. Norris should ever have it in her power to tell them, asshe now and then did, in an angry voice, that Fanny had got another child. Bythe end of eleven years, however, Mrs. Price could no longer afford to cherishpride or resentment, or to lose one connexion that might possibly assist her. Alarge and still increasing family, an husband disabled for active service, butnot the less equal to company and good liquor, and a very small income tosupply their wants, made her eager to regain the friends she had so carelesslysacrificed; and she addressed Lady Bertram in a letter which spoke so muchcontrition and despondence, such a superfluity of children, and such a want ofalmost everything else, as could not but dispose them all to a reconciliation.She was preparing for her ninth lying-in; and after bewailing the circumstance,and imploring their countenance as sponsors to the expected child, she couldnot conceal how important she felt they might be to the future maintenance ofthe eight already in being. Her eldest was a boy of ten years old, a finespirited fellow, who longed to be out in the world; but what could she do? Wasthere any chance of his being hereafter useful to Sir Thomas in the concerns ofhis West Indian property? No situation would be beneath him; or what did SirThomas think of Woolwich? or how could a boy be sent out to the East?

The letter was not unproductive. It re-established peace and kindness. SirThomas sent friendly advice and professions, Lady Bertram dispatched money andbaby-linen, and Mrs. Norris wrote the letters.

Such were its immediate effects, and within a twelvemonth a more importantadvantage to Mrs. Price resulted from it. Mrs. Norris was often observing tothe others that she could not get her poor sister and her family out of herhead, and that, much as they had all done for her, she seemed to be wanting todo more; and at length she could not but own it to be her wish that poor Mrs.Price should be relieved from the charge and expense of one child entirely outof her great number. “What if they were among them to undertake the careof her eldest daughter, a girl now nine years old, of an age to require moreattention than her poor mother could possibly give? The trouble and expense ofit to them would be nothing, compared with the benevolence of theaction.” Lady Bertram agreed with her instantly. “I think we cannotdo better,” said she; “let us send for the child.”

Sir Thomas could not give so instantaneous and unqualified a consent. Hedebated and hesitated;—it was a serious charge;—a girl so broughtup must be adequately provided for, or there would be cruelty instead ofkindness in taking her from her family. He thought of his own four children, ofhis two sons, of cousins in love, etc.;—but no sooner had he deliberatelybegun to state his objections, than Mrs. Norris interrupted him with a reply tothem all, whether stated or not.

“My dear Sir Thomas, I perfectly comprehend you, and do justice to thegenerosity and delicacy of your notions, which indeed are quite of a piece withyour general conduct; and I entirely agree with you in the main as to thepropriety of doing everything one could by way of providing for a child one hadin a manner taken into one’s own hands; and I am sure I should be thelast person in the world to withhold my mite upon such an occasion. Having nochildren of my own, who should I look to in any little matter I may ever haveto bestow, but the children of my sisters?—and I am sure Mr. Norris istoo just—but you know I am a woman of few words and professions. Do notlet us be frightened from a good deed by a trifle. Give a girl an education,and introduce her properly into the world, and ten to one but she has the meansof settling well, without farther expense to anybody. A niece of ours, SirThomas, I may say, or at least of yours, would not grow up in thisneighbourhood without many advantages. I don’t say she would be sohandsome as her cousins. I dare say she would not; but she would be introducedinto the society of this country under such very favourable circumstances as,in all human probability, would get her a creditable establishment. You arethinking of your sons—but do not you know that, of all things upon earth,thatis the least likely to happen, brought up as they would be, alwaystogether like brothers and sisters? It is morally impossible. I never knew aninstance of it. It is, in fact, the only sure way of providing against theconnexion. Suppose her a pretty girl, and seen by Tom or Edmund for the firsttime seven years hence, and I dare say there would be mischief. The very ideaof her having been suffered to grow up at a distance from us all in poverty andneglect, would be enough to make either of the dear, sweet-tempered boys inlove with her. But breed her up with them from this time, and suppose her evento have the beauty of an angel, and she will never be more to either than asister.”

“There is a great deal of truth in what you say,” replied SirThomas, “and far be it from me to throw any fanciful impediment in theway of a plan which would be so consistent with the relative situations ofeach. I only meant to observe that it ought not to be lightly engaged in, andthat to make it really serviceable to Mrs. Price, and creditable to ourselves,we must secure to the child, or consider ourselves engaged to secure to herhereafter, as circumstances may arise, the provision of a gentlewoman, if nosuch establishment should offer as you are so sanguine in expecting.”

“I thoroughly understand you,” cried Mrs. Norris, “you areeverything that is generous and considerate, and I am sure we shall neverdisagree on this point. Whatever I can do, as you well know, I am always readyenough to do for the good of those I love; and, though I could never feel forthis little girl the hundredth part of the regard I bear your own dearchildren, nor consider her, in any respect, so much my own, I should hatemyself if I were capable of neglecting her. Is not she a sister’s child?and could I bear to see her want while I had a bit of bread to give her? Mydear Sir Thomas, with all my faults I have a warm heart; and, poor as I am,would rather deny myself the necessaries of life than do an ungenerous thing.So, if you are not against it, I will write to my poor sister tomorrow, andmake the proposal; and, as soon as matters are settled, Iwill engage toget the child to Mansfield; youshall have no trouble about it. My owntrouble, you know, I never regard. I will send Nanny to London on purpose, andshe may have a bed at her cousin the saddler’s, and the child beappointed to meet her there. They may easily get her from Portsmouth to town bythe coach, under the care of any creditable person that may chance to be going.I dare say there is always some reputable tradesman’s wife or other goingup.”

Except to the attack on Nanny’s cousin, Sir Thomas no longer made anyobjection, and a more respectable, though less economical rendezvous beingaccordingly substituted, everything was considered as settled, and thepleasures of so benevolent a scheme were already enjoyed. The division ofgratifying sensations ought not, in strict justice, to have been equal; for SirThomas was fully resolved to be the real and consistent patron of the selectedchild, and Mrs. Norris had not the least intention of being at any expensewhatever in her maintenance. As far as walking, talking, and contrivingreached, she was thoroughly benevolent, and nobody knew better how to dictateliberality to others; but her love of money was equal to her love of directing,and she knew quite as well how to save her own as to spend that of her friends.Having married on a narrower income than she had been used to look forward to,she had, from the first, fancied a very strict line of economy necessary; andwhat was begun as a matter of prudence, soon grew into a matter of choice, asan object of that needful solicitude which there were no children to supply.Had there been a family to provide for, Mrs. Norris might never have saved hermoney; but having no care of that kind, there was nothing to impede herfrugality, or lessen the comfort of making a yearly addition to an income whichthey had never lived up to. Under this infatuating principle, counteracted byno real affection for her sister, it was impossible for her to aim at more thanthe credit of projecting and arranging so expensive a charity; though perhapsshe might so little know herself as to walk home to the Parsonage, after thisconversation, in the happy belief of being the most liberal-minded sister andaunt in the world.

When the subject was brought forward again, her views were more fullyexplained; and, in reply to Lady Bertram’s calm inquiry of “Whereshall the child come to first, sister, to you or to us?” Sir Thomas heardwith some surprise that it would be totally out of Mrs. Norris’s power totake any share in the personal charge of her. He had been considering her as aparticularly welcome addition at the Parsonage, as a desirable companion to anaunt who had no children of her own; but he found himself wholly mistaken. Mrs.Norris was sorry to say that the little girl’s staying with them, atleast as things then were, was quite out of the question. Poor Mr.Norris’s indifferent state of health made it an impossibility: he couldno more bear the noise of a child than he could fly; if, indeed, he should everget well of his gouty complaints, it would be a different matter: she shouldthen be glad to take her turn, and think nothing of the inconvenience; but justnow, poor Mr. Norris took up every moment of her time, and the very mention ofsuch a thing she was sure would distract him.

“Then she had better come to us,” said Lady Bertram, with theutmost composure. After a short pause Sir Thomas added with dignity,“Yes, let her home be in this house. We will endeavour to do our duty byher, and she will, at least, have the advantage of companions of her own age,and of a regular instructress.”

“Very true,” cried Mrs. Norris, “which are both veryimportant considerations; and it will be just the same to Miss Lee whether shehas three girls to teach, or only two—there can be no difference. I onlywish I could be more useful; but you see I do all in my power. I am not one ofthose that spare their own trouble; and Nanny shall fetch her, however it mayput me to inconvenience to have my chief counsellor away for three days. Isuppose, sister, you will put the child in the little white attic, near the oldnurseries. It will be much the best place for her, so near Miss Lee, and notfar from the girls, and close by the housemaids, who could either of them helpto dress her, you know, and take care of her clothes, for I suppose you wouldnot think it fair to expect Ellis to wait on her as well as the others. Indeed,I do not see that you could possibly place her anywhere else.”

Lady Bertram made no opposition.

“I hope she will prove a well-disposed girl,” continued Mrs.Norris, “and be sensible of her uncommon good fortune in having suchfriends.”

“Should her disposition be really bad,” said Sir Thomas, “wemust not, for our own children’s sake, continue her in the family; butthere is no reason to expect so great an evil. We shall probably see much towish altered in her, and must prepare ourselves for gross ignorance, somemeanness of opinions, and very distressing vulgarity of manner; but these arenot incurable faults; nor, I trust, can they be dangerous for her associates.Had my daughters been youngerthan herself, I should have considered theintroduction of such a companion as a matter of very serious moment; but, as itis, I hope there can be nothing to fear for them, and everything to hopefor her, from the association.”

“That is exactly what I think,” cried Mrs. Norris, “and whatI was saying to my husband this morning. It will be an education for the child,said I, only being with her cousins; if Miss Lee taught her nothing, she wouldlearn to be good and clever from them.”

“I hope she will not tease my poor pug,” said Lady Bertram;“I have but just got Julia to leave it alone.”

“There will be some difficulty in our way, Mrs. Norris,” observedSir Thomas, “as to the distinction proper to be made between the girls asthey grow up: how to preserve in the minds of my daughterstheconsciousness of what they are, without making them think too lowly of theircousin; and how, without depressing her spirits too far, to make her rememberthat she is not a Miss Bertram. I should wish to see them very goodfriends, and would, on no account, authorise in my girls the smallest degree ofarrogance towards their relation; but still they cannot be equals. Their rank,fortune, rights, and expectations will always be different. It is a point ofgreat delicacy, and you must assist us in our endeavours to choose exactly theright line of conduct.”

Mrs. Norris was quite at his service; and though she perfectly agreed with himas to its being a most difficult thing, encouraged him to hope that betweenthem it would be easily managed.

It will be readily believed that Mrs. Norris did not write to her sister invain. Mrs. Price seemed rather surprised that a girl should be fixed on, whenshe had so many fine boys, but accepted the offer most thankfully, assuringthem of her daughter’s being a very well-disposed, good-humoured girl,and trusting they would never have cause to throw her off. She spoke of herfarther as somewhat delicate and puny, but was sanguine in the hope of herbeing materially better for change of air. Poor woman! she probably thoughtchange of air might agree with many of her children.

CHAPTER II

The little girl performed her long journey in safety; and at Northampton wasmet by Mrs. Norris, who thus regaled in the credit of being foremost to welcomeher, and in the importance of leading her in to the others, and recommendingher to their kindness.

Fanny Price was at this time just ten years old, and though there might not bemuch in her first appearance to captivate, there was, at least, nothing todisgust her relations. She was small of her age, with no glow of complexion,nor any other striking beauty; exceedingly timid and shy, and shrinking fromnotice; but her air, though awkward, was not vulgar, her voice was sweet, andwhen she spoke her countenance was pretty. Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram receivedher very kindly; and Sir Thomas, seeing how much she needed encouragement,tried to be all that was conciliating: but he had to work against a mostuntoward gravity of deportment; and Lady Bertram, without taking half so muchtrouble, or speaking one word where he spoke ten, by the mere aid of agood-humoured smile, became immediately the less awful character of the two.

The young people were all at home, and sustained their share in theintroduction very well, with much good humour, and no embarrassment, at leaston the part of the sons, who, at seventeen and sixteen, and tall of their age,had all the grandeur of men in the eyes of their little cousin. The two girlswere more at a loss from being younger and in greater awe of their father, whoaddressed them on the occasion with rather an injudicious particularity. Butthey were too much used to company and praise to have anything like naturalshyness; and their confidence increasing from their cousin’s total wantof it, they were soon able to take a full survey of her face and her frock ineasy indifference.

They were a remarkably fine family, the sons very well-looking, the daughtersdecidedly handsome, and all of them well-grown and forward of their age, whichproduced as striking a difference between the cousins in person, as educationhad given to their address; and no one would have supposed the girls so nearlyof an age as they really were. There were in fact but two years between theyoungest and Fanny. Julia Bertram was only twelve, and Maria but a year older.The little visitor meanwhile was as unhappy as possible. Afraid of everybody,ashamed of herself, and longing for the home she had left, she knew not how tolook up, and could scarcely speak to be heard, or without crying. Mrs. Norrishad been talking to her the whole way from Northampton of her wonderful goodfortune, and the extraordinary degree of gratitude and good behaviour which itought to produce, and her consciousness of misery was therefore increased bythe idea of its being a wicked thing for her not to be happy. The fatigue, too,of so long a journey, became soon no trifling evil. In vain were the well-meantcondescensions of Sir Thomas, and all the officious prognostications of Mrs.Norris that she would be a good girl; in vain did Lady Bertram smile and makeher sit on the sofa with herself and pug, and vain was even the sight of agooseberry tart towards giving her comfort; she could scarcely swallow twomouthfuls before tears interrupted her, and sleep seeming to be her likeliestfriend, she was taken to finish her sorrows in bed.

“This is not a very promising beginning,” said Mrs. Norris, whenFanny had left the room. “After all that I said to her as we came along,I thought she would have behaved better; I told her how much might depend uponher acquitting herself well at first. I wish there may not be a littlesulkiness of temper—her poor mother had a good deal; but we must makeallowances for such a child—and I do not know that her being sorry toleave her home is really against her, for, with all its faults, it washer home, and she cannot as yet understand how much she has changed for thebetter; but then there is moderation in all things.”

It required a longer time, however, than Mrs. Norris was inclined to allow, toreconcile Fanny to the novelty of Mansfield Park, and the separation fromeverybody she had been used to. Her feelings were very acute, and too littleunderstood to be properly attended to. Nobody meant to be unkind, but nobodyput themselves out of their way to secure her comfort.

The holiday allowed to the Miss Bertrams the next day, on purpose to affordleisure for getting acquainted with, and entertaining their young cousin,produced little union. They could not but hold her cheap on finding that shehad but two sashes, and had never learned French; and when they perceived herto be little struck with the duet they were so good as to play, they could dono more than make her a generous present of some of their least valued toys,and leave her to herself, while they adjourned to whatever might be thefavourite holiday sport of the moment, making artificial flowers or wastinggold paper.

Fanny, whether near or from her cousins, whether in the schoolroom, thedrawing-room, or the shrubbery, was equally forlorn, finding something to fearin every person and place. She was disheartened by Lady Bertram’ssilence, awed by Sir Thomas’s grave looks, and quite overcome by Mrs.Norris’s admonitions. Her elder cousins mortified her by reflections onher size, and abashed her by noticing her shyness: Miss Lee wondered at herignorance, and the maid-servants sneered at her clothes; and when to thesesorrows was added the idea of the brothers and sisters among whom she hadalways been important as playfellow, instructress, and nurse, the despondencethat sunk her little heart was severe.

The grandeur of the house astonished, but could not console her. The rooms weretoo large for her to move in with ease: whatever she touched she expected toinjure, and she crept about in constant terror of something or other; oftenretreating towards her own chamber to cry; and the little girl who was spokenof in the drawing-room when she left it at night as seeming so desirablysensible of her peculiar good fortune, ended every day’s sorrows bysobbing herself to sleep. A week had passed in this way, and no suspicion of itconveyed by her quiet passive manner, when she was found one morning by hercousin Edmund, the youngest of the sons, sitting crying on the attic stairs.

“My dear little cousin,” said he, with all the gentleness of anexcellent nature, “what can be the matter?” And sitting down byher, he was at great pains to overcome her shame in being so surprised, andpersuade her to speak openly. Was she ill? or was anybody angry with her? orhad she quarrelled with Maria and Julia? or was she puzzled about anything inher lesson that he could explain? Did she, in short, want anything he couldpossibly get her, or do for her? For a long while no answer could be obtainedbeyond a “no, no—not at all—no, thank you”; but hestill persevered; and no sooner had he begun to revert to her own home, thanher increased sobs explained to him where the grievance lay. He tried toconsole her.

“You are sorry to leave Mama, my dear little Fanny,” said he,“which shows you to be a very good girl; but you must remember that youare with relations and friends, who all love you, and wish to make you happy.Let us walk out in the park, and you shall tell me all about your brothers andsisters.”

On pursuing the subject, he found that, dear as all these brothers and sistersgenerally were, there was one among them who ran more in her thoughts than therest. It was William whom she talked of most, and wanted most to see. William,the eldest, a year older than herself, her constant companion and friend; heradvocate with her mother (of whom he was the darling) in every distress.“William did not like she should come away; he had told her he shouldmiss her very much indeed.” “But William will write to you, I daresay.” “Yes, he had promised he would, but he had told hertowrite first.” “And when shall you do it?” She hung her headand answered hesitatingly, “she did not know; she had not anypaper.”

“If that be all your difficulty, I will furnish you with paper and everyother material, and you may write your letter whenever you choose. Would itmake you happy to write to William?”

“Yes, very.”

“Then let it be done now. Come with me into the breakfast-room, we shallfind everything there, and be sure of having the room to ourselves.”

“But, cousin, will it go to the post?”

“Yes, depend upon me it shall: it shall go with the other letters; and,as your uncle will frank it, it will cost William nothing.”

“My uncle!” repeated Fanny, with a frightened look.

“Yes, when you have written the letter, I will take it to my father tofrank.”

Fanny thought it a bold measure, but offered no further resistance; and theywent together into the breakfast-room, where Edmund prepared her paper, andruled her lines with all the goodwill that her brother could himself have felt,and probably with somewhat more exactness. He continued with her the whole timeof her writing, to assist her with his penknife or his orthography, as eitherwere wanted; and added to these attentions, which she felt very much, akindness to her brother which delighted her beyond all the rest. He wrote withhis own hand his love to his cousin William, and sent him half a guinea underthe seal. Fanny’s feelings on the occasion were such as she believedherself incapable of expressing; but her countenance and a few artless wordsfully conveyed all their gratitude and delight, and her cousin began to findher an interesting object. He talked to her more, and, from all that she said,was convinced of her having an affectionate heart, and a strong desire of doingright; and he could perceive her to be farther entitled to attention by greatsensibility of her situation, and great timidity. He had never knowingly givenher pain, but he now felt that she required more positive kindness; and withthat view endeavoured, in the first place, to lessen her fears of them all, andgave her especially a great deal of good advice as to playing with Maria andJulia, and being as merry as possible.

From this day Fanny grew more comfortable. She felt that she had a friend, andthe kindness of her cousin Edmund gave her better spirits with everybody else.The place became less strange, and the people less formidable; and if therewere some amongst them whom she could not cease to fear, she began at least toknow their ways, and to catch the best manner of conforming to them. The littlerusticities and awkwardnesses which had at first made grievous inroads on thetranquillity of all, and not least of herself, necessarily wore away, and shewas no longer materially afraid to appear before her uncle, nor did her auntNorris’s voice make her start very much. To her cousins she becameoccasionally an acceptable companion. Though unworthy, from inferiority of ageand strength, to be their constant associate, their pleasures and schemes weresometimes of a nature to make a third very useful, especially when that thirdwas of an obliging, yielding temper; and they could not but own, when theiraunt inquired into her faults, or their brother Edmund urged her claims totheir kindness, that “Fanny was good-natured enough.”

Edmund was uniformly kind himself; and she had nothing worse to endure on thepart of Tom than that sort of merriment which a young man of seventeen willalways think fair with a child of ten. He was just entering into life, full ofspirits, and with all the liberal dispositions of an eldest son, who feels bornonly for expense and enjoyment. His kindness to his little cousin wasconsistent with his situation and rights: he made her some very prettypresents, and laughed at her.

As her appearance and spirits improved, Sir Thomas and Mrs. Norris thought withgreater satisfaction of their benevolent plan; and it was pretty soon decidedbetween them that, though far from clever, she showed a tractable disposition,and seemed likely to give them little trouble. A mean opinion of her abilitieswas not confined to them. Fanny could read, work, and write, but she hadbeen taught nothing more; and as her cousins found her ignorant of many thingswith which they had been long familiar, they thought her prodigiously stupid,and for the first two or three weeks were continually bringing some freshreport of it into the drawing-room. “Dear mama, only think, my cousincannot put the map of Europe together—or my cousin cannot tell theprincipal rivers in Russia—or, she never heard of Asia Minor—or shedoes not know the difference between water-colours and crayons!—Howstrange!—Did you ever hear anything so stupid?”

“My dear,” their considerate aunt would reply, “it is verybad, but you must not expect everybody to be as forward and quick at learningas yourself.”

“But, aunt, she is really so very ignorant!—Do you know, we askedher last night which way she would go to get to Ireland; and she said, sheshould cross to the Isle of Wight. She thinks of nothing but the Isle of Wight,and she calls it theIsland, as if there were no other island inthe world. I am sure I should have been ashamed of myself, if I had not knownbetter long before I was so old as she is. I cannot remember the time when Idid not know a great deal that she has not the least notion of yet. How longago it is, aunt, since we used to repeat the chronological order of the kingsof England, with the dates of their accession, and most of the principal eventsof their reigns!”

“Yes,” added the other; “and of the Roman emperors as low asSeverus; besides a great deal of the heathen mythology, and all the metals,semi-metals, planets, and distinguished philosophers.”

“Very true indeed, my dears, but you are blessed with wonderful memories,and your poor cousin has probably none at all. There is a vast deal ofdifference in memories, as well as in everything else, and therefore you mustmake allowance for your cousin, and pity her deficiency. And remember that, ifyou are ever so forward and clever yourselves, you should always be modest;for, much as you know already, there is a great deal more for you tolearn.”

“Yes, I know there is, till I am seventeen. But I must tell you anotherthing of Fanny, so odd and so stupid. Do you know, she says she does not wantto learn either music or drawing.”

“To be sure, my dear, that is very stupid indeed, and shows a great wantof genius and emulation. But, all things considered, I do not know whether itis not as well that it should be so, for, though you know (owing to me) yourpapa and mama are so good as to bring her up with you, it is not at allnecessary that she should be as accomplished as you are;—on the contrary,it is much more desirable that there should be a difference.”

Such were the counsels by which Mrs. Norris assisted to form her nieces’minds; and it is not very wonderful that, with all their promising talents andearly information, they should be entirely deficient in the less commonacquirements of self-knowledge, generosity and humility. In everything butdisposition they were admirably taught. Sir Thomas did not know what waswanting, because, though a truly anxious father, he was not outwardlyaffectionate, and the reserve of his manner repressed all the flow of theirspirits before him.

To the education of her daughters Lady Bertram paid not the smallest attention.She had not time for such cares. She was a woman who spent her days in sitting,nicely dressed, on a sofa, doing some long piece of needlework, of little useand no beauty, thinking more of her pug than her children, but very indulgentto the latter when it did not put herself to inconvenience, guided ineverything important by Sir Thomas, and in smaller concerns by her sister. Hadshe possessed greater leisure for the service of her girls, she would probablyhave supposed it unnecessary, for they were under the care of a governess, withproper masters, and could want nothing more. As for Fanny’s being stupidat learning, “she could only say it was very unlucky, but some peoplewerestupid, and Fanny must take more pains: she did not know what elsewas to be done; and, except her being so dull, she must add she saw no harm inthe poor little thing, and always found her very handy and quick in carryingmessages, and fetching what she wanted.”

Fanny, with all her faults of ignorance and timidity, was fixed at MansfieldPark, and learning to transfer in its favour much of her attachment to herformer home, grew up there not unhappily among her cousins. There was nopositive ill-nature in Maria or Julia; and though Fanny was often mortified bytheir treatment of her, she thought too lowly of her own claims to feel injuredby it.

From about the time of her entering the family, Lady Bertram, in consequence ofa little ill-health, and a great deal of indolence, gave up the house in town,which she had been used to occupy every spring, and remained wholly in thecountry, leaving Sir Thomas to attend his duty in Parliament, with whateverincrease or diminution of comfort might arise from her absence. In the country,therefore, the Miss Bertrams continued to exercise their memories, practisetheir duets, and grow tall and womanly: and their father saw them becoming inperson, manner, and accomplishments, everything that could satisfy his anxiety.His eldest son was careless and extravagant, and had already given him muchuneasiness; but his other children promised him nothing but good. Hisdaughters, he felt, while they retained the name of Bertram, must be giving itnew grace, and in quitting it, he trusted, would extend its respectablealliances; and the character of Edmund, his strong good sense and uprightnessof mind, bid most fairly for utility, honour, and happiness to himself and allhis connexions. He was to be a clergyman.

Amid the cares and the complacency which his own children suggested, Sir Thomasdid not forget to do what he could for the children of Mrs. Price: he assistedher liberally in the education and disposal of her sons as they became oldenough for a determinate pursuit; and Fanny, though almost totally separatedfrom her family, was sensible of the truest satisfaction in hearing of anykindness towards them, or of anything at all promising in their situation orconduct. Once, and once only, in the course of many years, had she thehappiness of being with William. Of the rest she saw nothing: nobody seemed tothink of her ever going amongst them again, even for a visit, nobody at homeseemed to want her; but William determining, soon after her removal, to be asailor, was invited to spend a week with his sister in Northamptonshire beforehe went to sea. Their eager affection in meeting, their exquisite delight inbeing together, their hours of happy mirth, and moments of serious conference,may be imagined; as well as the sanguine views and spirits of the boy even tothe last, and the misery of the girl when he left her. Luckily the visithappened in the Christmas holidays, when she could directly look for comfort toher cousin Edmund; and he told her such charming things of what William was todo, and be hereafter, in consequence of his profession, as made her graduallyadmit that the separation might have some use. Edmund’s friendship neverfailed her: his leaving Eton for Oxford made no change in his kinddispositions, and only afforded more frequent opportunities of proving them.Without any display of doing more than the rest, or any fear of doing too much,he was always true to her interests, and considerate of her feelings, trying tomake her good qualities understood, and to conquer the diffidence whichprevented their being more apparent; giving her advice, consolation, andencouragement.

Kept back as she was by everybody else, his single support could not bring herforward; but his attentions were otherwise of the highest importance inassisting the improvement of her mind, and extending its pleasures. He knew herto be clever, to have a quick apprehension as well as good sense, and afondness for reading, which, properly directed, must be an education in itself.Miss Lee taught her French, and heard her read the daily portion of history;but he recommended the books which charmed her leisure hours, he encouraged hertaste, and corrected her judgment: he made reading useful by talking to her ofwhat she read, and heightened its attraction by judicious praise. In return forsuch services she loved him better than anybody in the world except William:her heart was divided between the two.

CHAPTER III

The first event of any importance in the family was the death of Mr. Norris,which happened when Fanny was about fifteen, and necessarily introducedalterations and novelties. Mrs. Norris, on quitting the Parsonage, removedfirst to the Park, and afterwards to a small house of Sir Thomas’s in thevillage, and consoled herself for the loss of her husband by considering thatshe could do very well without him; and for her reduction of income by theevident necessity of stricter economy.

The living was hereafter for Edmund; and, had his uncle died a few yearssooner, it would have been duly given to some friend to hold till he were oldenough for orders. But Tom’s extravagance had, previous to that event,been so great as to render a different disposal of the next presentationnecessary, and the younger brother must help to pay for the pleasures of theelder. There was another family living actually held for Edmund; but thoughthis circumstance had made the arrangement somewhat easier to SirThomas’s conscience, he could not but feel it to be an act of injustice,and he earnestly tried to impress his eldest son with the same conviction, inthe hope of its producing a better effect than anything he had yet been able tosay or do.

“I blush for you, Tom,” said he, in his most dignified manner;“I blush for the expedient which I am driven on, and I trust I may pityyour feelings as a brother on the occasion. You have robbed Edmund for ten,twenty, thirty years, perhaps for life, of more than half the income whichought to be his. It may hereafter be in my power, or in yours (I hope it will),to procure him better preferment; but it must not be forgotten that no benefitof that sort would have been beyond his natural claims on us, and that nothingcan, in fact, be an equivalent for the certain advantage which he is nowobliged to forego through the urgency of your debts.”

Tom listened with some shame and some sorrow; but escaping as quickly aspossible, could soon with cheerful selfishness reflect, firstly, that he hadnot been half so much in debt as some of his friends; secondly, that his fatherhad made a most tiresome piece of work of it; and, thirdly, that the futureincumbent, whoever he might be, would, in all probability, die very soon.

On Mr. Norris’s death the presentation became the right of a Dr. Grant,who came consequently to reside at Mansfield; and on proving to be a hearty manof forty-five, seemed likely to disappoint Mr. Bertram’s calculations.But “no, he was a short-necked, apoplectic sort of fellow, and, pliedwell with good things, would soon pop off.”

He had a wife about fifteen years his junior, but no children; and they enteredthe neighbourhood with the usual fair report of being very respectable,agreeable people.

The time was now come when Sir Thomas expected his sister-in-law to claim hershare in their niece, the change in Mrs. Norris’s situation, and theimprovement in Fanny’s age, seeming not merely to do away any formerobjection to their living together, but even to give it the most decidedeligibility; and as his own circumstances were rendered less fair thanheretofore, by some recent losses on his West India estate, in addition to hiseldest son’s extravagance, it became not undesirable to himself to berelieved from the expense of her support, and the obligation of her futureprovision. In the fullness of his belief that such a thing must be, hementioned its probability to his wife; and the first time of thesubject’s occurring to her again happening to be when Fanny was present,she calmly observed to her, “So, Fanny, you are going to leave us, andlive with my sister. How shall you like it?”

Fanny was too much surprised to do more than repeat her aunt’s words,“Going to leave you?”

“Yes, my dear; why should you be astonished? You have been five yearswith us, and my sister always meant to take you when Mr. Norris died. But youmust come up and tack on my patterns all the same.”

The news was as disagreeable to Fanny as it had been unexpected. She had neverreceived kindness from her aunt Norris, and could not love her.

“I shall be very sorry to go away,” said she, with a falteringvoice.

“Yes, I dare say you will; that’snatural enough. I supposeyou have had as little to vex you since you came into this house as anycreature in the world.”

“I hope I am not ungrateful, aunt,” said Fanny modestly.

“No, my dear; I hope not. I have always found you a very goodgirl.”

“And am I never to live here again?”

“Never, my dear; but you are sure of a comfortable home. It can make verylittle difference to you, whether you are in one house or the other.”

Fanny left the room with a very sorrowful heart; she could not feel thedifference to be so small, she could not think of living with her aunt withanything like satisfaction. As soon as she met with Edmund she told him herdistress.

“Cousin,” said she, “something is going to happen which I donot like at all; and though you have often persuaded me into being reconciledto things that I disliked at first, you will not be able to do it now. I amgoing to live entirely with my aunt Norris.”

“Indeed!”

“Yes; my aunt Bertram has just told me so. It is quite settled. I am toleave Mansfield Park, and go to the White House, I suppose, as soon as she isremoved there.”

“Well, Fanny, and if the plan were not unpleasant to you, I should callit an excellent one.”

“Oh, cousin!”

“It has everything else in its favour. My aunt is acting like a sensiblewoman in wishing for you. She is choosing a friend and companion exactly whereshe ought, and I am glad her love of money does not interfere. You will be whatyou ought to be to her. I hope it does not distress you very much,Fanny?”

“Indeed it does: I cannot like it. I love this house and everything init: I shall love nothing there. You know how uncomfortable I feel withher.”

“I can say nothing for her manner to you as a child; but it was the samewith us all, or nearly so. She never knew how to be pleasant to children. Butyou are now of an age to be treated better; I think she is behaving betteralready; and when you are her only companion, you mustbe important toher.”

“I can never be important to any one.”

“What is to prevent you?”

“Everything. My situation, my foolishness and awkwardness.”

“As to your foolishness and awkwardness, my dear Fanny, believe me, younever have a shadow of either, but in using the words so improperly. There isno reason in the world why you should not be important where you are known. Youhave good sense, and a sweet temper, and I am sure you have a grateful heart,that could never receive kindness without wishing to return it. I do not knowany better qualifications for a friend and companion.”

“You are too kind,” said Fanny, colouring at such praise;“how shall I ever thank you as I ought, for thinking so well of me. Oh!cousin, if I am to go away, I shall remember your goodness to the last momentof my life.”

“Why, indeed, Fanny, I should hope to be remembered at such a distance asthe White House. You speak as if you were going two hundred miles off insteadof only across the park; but you will belong to us almost as much as ever. Thetwo families will be meeting every day in the year. The only difference will bethat, living with your aunt, you will necessarily be brought forward as youought to be. Herethere are too many whom you can hide behind; but withheryou will be forced to speak for yourself.”

“Oh! do not say so.”

“I must say it, and say it with pleasure. Mrs. Norris is much betterfitted than my mother for having the charge of you now. She is of a temper todo a great deal for anybody she really interests herself about, and she willforce you to do justice to your natural powers.”

Fanny sighed, and said, “I cannot see things as you do; but I ought tobelieve you to be right rather than myself, and I am very much obliged to youfor trying to reconcile me to what must be. If I could suppose my aunt reallyto care for me, it would be delightful to feel myself of consequence toanybody. Here, I know, I am of none, and yet I love the place sowell.”

“The place, Fanny, is what you will not quit, though you quit the house.You will have as free a command of the park and gardens as ever. Evenyourconstant little heart need not take fright at such a nominalchange. You will have the same walks to frequent, the same library to choosefrom, the same people to look at, the same horse to ride.”

“Very true. Yes, dear old grey pony! Ah! cousin, when I remember how muchI used to dread riding, what terrors it gave me to hear it talked of as likelyto do me good (oh! how I have trembled at my uncle’s opening his lips ifhorses were talked of), and then think of the kind pains you took to reason andpersuade me out of my fears, and convince me that I should like it after alittle while, and feel how right you proved to be, I am inclined to hope youmay always prophesy as well.”

“And I am quite convinced that your being with Mrs. Norris will be asgood for your mind as riding has been for your health, and as much for yourultimate happiness too.”

So ended their discourse, which, for any very appropriate service it couldrender Fanny, might as well have been spared, for Mrs. Norris had not thesmallest intention of taking her. It had never occurred to her, on the presentoccasion, but as a thing to be carefully avoided. To prevent its beingexpected, she had fixed on the smallest habitation which could rank as genteelamong the buildings of Mansfield parish, the White House being only just largeenough to receive herself and her servants, and allow a spare room for afriend, of which she made a very particular point. The spare rooms at theParsonage had never been wanted, but the absolute necessity of a spare room fora friend was now never forgotten. Not all her precautions, however, could saveher from being suspected of something better; or, perhaps, her very display ofthe importance of a spare room might have misled Sir Thomas to suppose itreally intended for Fanny. Lady Bertram soon brought the matter to a certaintyby carelessly observing to Mrs. Norris—

“I think, sister, we need not keep Miss Lee any longer, when Fanny goesto live with you.”

Mrs. Norris almost started. “Live with me, dear Lady Bertram! what do youmean?”

“Is she not to live with you? I thought you had settled it with SirThomas.”

“Me! never. I never spoke a syllable about it to Sir Thomas, nor he tome. Fanny live with me! the last thing in the world for me to think of, or foranybody to wish that really knows us both. Good heaven! what could I do withFanny? Me! a poor, helpless, forlorn widow, unfit for anything, my spiritsquite broke down; what could I do with a girl at her time of life? A girl offifteen! the very age of all others to need most attention and care, and putthe cheerfullest spirits to the test! Sure Sir Thomas could not seriouslyexpect such a thing! Sir Thomas is too much my friend. Nobody that wishes mewell, I am sure, would propose it. How came Sir Thomas to speak to you aboutit?”

“Indeed, I do not know. I suppose he thought it best.”

“But what did he say? He could not say he wishedme to take Fanny.I am sure in his heart he could not wish me to do it.”

“No; he only said he thought it very likely; and I thought so too. Weboth thought it would be a comfort to you. But if you do not like it, there isno more to be said. She is no encumbrance here.”

“Dear sister, if you consider my unhappy state, how can she be anycomfort to me? Here am I, a poor desolate widow, deprived of the best ofhusbands, my health gone in attending and nursing him, my spirits still worse,all my peace in this world destroyed, with hardly enough to support me in therank of a gentlewoman, and enable me to live so as not to disgrace the memoryof the dear departed—what possible comfort could I have in taking such acharge upon me as Fanny? If I could wish it for my own sake, I would not do sounjust a thing by the poor girl. She is in good hands, and sure of doing well.I must struggle through my sorrows and difficulties as I can.”

“Then you will not mind living by yourself quite alone?”

“Dear Lady Bertram! what am I fit for but solitude? Now and then Ishall hope to have a friend in my little cottage (I shall always havea bed for a friend); but the most part of my future days will be spentin utter seclusion. If I can but make both ends meet, that's all I askfor.”

“I hope, sister, things are not so very bad with you neitherconsidering Sir Thomas says you will have six hundred a year.”

“Lady Bertram, I do not complain. I know I cannot live as I have done,but I must retrench where I can, and learn to be a better manager. Ihavebeena liberal housekeeper enough, but I shall not beashamed to practise economy now. My situation is as much altered as my income.A great many things were due from poor Mr. Norris, as clergyman of the parish,that cannot be expected from me. It is unknown how much was consumed in ourkitchen by odd comers and goers. At the White House, matters must be betterlooked after. I mustlive within my income, or I shall be miserable; andI own it would give me great satisfaction to be able to do rather more, to layby a little at the end of the year.”

“I dare say you will. You always do, don’t you?”

“My object, Lady Bertram, is to be of use to those that come after me. Itis for your children’s good that I wish to be richer. I have nobody elseto care for, but I should be very glad to think I could leave a little trifleamong them worth their having.”

“You are very good, but do not trouble yourself about them. They are sureof being well provided for. Sir Thomas will take care of that.”

“Why, you know, Sir Thomas’s means will be rather straitened if theAntigua estate is to make such poor returns.”

“Oh! thatwill soon be settled. Sir Thomas has been writing aboutit, I know.”

“Well, Lady Bertram,” said Mrs. Norris, moving to go, “I canonly say that my sole desire is to be of use to your family: and so, if SirThomas should ever speak again about my taking Fanny, you will be able to saythat my health and spirits put it quite out of the question; besides that, Ireally should not have a bed to give her, for I must keep a spare room for afriend.”

Lady Bertram repeated enough of this conversation to her husband to convincehim how much he had mistaken his sister-in-law’s views; and she was fromthat moment perfectly safe from all expectation, or the slightest allusion toit from him. He could not but wonder at her refusing to do anything for a niecewhom she had been so forward to adopt; but, as she took early care to make him,as well as Lady Bertram, understand that whatever she possessed was designedfor their family, he soon grew reconciled to a distinction which, at the sametime that it was advantageous and complimentary to them, would enable himbetter to provide for Fanny himself.

Fanny soon learnt how unnecessary had been her fears of a removal; and herspontaneous, untaught felicity on the discovery, conveyed some consolation toEdmund for his disappointment in what he had expected to be so essentiallyserviceable to her. Mrs. Norris took possession of the White House, the Grantsarrived at the Parsonage, and these events over, everything at Mansfield wenton for some time as usual.

The Grants showing a disposition to be friendly and sociable, gave greatsatisfaction in the main among their new acquaintance. They had their faults,and Mrs. Norris soon found them out. The Doctor was very fond of eating, andwould have a good dinner every day; and Mrs. Grant, instead of contriving togratify him at little expense, gave her cook as high wages as they did atMansfield Park, and was scarcely ever seen in her offices. Mrs. Norris couldnot speak with any temper of such grievances, nor of the quantity of butter andeggs that were regularly consumed in the house. “Nobody loved plenty andhospitality more than herself; nobody more hated pitiful doings; the Parsonage,she believed, had never been wanting in comforts of any sort, had never borne abad character in hertime, but this was a way of going on thatshe could not understand. A fine lady in a country parsonage was quite out ofplace. Herstore-room, she thought, might have been good enough for Mrs.Grant to go into. Inquire where she would, she could not find out that Mrs.Grant had ever had more than five thousand pounds.”

Lady Bertram listened without much interest to this sort of invective. Shecould not enter into the wrongs of an economist, but she felt all the injuriesof beauty in Mrs. Grant’s being so well settled in life without beinghandsome, and expressed her astonishment on that point almost as often, thoughnot so diffusely, as Mrs. Norris discussed the other.

These opinions had been hardly canvassed a year before another event arose ofsuch importance in the family, as might fairly claim some place in the thoughtsand conversation of the ladies. Sir Thomas found it expedient to go to Antiguahimself, for the better arrangement of his affairs, and he took his eldest sonwith him, in the hope of detaching him from some bad connexions at home. Theyleft England with the probability of being nearly a twelvemonth absent.

The necessity of the measure in a pecuniary light, and the hope of its utilityto his son, reconciled Sir Thomas to the effort of quitting the rest of hisfamily, and of leaving his daughters to the direction of others at theirpresent most interesting time of life. He could not think Lady Bertram quiteequal to supply his place with them, or rather, to perform what should havebeen her own; but, in Mrs. Norris’s watchful attention, and inEdmund’s judgment, he had sufficient confidence to make him go withoutfears for their conduct.

Lady Bertram did not at all like to have her husband leave her; but she was notdisturbed by any alarm for his safety, or solicitude for his comfort, being oneof those persons who think nothing can be dangerous, or difficult, or fatiguingto anybody but themselves.

The Miss Bertrams were much to be pitied on the occasion: not for their sorrow,but for their want of it. Their father was no object of love to them; he hadnever seemed the friend of their pleasures, and his absence was unhappily mostwelcome. They were relieved by it from all restraint; and without aiming at onegratification that would probably have been forbidden by Sir Thomas, they feltthemselves immediately at their own disposal, and to have every indulgencewithin their reach. Fanny’s relief, and her consciousness of it, werequite equal to her cousins’; but a more tender nature suggested that herfeelings were ungrateful, and she really grieved because she could not grieve.“Sir Thomas, who had done so much for her and her brothers, and who wasgone perhaps never to return! that she should see him go without a tear! it wasa shameful insensibility.” He had said to her, moreover, on the very lastmorning, that he hoped she might see William again in the course of the ensuingwinter, and had charged her to write and invite him to Mansfield as soon as thesquadron to which he belonged should be known to be in England. “This wasso thoughtful and kind!” and would he only have smiled upon her, andcalled her “my dear Fanny,” while he said it, every former frown orcold address might have been forgotten. But he had ended his speech in a way tosink her in sad mortification, by adding, “If William does come toMansfield, I hope you may be able to convince him that the many years whichhave passed since you parted have not been spent on your side entirely withoutimprovement; though, I fear, he must find his sister at sixteen in somerespects too much like his sister at ten.” She cried bitterly over thisreflection when her uncle was gone; and her cousins, on seeing her with redeyes, set her down as a hypocrite.

CHAPTER IV

Tom Bertram had of late spent so little of his time at home that he could beonly nominally missed; and Lady Bertram was soon astonished to find how verywell they did even without his father, how well Edmund could supply his placein carving, talking to the steward, writing to the attorney, settling with theservants, and equally saving her from all possible fatigue or exertion in everyparticular but that of directing her letters.

The earliest intelligence of the travellers’ safe arrival at Antigua,after a favourable voyage, was received; though not before Mrs. Norris had beenindulging in very dreadful fears, and trying to make Edmund participate themwhenever she could get him alone; and as she depended on being the first personmade acquainted with any fatal catastrophe, she had already arranged the mannerof breaking it to all the others, when Sir Thomas’s assurances of theirboth being alive and well made it necessary to lay by her agitation andaffectionate preparatory speeches for a while.

The winter came and passed without their being called for; the accountscontinued perfectly good; and Mrs. Norris, in promoting gaieties for hernieces, assisting their toilets, displaying their accomplishments, and lookingabout for their future husbands, had so much to do as, in addition to all herown household cares, some interference in those of her sister, and Mrs.Grant’s wasteful doings to overlook, left her very little occasion to beoccupied in fears for the absent.

The Miss Bertrams were now fully established among the belles of theneighbourhood; and as they joined to beauty and brilliant acquirements a mannernaturally easy, and carefully formed to general civility and obligingness, theypossessed its favour as well as its admiration. Their vanity was in such goodorder that they seemed to be quite free from it, and gave themselves no airs;while the praises attending such behaviour, secured and brought round by theiraunt, served to strengthen them in believing they had no faults.

Lady Bertram did not go into public with her daughters. She was too indolenteven to accept a mother’s gratification in witnessing their success andenjoyment at the expense of any personal trouble, and the charge was made overto her sister, who desired nothing better than a post of such honourablerepresentation, and very thoroughly relished the means it afforded her ofmixing in society without having horses to hire.

Fanny had no share in the festivities of the season; but she enjoyed beingavowedly useful as her aunt’s companion when they called away the rest ofthe family; and, as Miss Lee had left Mansfield, she naturally becameeverything to Lady Bertram during the night of a ball or a party. She talked toher, listened to her, read to her; and the tranquillity of such evenings, herperfect security in such a tête-à-têtefrom any sound of unkindness, wasunspeakably welcome to a mind which had seldom known a pause in its alarms orembarrassments. As to her cousins’ gaieties, she loved to hear an accountof them, especially of the balls, and whom Edmund had danced with; but thoughttoo lowly of her own situation to imagine she should ever be admitted to thesame, and listened, therefore, without an idea of any nearer concern in them.Upon the whole, it was a comfortable winter to her; for though it brought noWilliam to England, the never-failing hope of his arrival was worth much.

The ensuing spring deprived her of her valued friend, the old grey pony; andfor some time she was in danger of feeling the loss in her health as well as inher affections; for in spite of the acknowledged importance of her riding onhorse-back, no measures were taken for mounting her again,“because,” as it was observed by her aunts, “she might rideone of her cousin’s horses at any time when they did not wantthem,” and as the Miss Bertrams regularly wanted their horses every fineday, and had no idea of carrying their obliging manners to the sacrifice of anyreal pleasure, that time, of course, never came. They took their cheerful ridesin the fine mornings of April and May; and Fanny either sat at home the wholeday with one aunt, or walked beyond her strength at the instigation of theother: Lady Bertram holding exercise to be as unnecessary for everybody as itwas unpleasant to herself; and Mrs. Norris, who was walking all day, thinkingeverybody ought to walk as much. Edmund was absent at this time, or the evilwould have been earlier remedied. When he returned, to understand how Fanny wassituated, and perceived its ill effects, there seemed with him but one thing tobe done; and that “Fanny must have a horse” was the resolutedeclaration with which he opposed whatever could be urged by the supineness ofhis mother, or the economy of his aunt, to make it appear unimportant. Mrs.Norris could not help thinking that some steady old thing might be found amongthe numbers belonging to the Park that would do vastly well; or that one mightbe borrowed of the steward; or that perhaps Dr. Grant might now and then lendthem the pony he sent to the post. She could not but consider it as absolutelyunnecessary, and even improper, that Fanny should have a regular lady’shorse of her own, in the style of her cousins. She was sure Sir Thomas hadnever intended it: and she must say that, to be making such a purchase in hisabsence, and adding to the great expenses of his stable, at a time when a largepart of his income was unsettled, seemed to her very unjustifiable.“Fanny must have a horse,” was Edmund’s only reply. Mrs.Norris could not see it in the same light. Lady Bertram did: she entirelyagreed with her son as to the necessity of it, and as to its being considerednecessary by his father; she only pleaded against there being any hurry; sheonly wanted him to wait till Sir Thomas’s return, and then Sir Thomasmight settle it all himself. He would be at home in September, and where wouldbe the harm of only waiting till September?

Though Edmund was much more displeased with his aunt than with his mother, asevincing least regard for her niece, he could not help paying more attention towhat she said; and at length determined on a method of proceeding which wouldobviate the risk of his father’s thinking he had done too much, and atthe same time procure for Fanny the immediate means of exercise, which he couldnot bear she should be without. He had three horses of his own, but not onethat would carry a woman. Two of them were hunters; the third, a usefulroad-horse: this third he resolved to exchange for one that his cousin mightride; he knew where such a one was to be met with; and having once made up hismind, the whole business was soon completed. The new mare proved a treasure;with a very little trouble she became exactly calculated for the purpose, andFanny was then put in almost full possession of her. She had not supposedbefore that anything could ever suit her like the old grey pony; but herdelight in Edmund’s mare was far beyond any former pleasure of the sort;and the addition it was ever receiving in the consideration of that kindnessfrom which her pleasure sprung, was beyond all her words to express. Sheregarded her cousin as an example of everything good and great, as possessingworth which no one but herself could ever appreciate, and as entitled to suchgratitude from her as no feelings could be strong enough to pay. Her sentimentstowards him were compounded of all that was respectful, grateful, confiding,and tender.

As the horse continued in name, as well as fact, the property of Edmund, Mrs.Norris could tolerate its being for Fanny’s use; and had Lady Bertramever thought about her own objection again, he might have been excused in hereyes for not waiting till Sir Thomas’s return in September, for whenSeptember came Sir Thomas was still abroad, and without any near prospect offinishing his business. Unfavourable circumstances had suddenly arisen at amoment when he was beginning to turn all his thoughts towards England; and thevery great uncertainty in which everything was then involved determined him onsending home his son, and waiting the final arrangement by himself. Tom arrivedsafely, bringing an excellent account of his father’s health; but to verylittle purpose, as far as Mrs. Norris was concerned. Sir Thomas’s sendingaway his son seemed to her so like a parent’s care, under the influenceof a foreboding of evil to himself, that she could not help feeling dreadfulpresentiments; and as the long evenings of autumn came on, was so terriblyhaunted by these ideas, in the sad solitariness of her cottage, as to beobliged to take daily refuge in the dining-room of the Park. The return ofwinter engagements, however, was not without its effect; and in the course oftheir progress, her mind became so pleasantly occupied in superintending thefortunes of her eldest niece, as tolerably to quiet her nerves. “If poorSir Thomas were fated never to return, it would be peculiarly consoling to seetheir dear Maria well married,” she very often thought; always when theywere in the company of men of fortune, and particularly on the introduction ofa young man who had recently succeeded to one of the largest estates and finestplaces in the country.

Mr. Rushworth was from the first struck with the beauty of Miss Bertram, and,being inclined to marry, soon fancied himself in love. He was a heavy youngman, with not more than common sense; but as there was nothing disagreeable inhis figure or address, the young lady was well pleased with her conquest. Beingnow in her twenty-first year, Maria Bertram was beginning to think matrimony aduty; and as a marriage with Mr. Rushworth would give her the enjoyment of alarger income than her father’s, as well as ensure her the house in town,which was now a prime object, it became, by the same rule of moral obligation,her evident duty to marry Mr. Rushworth if she could. Mrs. Norris was mostzealous in promoting the match, by every suggestion and contrivance likely toenhance its desirableness to either party; and, among other means, by seekingan intimacy with the gentleman’s mother, who at present lived with him,and to whom she even forced Lady Bertram to go through ten miles of indifferentroad to pay a morning visit. It was not long before a good understanding tookplace between this lady and herself. Mrs. Rushworth acknowledged herself verydesirous that her son should marry, and declared that of all the young ladiesshe had ever seen, Miss Bertram seemed, by her amiable qualities andaccomplishments, the best adapted to make him happy. Mrs. Norris accepted thecompliment, and admired the nice discernment of character which could so welldistinguish merit. Maria was indeed the pride and delight of themall—perfectly faultless—an angel; and, of course, so surrounded byadmirers, must be difficult in her choice: but yet, as far as Mrs. Norris couldallow herself to decide on so short an acquaintance, Mr. Rushworth appearedprecisely the young man to deserve and attach her.

After dancing with each other at a proper number of balls, the young peoplejustified these opinions, and an engagement, with a due reference to the absentSir Thomas, was entered into, much to the satisfaction of their respectivefamilies, and of the general lookers-on of the neighbourhood, who had, for manyweeks past, felt the expediency of Mr. Rushworth’s marrying Miss Bertram.

It was some months before Sir Thomas’s consent could be received; but, inthe meanwhile, as no one felt a doubt of his most cordial pleasure in theconnexion, the intercourse of the two families was carried on withoutrestraint, and no other attempt made at secrecy than Mrs. Norris’stalking of it everywhere as a matter not to be talked of at present.

Edmund was the only one of the family who could see a fault in the business;but no representation of his aunt’s could induce him to find Mr.Rushworth a desirable companion. He could allow his sister to be the best judgeof her own happiness, but he was not pleased that her happiness should centrein a large income; nor could he refrain from often saying to himself, in Mr.Rushworth’s company—“If this man had not twelve thousand ayear, he would be a very stupid fellow.”

Sir Thomas, however, was truly happy in the prospect of an alliance sounquestionably advantageous, and of which he heard nothing but the perfectlygood and agreeable. It was a connexion exactly of the right sort—in thesame county, and the same interest—and his most hearty concurrence wasconveyed as soon as possible. He only conditioned that the marriage should nottake place before his return, which he was again looking eagerly forward to. Hewrote in April, and had strong hopes of settling everything to his entiresatisfaction, and leaving Antigua before the end of the summer.

Such was the state of affairs in the month of July; and Fanny had just reachedher eighteenth year, when the society of the village received an addition inthe brother and sister of Mrs. Grant, a Mr. and Miss Crawford, the children ofher mother by a second marriage. They were young people of fortune. The son hada good estate in Norfolk, the daughter twenty thousand pounds. As children,their sister had been always very fond of them; but, as her own marriage hadbeen soon followed by the death of their common parent, which left them to thecare of a brother of their father, of whom Mrs. Grant knew nothing, she hadscarcely seen them since. In their uncle’s house they had found a kindhome. Admiral and Mrs. Crawford, though agreeing in nothing else, were unitedin affection for these children, or, at least, were no farther adverse in theirfeelings than that each had their favourite, to whom they showed the greatestfondness of the two. The Admiral delighted in the boy, Mrs. Crawford doted onthe girl; and it was the lady’s death which now obliged herprotegee, after some months’ further trial at her uncle’shouse, to find another home. Admiral Crawford was a man of vicious conduct, whochose, instead of retaining his niece, to bring his mistress under his ownroof; and to this Mrs. Grant was indebted for her sister’s proposal ofcoming to her, a measure quite as welcome on one side as it could be expedienton the other; for Mrs. Grant, having by this time run through the usualresources of ladies residing in the country without a family ofchildren—having more than filled her favourite sitting-room with prettyfurniture, and made a choice collection of plants and poultry—was verymuch in want of some variety at home. The arrival, therefore, of a sister whomshe had always loved, and now hoped to retain with her as long as she remainedsingle, was highly agreeable; and her chief anxiety was lest Mansfield shouldnot satisfy the habits of a young woman who had been mostly used to London.

Miss Crawford was not entirely free from similar apprehensions, though theyarose principally from doubts of her sister’s style of living and tone ofsociety; and it was not till after she had tried in vain to persuade herbrother to settle with her at his own country house, that she could resolve tohazard herself among her other relations. To anything like a permanence ofabode, or limitation of society, Henry Crawford had, unluckily, a greatdislike: he could not accommodate his sister in an article of such importance;but he escorted her, with the utmost kindness, into Northamptonshire, and asreadily engaged to fetch her away again, at half an hour’s notice,whenever she were weary of the place.

The meeting was very satisfactory on each side. Miss Crawford found a sisterwithout preciseness or rusticity, a sister’s husband who looked thegentleman, and a house commodious and well fitted up; and Mrs. Grant receivedin those whom she hoped to love better than ever a young man and woman of veryprepossessing appearance. Mary Crawford was remarkably pretty; Henry, thoughnot handsome, had air and countenance; the manners of both were lively andpleasant, and Mrs. Grant immediately gave them credit for everything else. Shewas delighted with each, but Mary was her dearest object; and having never beenable to glory in beauty of her own, she thoroughly enjoyed the power of beingproud of her sister’s. She had not waited her arrival to look out for asuitable match for her: she had fixed on Tom Bertram; the eldest son of abaronet was not too good for a girl of twenty thousand pounds, with all theelegance and accomplishments which Mrs. Grant foresaw in her; and being awarm-hearted, unreserved woman, Mary had not been three hours in the housebefore she told her what she had planned.

Miss Crawford was glad to find a family of such consequence so very near them,and not at all displeased either at her sister’s early care, or thechoice it had fallen on. Matrimony was her object, provided she could marrywell: and having seen Mr. Bertram in town, she knew that objection could nomore be made to his person than to his situation in life. While she treated itas a joke, therefore, she did not forget to think of it seriously. The schemewas soon repeated to Henry.

“And now,” added Mrs. Grant, “I have thought of something tomake it complete. I should dearly love to settle you both in this country; andtherefore, Henry, you shall marry the youngest Miss Bertram, a nice, handsome,good-humoured, accomplished girl, who will make you very happy.”

Henry bowed and thanked her.

“My dear sister,” said Mary, “if you can persuade him intoanything of the sort, it will be a fresh matter of delight to me to find myselfallied to anybody so clever, and I shall only regret that you have not half adozen daughters to dispose of. If you can persuade Henry to marry, you musthave the address of a Frenchwoman. All that English abilities can do has beentried already. I have three very particular friends who have been all dying forhim in their turn; and the pains which they, their mothers (very clever women),as well as my dear aunt and myself, have taken to reason, coax, or trick himinto marrying, is inconceivable! He is the most horrible flirt that can beimagined. If your Miss Bertrams do not like to have their hearts broke, letthem avoid Henry.”

“My dear brother, I will not believe this of you.”

“No, I am sure you are too good. You will be kinder than Mary. You willallow for the doubts of youth and inexperience. I am of a cautious temper, andunwilling to risk my happiness in a hurry. Nobody can think more highly of thematrimonial state than myself. I consider the blessing of a wife as most justlydescribed in those discreet lines of the poet—‘Heaven’slastbest gift.’”

“There, Mrs. Grant, you see how he dwells on one word, and only look athis smile. I assure you he is very detestable; the Admiral’s lessons havequite spoiled him.”

“I pay very little regard,” said Mrs. Grant, “to what anyyoung person says on the subject of marriage. If they profess a disinclinationfor it, I only set it down that they have not yet seen the right person.”

Dr. Grant laughingly congratulated Miss Crawford on feeling no disinclinationto the state herself.

“Oh yes! I am not at all ashamed of it. I would have everybody marry ifthey can do it properly: I do not like to have people throw themselves away;but everybody should marry as soon as they can do it to advantage.”

CHAPTER V

The young people were pleased with each other from the first. On each sidethere was much to attract, and their acquaintance soon promised as early anintimacy as good manners would warrant. Miss Crawford’s beauty did her nodisservice with the Miss Bertrams. They were too handsome themselves to dislikeany woman for being so too, and were almost as much charmed as their brotherswith her lively dark eye, clear brown complexion, and general prettiness. Hadshe been tall, full formed, and fair, it might have been more of a trial: butas it was, there could be no comparison; and she was most allowably a sweet,pretty girl, while they were the finest young women in the country.

Her brother was not handsome: no, when they first saw him he was absolutelyplain, black and plain; but still he was the gentleman, with a pleasingaddress. The second meeting proved him not so very plain: he was plain, to besure, but then he had so much countenance, and his teeth were so good, and hewas so well made, that one soon forgot he was plain; and after a thirdinterview, after dining in company with him at the Parsonage, he was no longerallowed to be called so by anybody. He was, in fact, the most agreeable youngman the sisters had ever known, and they were equally delighted with him. MissBertram’s engagement made him in equity the property of Julia, of whichJulia was fully aware; and before he had been at Mansfield a week, she wasquite ready to be fallen in love with.

Maria’s notions on the subject were more confused and indistinct. She didnot want to see or understand. “There could be no harm in her liking anagreeable man—everybody knew her situation—Mr. Crawford must takecare of himself.” Mr. Crawford did not mean to be in any danger! the MissBertrams were worth pleasing, and were ready to be pleased; and he began withno object but of making them like him. He did not want them to die of love; butwith sense and temper which ought to have made him judge and feel better, heallowed himself great latitude on such points.

“I like your Miss Bertrams exceedingly, sister,” said he, as hereturned from attending them to their carriage after the said dinner visit;“they are very elegant, agreeable girls.”

“So they are indeed, and I am delighted to hear you say it. But you likeJulia best.”

“Oh yes! I like Julia best.”

“But do you really? for Miss Bertram is in general thought thehandsomest.”

“So I should suppose. She has the advantage in every feature, and Iprefer her countenance; but I like Julia best; Miss Bertram is certainly thehandsomest, and I have found her the most agreeable, but I shall always likeJulia best, because you order me.”

“I shall not talk to you, Henry, but I know you willlike her bestat last.”

“Do not I tell you that I like her best atfirst?”

“And besides, Miss Bertram is engaged. Remember that, my dear brother.Her choice is made.”

“Yes, and I like her the better for it. An engaged woman is always moreagreeable than a disengaged. She is satisfied with herself. Her cares are over,and she feels that she may exert all her powers of pleasing without suspicion.All is safe with a lady engaged: no harm can be done.”

“Why, as to that, Mr. Rushworth is a very good sort of young man, and itis a great match for her.”

“But Miss Bertram does not care three straws for him; thatis youropinion of your intimate friend. Ido not subscribe to it. I am sureMiss Bertram is very much attached to Mr. Rushworth. I could see it in hereyes, when he was mentioned. I think too well of Miss Bertram to suppose shewould ever give her hand without her heart.”

“Mary, how shall we manage him?”

“We must leave him to himself, I believe. Talking does no good. He willbe taken in at last.”

“But I would not have him takenin; I would not have himduped; I would have it all fair and honourable.”

“Oh dear! let him stand his chance and be taken in. It will do just aswell. Everybody is taken in at some period or other.”

“Not always in marriage, dear Mary.”

“In marriage especially. With all due respect to such of the presentcompany as chance to be married, my dear Mrs. Grant, there is not one in ahundred of either sex who is not taken in when they marry. Look where I will, Isee that it isso; and I feel that it mustbe so, when I considerthat it is, of all transactions, the one in which people expect most fromothers, and are least honest themselves.”

“Ah! You have been in a bad school for matrimony, in Hill Street.”

“My poor aunt had certainly little cause to love the state; but, however,speaking from my own observation, it is a manoeuvring business. I know so manywho have married in the full expectation and confidence of some one particularadvantage in the connexion, or accomplishment, or good quality in the person,who have found themselves entirely deceived, and been obliged to put up withexactly the reverse. What is this but a take in?”

“My dear child, there must be a little imagination here. I beg yourpardon, but I cannot quite believe you. Depend upon it, you see but half. Yousee the evil, but you do not see the consolation. There will be little rubs anddisappointments everywhere, and we are all apt to expect too much; but then, ifone scheme of happiness fails, human nature turns to another; if the firstcalculation is wrong, we make a second better: we find comfortsomewhere—and those evil-minded observers, dearest Mary, who make much ofa little, are more taken in and deceived than the parties themselves.”

“Well done, sister! I honour your espritducorps.When I am a wife, I mean to be just as staunch myself; and I wish my friends ingeneral would be so too. It would save me many a heartache.”

“You are as bad as your brother, Mary; but we will cure you both.Mansfield shall cure you both, and without any taking in. Stay with us, and wewill cure you.”

The Crawfords, without wanting to be cured, were very willing to stay. Mary wassatisfied with the Parsonage as a present home, and Henry equally ready tolengthen his visit. He had come, intending to spend only a few days with them;but Mansfield promised well, and there was nothing to call him elsewhere. Itdelighted Mrs. Grant to keep them both with her, and Dr. Grant was exceedinglywell contented to have it so: a talking pretty young woman like Miss Crawfordis always pleasant society to an indolent, stay-at-home man; and Mr.Crawford’s being his guest was an excuse for drinking claret every day.

The Miss Bertrams’ admiration of Mr. Crawford was more rapturous thananything which Miss Crawford’s habits made her likely to feel. Sheacknowledged, however, that the Mr. Bertrams were very fine young men, that twosuch young men were not often seen together even in London, and that theirmanners, particularly those of the eldest, were very good. Hehad beenmuch in London, and had more liveliness and gallantry than Edmund, and must,therefore, be preferred; and, indeed, his being the eldest was another strongclaim. She had felt an early presentiment that she shouldlike theeldest best. She knew it was her way.

Tom Bertram must have been thought pleasant, indeed, at any rate; he was thesort of young man to be generally liked, his agreeableness was of the kind tobe oftener found agreeable than some endowments of a higher stamp, for he hadeasy manners, excellent spirits, a large acquaintance, and a great deal to say;and the reversion of Mansfield Park, and a baronetcy, did no harm to all this.Miss Crawford soon felt that he and his situation might do. She looked abouther with due consideration, and found almost everything in his favour: a park,a real park, five miles round, a spacious modern-built house, so well placedand well screened as to deserve to be in any collection of engravings ofgentlemen’s seats in the kingdom, and wanting only to be completely newfurnished—pleasant sisters, a quiet mother, and an agreeable manhimself—with the advantage of being tied up from much gaming at presentby a promise to his father, and of being Sir Thomas hereafter. It might do verywell; she believed she should accept him; and she began accordingly to interestherself a little about the horse which he had to run at the B——races.

These races were to call him away not long after their acquaintance began; andas it appeared that the family did not, from his usual goings on, expect himback again for many weeks, it would bring his passion to an early proof. Muchwas said on his side to induce her to attend the races, and schemes were madefor a large party to them, with all the eagerness of inclination, but it wouldonly do to be talked of.

And Fanny, what was shedoing and thinking all this while? and what washeropinion of the newcomers? Few young ladies of eighteen could be lesscalled on to speak their opinion than Fanny. In a quiet way, very littleattended to, she paid her tribute of admiration to Miss Crawford’sbeauty; but as she still continued to think Mr. Crawford very plain, in spiteof her two cousins having repeatedly proved the contrary, she never mentionedhim. The notice, which she excited herself, was to this effect. “Ibegin now to understand you all, except Miss Price,” said Miss Crawford,as she was walking with the Mr. Bertrams. “Pray, is she out, or is shenot? I am puzzled. She dined at the Parsonage, with the rest of you, whichseemed like being out; and yet she says so little, that I can hardlysuppose she is.”

Edmund, to whom this was chiefly addressed, replied, “I believe I knowwhat you mean, but I will not undertake to answer the question. My cousin isgrown up. She has the age and sense of a woman, but the outs and not outs arebeyond me.”

“And yet, in general, nothing can be more easily ascertained. Thedistinction is so broad. Manners as well as appearance are, generally speaking,so totally different. Till now, I could not have supposed it possible to bemistaken as to a girl’s being out or not. A girl not out has always thesame sort of dress: a close bonnet, for instance; looks very demure, and neversays a word. You may smile, but it is so, I assure you; and except that it issometimes carried a little too far, it is all very proper. Girls should bequiet and modest. The most objectionable part is, that the alteration ofmanners on being introduced into company is frequently too sudden. Theysometimes pass in such very little time from reserve to quite theopposite—to confidence! Thatis the faulty part of the presentsystem. One does not like to see a girl of eighteen or nineteen so immediatelyup to every thing—and perhaps when one has seen her hardly able to speakthe year before. Mr. Bertram, I dare say youhave sometimes met withsuch changes.”

“I believe I have, but this is hardly fair; I see what you are at. Youare quizzing me and Miss Anderson.”

“No, indeed. Miss Anderson! I do not know who or what you mean. I amquite in the dark. But I willquiz you with a great deal of pleasure, ifyou will tell me what about.”

“Ah! you carry it off very well, but I cannot be quite so far imposed on.You must have had Miss Anderson in your eye, in describing an altered younglady. You paint too accurately for mistake. It was exactly so. The Andersons ofBaker Street. We were speaking of them the other day, you know. Edmund, youhave heard me mention Charles Anderson. The circumstance was precisely as thislady has represented it. When Anderson first introduced me to his family, abouttwo years ago, his sister was not out, and I could not get her to speakto me. I sat there an hour one morning waiting for Anderson, with only her anda little girl or two in the room, the governess being sick or run away, and themother in and out every moment with letters of business, and I could hardly geta word or a look from the young lady—nothing like a civilanswer—she screwed up her mouth, and turned from me with such an air! Idid not see her again for a twelvemonth. She was then out. I met her atMrs. Holford’s, and did not recollect her. She came up to me, claimed meas an acquaintance, stared me out of countenance; and talked and laughed till Idid not know which way to look. I felt that I must be the jest of the room atthe time, and Miss Crawford, it is plain, has heard the story.”

“And a very pretty story it is, and with more truth in it, I dare say,than does credit to Miss Anderson. It is too common a fault. Mothers certainlyhave not yet got quite the right way of managing their daughters. I do not knowwhere the error lies. I do not pretend to set people right, but I do see thatthey are often wrong.”

“Those who are showing the world what female manners shouldbe,” said Mr. Bertram gallantly, “are doing a great deal to setthem right.”

“The error is plain enough,” said the less courteous Edmund;“such girls are ill brought up. They are given wrong notions from thebeginning. They are always acting upon motives of vanity, and there is no morereal modesty in their behaviour beforethey appear in public thanafterwards.”

“I do not know,” replied Miss Crawford hesitatingly. “Yes, Icannot agree with you there. It is certainly the modestest part of thebusiness. It is much worse to have girls not out give themselves the same airsand take the same liberties as if they were, which I have seen done. That isworse than anything—quite disgusting!”

“Yes, thatis very inconvenient indeed,” said Mr. Bertram.“It leads one astray; one does not know what to do. The close bonnet anddemure air you describe so well (and nothing was ever juster), tell one what isexpected; but I got into a dreadful scrape last year from the want of them. Iwent down to Ramsgate for a week with a friend last September, just after myreturn from the West Indies. My friend Sneyd—you have heard me speak ofSneyd, Edmund—his father, and mother, and sisters, were there, all new tome. When we reached Albion Place they were out; we went after them, and foundthem on the pier: Mrs. and the two Miss Sneyds, with others of theiracquaintance. I made my bow in form; and as Mrs. Sneyd was surrounded by men,attached myself to one of her daughters, walked by her side all the way home,and made myself as agreeable as I could; the young lady perfectly easy in hermanners, and as ready to talk as to listen. I had not a suspicion that I couldbe doing anything wrong. They looked just the same: both well-dressed, withveils and parasols like other girls; but I afterwards found that I had beengiving all my attention to the youngest, who was not out, and had mostexcessively offended the eldest. Miss Augusta ought not to have been noticedfor the next six months; and Miss Sneyd, I believe, has never forgivenme.”

“That was bad indeed. Poor Miss Sneyd. Though I have no younger sister, Ifeel for her. To be neglected before one’s time must be very vexatious;but it was entirely the mother’s fault. Miss Augusta should have beenwith her governess. Such half-and-half doings never prosper. But now I must besatisfied about Miss Price. Does she go to balls? Does she dine out everywhere, as well as at my sister’s?”

“No,” replied Edmund; “I do not think she has ever been to aball. My mother seldom goes into company herself, and dines nowhere but withMrs. Grant, and Fanny stays at home with her.”

“Oh! then the point is clear. Miss Price is not out.”

CHAPTER VI

Mr. Bertram set off for————, and Miss Crawford wasprepared to find a great chasm in their society, and to miss him decidedly inthe meetings which were now becoming almost daily between the families; and ontheir all dining together at the Park soon after his going, she retook herchosen place near the bottom of the table, fully expecting to feel a mostmelancholy difference in the change of masters. It would be a very flatbusiness, she was sure. In comparison with his brother, Edmund would havenothing to say. The soup would be sent round in a most spiritless manner, winedrank without any smiles or agreeable trifling, and the venison cut up withoutsupplying one pleasant anecdote of any former haunch, or a single entertainingstory, about “my friend such a one.” She must try to find amusementin what was passing at the upper end of the table, and in observing Mr.Rushworth, who was now making his appearance at Mansfield for the first timesince the Crawfords’ arrival. He had been visiting a friend in theneighbouring county, and that friend having recently had his grounds laid outby an improver, Mr. Rushworth was returned with his head full of the subject,and very eager to be improving his own place in the same way; and though notsaying much to the purpose, could talk of nothing else. The subject had beenalready handled in the drawing-room; it was revived in the dining-parlour. MissBertram’s attention and opinion was evidently his chief aim; and thoughher deportment showed rather conscious superiority than any solicitude tooblige him, the mention of Sotherton Court, and the ideas attached to it, gaveher a feeling of complacency, which prevented her from being very ungracious.

“I wish you could see Compton,” said he; “it is the mostcomplete thing! I never saw a place so altered in my life. I told Smith I didnot know where I was. The approach now, is one of the finest things inthe country: you see the house in the most surprising manner. I declare, when Igot back to Sotherton yesterday, it looked like a prison—quite a dismalold prison.”

“Oh, for shame!” cried Mrs. Norris. “A prison indeed?Sotherton Court is the noblest old place in the world.”

“It wants improvement, ma’am, beyond anything. I never saw a placethat wanted so much improvement in my life; and it is so forlorn that I do notknow what can be done with it.”

“No wonder that Mr. Rushworth should think so at present,” saidMrs. Grant to Mrs. Norris, with a smile; “but depend upon it, Sothertonwill have everyimprovement in time which his heart can desire.”

“I must try to do something with it,” said Mr. Rushworth,“but I do not know what. I hope I shall have some good friend to helpme.”

“Your best friend upon such an occasion,” said Miss Bertram calmly,“would be Mr. Repton, I imagine.”

“That is what I was thinking of. As he has done so well by Smith, I thinkI had better have him at once. His terms are five guineas a day.”

“Well, and if they were ten,” cried Mrs. Norris, “I amsure youneed not regard it. The expense need not be any impediment. IfI were you, I should not think of the expense. I would have everything done inthe best style, and made as nice as possible. Such a place as Sotherton Courtdeserves everything that taste and money can do. You have space to work uponthere, and grounds that will well reward you. For my own part, if I hadanything within the fiftieth part of the size of Sotherton, I should be alwaysplanting and improving, for naturally I am excessively fond of it. It would betoo ridiculous for me to attempt anything where I am now, with my little halfacre. It would be quite a burlesque. But if I had more room, I should take aprodigious delight in improving and planting. We did a vast deal in that way atthe Parsonage: we made it quite a different place from what it was when wefirst had it. You young ones do not remember much about it, perhaps; but ifdear Sir Thomas were here, he could tell you what improvements we made: and agreat deal more would have been done, but for poor Mr. Norris’s sad stateof health. He could hardly ever get out, poor man, to enjoy anything, andthatdisheartened me from doing several things that Sir Thomas and Iused to talk of. If it had not been for that, we should have carried onthe garden wall, and made the plantation to shut out the churchyard, just asDr. Grant has done. We were always doing something as it was. It was only thespring twelvemonth before Mr. Norris’s death that we put in the apricotagainst the stable wall, which is now grown such a noble tree, and getting tosuch perfection, sir,” addressing herself then to Dr. Grant.

“The tree thrives well, beyond a doubt, madam,” replied Dr. Grant.“The soil is good; and I never pass it without regretting that the fruitshould be so little worth the trouble of gathering.”

“Sir, it is a Moor Park, we bought it as a Moor Park, and it costus—that is, it was a present from Sir Thomas, but I saw thebill—and I know it cost seven shillings, and was charged as a MoorPark.”

“You were imposed on, ma’am,” replied Dr. Grant: “thesepotatoes have as much the flavour of a Moor Park apricot as the fruit from thattree. It is an insipid fruit at the best; but a good apricot is eatable, whichnone from my garden are.”

“The truth is, ma’am,” said Mrs. Grant, pretending to whisperacross the table to Mrs. Norris, “that Dr. Grant hardly knows what thenatural taste of our apricot is: he is scarcely ever indulged with one, for itis so valuable a fruit; with a little assistance, and ours is such a remarkablylarge, fair sort, that what with early tarts and preserves, my cook contrivesto get them all.”

Mrs. Norris, who had begun to redden, was appeased; and, for a little while,other subjects took place of the improvements of Sotherton. Dr. Grant and Mrs.Norris were seldom good friends; their acquaintance had begun in dilapidations,and their habits were totally dissimilar.

After a short interruption Mr. Rushworth began again. “Smith’splace is the admiration of all the country; and it was a mere nothing beforeRepton took it in hand. I think I shall have Repton.”

“Mr. Rushworth,” said Lady Bertram, “if I were you, I wouldhave a very pretty shrubbery. One likes to get out into a shrubbery in fineweather.”

Mr. Rushworth was eager to assure her ladyship of his acquiescence, and triedto make out something complimentary; but, between his submission to hertaste, and his having always intended the same himself, with the superaddedobjects of professing attention to the comfort of ladies in general, and ofinsinuating that there was one only whom he was anxious to please, he grewpuzzled, and Edmund was glad to put an end to his speech by a proposal of wine.Mr. Rushworth, however, though not usually a great talker, had still more tosay on the subject next his heart. “Smith has not much above a hundredacres altogether in his grounds, which is little enough, and makes it moresurprising that the place can have been so improved. Now, at Sotherton we havea good seven hundred, without reckoning the water meadows; so that I think, ifso much could be done at Compton, we need not despair. There have been two orthree fine old trees cut down, that grew too near the house, and it opens theprospect amazingly, which makes me think that Repton, or anybody of that sort,would certainly have the avenue at Sotherton down: the avenue that leads fromthe west front to the top of the hill, you know,” turning to Miss Bertramparticularly as he spoke. But Miss Bertram thought it most becoming toreply—

“The avenue! Oh! I do not recollect it. I really know very little ofSotherton.”

Fanny, who was sitting on the other side of Edmund, exactly opposite MissCrawford, and who had been attentively listening, now looked at him, and saidin a low voice—

“Cut down an avenue! What a pity! Does it not make you think of Cowper?‘Ye fallen avenues, once more I mourn your fate unmerited.’”

He smiled as he answered, “I am afraid the avenue stands a bad chance,Fanny.”

“I should like to see Sotherton before it is cut down, to see the placeas it is now, in its old state; but I do not suppose I shall.”

“Have you never been there? No, you never can; and, unluckily, it is outof distance for a ride. I wish we could contrive it.”

“Oh! it does not signify. Whenever I do see it, you will tell me how ithas been altered.”

“I collect,” said Miss Crawford, “that Sotherton is an oldplace, and a place of some grandeur. In any particular style ofbuilding?”

“The house was built in Elizabeth’s time, and is a large, regular,brick building; heavy, but respectable looking, and has many good rooms. It isill placed. It stands in one of the lowest spots of the park; in that respect,unfavourable for improvement. But the woods are fine, and there is a stream,which, I dare say, might be made a good deal of. Mr. Rushworth is quite right,I think, in meaning to give it a modern dress, and I have no doubt that it willbe all done extremely well.”

Miss Crawford listened with submission, and said to herself, “He is awell-bred man; he makes the best of it.”

“I do not wish to influence Mr. Rushworth,” he continued;“but, had I a place to new fashion, I should not put myself into thehands of an improver. I would rather have an inferior degree of beauty, of myown choice, and acquired progressively. I would rather abide by my own blundersthan by his.”

“Youwould know what you were about, of course; but that would notsuit me. I have no eye or ingenuity for such matters, but as they arebefore me; and had I a place of my own in the country, I should be mostthankful to any Mr. Repton who would undertake it, and give me as much beautyas he could for my money; and I should never look at it till it wascomplete.”

“It would be delightful to meto see the progress of itall,” said Fanny.

“Ay, you have been brought up to it. It was no part of my education; andthe only dose I ever had, being administered by not the first favourite in theworld, has made me consider improvements inhandas the greatestof nuisances. Three years ago the Admiral, my honoured uncle, bought a cottageat Twickenham for us all to spend our summers in; and my aunt and I went downto it quite in raptures; but it being excessively pretty, it was soon foundnecessary to be improved, and for three months we were all dirt and confusion,without a gravel walk to step on, or a bench fit for use. I would haveeverything as complete as possible in the country, shrubberies andflower-gardens, and rustic seats innumerable: but it must all be done withoutmy care. Henry is different; he loves to be doing.”

Edmund was sorry to hear Miss Crawford, whom he was much disposed to admire,speak so freely of her uncle. It did not suit his sense of propriety, and hewas silenced, till induced by further smiles and liveliness to put the matterby for the present.

“Mr. Bertram,” said she, “I have tidings of my harp at last.I am assured that it is safe at Northampton; and there it has probably beenthese ten days, in spite of the solemn assurances we have so often received tothe contrary.” Edmund expressed his pleasure and surprise. “Thetruth is, that our inquiries were too direct; we sent a servant, we wentourselves: this will not do seventy miles from London; but this morning weheard of it in the right way. It was seen by some farmer, and he told themiller, and the miller told the butcher, and the butcher’s son-in-lawleft word at the shop.”

“I am very glad that you have heard of it, by whatever means, and hopethere will be no further delay.”

“I am to have it to-morrow; but how do you think it is to be conveyed?Not by a wagon or cart: oh no! nothing of that kind could be hired in thevillage. I might as well have asked for porters and a handbarrow.”

“You would find it difficult, I dare say, just now, in the middle of avery late hay harvest, to hire a horse and cart?”

“I was astonished to find what a piece of work was made of it! To want ahorse and cart in the country seemed impossible, so I told my maid to speak forone directly; and as I cannot look out of my dressing-closet without seeing onefarmyard, nor walk in the shrubbery without passing another, I thought it wouldbe only ask and have, and was rather grieved that I could not give theadvantage to all. Guess my surprise, when I found that I had been asking themost unreasonable, most impossible thing in the world; had offended all thefarmers, all the labourers, all the hay in the parish! As for Dr. Grant’sbailiff, I believe I had better keep out of hisway; and mybrother-in-law himself, who is all kindness in general, looked rather blackupon me when he found what I had been at.”

“You could not be expected to have thought on the subject before; butwhen you dothink of it, you must see the importance of getting in thegrass. The hire of a cart at any time might not be so easy as you suppose: ourfarmers are not in the habit of letting them out; but, in harvest, it must bequite out of their power to spare a horse.”

“I shall understand all your ways in time; but, coming down with the trueLondon maxim, that everything is to be got with money, I was a littleembarrassed at first by the sturdy independence of your country customs.However, I am to have my harp fetched to-morrow. Henry, who is good-natureitself, has offered to fetch it in his barouche. Will it not be honourablyconveyed?”

Edmund spoke of the harp as his favourite instrument, and hoped to be soonallowed to hear her. Fanny had never heard the harp at all, and wished for itvery much.

“I shall be most happy to play to you both,” said Miss Crawford;“at least as long as you can like to listen: probably much longer, for Idearly love music myself, and where the natural taste is equal the player mustalways be best off, for she is gratified in more ways than one. Now, Mr.Bertram, if you write to your brother, I entreat you to tell him that my harpis come: he heard so much of my misery about it. And you may say, if youplease, that I shall prepare my most plaintive airs against his return, incompassion to his feelings, as I know his horse will lose.”

“If I write, I will say whatever you wish me; but I do not, at present,foresee any occasion for writing.”

“No, I dare say, nor if he were to be gone a twelvemonth, would you everwrite to him, nor he to you, if it could be helped. The occasion would never beforeseen. What strange creatures brothers are! You would not write to eachother but upon the most urgent necessity in the world; and when obliged to takeup the pen to say that such a horse is ill, or such a relation dead, it is donein the fewest possible words. You have but one style among you. I know itperfectly. Henry, who is in every other respect exactly what a brother shouldbe, who loves me, consults me, confides in me, and will talk to me by the hourtogether, has never yet turned the page in a letter; and very often it isnothing more than—‘Dear Mary, I am just arrived. Bath seems full,and everything as usual. Yours sincerely.’ That is the true manly style;that is a complete brother’s letter.”

“When they are at a distance from all their family,” said Fanny,colouring for William’s sake, “they can write long letters.”

“Miss Price has a brother at sea,” said Edmund, “whoseexcellence as a correspondent makes her think you too severe upon us.”

“At sea, has she? In the king’s service, of course?”

Fanny would rather have had Edmund tell the story, but his determined silenceobliged her to relate her brother’s situation: her voice was animated inspeaking of his profession, and the foreign stations he had been on; but shecould not mention the number of years that he had been absent without tears inher eyes. Miss Crawford civilly wished him an early promotion.

“Do you know anything of my cousin’s captain?” said Edmund;“Captain Marshall? You have a large acquaintance in the navy, Iconclude?”

“Among admirals, large enough; but,” with an air of grandeur,“we know very little of the inferior ranks. Post-captains may be verygood sort of men, but they do not belong to us. Of various admirals Icould tell you a great deal: of them and their flags, and the gradation oftheir pay, and their bickerings and jealousies. But, in general, I can assureyou that they are all passed over, and all very ill used. Certainly, my home atmy uncle’s brought me acquainted with a circle of admirals. OfRearsand VicesI saw enough. Now do not be suspecting me of apun, I entreat.”

Edmund again felt grave, and only replied, “It is a nobleprofession.”

“Yes, the profession is well enough under two circumstances: if it makethe fortune, and there be discretion in spending it; but, in short, it is not afavourite profession of mine. It has never worn an amiable form tome.”

Edmund reverted to the harp, and was again very happy in the prospect ofhearing her play.

The subject of improving grounds, meanwhile, was still under considerationamong the others; and Mrs. Grant could not help addressing her brother, thoughit was calling his attention from Miss Julia Bertram.

“My dear Henry, have younothing to say? You have been an improveryourself, and from what I hear of Everingham, it may vie with any place inEngland. Its natural beauties, I am sure, are great. Everingham, as itusedto be, was perfect in my estimation: such a happy fall of ground,and such timber! What would I not give to see it again!”

“Nothing could be so gratifying to me as to hear your opinion ofit,” was his answer; “but I fear there would be somedisappointment: you would not find it equal to your present ideas. In extent,it is a mere nothing; you would be surprised at its insignificance; and, as forimprovement, there was very little for me to do—too little: I should liketo have been busy much longer.”

“You are fond of the sort of thing?” said Julia.

“Excessively; but what with the natural advantages of the ground, whichpointed out, even to a very young eye, what little remained to be done, and myown consequent resolutions, I had not been of age three months beforeEveringham was all that it is now. My plan was laid at Westminster, a littlealtered, perhaps, at Cambridge, and at one-and-twenty executed. I am inclinedto envy Mr. Rushworth for having so much happiness yet before him. I have beena devourer of my own.”

“Those who see quickly, will resolve quickly, and act quickly,”said Julia. “Youcan never want employment. Instead of envying Mr.Rushworth, you should assist him with your opinion.”

Mrs. Grant, hearing the latter part of this speech, enforced it warmly,persuaded that no judgment could be equal to her brother’s; and as MissBertram caught at the idea likewise, and gave it her full support, declaringthat, in her opinion, it was infinitely better to consult with friends anddisinterested advisers, than immediately to throw the business into the handsof a professional man, Mr. Rushworth was very ready to request the favour ofMr. Crawford’s assistance; and Mr. Crawford, after properly depreciatinghis own abilities, was quite at his service in any way that could be useful.Mr. Rushworth then began to propose Mr. Crawford’s doing him the honourof coming over to Sotherton, and taking a bed there; when Mrs. Norris, as ifreading in her two nieces’ minds their little approbation of a plan whichwas to take Mr. Crawford away, interposed with an amendment.

“There can be no doubt of Mr. Crawford’s willingness; but whyshould not more of us go? Why should not we make a little party? Here are manythat would be interested in your improvements, my dear Mr. Rushworth, and thatwould like to hear Mr. Crawford’s opinion on the spot, and that might beof some small use to you with theiropinions; and, for my own part, Ihave been long wishing to wait upon your good mother again; nothing but havingno horses of my own could have made me so remiss; but now I could go and sit afew hours with Mrs. Rushworth, while the rest of you walked about and settledthings, and then we could all return to a late dinner here, or dine atSotherton, just as might be most agreeable to your mother, and have a pleasantdrive home by moonlight. I dare say Mr. Crawford would take my two nieces andme in his barouche, and Edmund can go on horseback, you know, sister, and Fannywill stay at home with you.”

Lady Bertram made no objection; and every one concerned in the going wasforward in expressing their ready concurrence, excepting Edmund, who heard itall and said nothing.

CHAPTER VII

“Well, Fanny, and how do you like Miss Crawford now?” saidEdmund the next day, after thinking some time on the subject himself.“How did you like her yesterday?”

“Very well—very much. I like to hear her talk. She entertains me;and she is so extremely pretty, that I have great pleasure in looking ather.”

“It is her countenance that is so attractive. She has a wonderful play offeature! But was there nothing in her conversation that struck you, Fanny, asnot quite right?”

“Oh yes! she ought not to have spoken of her uncle as she did. I wasquite astonished. An uncle with whom she has been living so many years, andwho, whatever his faults may be, is so very fond of her brother, treating him,they say, quite like a son. I could not have believed it!”

“I thought you would be struck. It was very wrong; veryindecorous.”

“And very ungrateful, I think.”

“Ungrateful is a strong word. I do not know that her uncle has any claimto her gratitude; his wife certainly had; and it is the warmth of herrespect for her aunt’s memory which misleads her here. She is awkwardlycircumstanced. With such warm feelings and lively spirits it must be difficultto do justice to her affection for Mrs. Crawford, without throwing a shade onthe Admiral. I do not pretend to know which was most to blame in theirdisagreements, though the Admiral’s present conduct might incline one tothe side of his wife; but it is natural and amiable that Miss Crawford shouldacquit her aunt entirely. I do not censure her opinions; but therecertainly isimpropriety in making them public.”

“Do not you think,” said Fanny, after a little consideration,“that this impropriety is a reflection itself upon Mrs. Crawford, as herniece has been entirely brought up by her? She cannot have given her rightnotions of what was due to the Admiral.”

“That is a fair remark. Yes, we must suppose the faults of the niece tohave been those of the aunt; and it makes one more sensible of thedisadvantages she has been under. But I think her present home must do hergood. Mrs. Grant’s manners are just what they ought to be. She speaks ofher brother with a very pleasing affection.”

“Yes, except as to his writing her such short letters. She made me almostlaugh; but I cannot rate so very highly the love or good-nature of a brotherwho will not give himself the trouble of writing anything worth reading to hissisters, when they are separated. I am sure William would never have usedmeso, under any circumstances. And what right had she to suppose thatyouwould not write long letters when you were absent?”

“The right of a lively mind, Fanny, seizing whatever may contribute toits own amusement or that of others; perfectly allowable, when untinctured byill-humour or roughness; and there is not a shadow of either in the countenanceor manner of Miss Crawford: nothing sharp, or loud, or coarse. She is perfectlyfeminine, except in the instances we have been speaking of. There she cannot bejustified. I am glad you saw it all as I did.”

Having formed her mind and gained her affections, he had a good chance of herthinking like him; though at this period, and on this subject, there began nowto be some danger of dissimilarity, for he was in a line of admiration of MissCrawford, which might lead him where Fanny could not follow. MissCrawford’s attractions did not lessen. The harp arrived, and rather addedto her beauty, wit, and good-humour; for she played with the greatestobligingness, with an expression and taste which were peculiarly becoming, andthere was something clever to be said at the close of every air. Edmund was atthe Parsonage every day, to be indulged with his favourite instrument: onemorning secured an invitation for the next; for the lady could not be unwillingto have a listener, and every thing was soon in a fair train.

A young woman, pretty, lively, with a harp as elegant as herself, and bothplaced near a window, cut down to the ground, and opening on a little lawn,surrounded by shrubs in the rich foliage of summer, was enough to catch anyman’s heart. The season, the scene, the air, were all favourable totenderness and sentiment. Mrs. Grant and her tambour frame were not withouttheir use: it was all in harmony; and as everything will turn to account whenlove is once set going, even the sandwich tray, and Dr. Grant doing the honoursof it, were worth looking at. Without studying the business, however, orknowing what he was about, Edmund was beginning, at the end of a week of suchintercourse, to be a good deal in love; and to the credit of the lady it may beadded that, without his being a man of the world or an elder brother, withoutany of the arts of flattery or the gaieties of small talk, he began to beagreeable to her. She felt it to be so, though she had not foreseen, and couldhardly understand it; for he was not pleasant by any common rule: he talked nononsense; he paid no compliments; his opinions were unbending, his attentionstranquil and simple. There was a charm, perhaps, in his sincerity, hissteadiness, his integrity, which Miss Crawford might be equal to feel, thoughnot equal to discuss with herself. She did not think very much about it,however: he pleased her for the present; she liked to have him near her; it wasenough.

Fanny could not wonder that Edmund was at the Parsonage every morning; shewould gladly have been there too, might she have gone in uninvited andunnoticed, to hear the harp; neither could she wonder that, when the eveningstroll was over, and the two families parted again, he should think it right toattend Mrs. Grant and her sister to their home, while Mr. Crawford was devotedto the ladies of the Park; but she thought it a very bad exchange; and ifEdmund were not there to mix the wine and water for her, would rather gowithout it than not. She was a little surprised that he could spend so manyhours with Miss Crawford, and not see more of the sort of fault which he hadalready observed, and of which shewas almost always reminded by asomething of the same nature whenever she was in her company; but so it was.Edmund was fond of speaking to her of Miss Crawford, but he seemed to think itenough that the Admiral had since been spared; and she scrupled to point outher own remarks to him, lest it should appear like ill-nature. The first actualpain which Miss Crawford occasioned her was the consequence of an inclinationto learn to ride, which the former caught, soon after her being settled atMansfield, from the example of the young ladies at the Park, and which, whenEdmund’s acquaintance with her increased, led to his encouraging thewish, and the offer of his own quiet mare for the purpose of her firstattempts, as the best fitted for a beginner that either stable could furnish.No pain, no injury, however, was designed by him to his cousin in this offer:shewas not to lose a day’s exercise by it. The mare was only tobe taken down to the Parsonage half an hour before her ride were to begin; andFanny, on its being first proposed, so far from feeling slighted, was almostover-powered with gratitude that he should be asking her leave for it.

Miss Crawford made her first essay with great credit to herself, and noinconvenience to Fanny. Edmund, who had taken down the mare and presided at thewhole, returned with it in excellent time, before either Fanny or the steadyold coachman, who always attended her when she rode without her cousins, wereready to set forward. The second day’s trial was not so guiltless. MissCrawford’s enjoyment of riding was such that she did not know how toleave off. Active and fearless, and though rather small, strongly made, sheseemed formed for a horsewoman; and to the pure genuine pleasure of theexercise, something was probably added in Edmund’s attendance andinstructions, and something more in the conviction of very much surpassing hersex in general by her early progress, to make her unwilling to dismount. Fannywas ready and waiting, and Mrs. Norris was beginning to scold her for not beinggone, and still no horse was announced, no Edmund appeared. To avoid her aunt,and look for him, she went out.

The houses, though scarcely half a mile apart, were not within sight of eachother; but, by walking fifty yards from the hall door, she could look down thepark, and command a view of the Parsonage and all its demesnes, gently risingbeyond the village road; and in Dr. Grant’s meadow she immediately sawthe group—Edmund and Miss Crawford both on horse-back, riding side byside, Dr. and Mrs. Grant, and Mr. Crawford, with two or three grooms, standingabout and looking on. A happy party it appeared to her, all interested in oneobject: cheerful beyond a doubt, for the sound of merriment ascended even toher. It was a sound which did not make hercheerful; she wondered thatEdmund should forget her, and felt a pang. She could not turn her eyes from themeadow; she could not help watching all that passed. At first Miss Crawford andher companion made the circuit of the field, which was not small, at afoot’s pace; then, at herapparent suggestion, they rose into acanter; and to Fanny’s timid nature it was most astonishing to see howwell she sat. After a few minutes they stopped entirely. Edmund was close toher; he was speaking to her; he was evidently directing her management of thebridle; he had hold of her hand; she saw it, or the imagination supplied whatthe eye could not reach. She must not wonder at all this; what could be morenatural than that Edmund should be making himself useful, and proving hisgood-nature by any one? She could not but think, indeed, that Mr. Crawfordmight as well have saved him the trouble; that it would have been particularlyproper and becoming in a brother to have done it himself; but Mr. Crawford,with all his boasted good-nature, and all his coachmanship, probably knewnothing of the matter, and had no active kindness in comparison of Edmund. Shebegan to think it rather hard upon the mare to have such double duty; if shewere forgotten, the poor mare should be remembered.

Her feelings for one and the other were soon a little tranquillised by seeingthe party in the meadow disperse, and Miss Crawford still on horseback, butattended by Edmund on foot, pass through a gate into the lane, and so into thepark, and make towards the spot where she stood. She began then to be afraid ofappearing rude and impatient; and walked to meet them with a great anxiety toavoid the suspicion.

“My dear Miss Price,” said Miss Crawford, as soon as she was at allwithin hearing, “I am come to make my own apologies for keeping youwaiting; but I have nothing in the world to say for myself—I knew it wasvery late, and that I was behaving extremely ill; and therefore, if you please,you must forgive me. Selfishness must always be forgiven, you know, becausethere is no hope of a cure.”

Fanny’s answer was extremely civil, and Edmund added his conviction thatshe could be in no hurry. “For there is more than time enough for mycousin to ride twice as far as she ever goes,” said he, “and youhave been promoting her comfort by preventing her from setting off half an hoursooner: clouds are now coming up, and she will not suffer from the heat as shewould have done then. I wish youmay not be fatigued by so muchexercise. I wish you had saved yourself this walk home.”

“No part of it fatigues me but getting off this horse, I assureyou,” said she, as she sprang down with his help; “I am verystrong. Nothing ever fatigues me but doing what I do not like. Miss Price, Igive way to you with a very bad grace; but I sincerely hope you will have apleasant ride, and that I may have nothing but good to hear of this dear,delightful, beautiful animal.”

The old coachman, who had been waiting about with his own horse, now joiningthem, Fanny was lifted on hers, and they set off across another part of thepark; her feelings of discomfort not lightened by seeing, as she looked back,that the others were walking down the hill together to the village; nor did herattendant do her much good by his comments on Miss Crawford’s greatcleverness as a horse-woman, which he had been watching with an interest almostequal to her own.

“It is a pleasure to see a lady with such a good heart for riding!”said he. “I never see one sit a horse better. She did not seem to have athought of fear. Very different from you, miss, when you first began, six yearsago come next Easter. Lord bless you! how you did tremble when Sir Thomas firsthad you put on!”

In the drawing-room Miss Crawford was also celebrated. Her merit in beinggifted by Nature with strength and courage was fully appreciated by the MissBertrams; her delight in riding was like their own; her early excellence in itwas like their own, and they had great pleasure in praising it.

“I was sure she would ride well,” said Julia; “she has themake for it. Her figure is as neat as her brother’s.”

“Yes,” added Maria, “and her spirits are as good, and she hasthe same energy of character. I cannot but think that good horsemanship has agreat deal to do with the mind.”

When they parted at night Edmund asked Fanny whether she meant to ride the nextday.

“No, I do not know—not if you want the mare,” was her answer.

“I do not want her at all for myself,” said he; “but wheneveryou are next inclined to stay at home, I think Miss Crawford would be glad tohave her a longer time—for a whole morning, in short. She has a greatdesire to get as far as Mansfield Common: Mrs. Grant has been telling her ofits fine views, and I have no doubt of her being perfectly equal to it. But anymorning will do for this. She would be extremely sorry to interfere with you.It would be very wrong if she did. Sherides only for pleasure;youfor health.”

“I shall not ride to-morrow, certainly,” said Fanny; “I havebeen out very often lately, and would rather stay at home. You know I am strongenough now to walk very well.”

Edmund looked pleased, which must be Fanny’s comfort, and the ride toMansfield Common took place the next morning: the party included all the youngpeople but herself, and was much enjoyed at the time, and doubly enjoyed againin the evening discussion. A successful scheme of this sort generally brings onanother; and the having been to Mansfield Common disposed them all for goingsomewhere else the day after. There were many other views to be shewn; andthough the weather was hot, there were shady lanes wherever they wanted to go.A young party is always provided with a shady lane. Four fine morningssuccessively were spent in this manner, in shewing the Crawfords the country,and doing the honours of its finest spots. Everything answered; it was allgaiety and good-humour, the heat only supplying inconvenience enough to betalked of with pleasure—till the fourth day, when the happiness of one ofthe party was exceedingly clouded. Miss Bertram was the one. Edmund and Juliawere invited to dine at the Parsonage, and shewas excluded. It wasmeant and done by Mrs. Grant, with perfect good-humour, on Mr.Rushworth’s account, who was partly expected at the Park that day; but itwas felt as a very grievous injury, and her good manners were severely taxed toconceal her vexation and anger till she reached home. As Mr. Rushworth didnotcome, the injury was increased, and she had not even the relief ofshewing her power over him; she could only be sullen to her mother, aunt, andcousin, and throw as great a gloom as possible over their dinner and dessert.

Between ten and eleven Edmund and Julia walked into the drawing-room, freshwith the evening air, glowing and cheerful, the very reverse of what they foundin the three ladies sitting there, for Maria would scarcely raise her eyes fromher book, and Lady Bertram was half-asleep; and even Mrs. Norris, discomposedby her niece’s ill-humour, and having asked one or two questions aboutthe dinner, which were not immediately attended to, seemed almost determined tosay no more. For a few minutes the brother and sister were too eager in theirpraise of the night and their remarks on the stars, to think beyond themselves;but when the first pause came, Edmund, looking around, said, “But whereis Fanny? Is she gone to bed?”

“No, not that I know of,” replied Mrs. Norris; “she was herea moment ago.”

Her own gentle voice speaking from the other end of the room, which was a verylong one, told them that she was on the sofa. Mrs. Norris began scolding.

“That is a very foolish trick, Fanny, to be idling away all the eveningupon a sofa. Why cannot you come and sit here, and employ yourself as wedo? If you have no work of your own, I can supply you from the poor basket.There is all the new calico, that was bought last week, not touched yet. I amsure I almost broke my back by cutting it out. You should learn to think ofother people; and, take my word for it, it is a shocking trick for a youngperson to be always lolling upon a sofa.”

Before half this was said, Fanny was returned to her seat at the table, and hadtaken up her work again; and Julia, who was in high good-humour, from thepleasures of the day, did her the justice of exclaiming, “I must say,ma’am, that Fanny is as little upon the sofa as anybody in thehouse.”

“Fanny,” said Edmund, after looking at her attentively, “I amsure you have the headache.”

She could not deny it, but said it was not very bad.

“I can hardly believe you,” he replied; “I know your lookstoo well. How long have you had it?”

“Since a little before dinner. It is nothing but the heat.”

“Did you go out in the heat?”

“Go out! to be sure she did,” said Mrs. Norris: “would youhave her stay within such a fine day as this? Were not we allout? Evenyour mother was out to-day for above an hour.”

“Yes, indeed, Edmund,” added her ladyship, who had been thoroughlyawakened by Mrs. Norris’s sharp reprimand to Fanny; “I was outabove an hour. I sat three-quarters of an hour in the flower-garden, whileFanny cut the roses; and very pleasant it was, I assure you, but very hot. Itwas shady enough in the alcove, but I declare I quite dreaded the coming homeagain.”

“Fanny has been cutting roses, has she?”

“Yes, and I am afraid they will be the last this year. Poor thing!Shefound it hot enough; but they were so full-blown that one could notwait.”

“There was no help for it, certainly,” rejoined Mrs. Norris, in arather softened voice; “but I question whether her headache might not becaught then, sister. There is nothing so likely to give it as standingand stooping in a hot sun; but I dare say it will be well to-morrow. Supposeyou let her have your aromatic vinegar; I always forget to have minefilled.”

“She has got it,” said Lady Bertram; “she has had it eversince she came back from your house the second time.”

“What!” cried Edmund; “has she been walking as well ascutting roses; walking across the hot park to your house, and doing it twice,ma’am? No wonder her head aches.”

Mrs. Norris was talking to Julia, and did not hear.

“I was afraid it would be too much for her,” said Lady Bertram;“but when the roses were gathered, your aunt wished to have them, andthen you know they must be taken home.”

“But were there roses enough to oblige her to go twice?”

“No; but they were to be put into the spare room to dry; and, unluckily,Fanny forgot to lock the door of the room and bring away the key, so she wasobliged to go again.”

Edmund got up and walked about the room, saying, “And could nobody beemployed on such an errand but Fanny? Upon my word, ma’am, it has been avery ill-managed business.”

“I am sure I do not know how it was to have been done better,”cried Mrs. Norris, unable to be longer deaf; “unless I had gone myself,indeed; but I cannot be in two places at once; and I was talking to Mr. Greenat that very time about your mother’s dairymaid, by herdesire,and had promised John Groom to write to Mrs. Jefferies about his son, and thepoor fellow was waiting for me half an hour. I think nobody can justly accuseme of sparing myself upon any occasion, but really I cannot do everything atonce. And as for Fanny’s just stepping down to my house for me—itis not much above a quarter of a mile—I cannot think I was unreasonableto ask it. How often do I pace it three times a day, early and late, ay, and inall weathers too, and say nothing about it?”

“I wish Fanny had half your strength, ma’am.”

“If Fanny would be more regular in her exercise, she would not be knockedup so soon. She has not been out on horseback now this long while, and I ampersuaded that, when she does not ride, she ought to walk. If she had beenriding before, I should not have asked it of her. But I thought it would ratherdo her good after being stooping among the roses; for there is nothing sorefreshing as a walk after a fatigue of that kind; and though the sun wasstrong, it was not so very hot. Between ourselves, Edmund,” noddingsignificantly at his mother, “it was cutting the roses, and dawdlingabout in the flower-garden, that did the mischief.”

“I am afraid it was, indeed,” said the more candid Lady Bertram,who had overheard her; “I am very much afraid she caught the headachethere, for the heat was enough to kill anybody. It was as much as I could bearmyself. Sitting and calling to Pug, and trying to keep him from theflower-beds, was almost too much for me.”

Edmund said no more to either lady; but going quietly to another table, onwhich the supper-tray yet remained, brought a glass of Madeira to Fanny, andobliged her to drink the greater part. She wished to be able to decline it; butthe tears, which a variety of feelings created, made it easier to swallow thanto speak.

Vexed as Edmund was with his mother and aunt, he was still more angry withhimself. His own forgetfulness of her was worse than anything which they haddone. Nothing of this would have happened had she been properly considered; butshe had been left four days together without any choice of companions orexercise, and without any excuse for avoiding whatever her unreasonable auntsmight require. He was ashamed to think that for four days together she had nothad the power of riding, and very seriously resolved, however unwilling he mustbe to check a pleasure of Miss Crawford’s, that it should never happenagain.

Fanny went to bed with her heart as full as on the first evening of her arrivalat the Park. The state of her spirits had probably had its share in herindisposition; for she had been feeling neglected, and been struggling againstdiscontent and envy for some days past. As she leant on the sofa, to which shehad retreated that she might not be seen, the pain of her mind had been muchbeyond that in her head; and the sudden change which Edmund’s kindnesshad then occasioned, made her hardly know how to support herself.

CHAPTER VIII

Fanny’s rides recommenced the very next day; and as it was a pleasantfresh-feeling morning, less hot than the weather had lately been, Edmundtrusted that her losses, both of health and pleasure, would be soon made good.While she was gone Mr. Rushworth arrived, escorting his mother, who came to becivil and to shew her civility especially, in urging the execution of the planfor visiting Sotherton, which had been started a fortnight before, and which,in consequence of her subsequent absence from home, had since lain dormant.Mrs. Norris and her nieces were all well pleased with its revival, and an earlyday was named and agreed to, provided Mr. Crawford should be disengaged: theyoung ladies did not forget that stipulation, and though Mrs. Norris wouldwillingly have answered for his being so, they would neither authorise theliberty nor run the risk; and at last, on a hint from Miss Bertram, Mr.Rushworth discovered that the properest thing to be done was for him to walkdown to the Parsonage directly, and call on Mr. Crawford, and inquire whetherWednesday would suit him or not.

Before his return Mrs. Grant and Miss Crawford came in. Having been out sometime, and taken a different route to the house, they had not met him.Comfortable hopes, however, were given that he would find Mr. Crawford at home.The Sotherton scheme was mentioned of course. It was hardly possible, indeed,that anything else should be talked of, for Mrs. Norris was in high spiritsabout it; and Mrs. Rushworth, a well-meaning, civil, prosing, pompous woman,who thought nothing of consequence, but as it related to her own and herson’s concerns, had not yet given over pressing Lady Bertram to be of theparty. Lady Bertram constantly declined it; but her placid manner of refusalmade Mrs. Rushworth still think she wished to come, till Mrs. Norris’smore numerous words and louder tone convinced her of the truth.

“The fatigue would be too much for my sister, a great deal too much, Iassure you, my dear Mrs. Rushworth. Ten miles there, and ten back, you know.You must excuse my sister on this occasion, and accept of our two dear girlsand myself without her. Sotherton is the only place that could give her awishto go so far, but it cannot be, indeed. She will have a companionin Fanny Price, you know, so it will all do very well; and as for Edmund, as heis not here to speak for himself, I will answer for his being most happy tojoin the party. He can go on horseback, you know.”

Mrs. Rushworth being obliged to yield to Lady Bertram’s staying at home,could only be sorry. “The loss of her ladyship’s company would be agreat drawback, and she should have been extremely happy to have seen the younglady too, Miss Price, who had never been at Sotherton yet, and it was a pityshe should not see the place.”

“You are very kind, you are all kindness, my dear madam,” criedMrs. Norris; “but as to Fanny, she will have opportunities in plenty ofseeing Sotherton. She has time enough before her; and her going now is quiteout of the question. Lady Bertram could not possibly spare her.”

“Oh no! I cannot do without Fanny.”

Mrs. Rushworth proceeded next, under the conviction that everybody must bewanting to see Sotherton, to include Miss Crawford in the invitation; andthough Mrs. Grant, who had not been at the trouble of visiting Mrs. Rushworth,on her coming into the neighbourhood, civilly declined it on her own account,she was glad to secure any pleasure for her sister; and Mary, properly pressedand persuaded, was not long in accepting her share of the civility. Mr.Rushworth came back from the Parsonage successful; and Edmund made hisappearance just in time to learn what had been settled for Wednesday, to attendMrs. Rushworth to her carriage, and walk half-way down the park with the twoother ladies.

On his return to the breakfast-room, he found Mrs. Norris trying to make up hermind as to whether Miss Crawford’s being of the party were desirable ornot, or whether her brother’s barouche would not be full without her. TheMiss Bertrams laughed at the idea, assuring her that the barouche would holdfour perfectly well, independent of the box, on which onemight go withhim.

“But why is it necessary,” said Edmund, “thatCrawford’s carriage, or his only, should be employed? Why is nouse to be made of my mother’s chaise? I could not, when the scheme wasfirst mentioned the other day, understand why a visit from the family were notto be made in the carriage of the family.”

“What!” cried Julia: “go boxed up three in a postchaise inthis weather, when we may have seats in a barouche! No, my dear Edmund, thatwill not quite do.”

“Besides,” said Maria, “I know that Mr. Crawford depends upontaking us. After what passed at first, he would claim it as a promise.”

“And, my dear Edmund,” added Mrs. Norris, “taking outtwocarriages when onewill do, would be trouble for nothing;and, between ourselves, coachman is not very fond of the roads between this andSotherton: he always complains bitterly of the narrow lanes scratching hiscarriage, and you know one should not like to have dear Sir Thomas, when hecomes home, find all the varnish scratched off.”

“That would not be a very handsome reason for using Mr.Crawford’s,” said Maria; “but the truth is, that Wilcox is astupid old fellow, and does not know how to drive. I will answer for it that weshall find no inconvenience from narrow roads on Wednesday.”

“There is no hardship, I suppose, nothing unpleasant,” said Edmund,“in going on the barouche box.”

“Unpleasant!” cried Maria: “oh dear! I believe it would begenerally thought the favourite seat. There can be no comparison as toone’s view of the country. Probably Miss Crawford will choose thebarouche-box herself.”

“There can be no objection, then, to Fanny’s going with you; therecan be no doubt of your having room for her.”

“Fanny!” repeated Mrs. Norris; “my dear Edmund, there is noidea of her going with us. She stays with her aunt. I told Mrs. Rushworth so.She is not expected.”

“You can have no reason, I imagine, madam,” said he, addressing hismother, “for wishing Fanny notto be of the party, but as itrelates to yourself, to your own comfort. If you could do without her, youwould not wish to keep her at home?”

“To be sure not, but I cannotdo without her.”

“You can, if I stay at home with you, as I mean to do.”

There was a general cry out at this. “Yes,” he continued,“there is no necessity for my going, and I mean to stay at home. Fannyhas a great desire to see Sotherton. I know she wishes it very much. She hasnot often a gratification of the kind, and I am sure, ma’am, you would beglad to give her the pleasure now?”

“Oh yes! very glad, if your aunt sees no objection.”

Mrs. Norris was very ready with the only objection which couldremain—their having positively assured Mrs. Rushworth that Fanny couldnot go, and the very strange appearance there would consequently be in takingher, which seemed to her a difficulty quite impossible to be got over. It musthave the strangest appearance! It would be something so very unceremonious, sobordering on disrespect for Mrs. Rushworth, whose own manners were such apattern of good-breeding and attention, that she really did not feel equal toit. Mrs. Norris had no affection for Fanny, and no wish of procuring herpleasure at any time; but her opposition to Edmund now, arose more frompartiality for her own scheme, because it washer own, than fromanything else. She felt that she had arranged everything extremely well, andthat any alteration must be for the worse. When Edmund, therefore, told her inreply, as he did when she would give him the hearing, that she need notdistress herself on Mrs. Rushworth’s account, because he had taken theopportunity, as he walked with her through the hall, of mentioning Miss Priceas one who would probably be of the party, and had directly received a verysufficient invitation for his cousin, Mrs. Norris was too much vexed to submitwith a very good grace, and would only say, “Very well, very well, justas you chuse, settle it your own way, I am sure I do not care about it.”

“It seems very odd,” said Maria, “that you should be stayingat home instead of Fanny.”

“I am sure she ought to be very much obliged to you,” added Julia,hastily leaving the room as she spoke, from a consciousness that she ought tooffer to stay at home herself.

“Fanny will feel quite as grateful as the occasion requires,” wasEdmund’s only reply, and the subject dropt.

Fanny’s gratitude, when she heard the plan, was, in fact, much greaterthan her pleasure. She felt Edmund’s kindness with all, and more thanall, the sensibility which he, unsuspicious of her fond attachment, could beaware of; but that he should forego any enjoyment on her account gave her pain,and her own satisfaction in seeing Sotherton would be nothing without him.

The next meeting of the two Mansfield families produced another alteration inthe plan, and one that was admitted with general approbation. Mrs. Grantoffered herself as companion for the day to Lady Bertram in lieu of her son,and Dr. Grant was to join them at dinner. Lady Bertram was very well pleased tohave it so, and the young ladies were in spirits again. Even Edmund was verythankful for an arrangement which restored him to his share of the party; andMrs. Norris thought it an excellent plan, and had it at her tongue’s end,and was on the point of proposing it, when Mrs. Grant spoke.

Wednesday was fine, and soon after breakfast the barouche arrived, Mr. Crawforddriving his sisters; and as everybody was ready, there was nothing to be donebut for Mrs. Grant to alight and the others to take their places. The place ofall places, the envied seat, the post of honour, was unappropriated. To whosehappy lot was it to fall? While each of the Miss Bertrams were meditating howbest, and with the most appearance of obliging the others, to secure it, thematter was settled by Mrs. Grant’s saying, as she stepped from thecarriage, “As there are five of you, it will be better that one shouldsit with Henry; and as you were saying lately that you wished you could drive,Julia, I think this will be a good opportunity for you to take a lesson.”

Happy Julia! Unhappy Maria! The former was on the barouche-box in a moment, thelatter took her seat within, in gloom and mortification; and the carriage droveoff amid the good wishes of the two remaining ladies, and the barking of Pug inhis mistress’s arms.

Their road was through a pleasant country; and Fanny, whose rides had neverbeen extensive, was soon beyond her knowledge, and was very happy in observingall that was new, and admiring all that was pretty. She was not often invitedto join in the conversation of the others, nor did she desire it. Her ownthoughts and reflections were habitually her best companions; and, in observingthe appearance of the country, the bearings of the roads, the difference ofsoil, the state of the harvest, the cottages, the cattle, the children, shefound entertainment that could only have been heightened by having Edmund tospeak to of what she felt. That was the only point of resemblance between herand the lady who sat by her: in everything but a value for Edmund, MissCrawford was very unlike her. She had none of Fanny’s delicacy of taste,of mind, of feeling; she saw Nature, inanimate Nature, with little observation;her attention was all for men and women, her talents for the light and lively.In looking back after Edmund, however, when there was any stretch of roadbehind them, or when he gained on them in ascending a considerable hill, theywere united, and a “there he is” broke at the same moment from themboth, more than once.

For the first seven miles Miss Bertram had very little real comfort: herprospect always ended in Mr. Crawford and her sister sitting side by side, fullof conversation and merriment; and to see only his expressive profile as heturned with a smile to Julia, or to catch the laugh of the other, was aperpetual source of irritation, which her own sense of propriety could but justsmooth over. When Julia looked back, it was with a countenance of delight, andwhenever she spoke to them, it was in the highest spirits: “her view ofthe country was charming, she wished they could all see it,” etc.; buther only offer of exchange was addressed to Miss Crawford, as they gained thesummit of a long hill, and was not more inviting than this: “Here is afine burst of country. I wish you had my seat, but I dare say you will not takeit, let me press you ever so much;” and Miss Crawford could hardly answerbefore they were moving again at a good pace.

When they came within the influence of Sotherton associations, it was betterfor Miss Bertram, who might be said to have two strings to her bow. She hadRushworth feelings, and Crawford feelings, and in the vicinity of Sotherton theformer had considerable effect. Mr. Rushworth’s consequence was hers. Shecould not tell Miss Crawford that “those woods belonged toSotherton,” she could not carelessly observe that “she believedthat it was now all Mr. Rushworth’s property on each side of theroad,” without elation of heart; and it was a pleasure to increase withtheir approach to the capital freehold mansion, and ancient manorial residenceof the family, with all its rights of court-leet and court-baron.

“Now we shall have no more rough road, Miss Crawford; our difficultiesare over. The rest of the way is such as it ought to be. Mr. Rushworth has madeit since he succeeded to the estate. Here begins the village. Those cottagesare really a disgrace. The church spire is reckoned remarkably handsome. I amglad the church is not so close to the great house as often happens in oldplaces. The annoyance of the bells must be terrible. There is the parsonage: atidy-looking house, and I understand the clergyman and his wife are very decentpeople. Those are almshouses, built by some of the family. To the right is thesteward’s house; he is a very respectable man. Now we are coming to thelodge-gates; but we have nearly a mile through the park still. It is not ugly,you see, at this end; there is some fine timber, but the situation of the houseis dreadful. We go down hill to it for half a mile, and it is a pity, for itwould not be an ill-looking place if it had a better approach.”

Miss Crawford was not slow to admire; she pretty well guessed MissBertram’s feelings, and made it a point of honour to promote herenjoyment to the utmost. Mrs. Norris was all delight and volubility; and evenFanny had something to say in admiration, and might be heard with complacency.Her eye was eagerly taking in everything within her reach; and after being atsome pains to get a view of the house, and observing that “it was a sortof building which she could not look at but with respect,” she added,“Now, where is the avenue? The house fronts the east, I perceive. Theavenue, therefore, must be at the back of it. Mr. Rushworth talked of the westfront.”

“Yes, it is exactly behind the house; begins at a little distance, andascends for half a mile to the extremity of the grounds. You may see somethingof it here—something of the more distant trees. It is oakentirely.”

Miss Bertram could now speak with decided information of what she had knownnothing about when Mr. Rushworth had asked her opinion; and her spirits were inas happy a flutter as vanity and pride could furnish, when they drove up to thespacious stone steps before the principal entrance.

CHAPTER IX

Mr. Rushworth was at the door to receive his fair lady; and the whole partywere welcomed by him with due attention. In the drawing-room they were met withequal cordiality by the mother, and Miss Bertram had all the distinction witheach that she could wish. After the business of arriving was over, it was firstnecessary to eat, and the doors were thrown open to admit them through one ortwo intermediate rooms into the appointed dining-parlour, where a collation wasprepared with abundance and elegance. Much was said, and much was ate, and allwent well. The particular object of the day was then considered. How would Mr.Crawford like, in what manner would he chuse, to take a survey of the grounds?Mr. Rushworth mentioned his curricle. Mr. Crawford suggested the greaterdesirableness of some carriage which might convey more than two. “To bedepriving themselves of the advantage of other eyes and other judgments, mightbe an evil even beyond the loss of present pleasure.”

Mrs. Rushworth proposed that the chaise should be taken also; but this wasscarcely received as an amendment: the young ladies neither smiled nor spoke.Her next proposition, of shewing the house to such of them as had not beenthere before, was more acceptable, for Miss Bertram was pleased to have itssize displayed, and all were glad to be doing something.

The whole party rose accordingly, and under Mrs. Rushworth’s guidancewere shewn through a number of rooms, all lofty, and many large, and amplyfurnished in the taste of fifty years back, with shining floors, solidmahogany, rich damask, marble, gilding, and carving, each handsome in its way.Of pictures there were abundance, and some few good, but the larger part werefamily portraits, no longer anything to anybody but Mrs. Rushworth, who hadbeen at great pains to learn all that the housekeeper could teach, and was nowalmost equally well qualified to shew the house. On the present occasion sheaddressed herself chiefly to Miss Crawford and Fanny, but there was nocomparison in the willingness of their attention; for Miss Crawford, who hadseen scores of great houses, and cared for none of them, had only theappearance of civilly listening, while Fanny, to whom everything was almost asinteresting as it was new, attended with unaffected earnestness to all thatMrs. Rushworth could relate of the family in former times, its rise andgrandeur, regal visits and loyal efforts, delighted to connect anything withhistory already known, or warm her imagination with scenes of the past.

The situation of the house excluded the possibility of much prospect from anyof the rooms; and while Fanny and some of the others were attending Mrs.Rushworth, Henry Crawford was looking grave and shaking his head at thewindows. Every room on the west front looked across a lawn to the beginning ofthe avenue immediately beyond tall iron palisades and gates.

Having visited many more rooms than could be supposed to be of any other usethan to contribute to the window-tax, and find employment for housemaids,“Now,” said Mrs. Rushworth, “we are coming to the chapel,which properly we ought to enter from above, and look down upon; but as we arequite among friends, I will take you in this way, if you will excuse me.”

They entered. Fanny’s imagination had prepared her for something granderthan a mere spacious, oblong room, fitted up for the purpose of devotion: withnothing more striking or more solemn than the profusion of mahogany, and thecrimson velvet cushions appearing over the ledge of the family gallery above.“I am disappointed,” said she, in a low voice, to Edmund.“This is not my idea of a chapel. There is nothing awful here, nothingmelancholy, nothing grand. Here are no aisles, no arches, no inscriptions, nobanners. No banners, cousin, to be ‘blown by the night wind ofheaven.’ No signs that a ‘Scottish monarch sleepsbelow.’”

“You forget, Fanny, how lately all this has been built, and for howconfined a purpose, compared with the old chapels of castles and monasteries.It was only for the private use of the family. They have been buried, Isuppose, in the parish church. Thereyou must look for the banners andthe achievements.”

“It was foolish of me not to think of all that; but I amdisappointed.”

Mrs. Rushworth began her relation. “This chapel was fitted up as you seeit, in James the Second’s time. Before that period, as I understand, thepews were only wainscot; and there is some reason to think that the linings andcushions of the pulpit and family seat were only purple cloth; but this is notquite certain. It is a handsome chapel, and was formerly in constant use bothmorning and evening. Prayers were always read in it by the domestic chaplain,within the memory of many; but the late Mr. Rushworth left it off.”

“Every generation has its improvements,” said Miss Crawford, with asmile, to Edmund.

Mrs. Rushworth was gone to repeat her lesson to Mr. Crawford; and Edmund,Fanny, and Miss Crawford remained in a cluster together.

“It is a pity,” cried Fanny, “that the custom should havebeen discontinued. It was a valuable part of former times. There is somethingin a chapel and chaplain so much in character with a great house, withone’s ideas of what such a household should be! A whole family assemblingregularly for the purpose of prayer is fine!”

“Very fine indeed,” said Miss Crawford, laughing. “It must dothe heads of the family a great deal of good to force all the poor housemaidsand footmen to leave business and pleasure, and say their prayers here twice aday, while they are inventing excuses themselves for staying away.”

“Thatis hardly Fanny’s idea of a family assembling,”said Edmund. “If the master and mistress do notattend themselves,there must be more harm than good in the custom.”

“At any rate, it is safer to leave people to their own devices on suchsubjects. Everybody likes to go their own way—to chuse their own time andmanner of devotion. The obligation of attendance, the formality, the restraint,the length of time—altogether it is a formidable thing, and what nobodylikes; and if the good people who used to kneel and gape in that gallery couldhave foreseen that the time would ever come when men and women might lieanother ten minutes in bed, when they woke with a headache, without danger ofreprobation, because chapel was missed, they would have jumped with joy andenvy. Cannot you imagine with what unwilling feelings the former belles of thehouse of Rushworth did many a time repair to this chapel? The young Mrs.Eleanors and Mrs. Bridgets—starched up into seeming piety, but with headsfull of something very different—especially if the poor chaplain were notworth looking at—and, in those days, I fancy parsons were very inferioreven to what they are now.”

For a few moments she was unanswered. Fanny coloured and looked at Edmund, butfelt too angry for speech; and he needed a little recollection before he couldsay, “Your lively mind can hardly be serious even on serious subjects.You have given us an amusing sketch, and human nature cannot say it was not so.We must all feel attimesthe difficulty of fixing our thoughtsas we could wish; but if you are supposing it a frequent thing, that is to say,a weakness grown into a habit from neglect, what could be expected from theprivatedevotions of such persons? Do you think the minds which aresuffered, which are indulged in wanderings in a chapel, would be more collectedin a closet?”

“Yes, very likely. They would have two chances at least in their favour.There would be less to distract the attention from without, and it would not betried so long.”

“The mind which does not struggle against itself under onecircumstance, would find objects to distract it in the other, I believe;and the influence of the place and of example may often rouse better feelingsthan are begun with. The greater length of the service, however, I admit to besometimes too hard a stretch upon the mind. One wishes it were not so; but Ihave not yet left Oxford long enough to forget what chapel prayers are.”

While this was passing, the rest of the party being scattered about the chapel,Julia called Mr. Crawford’s attention to her sister, by saying, “Dolook at Mr. Rushworth and Maria, standing side by side, exactly as if theceremony were going to be performed. Have not they completely the air ofit?”

Mr. Crawford smiled his acquiescence, and stepping forward to Maria, said, in avoice which she only could hear, “I do not like to see Miss Bertram sonear the altar.”

Starting, the lady instinctively moved a step or two, but recovering herself ina moment, affected to laugh, and asked him, in a tone not much louder,“If he would give her away?”

“I am afraid I should do it very awkwardly,” was his reply, with alook of meaning.

Julia, joining them at the moment, carried on the joke.

“Upon my word, it is really a pity that it should not take placedirectly, if we had but a proper licence, for here we are altogether, andnothing in the world could be more snug and pleasant.” And she talked andlaughed about it with so little caution as to catch the comprehension of Mr.Rushworth and his mother, and expose her sister to the whispered gallantries ofher lover, while Mrs. Rushworth spoke with proper smiles and dignity of itsbeing a most happy event to her whenever it took place.

“If Edmund were but in orders!” cried Julia, and running to wherehe stood with Miss Crawford and Fanny: “My dear Edmund, if you were butin orders now, you might perform the ceremony directly. How unlucky that youare not ordained; Mr. Rushworth and Maria are quite ready.”

Miss Crawford’s countenance, as Julia spoke, might have amused adisinterested observer. She looked almost aghast under the new idea she wasreceiving. Fanny pitied her. “How distressed she will be at what she saidjust now,” passed across her mind.

“Ordained!” said Miss Crawford; “what, are you to be aclergyman?”

“Yes; I shall take orders soon after my father’sreturn—probably at Christmas.”

Miss Crawford, rallying her spirits, and recovering her complexion, repliedonly, “If I had known this before, I would have spoken of the cloth withmore respect,” and turned the subject.

The chapel was soon afterwards left to the silence and stillness which reignedin it, with few interruptions, throughout the year. Miss Bertram, displeasedwith her sister, led the way, and all seemed to feel that they had been therelong enough.

The lower part of the house had been now entirely shewn, and Mrs. Rushworth,never weary in the cause, would have proceeded towards the principal staircase,and taken them through all the rooms above, if her son had not interposed witha doubt of there being time enough. “For if,” said he, with thesort of self-evident proposition which many a clearer head does not alwaysavoid, “we are toolong going over the house, we shall not havetime for what is to be done out of doors. It is past two, and we are to dine atfive.”

Mrs. Rushworth submitted; and the question of surveying the grounds, with thewho and the how, was likely to be more fully agitated, and Mrs. Norris wasbeginning to arrange by what junction of carriages and horses most could bedone, when the young people, meeting with an outward door, temptingly open on aflight of steps which led immediately to turf and shrubs, and all the sweets ofpleasure-grounds, as by one impulse, one wish for air and liberty, all walkedout.

“Suppose we turn down here for the present,” said Mrs. Rushworth,civilly taking the hint and following them. “Here are the greatest numberof our plants, and here are the curious pheasants.”

“Query,” said Mr. Crawford, looking round him, “whether wemay not find something to employ us here before we go farther? I see walls ofgreat promise. Mr. Rushworth, shall we summon a council on this lawn?”

“James,” said Mrs. Rushworth to her son, “I believe thewilderness will be new to all the party. The Miss Bertrams have never seen thewilderness yet.”

No objection was made, but for some time there seemed no inclination to move inany plan, or to any distance. All were attracted at first by the plants or thepheasants, and all dispersed about in happy independence. Mr. Crawford was thefirst to move forward to examine the capabilities of that end of the house. Thelawn, bounded on each side by a high wall, contained beyond the first plantedarea a bowling-green, and beyond the bowling-green a long terrace walk, backedby iron palisades, and commanding a view over them into the tops of the treesof the wilderness immediately adjoining. It was a good spot for fault-finding.Mr. Crawford was soon followed by Miss Bertram and Mr. Rushworth; and when,after a little time, the others began to form into parties, these three werefound in busy consultation on the terrace by Edmund, Miss Crawford, and Fanny,who seemed as naturally to unite, and who, after a short participation of theirregrets and difficulties, left them and walked on. The remaining three, Mrs.Rushworth, Mrs. Norris, and Julia, were still far behind; for Julia, whosehappy star no longer prevailed, was obliged to keep by the side of Mrs.Rushworth, and restrain her impatient feet to that lady’s slow pace,while her aunt, having fallen in with the housekeeper, who was come out to feedthe pheasants, was lingering behind in gossip with her. Poor Julia, the onlyone out of the nine not tolerably satisfied with their lot, was now in a stateof complete penance, and as different from the Julia of the barouche-box ascould well be imagined. The politeness which she had been brought up topractise as a duty made it impossible for her to escape; while the want of thathigher species of self-command, that just consideration of others, thatknowledge of her own heart, that principle of right, which had not formed anyessential part of her education, made her miserable under it.

“This is insufferably hot,” said Miss Crawford, when they had takenone turn on the terrace, and were drawing a second time to the door in themiddle which opened to the wilderness. “Shall any of us object to beingcomfortable? Here is a nice little wood, if one can but get into it. Whathappiness if the door should not be locked! but of course it is; for in thesegreat places the gardeners are the only people who can go where theylike.”

The door, however, proved not to be locked, and they were all agreed in turningjoyfully through it, and leaving the unmitigated glare of day behind. Aconsiderable flight of steps landed them in the wilderness, which was a plantedwood of about two acres, and though chiefly of larch and laurel, and beech cutdown, and though laid out with too much regularity, was darkness and shade, andnatural beauty, compared with the bowling-green and the terrace. They all feltthe refreshment of it, and for some time could only walk and admire. At length,after a short pause, Miss Crawford began with, “So you are to be aclergyman, Mr. Bertram. This is rather a surprise to me.”

“Why should it surprise you? You must suppose me designed for someprofession, and might perceive that I am neither a lawyer, nor a soldier, nor asailor.”

“Very true; but, in short, it had not occurred to me. And you know thereis generally an uncle or a grandfather to leave a fortune to the secondson.”

“A very praiseworthy practice,” said Edmund, “but not quiteuniversal. I am one of the exceptions, and beingone, must do somethingfor myself.”

“But why are you to be a clergyman? I thought thatwas always thelot of the youngest, where there were many to chuse before him.”

“Do you think the church itself never chosen, then?”

“Neveris a black word. But yes, in the neverofconversation, which means notveryoften, I do think it.For what is to be done in the church? Men love to distinguish themselves, andin either of the other lines distinction may be gained, but not in the church.A clergyman is nothing.”

“The nothingof conversation has its gradations, I hope, as wellas the never. A clergyman cannot be high in state or fashion. He mustnot head mobs, or set the ton in dress. But I cannot call that situationnothing which has the charge of all that is of the first importance to mankind,individually or collectively considered, temporally and eternally, which hasthe guardianship of religion and morals, and consequently of the manners whichresult from their influence. No one here can call the officenothing. Ifthe man who holds it is so, it is by the neglect of his duty, by foregoing itsjust importance, and stepping out of his place to appear what he ought not toappear.”

“Youassign greater consequence to the clergyman than one has beenused to hear given, or than I can quite comprehend. One does not see much ofthis influence and importance in society, and how can it be acquired where theyare so seldom seen themselves? How can two sermons a week, even supposing themworth hearing, supposing the preacher to have the sense to prefer Blair’sto his own, do all that you speak of? govern the conduct and fashion themanners of a large congregation for the rest of the week? One scarcely sees aclergyman out of his pulpit.”

“Youare speaking of London, Iam speaking of the nation atlarge.”

“The metropolis, I imagine, is a pretty fair sample of the rest.”

“Not, I should hope, of the proportion of virtue to vice throughout thekingdom. We do not look in great cities for our best morality. It is not therethat respectable people of any denomination can do most good; and it certainlyis not there that the influence of the clergy can be most felt. A fine preacheris followed and admired; but it is not in fine preaching only that a goodclergyman will be useful in his parish and his neighbourhood, where the parishand neighbourhood are of a size capable of knowing his private character, andobserving his general conduct, which in London can rarely be the case. Theclergy are lost there in the crowds of their parishioners. They are known tothe largest part only as preachers. And with regard to their influencing publicmanners, Miss Crawford must not misunderstand me, or suppose I mean to callthem the arbiters of good-breeding, the regulators of refinement and courtesy,the masters of the ceremonies of life. The mannersI speak of mightrather be called conduct, perhaps, the result of good principles; theeffect, in short, of those doctrines which it is their duty to teach andrecommend; and it will, I believe, be everywhere found, that as the clergy are,or are not what they ought to be, so are the rest of the nation.”

“Certainly,” said Fanny, with gentle earnestness.

“There,” cried Miss Crawford, “you have quite convinced MissPrice already.”

“I wish I could convince Miss Crawford too.”

“I do not think you ever will,” said she, with an arch smile;“I am just as much surprised now as I was at first that you should intendto take orders. You really are fit for something better. Come, do change yourmind. It is not too late. Go into the law.”

“Go into the law! With as much ease as I was told to go into thiswilderness.”

“Now you are going to say something about law being the worst wildernessof the two, but I forestall you; remember, I have forestalled you.”

“You need not hurry when the object is only to prevent my saying abonmot, for there is not the least wit in my nature. I am a verymatter-of-fact, plain-spoken being, and may blunder on the borders of arepartee for half an hour together without striking it out.”

A general silence succeeded. Each was thoughtful. Fanny made the firstinterruption by saying, “I wonder that I should be tired with onlywalking in this sweet wood; but the next time we come to a seat, if it is notdisagreeable to you, I should be glad to sit down for a little while.”

“My dear Fanny,” cried Edmund, immediately drawing her arm withinhis, “how thoughtless I have been! I hope you are not very tired.Perhaps,” turning to Miss Crawford, “my other companion may do methe honour of taking an arm.”

“Thank you, but I am not at all tired.” She took it, however, asshe spoke, and the gratification of having her do so, of feeling such aconnexion for the first time, made him a little forgetful of Fanny. “Youscarcely touch me,” said he. “You do not make me of any use. What adifference in the weight of a woman’s arm from that of a man! At Oxford Ihave been a good deal used to have a man lean on me for the length of a street,and you are only a fly in the comparison.”

“I am really not tired, which I almost wonder at; for we must have walkedat least a mile in this wood. Do not you think we have?”

“Not half a mile,” was his sturdy answer; for he was not yet somuch in love as to measure distance, or reckon time, with feminine lawlessness.

“Oh! you do not consider how much we have wound about. We have taken sucha very serpentine course, and the wood itself must be half a mile long in astraight line, for we have never seen the end of it yet since we left the firstgreat path.”

“But if you remember, before we left that first great path, we sawdirectly to the end of it. We looked down the whole vista, and saw it closed byiron gates, and it could not have been more than a furlong in length.”

“Oh! I know nothing of your furlongs, but I am sure it is a very longwood, and that we have been winding in and out ever since we came into it; andtherefore, when I say that we have walked a mile in it, I must speak withincompass.”

“We have been exactly a quarter of an hour here,” said Edmund,taking out his watch. “Do you think we are walking four miles anhour?”

“Oh! do not attack me with your watch. A watch is always too fast or tooslow. I cannot be dictated to by a watch.”

A few steps farther brought them out at the bottom of the very walk they hadbeen talking of; and standing back, well shaded and sheltered, and looking overa ha-ha into the park, was a comfortable-sized bench, on which they all satdown.

“I am afraid you are very tired, Fanny,” said Edmund, observingher; “why would not you speak sooner? This will be a bad day’samusement for you if you are to be knocked up. Every sort of exercise fatiguesher so soon, Miss Crawford, except riding.”

“How abominable in you, then, to let me engross her horse as I did alllast week! I am ashamed of you and of myself, but it shall never happenagain.”

“Yourattentiveness and consideration makes me more sensible of myown neglect. Fanny’s interest seems in safer hands with you than withme.”

“That she should be tired now, however, gives me no surprise; for thereis nothing in the course of one’s duties so fatiguing as what we havebeen doing this morning: seeing a great house, dawdling from one room toanother, straining one’s eyes and one’s attention, hearing what onedoes not understand, admiring what one does not care for. It is generallyallowed to be the greatest bore in the world, and Miss Price has found it so,though she did not know it.”

“I shall soon be rested,” said Fanny; “to sit in the shade ona fine day, and look upon verdure, is the most perfect refreshment.”

After sitting a little while Miss Crawford was up again. “I mustmove,” said she; “resting fatigues me. I have looked across theha-ha till I am weary. I must go and look through that iron gate at the sameview, without being able to see it so well.”

Edmund left the seat likewise. “Now, Miss Crawford, if you will look upthe walk, you will convince yourself that it cannot be half a mile long, orhalf half a mile.”

“It is an immense distance,” said she; “I see thatwith a glance.”

He still reasoned with her, but in vain. She would not calculate, she would notcompare. She would only smile and assert. The greatest degree of rationalconsistency could not have been more engaging, and they talked with mutualsatisfaction. At last it was agreed that they should endeavour to determine thedimensions of the wood by walking a little more about it. They would go to oneend of it, in the line they were then in—for there was a straight greenwalk along the bottom by the side of the ha-ha—and perhaps turn a littleway in some other direction, if it seemed likely to assist them, and be back ina few minutes. Fanny said she was rested, and would have moved too, but thiswas not suffered. Edmund urged her remaining where she was with an earnestnesswhich she could not resist, and she was left on the bench to think withpleasure of her cousin’s care, but with great regret that she was notstronger. She watched them till they had turned the corner, and listened tillall sound of them had ceased.

CHAPTER X

A quarter of an hour, twenty minutes, passed away, and Fanny was still thinkingof Edmund, Miss Crawford, and herself, without interruption from any one. Shebegan to be surprised at being left so long, and to listen with an anxiousdesire of hearing their steps and their voices again. She listened, and atlength she heard; she heard voices and feet approaching; but she had justsatisfied herself that it was not those she wanted, when Miss Bertram, Mr.Rushworth, and Mr. Crawford issued from the same path which she had trodherself, and were before her.

“Miss Price all alone” and “My dear Fanny, how comesthis?” were the first salutations. She told her story. “Poor dearFanny,” cried her cousin, “how ill you have been used by them! Youhad better have staid with us.”

Then seating herself with a gentleman on each side, she resumed theconversation which had engaged them before, and discussed the possibility ofimprovements with much animation. Nothing was fixed on; but Henry Crawford wasfull of ideas and projects, and, generally speaking, whatever he proposed wasimmediately approved, first by her, and then by Mr. Rushworth, whose principalbusiness seemed to be to hear the others, and who scarcely risked an originalthought of his own beyond a wish that they had seen his friend Smith’splace.

After some minutes spent in this way, Miss Bertram, observing the iron gate,expressed a wish of passing through it into the park, that their views andtheir plans might be more comprehensive. It was the very thing of all others tobe wished, it was the best, it was the only way of proceeding with anyadvantage, in Henry Crawford’s opinion; and he directly saw a knoll nothalf a mile off, which would give them exactly the requisite command of thehouse. Go therefore they must to that knoll, and through that gate; but thegate was locked. Mr. Rushworth wished he had brought the key; he had been verynear thinking whether he should not bring the key; he was determined he wouldnever come without the key again; but still this did not remove the presentevil. They could not get through; and as Miss Bertram’s inclination forso doing did by no means lessen, it ended in Mr. Rushworth’s declaringoutright that he would go and fetch the key. He set off accordingly.

“It is undoubtedly the best thing we can do now, as we are so far fromthe house already,” said Mr. Crawford, when he was gone.

“Yes, there is nothing else to be done. But now, sincerely, do not youfind the place altogether worse than you expected?”

“No, indeed, far otherwise. I find it better, grander, more complete inits style, though that style may not be the best. And to tell you thetruth,” speaking rather lower, “I do not think that Ishallever see Sotherton again with so much pleasure as I do now. Another summer willhardly improve it to me.”

After a moment’s embarrassment the lady replied, “You are too mucha man of the world not to see with the eyes of the world. If other people thinkSotherton improved, I have no doubt that you will.”

“I am afraid I am not quite so much the man of the world as might be goodfor me in some points. My feelings are not quite so evanescent, nor my memoryof the past under such easy dominion as one finds to be the case with men ofthe world.”

This was followed by a short silence. Miss Bertram began again. “Youseemed to enjoy your drive here very much this morning. I was glad to see youso well entertained. You and Julia were laughing the whole way.”

“Were we? Yes, I believe we were; but I have not the least recollectionat what. Oh! I believe I was relating to her some ridiculous stories of an oldIrish groom of my uncle’s. Your sister loves to laugh.”

“You think her more light-hearted than I am?”

“More easily amused,” he replied; “consequently, youknow,” smiling, “better company. I could not have hoped toentertain you with Irish anecdotes during a ten miles’ drive.”

“Naturally, I believe, I am as lively as Julia, but I have more to thinkof now.”

“You have, undoubtedly; and there are situations in which very highspirits would denote insensibility. Your prospects, however, are too fair tojustify want of spirits. You have a very smiling scene before you.”

“Do you mean literally or figuratively? Literally, I conclude. Yes,certainly, the sun shines, and the park looks very cheerful. But unluckily thatiron gate, that ha-ha, give me a feeling of restraint and hardship. ‘Icannot get out,’ as the starling said.” As she spoke, and it waswith expression, she walked to the gate: he followed her. “Mr. Rushworthis so long fetching this key!”

“And for the world you would not get out without the key and without Mr.Rushworth’s authority and protection, or I think you might with littledifficulty pass round the edge of the gate, here, with my assistance; I thinkit might be done, if you really wished to be more at large, and could allowyourself to think it not prohibited.”

“Prohibited! nonsense! I certainly can get out that way, and I will. Mr.Rushworth will be here in a moment, you know; we shall not be out ofsight.”

“Or if we are, Miss Price will be so good as to tell him that he willfind us near that knoll: the grove of oak on the knoll.”

Fanny, feeling all this to be wrong, could not help making an effort to preventit. “You will hurt yourself, Miss Bertram,” she cried; “youwill certainly hurt yourself against those spikes; you will tear your gown; youwill be in danger of slipping into the ha-ha. You had better not go.”

Her cousin was safe on the other side while these words were spoken, and,smiling with all the good-humour of success, she said, “Thank you, mydear Fanny, but I and my gown are alive and well, and so good-bye.”

Fanny was again left to her solitude, and with no increase of pleasantfeelings, for she was sorry for almost all that she had seen and heard,astonished at Miss Bertram, and angry with Mr. Crawford. By taking acircuitous, and, as it appeared to her, very unreasonable direction to theknoll, they were soon beyond her eye; and for some minutes longer she remainedwithout sight or sound of any companion. She seemed to have the little wood allto herself. She could almost have thought that Edmund and Miss Crawford hadleft it, but that it was impossible for Edmund to forget her so entirely.

She was again roused from disagreeable musings by sudden footsteps: somebodywas coming at a quick pace down the principal walk. She expected Mr. Rushworth,but it was Julia, who, hot and out of breath, and with a look ofdisappointment, cried out on seeing her, “Heyday! Where are the others? Ithought Maria and Mr. Crawford were with you.”

Fanny explained.

“A pretty trick, upon my word! I cannot see them anywhere,” lookingeagerly into the park. “But they cannot be very far off, and I think I amequal to as much as Maria, even without help.”

“But, Julia, Mr. Rushworth will be here in a moment with the key. Do waitfor Mr. Rushworth.”

“Not I, indeed. I have had enough of the family for one morning. Why,child, I have but this moment escaped from his horrible mother. Such a penanceas I have been enduring, while you were sitting here so composed and so happy!It might have been as well, perhaps, if you had been in my place, but youalways contrive to keep out of these scrapes.”

This was a most unjust reflection, but Fanny could allow for it, and let itpass: Julia was vexed, and her temper was hasty; but she felt that it would notlast, and therefore, taking no notice, only asked her if she had not seen Mr.Rushworth.

“Yes, yes, we saw him. He was posting away as if upon life and death, andcould but just spare time to tell us his errand, and where you all were.”

“It is a pity he should have so much trouble for nothing.”

“Thatis Miss Maria’s concern. I am not obliged to punishmyself for hersins. The mother I could not avoid, as long as mytiresome aunt was dancing about with the housekeeper, but the son I canget away from.”

And she immediately scrambled across the fence, and walked away, not attendingto Fanny’s last question of whether she had seen anything of MissCrawford and Edmund. The sort of dread in which Fanny now sat of seeing Mr.Rushworth prevented her thinking so much of their continued absence, however,as she might have done. She felt that he had been very ill-used, and was quiteunhappy in having to communicate what had passed. He joined her within fiveminutes after Julia’s exit; and though she made the best of the story, hewas evidently mortified and displeased in no common degree. At first hescarcely said anything; his looks only expressed his extreme surprise andvexation, and he walked to the gate and stood there, without seeming to knowwhat to do.

“They desired me to stay—my cousin Maria charged me to say that youwould find them at that knoll, or thereabouts.”

“I do not believe I shall go any farther,” said he sullenly;“I see nothing of them. By the time I get to the knoll they may be gonesomewhere else. I have had walking enough.”

And he sat down with a most gloomy countenance by Fanny.

“I am very sorry,” said she; “it is very unlucky.” Andshe longed to be able to say something more to the purpose.

After an interval of silence, “I think they might as well have staid forme,” said he.

“Miss Bertram thought you would follow her.”

“I should not have had to follow her if she had staid.”

This could not be denied, and Fanny was silenced. After another pause, he wenton—“Pray, Miss Price, are you such a great admirer of this Mr.Crawford as some people are? For my part, I can see nothing in him.”

“I do not think him at all handsome.”

“Handsome! Nobody can call such an undersized man handsome. He is notfive foot nine. I should not wonder if he is not more than five foot eight. Ithink he is an ill-looking fellow. In my opinion, these Crawfords are noaddition at all. We did very well without them.”

A small sigh escaped Fanny here, and she did not know how to contradict him.

“If I had made any difficulty about fetching the key, there might havebeen some excuse, but I went the very moment she said she wanted it.”

“Nothing could be more obliging than your manner, I am sure, and I daresay you walked as fast as you could; but still it is some distance, you know,from this spot to the house, quite into the house; and when people are waiting,they are bad judges of time, and every half minute seems like five.”

He got up and walked to the gate again, and “wished he had had the keyabout him at the time.” Fanny thought she discerned in his standing therean indication of relenting, which encouraged her to another attempt, and shesaid, therefore, “It is a pity you should not join them. They expected tohave a better view of the house from that part of the park, and will bethinking how it may be improved; and nothing of that sort, you know, can besettled without you.”

She found herself more successful in sending away than in retaining acompanion. Mr. Rushworth was worked on. “Well,” said he, “ifyou really think I had better go: it would be foolish to bring the key fornothing.” And letting himself out, he walked off without fartherceremony.

Fanny’s thoughts were now all engrossed by the two who had left her solong ago, and getting quite impatient, she resolved to go in search of them.She followed their steps along the bottom walk, and had just turned up intoanother, when the voice and the laugh of Miss Crawford once more caught herear; the sound approached, and a few more windings brought them before her.They were just returned into the wilderness from the park, to which a sidegate,not fastened, had tempted them very soon after their leaving her, and they hadbeen across a portion of the park into the very avenue which Fanny had beenhoping the whole morning to reach at last, and had been sitting down under oneof the trees. This was their history. It was evident that they had beenspending their time pleasantly, and were not aware of the length of theirabsence. Fanny’s best consolation was in being assured that Edmund hadwished for her very much, and that he should certainly have come back for her,had she not been tired already; but this was not quite sufficient to do awaywith the pain of having been left a whole hour, when he had talked of only afew minutes, nor to banish the sort of curiosity she felt to know what they hadbeen conversing about all that time; and the result of the whole was to herdisappointment and depression, as they prepared by general agreement to returnto the house.

On reaching the bottom of the steps to the terrace, Mrs. Rushworth and Mrs.Norris presented themselves at the top, just ready for the wilderness, at theend of an hour and a half from their leaving the house. Mrs. Norris had beentoo well employed to move faster. Whatever cross-accidents had occurred tointercept the pleasures of her nieces, she had found a morning of completeenjoyment; for the housekeeper, after a great many courtesies on the subject ofpheasants, had taken her to the dairy, told her all about their cows, and givenher the receipt for a famous cream cheese; and since Julia’s leaving themthey had been met by the gardener, with whom she had made a most satisfactoryacquaintance, for she had set him right as to his grandson’s illness,convinced him that it was an ague, and promised him a charm for it; and he, inreturn, had shewn her all his choicest nursery of plants, and actuallypresented her with a very curious specimen of heath.

On this rencontrethey all returned to the house together, there tolounge away the time as they could with sofas, and chit-chat, and QuarterlyReviews, till the return of the others, and the arrival of dinner. It was latebefore the Miss Bertrams and the two gentlemen came in, and their ramble didnot appear to have been more than partially agreeable, or at all productive ofanything useful with regard to the object of the day. By their own accountsthey had been all walking after each other, and the junction which had takenplace at last seemed, to Fanny’s observation, to have been as much toolate for re-establishing harmony, as it confessedly had been for determining onany alteration. She felt, as she looked at Julia and Mr. Rushworth, that herswas not the only dissatisfied bosom amongst them: there was gloom on the faceof each. Mr. Crawford and Miss Bertram were much more gay, and she thought thathe was taking particular pains, during dinner, to do away any little resentmentof the other two, and restore general good-humour.

Dinner was soon followed by tea and coffee, a ten miles’ drive homeallowed no waste of hours; and from the time of their sitting down to table, itwas a quick succession of busy nothings till the carriage came to the door, andMrs. Norris, having fidgeted about, and obtained a few pheasants’ eggsand a cream cheese from the housekeeper, and made abundance of civil speechesto Mrs. Rushworth, was ready to lead the way. At the same moment Mr. Crawford,approaching Julia, said, “I hope I am not to lose my companion, unlessshe is afraid of the evening air in so exposed a seat.” The request hadnot been foreseen, but was very graciously received, and Julia’s day waslikely to end almost as well as it began. Miss Bertram had made up her mind tosomething different, and was a little disappointed; but her conviction of beingreally the one preferred comforted her under it, and enabled her to receive Mr.Rushworth’s parting attentions as she ought. He was certainly betterpleased to hand her into the barouche than to assist her in ascending the box,and his complacency seemed confirmed by the arrangement.

“Well, Fanny, this has been a fine day for you, upon my word,” saidMrs. Norris, as they drove through the park. “Nothing but pleasure frombeginning to end! I am sure you ought to be very much obliged to your auntBertram and me for contriving to let you go. A pretty good day’samusement you have had!”

Maria was just discontented enough to say directly, “I think youhave done pretty well yourself, ma’am. Your lap seems full of goodthings, and here is a basket of something between us which has been knocking myelbow unmercifully.”

“My dear, it is only a beautiful little heath, which that nice oldgardener would make me take; but if it is in your way, I will have it in my lapdirectly. There, Fanny, you shall carry that parcel for me; take great care ofit: do not let it fall; it is a cream cheese, just like the excellent one wehad at dinner. Nothing would satisfy that good old Mrs. Whitaker, but my takingone of the cheeses. I stood out as long as I could, till the tears almost cameinto her eyes, and I knew it was just the sort that my sister would bedelighted with. That Mrs. Whitaker is a treasure! She was quite shocked when Iasked her whether wine was allowed at the second table, and she has turned awaytwo housemaids for wearing white gowns. Take care of the cheese, Fanny. Now Ican manage the other parcel and the basket very well.”

“What else have you been spunging?” said Maria, half-pleased thatSotherton should be so complimented.

“Spunging, my dear! It is nothing but four of those beautifulpheasants’ eggs, which Mrs. Whitaker would quite force upon me: she wouldnot take a denial. She said it must be such an amusement to me, as sheunderstood I lived quite alone, to have a few living creatures of that sort;and so to be sure it will. I shall get the dairymaid to set them under thefirst spare hen, and if they come to good I can have them moved to my own houseand borrow a coop; and it will be a great delight to me in my lonely hours toattend to them. And if I have good luck, your mother shall have some.”

It was a beautiful evening, mild and still, and the drive was as pleasant asthe serenity of Nature could make it; but when Mrs. Norris ceased speaking, itwas altogether a silent drive to those within. Their spirits were in generalexhausted; and to determine whether the day had afforded most pleasure or pain,might occupy the meditations of almost all.

CHAPTER XI

The day at Sotherton, with all its imperfections, afforded the Miss Bertramsmuch more agreeable feelings than were derived from the letters from Antigua,which soon afterwards reached Mansfield. It was much pleasanter to think ofHenry Crawford than of their father; and to think of their father in Englandagain within a certain period, which these letters obliged them to do, was amost unwelcome exercise.

November was the black month fixed for his return. Sir Thomas wrote of it withas much decision as experience and anxiety could authorise. His business was sonearly concluded as to justify him in proposing to take his passage in theSeptember packet, and he consequently looked forward with the hope of beingwith his beloved family again early in November.

Maria was more to be pitied than Julia; for to her the father brought ahusband, and the return of the friend most solicitous for her happiness wouldunite her to the lover, on whom she had chosen that happiness should depend. Itwas a gloomy prospect, and all she could do was to throw a mist over it, andhope when the mist cleared away she should see something else. It would hardlybe earlyin November, there were generally delays, a bad passage orsomething; that favouring somethingwhich everybody who shutstheir eyes while they look, or their understandings while they reason, feelsthe comfort of. It would probably be the middle of November at least; themiddle of November was three months off. Three months comprised thirteen weeks.Much might happen in thirteen weeks.

Sir Thomas would have been deeply mortified by a suspicion of half that hisdaughters felt on the subject of his return, and would hardly have foundconsolation in a knowledge of the interest it excited in the breast of anotheryoung lady. Miss Crawford, on walking up with her brother to spend the eveningat Mansfield Park, heard the good news; and though seeming to have no concernin the affair beyond politeness, and to have vented all her feelings in a quietcongratulation, heard it with an attention not so easily satisfied. Mrs. Norrisgave the particulars of the letters, and the subject was dropt; but after tea,as Miss Crawford was standing at an open window with Edmund and Fanny lookingout on a twilight scene, while the Miss Bertrams, Mr. Rushworth, and HenryCrawford were all busy with candles at the pianoforte, she suddenly revived itby turning round towards the group, and saying, “How happy Mr. Rushworthlooks! He is thinking of November.”

Edmund looked round at Mr. Rushworth too, but had nothing to say.

“Your father’s return will be a very interesting event.”

“It will, indeed, after such an absence; an absence not only long, butincluding so many dangers.”

“It will be the forerunner also of other interesting events: yoursister’s marriage, and your taking orders.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t be affronted,” said she, laughing, “but it doesput me in mind of some of the old heathen heroes, who, after performing greatexploits in a foreign land, offered sacrifices to the gods on their safereturn.”

“There is no sacrifice in the case,” replied Edmund, with a serioussmile, and glancing at the pianoforte again; “it is entirely her owndoing.”

“Oh yes I know it is. I was merely joking. She has done no more than whatevery young woman would do; and I have no doubt of her being extremely happy.My other sacrifice, of course, you do not understand.”

“My taking orders, I assure you, is quite as voluntary as Maria’smarrying.”

“It is fortunate that your inclination and your father’sconvenience should accord so well. There is a very good living kept for you, Iunderstand, hereabouts.”

“Which you suppose has biassed me?”

“But thatI am sure it has not,” cried Fanny.

“Thank you for your good word, Fanny, but it is more than I would affirmmyself. On the contrary, the knowing that there was such a provision for meprobably did bias me. Nor can I think it wrong that it should. There was nonatural disinclination to be overcome, and I see no reason why a man shouldmake a worse clergyman for knowing that he will have a competence early inlife. I was in safe hands. I hope I should not have been influenced myself in awrong way, and I am sure my father was too conscientious to have allowed it. Ihave no doubt that I was biased, but I think it was blamelessly.”

“It is the same sort of thing,” said Fanny, after a short pause,“as for the son of an admiral to go into the navy, or the son of ageneral to be in the army, and nobody sees anything wrong in that. Nobodywonders that they should prefer the line where their friends can serve thembest, or suspects them to be less in earnest in it than they appear.”

“No, my dear Miss Price, and for reasons good. The profession, eithernavy or army, is its own justification. It has everything in its favour:heroism, danger, bustle, fashion. Soldiers and sailors are always acceptable insociety. Nobody can wonder that men are soldiers and sailors.”

“But the motives of a man who takes orders with the certainty ofpreferment may be fairly suspected, you think?” said Edmund. “To bejustified in your eyes, he must do it in the most complete uncertainty of anyprovision.”

“What! take orders without a living! No; that is madness indeed; absolutemadness.”

“Shall I ask you how the church is to be filled, if a man is neither totake orders with a living nor without? No; for you certainly would not knowwhat to say. But I must beg some advantage to the clergyman from your ownargument. As he cannot be influenced by those feelings which you rank highly astemptation and reward to the soldier and sailor in their choice of aprofession, as heroism, and noise, and fashion, are all against him, he oughtto be less liable to the suspicion of wanting sincerity or good intentions inthe choice of his.”

“Oh! no doubt he is very sincere in preferring an income ready made, tothe trouble of working for one; and has the best intentions of doing nothingall the rest of his days but eat, drink, and grow fat. It is indolence, Mr.Bertram, indeed. Indolence and love of ease; a want of all laudable ambition,of taste for good company, or of inclination to take the trouble of beingagreeable, which make men clergymen. A clergyman has nothing to do but beslovenly and selfish—read the newspaper, watch the weather, and quarrelwith his wife. His curate does all the work, and the business of his own lifeis to dine.”

“There are such clergymen, no doubt, but I think they are not so commonas to justify Miss Crawford in esteeming it their general character. I suspectthat in this comprehensive and (may I say) commonplace censure, you are notjudging from yourself, but from prejudiced persons, whose opinions you havebeen in the habit of hearing. It is impossible that your own observation canhave given you much knowledge of the clergy. You can have been personallyacquainted with very few of a set of men you condemn so conclusively. You arespeaking what you have been told at your uncle’s table.”

“I speak what appears to me the general opinion; and where an opinion isgeneral, it is usually correct. Though Ihave not seen much of thedomestic lives of clergymen, it is seen by too many to leave any deficiency ofinformation.”

“Where any one body of educated men, of whatever denomination, arecondemned indiscriminately, there must be a deficiency of information, or(smiling) of something else. Your uncle, and his brother admirals, perhaps knewlittle of clergymen beyond the chaplains whom, good or bad, they were alwayswishing away.”

“Poor William! He has met with great kindness from the chaplain of theAntwerp,” was a tender apostrophe of Fanny’s, very much to thepurpose of her own feelings if not of the conversation.

“I have been so little addicted to take my opinions from my uncle,”said Miss Crawford, “that I can hardly suppose—and since you pushme so hard, I must observe, that I am not entirely without the means of seeingwhat clergymen are, being at this present time the guest of my own brother, Dr.Grant. And though Dr. Grant is most kind and obliging to me, and though he isreally a gentleman, and, I dare say, a good scholar and clever, and oftenpreaches good sermons, and is very respectable, Isee him to be anindolent, selfish bonvivant, who must have his palate consultedin everything; who will not stir a finger for the convenience of any one; andwho, moreover, if the cook makes a blunder, is out of humour with his excellentwife. To own the truth, Henry and I were partly driven out this very evening bya disappointment about a green goose, which he could not get the better of. Mypoor sister was forced to stay and bear it.”

“I do not wonder at your disapprobation, upon my word. It is a greatdefect of temper, made worse by a very faulty habit of self-indulgence; and tosee your sister suffering from it must be exceedingly painful to such feelingsas yours. Fanny, it goes against us. We cannot attempt to defend Dr.Grant.”

“No,” replied Fanny, “but we need not give up his professionfor all that; because, whatever profession Dr. Grant had chosen, he would havetaken a—not a good temper into it; and as he must, either in the navy orarmy, have had a great many more people under his command than he has now, Ithink more would have been made unhappy by him as a sailor or soldier than as aclergyman. Besides, I cannot but suppose that whatever there may be to wishotherwise in Dr. Grant would have been in a greater danger of becoming worse ina more active and worldly profession, where he would have had less time andobligation—where he might have escaped that knowledge of himself, thefrequency, at least, of that knowledge which it is impossible he shouldescape as he is now. A man—a sensible man like Dr. Grant, cannot be inthe habit of teaching others their duty every week, cannot go to church twiceevery Sunday, and preach such very good sermons in so good a manner as he does,without being the better for it himself. It must make him think; and I have nodoubt that he oftener endeavours to restrain himself than he would if he hadbeen anything but a clergyman.”

“We cannot prove to the contrary, to be sure; but I wish you a betterfate, Miss Price, than to be the wife of a man whose amiableness depends uponhis own sermons; for though he may preach himself into a good-humour everySunday, it will be bad enough to have him quarrelling about green geese fromMonday morning till Saturday night.”

“I think the man who could often quarrel with Fanny,” said Edmundaffectionately, “must be beyond the reach of any sermons.”

Fanny turned farther into the window; and Miss Crawford had only time to say,in a pleasant manner, “I fancy Miss Price has been more used to deservepraise than to hear it”; when, being earnestly invited by the MissBertrams to join in a glee, she tripped off to the instrument, leaving Edmundlooking after her in an ecstasy of admiration of all her many virtues, from herobliging manners down to her light and graceful tread.

“There goes good-humour, I am sure,” said he presently.“There goes a temper which would never give pain! How well she walks! andhow readily she falls in with the inclination of others! joining them themoment she is asked. What a pity,” he added, after an instant’sreflection, “that she should have been in such hands!”

Fanny agreed to it, and had the pleasure of seeing him continue at the windowwith her, in spite of the expected glee; and of having his eyes soon turned,like hers, towards the scene without, where all that was solemn, and soothing,and lovely, appeared in the brilliancy of an unclouded night, and the contrastof the deep shade of the woods. Fanny spoke her feelings. “Here’sharmony!” said she; “here’s repose! Here’s what mayleave all painting and all music behind, and what poetry only can attempt todescribe! Here’s what may tranquillise every care, and lift the heart torapture! When I look out on such a night as this, I feel as if there could beneither wickedness nor sorrow in the world; and there certainly would be lessof both if the sublimity of Nature were more attended to, and people werecarried more out of themselves by contemplating such a scene.”

“I like to hear your enthusiasm, Fanny. It is a lovely night, and theyare much to be pitied who have not been taught to feel, in some degree, as youdo; who have not, at least, been given a taste for Nature in early life. Theylose a great deal.”

“Youtaught me to think and feel on the subject, cousin.”

“I had a very apt scholar. There’s Arcturus looking verybright.”

“Yes, and the Bear. I wish I could see Cassiopeia.”

“We must go out on the lawn for that. Should you be afraid?”

“Not in the least. It is a great while since we have had anystar-gazing.”

“Yes; I do not know how it has happened.” The glee began. “Wewill stay till this is finished, Fanny,” said he, turning his back on thewindow; and as it advanced, she had the mortification of seeing him advancetoo, moving forward by gentle degrees towards the instrument, and when itceased, he was close by the singers, among the most urgent in requesting tohear the glee again.

Fanny sighed alone at the window till scolded away by Mrs. Norris’sthreats of catching cold.

CHAPTER XII

Sir Thomas was to return in November, and his eldest son had duties to call himearlier home. The approach of September brought tidings of Mr. Bertram, firstin a letter to the gamekeeper and then in a letter to Edmund; and by the end ofAugust he arrived himself, to be gay, agreeable, and gallant again as occasionserved, or Miss Crawford demanded; to tell of races and Weymouth, and partiesand friends, to which she might have listened six weeks before with someinterest, and altogether to give her the fullest conviction, by the power ofactual comparison, of her preferring his younger brother.

It was very vexatious, and she was heartily sorry for it; but so it was; and sofar from now meaning to marry the elder, she did not even want to attract himbeyond what the simplest claims of conscious beauty required: his lengthenedabsence from Mansfield, without anything but pleasure in view, and his own willto consult, made it perfectly clear that he did not care about her; and hisindifference was so much more than equalled by her own, that were he now tostep forth the owner of Mansfield Park, the Sir Thomas complete, which he wasto be in time, she did not believe she could accept him.

The season and duties which brought Mr. Bertram back to Mansfield took Mr.Crawford into Norfolk. Everingham could not do without him in the beginning ofSeptember. He went for a fortnight—a fortnight of such dullness to theMiss Bertrams as ought to have put them both on their guard, and made evenJulia admit, in her jealousy of her sister, the absolute necessity ofdistrusting his attentions, and wishing him not to return; and a fortnight ofsufficient leisure, in the intervals of shooting and sleeping, to haveconvinced the gentleman that he ought to keep longer away, had he been more inthe habit of examining his own motives, and of reflecting to what theindulgence of his idle vanity was tending; but, thoughtless and selfish fromprosperity and bad example, he would not look beyond the present moment. Thesisters, handsome, clever, and encouraging, were an amusement to his satedmind; and finding nothing in Norfolk to equal the social pleasures ofMansfield, he gladly returned to it at the time appointed, and was welcomedthither quite as gladly by those whom he came to trifle with further.

Maria, with only Mr. Rushworth to attend to her, and doomed to the repeateddetails of his day’s sport, good or bad, his boast of his dogs, hisjealousy of his neighbours, his doubts of their qualifications, and his zealafter poachers, subjects which will not find their way to female feelingswithout some talent on one side or some attachment on the other, had missed Mr.Crawford grievously; and Julia, unengaged and unemployed, felt all the right ofmissing him much more. Each sister believed herself the favourite. Julia mightbe justified in so doing by the hints of Mrs. Grant, inclined to credit whatshe wished, and Maria by the hints of Mr. Crawford himself. Everything returnedinto the same channel as before his absence; his manners being to each soanimated and agreeable as to lose no ground with either, and just stoppingshort of the consistence, the steadiness, the solicitude, and the warmth whichmight excite general notice.

Fanny was the only one of the party who found anything to dislike; but sincethe day at Sotherton, she could never see Mr. Crawford with either sisterwithout observation, and seldom without wonder or censure; and had herconfidence in her own judgment been equal to her exercise of it in every otherrespect, had she been sure that she was seeing clearly, and judging candidly,she would probably have made some important communications to her usualconfidant. As it was, however, she only hazarded a hint, and the hint was lost.“I am rather surprised,” said she, “that Mr. Crawford shouldcome back again so soon, after being here so long before, full seven weeks; forI had understood he was so very fond of change and moving about, that I thoughtsomething would certainly occur, when he was once gone, to take him elsewhere.He is used to much gayer places than Mansfield.”

“It is to his credit,” was Edmund’s answer; “and I daresay it gives his sister pleasure. She does not like his unsettledhabits.”

“What a favourite he is with my cousins!”

“Yes, his manners to women are such as must please. Mrs. Grant, Ibelieve, suspects him of a preference for Julia; I have never seen much symptomof it, but I wish it may be so. He has no faults but what a serious attachmentwould remove.”

“If Miss Bertram were not engaged,” said Fanny cautiously, “Icould sometimes almost think that he admired her more than Julia.”

“Which is, perhaps, more in favour of his liking Julia best, than you,Fanny, may be aware; for I believe it often happens that a man, before he hasquite made up his own mind, will distinguish the sister or intimate friend ofthe woman he is really thinking of more than the woman herself. Crawford hastoo much sense to stay here if he found himself in any danger from Maria; and Iam not at all afraid for her, after such a proof as she has given that herfeelings are not strong.”

Fanny supposed she must have been mistaken, and meant to think differently infuture; but with all that submission to Edmund could do, and all the help ofthe coinciding looks and hints which she occasionally noticed in some of theothers, and which seemed to say that Julia was Mr. Crawford’s choice, sheknew not always what to think. She was privy, one evening, to the hopes of heraunt Norris on the subject, as well as to her feelings, and the feelings ofMrs. Rushworth, on a point of some similarity, and could not help wondering asshe listened; and glad would she have been not to be obliged to listen, for itwas while all the other young people were dancing, and she sitting, mostunwillingly, among the chaperons at the fire, longing for the re-entrance ofher elder cousin, on whom all her own hopes of a partner then depended. It wasFanny’s first ball, though without the preparation or splendour of many ayoung lady’s first ball, being the thought only of the afternoon, builton the late acquisition of a violin player in the servants’ hall, and thepossibility of raising five couple with the help of Mrs. Grant and a newintimate friend of Mr. Bertram’s just arrived on a visit. It had,however, been a very happy one to Fanny through four dances, and she was quitegrieved to be losing even a quarter of an hour. While waiting and wishing,looking now at the dancers and now at the door, this dialogue between the twoabove-mentioned ladies was forced on her—

“I think, ma’am,” said Mrs. Norris, her eyes directed towardsMr. Rushworth and Maria, who were partners for the second time, “we shallsee some happy faces again now.”

“Yes, ma’am, indeed,” replied the other, with a statelysimper, “there will be some satisfaction in looking on now, and Ithink it was rather a pity they should have been obliged to part. Young folksin their situation should be excused complying with the common forms. I wondermy son did not propose it.”

“I dare say he did, ma’am. Mr. Rushworth is never remiss. But dearMaria has such a strict sense of propriety, so much of that true delicacy whichone seldom meets with nowadays, Mrs. Rushworth—that wish of avoidingparticularity! Dear ma’am, only look at her face at this moment; howdifferent from what it was the two last dances!”

Miss Bertram did indeed look happy, her eyes were sparkling with pleasure, andshe was speaking with great animation, for Julia and her partner, Mr. Crawford,were close to her; they were all in a cluster together. How she had lookedbefore, Fanny could not recollect, for she had been dancing with Edmundherself, and had not thought about her.

Mrs. Norris continued, “It is quite delightful, ma’am, to see youngpeople so properly happy, so well suited, and so much the thing! I cannot butthink of dear Sir Thomas’s delight. And what do you say, ma’am, tothe chance of another match? Mr. Rushworth has set a good example, and suchthings are very catching.”

Mrs. Rushworth, who saw nothing but her son, was quite at a loss.

“The couple above, ma’am. Do you see no symptoms there?”

“Oh dear! Miss Julia and Mr. Crawford. Yes, indeed, a very pretty match.What is his property?”

“Four thousand a year.”

“Very well. Those who have not more must be satisfied with what theyhave. Four thousand a year is a pretty estate, and he seems a very genteel,steady young man, so I hope Miss Julia will be very happy.”

“It is not a settled thing, ma’am, yet. We only speak of it amongfriends. But I have very little doubt it willbe. He is growingextremely particular in his attentions.”

Fanny could listen no farther. Listening and wondering were all suspended for atime, for Mr. Bertram was in the room again; and though feeling it would be agreat honour to be asked by him, she thought it must happen. He came towardstheir little circle; but instead of asking her to dance, drew a chair near her,and gave her an account of the present state of a sick horse, and the opinionof the groom, from whom he had just parted. Fanny found that it was not to be,and in the modesty of her nature immediately felt that she had beenunreasonable in expecting it. When he had told of his horse, he took anewspaper from the table, and looking over it, said in a languid way, “Ifyou want to dance, Fanny, I will stand up with you.” With more than equalcivility the offer was declined; she did not wish to dance. “I am glad ofit,” said he, in a much brisker tone, and throwing down the newspaperagain, “for I am tired to death. I only wonder how the good people cankeep it up so long. They had need be allin love, to find any amusementin such folly; and so they are, I fancy. If you look at them you may see theyare so many couple of lovers—all but Yates and Mrs. Grant—and,between ourselves, she, poor woman, must want a lover as much as any one ofthem. A desperate dull life hers must be with the doctor,” making a slyface as he spoke towards the chair of the latter, who proving, however, to beclose at his elbow, made so instantaneous a change of expression and subjectnecessary, as Fanny, in spite of everything, could hardly help laughing at.“A strange business this in America, Dr. Grant! What is your opinion? Ialways come to you to know what I am to think of public matters.”

“My dear Tom,” cried his aunt soon afterwards, “as you arenot dancing, I dare say you will have no objection to join us in a rubber;shall you?” Then leaving her seat, and coming to him to enforce theproposal, added in a whisper, “We want to make a table for Mrs.Rushworth, you know. Your mother is quite anxious about it, but cannot verywell spare time to sit down herself, because of her fringe. Now, you and I andDr. Grant will just do; and though weplay but half-crowns, you know,you may bet half-guineas with him.”

“I should be most happy,” replied he aloud, and jumping up withalacrity, “it would give me the greatest pleasure; but that I am thismoment going to dance. Come, Fanny,” taking her hand, “do not bedawdling any longer, or the dance will be over.”

Fanny was led off very willingly, though it was impossible for her to feel muchgratitude towards her cousin, or distinguish, as he certainly did, between theselfishness of another person and his own.

“A pretty modest request upon my word,” he indignantly exclaimed asthey walked away. “To want to nail me to a card-table for the next twohours with herself and Dr. Grant, who are always quarrelling, and that pokingold woman, who knows no more of whist than of algebra. I wish my good auntwould be a little less busy! And to ask me in such a way too! without ceremony,before them all, so as to leave me no possibility of refusing. Thatiswhat I dislike most particularly. It raises my spleen more than anything, tohave the pretence of being asked, of being given a choice, and at the same timeaddressed in such a way as to oblige one to do the very thing, whatever it be!If I had not luckily thought of standing up with you I could not have got outof it. It is a great deal too bad. But when my aunt has got a fancy in herhead, nothing can stop her.”

CHAPTER XIII

The Honourable John Yates, this new friend, had not much to recommend himbeyond habits of fashion and expense, and being the younger son of a lord witha tolerable independence; and Sir Thomas would probably have thought hisintroduction at Mansfield by no means desirable. Mr. Bertram’sacquaintance with him had begun at Weymouth, where they had spent ten daystogether in the same society, and the friendship, if friendship it might becalled, had been proved and perfected by Mr. Yates’s being invited totake Mansfield in his way, whenever he could, and by his promising to come; andhe did come rather earlier than had been expected, in consequence of the suddenbreaking-up of a large party assembled for gaiety at the house of anotherfriend, which he had left Weymouth to join. He came on the wings ofdisappointment, and with his head full of acting, for it had been a theatricalparty; and the play in which he had borne a part was within two days ofrepresentation, when the sudden death of one of the nearest connexions of thefamily had destroyed the scheme and dispersed the performers. To be so nearhappiness, so near fame, so near the long paragraph in praise of the privatetheatricals at Ecclesford, the seat of the Right Hon. Lord Ravenshaw, inCornwall, which would of course have immortalised the whole party for at leasta twelvemonth! and being so near, to lose it all, was an injury to be keenlyfelt, and Mr. Yates could talk of nothing else. Ecclesford and its theatre,with its arrangements and dresses, rehearsals and jokes, was his never-failingsubject, and to boast of the past his only consolation.

Happily for him, a love of the theatre is so general, an itch for acting sostrong among young people, that he could hardly out-talk the interest of hishearers. From the first casting of the parts to the epilogue it was allbewitching, and there were few who did not wish to have been a party concerned,or would have hesitated to try their skill. The play had been Lovers’Vows, and Mr. Yates was to have been Count Cassel. “A triflingpart,” said he, “and not at all to my taste, and such a one as Icertainly would not accept again; but I was determined to make no difficulties.Lord Ravenshaw and the duke had appropriated the only two characters worthplaying before I reached Ecclesford; and though Lord Ravenshaw offered toresign his to me, it was impossible to take it, you know. I was sorry forhimthat he should have so mistaken his powers, for he was no more equalto the Baron—a little man with a weak voice, always hoarse after thefirst ten minutes. It must have injured the piece materially; but Iwasresolved to make no difficulties. Sir Henry thought the duke not equal toFrederick, but that was because Sir Henry wanted the part himself; whereas itwas certainly in the best hands of the two. I was surprised to see Sir Henrysuch a stick. Luckily the strength of the piece did not depend upon him. OurAgatha was inimitable, and the duke was thought very great by many. And uponthe whole, it would certainly have gone off wonderfully.”

“It was a hard case, upon my word”; and, “I do think you werevery much to be pitied,” were the kind responses of listening sympathy.

“It is not worth complaining about; but to be sure the poor old dowagercould not have died at a worse time; and it is impossible to help wishing thatthe news could have been suppressed for just the three days we wanted. It wasbut three days; and being only a grandmother, and all happening two hundredmiles off, I think there would have been no great harm, and it was suggested, Iknow; but Lord Ravenshaw, who I suppose is one of the most correct men inEngland, would not hear of it.”

“An afterpiece instead of a comedy,” said Mr. Bertram.“Lovers’ Vows were at an end, and Lord and Lady Ravenshaw left toact My Grandmother by themselves. Well, the jointure may comfort him;and perhaps, between friends, he began to tremble for his credit and his lungsin the Baron, and was not sorry to withdraw; and to make youamends,Yates, I think we must raise a little theatre at Mansfield, and ask you to beour manager.”

This, though the thought of the moment, did not end with the moment; for theinclination to act was awakened, and in no one more strongly than in him whowas now master of the house; and who, having so much leisure as to make almostany novelty a certain good, had likewise such a degree of lively talents andcomic taste, as were exactly adapted to the novelty of acting. The thoughtreturned again and again. “Oh for the Ecclesford theatre and scenery totry something with.” Each sister could echo the wish; and Henry Crawford,to whom, in all the riot of his gratifications it was yet an untasted pleasure,was quite alive at the idea. “I really believe,” said he, “Icould be fool enough at this moment to undertake any character that ever waswritten, from Shylock or Richard III down to the singing hero of a farce in hisscarlet coat and cocked hat. I feel as if I could be anything or everything; asif I could rant and storm, or sigh or cut capers, in any tragedy or comedy inthe English language. Let us be doing something. Be it only half a play, anact, a scene; what should prevent us? Not these countenances, I am sure,”looking towards the Miss Bertrams; “and for a theatre, what signifies atheatre? We shall be only amusing ourselves. Any room in this house mightsuffice.”

“We must have a curtain,” said Tom Bertram; “a few yards ofgreen baize for a curtain, and perhaps that may be enough.”

“Oh, quite enough,” cried Mr. Yates, “with only just a sidewing or two run up, doors in flat, and three or four scenes to be let down;nothing more would be necessary on such a plan as this. For mere amusementamong ourselves we should want nothing more.”

“I believe we must be satisfied with less,” said Maria.“There would not be time, and other difficulties would arise. We mustrather adopt Mr. Crawford’s views, and make the performance, notthe theatre, our object. Many parts of our best plays are independent ofscenery.”

“Nay,” said Edmund, who began to listen with alarm. “Let usdo nothing by halves. If we are to act, let it be in a theatre completelyfitted up with pit, boxes, and gallery, and let us have a play entire frombeginning to end; so as it be a German play, no matter what, with a goodtricking, shifting afterpiece, and a figure-dance, and a hornpipe, and a songbetween the acts. If we do not outdo Ecclesford, we do nothing.”

“Now, Edmund, do not be disagreeable,” said Julia. “Nobodyloves a play better than you do, or can have gone much farther to seeone.”

“True, to see real acting, good hardened real acting; but I would hardlywalk from this room to the next to look at the raw efforts of those who havenot been bred to the trade: a set of gentlemen and ladies, who have all thedisadvantages of education and decorum to struggle through.”

After a short pause, however, the subject still continued, and was discussedwith unabated eagerness, every one’s inclination increasing by thediscussion, and a knowledge of the inclination of the rest; and though nothingwas settled but that Tom Bertram would prefer a comedy, and his sisters andHenry Crawford a tragedy, and that nothing in the world could be easier than tofind a piece which would please them all, the resolution to act something orother seemed so decided as to make Edmund quite uncomfortable. He wasdetermined to prevent it, if possible, though his mother, who equally heard theconversation which passed at table, did not evince the least disapprobation.

The same evening afforded him an opportunity of trying his strength. Maria,Julia, Henry Crawford, and Mr. Yates were in the billiard-room. Tom, returningfrom them into the drawing-room, where Edmund was standing thoughtfully by thefire, while Lady Bertram was on the sofa at a little distance, and Fanny closebeside her arranging her work, thus began as he entered—“Such ahorribly vile billiard-table as ours is not to be met with, I believe, aboveground. I can stand it no longer, and I think, I may say, that nothing shallever tempt me to it again; but one good thing I have just ascertained: it isthe very room for a theatre, precisely the shape and length for it; and thedoors at the farther end, communicating with each other, as they may be made todo in five minutes, by merely moving the bookcase in my father’s room, isthe very thing we could have desired, if we had sat down to wish for it; and myfather’s room will be an excellent greenroom. It seems to join thebilliard-room on purpose.”

“You are not serious, Tom, in meaning to act?” said Edmund, in alow voice, as his brother approached the fire.

“Not serious! never more so, I assure you. What is there to surprise youin it?”

“I think it would be very wrong. In a generallight, privatetheatricals are open to some objections, but as weare circumstanced, Imust think it would be highly injudicious, and more than injudicious to attemptanything of the kind. It would shew great want of feeling on my father’saccount, absent as he is, and in some degree of constant danger; and it wouldbe imprudent, I think, with regard to Maria, whose situation is a very delicateone, considering everything, extremely delicate.”

“You take up a thing so seriously! as if we were going to act three timesa week till my father’s return, and invite all the country. But it is notto be a display of that sort. We mean nothing but a little amusement amongourselves, just to vary the scene, and exercise our powers in something new. Wewant no audience, no publicity. We may be trusted, I think, in chusing someplay most perfectly unexceptionable; and I can conceive no greater harm ordanger to any of us in conversing in the elegant written language of somerespectable author than in chattering in words of our own. I have no fears andno scruples. And as to my father’s being absent, it is so far from anobjection, that I consider it rather as a motive; for the expectation of hisreturn must be a very anxious period to my mother; and if we can be the meansof amusing that anxiety, and keeping up her spirits for the next few weeks, Ishall think our time very well spent, and so, I am sure, will he. It is averyanxious period for her.”

As he said this, each looked towards their mother. Lady Bertram, sunk back inone corner of the sofa, the picture of health, wealth, ease, and tranquillity,was just falling into a gentle doze, while Fanny was getting through the fewdifficulties of her work for her.

Edmund smiled and shook his head.

“By Jove! this won’t do,” cried Tom, throwing himself into achair with a hearty laugh. “To be sure, my dear mother, youranxiety—I was unlucky there.”

“What is the matter?” asked her ladyship, in the heavy tone of onehalf-roused; “I was not asleep.”

“Oh dear, no, ma’am, nobody suspected you! Well, Edmund,” hecontinued, returning to the former subject, posture, and voice, as soon as LadyBertram began to nod again, “but thisI willmaintain, thatwe shall be doing no harm.”

“I cannot agree with you; I am convinced that my father would totallydisapprove it.”

“And I am convinced to the contrary. Nobody is fonder of the exercise oftalent in young people, or promotes it more, than my father, and for anythingof the acting, spouting, reciting kind, I think he has always a decided taste.I am sure he encouraged it in us as boys. How many a time have we mourned overthe dead body of Julius Caesar, and to be’dand not tobe’d, in this very room, for his amusement? And I am sure,mynamewasNorval, every evening of my lifethrough one Christmas holidays.”

“It was a very different thing. You must see the difference yourself. Myfather wished us, as schoolboys, to speak well, but he would never wish hisgrown-up daughters to be acting plays. His sense of decorum is strict.”

“I know all that,” said Tom, displeased. “I know my father aswell as you do; and I’ll take care that his daughters do nothing todistress him. Manage your own concerns, Edmund, and I’ll take care of therest of the family.”

“If you are resolved on acting,” replied the persevering Edmund,“I must hope it will be in a very small and quiet way; and I think atheatre ought not to be attempted. It would be taking liberties with myfather’s house in his absence which could not be justified.”

“For everything of that nature I will be answerable,” said Tom, ina decided tone. “His house shall not be hurt. I have quite as great aninterest in being careful of his house as you can have; and as to suchalterations as I was suggesting just now, such as moving a bookcase, orunlocking a door, or even as using the billiard-room for the space of a weekwithout playing at billiards in it, you might just as well suppose he wouldobject to our sitting more in this room, and less in the breakfast-room, thanwe did before he went away, or to my sister’s pianoforte being moved fromone side of the room to the other. Absolute nonsense!”

“The innovation, if not wrong as an innovation, will be wrong as anexpense.”

“Yes, the expense of such an undertaking would be prodigious! Perhaps itmight cost a whole twenty pounds. Something of a theatre we must haveundoubtedly, but it will be on the simplest plan: a green curtain and a littlecarpenter’s work, and that’s all; and as the carpenter’s workmay be all done at home by Christopher Jackson himself, it will be too absurdto talk of expense; and as long as Jackson is employed, everything will beright with Sir Thomas. Don’t imagine that nobody in this house can see orjudge but yourself. Don’t act yourself, if you do not like it, butdon’t expect to govern everybody else.”

“No, as to acting myself,” said Edmund, “thatIabsolutely protest against.”

Tom walked out of the room as he said it, and Edmund was left to sit down andstir the fire in thoughtful vexation.

Fanny, who had heard it all, and borne Edmund company in every feelingthroughout the whole, now ventured to say, in her anxiety to suggest somecomfort, “Perhaps they may not be able to find any play to suit them.Your brother’s taste and your sisters’ seem very different.”

“I have no hope there, Fanny. If they persist in the scheme, they willfind something. I shall speak to my sisters and try to dissuade them,and that is all I can do.”

“I should think my aunt Norris would be on your side.”

“I dare say she would, but she has no influence with either Tom or mysisters that could be of any use; and if I cannot convince them myself, I shalllet things take their course, without attempting it through her. Familysquabbling is the greatest evil of all, and we had better do anything than bealtogether by the ears.”

His sisters, to whom he had an opportunity of speaking the next morning, werequite as impatient of his advice, quite as unyielding to his representation,quite as determined in the cause of pleasure, as Tom. Their mother had noobjection to the plan, and they were not in the least afraid of theirfather’s disapprobation. There could be no harm in what had been done inso many respectable families, and by so many women of the first consideration;and it must be scrupulousness run mad that could see anything to censure in aplan like theirs, comprehending only brothers and sisters and intimate friends,and which would never be heard of beyond themselves. Julia didseeminclined to admit that Maria’s situation might require particular cautionand delicacy—but that could not extend to her—she was atliberty; and Maria evidently considered her engagement as only raising her somuch more above restraint, and leaving her less occasion than Julia to consulteither father or mother. Edmund had little to hope, but he was still urging thesubject when Henry Crawford entered the room, fresh from the Parsonage, callingout, “No want of hands in our theatre, Miss Bertram. No want ofunderstrappers: my sister desires her love, and hopes to be admitted into thecompany, and will be happy to take the part of any old duenna or tameconfidante, that you may not like to do yourselves.”

Maria gave Edmund a glance, which meant, “What say you now? Can we bewrong if Mary Crawford feels the same?” And Edmund, silenced, was obligedto acknowledge that the charm of acting might well carry fascination to themind of genius; and with the ingenuity of love, to dwell more on the obliging,accommodating purport of the message than on anything else.

The scheme advanced. Opposition was vain; and as to Mrs. Norris, he wasmistaken in supposing she would wish to make any. She started no difficultiesthat were not talked down in five minutes by her eldest nephew and niece, whowere all-powerful with her; and as the whole arrangement was to bring verylittle expense to anybody, and none at all to herself, as she foresaw in it allthe comforts of hurry, bustle, and importance, and derived the immediateadvantage of fancying herself obliged to leave her own house, where she hadbeen living a month at her own cost, and take up her abode in theirs, thatevery hour might be spent in their service, she was, in fact, exceedinglydelighted with the project.

CHAPTER XIV

Fanny seemed nearer being right than Edmund had supposed. The business offinding a play that would suit everybody proved to be no trifle; and thecarpenter had received his orders and taken his measurements, had suggested andremoved at least two sets of difficulties, and having made the necessity of anenlargement of plan and expense fully evident, was already at work, while aplay was still to seek. Other preparations were also in hand. An enormous rollof green baize had arrived from Northampton, and been cut out by Mrs. Norris(with a saving by her good management of full three-quarters of a yard), andwas actually forming into a curtain by the housemaids, and still the play waswanting; and as two or three days passed away in this manner, Edmund beganalmost to hope that none might ever be found.

There were, in fact, so many things to be attended to, so many people to bepleased, so many best characters required, and, above all, such a need that theplay should be at once both tragedy and comedy, that there did seem as littlechance of a decision as anything pursued by youth and zeal could hold out.

On the tragic side were the Miss Bertrams, Henry Crawford, and Mr. Yates; onthe comic, Tom Bertram, not quitealone, because it was evident thatMary Crawford’s wishes, though politely kept back, inclined the same way:but his determinateness and his power seemed to make allies unnecessary; and,independent of this great irreconcilable difference, they wanted a piececontaining very few characters in the whole, but every character first-rate,and three principal women. All the best plays were run over in vain. NeitherHamlet, nor Macbeth, nor Othello, nor Douglas, nor The Gamester, presentedanything that could satisfy even the tragedians; and The Rivals, The School forScandal, Wheel of Fortune, Heir at Law, and a long et cetera, were successivelydismissed with yet warmer objections. No piece could be proposed that did notsupply somebody with a difficulty, and on one side or the other it was acontinual repetition of, “Oh no, thatwill never do! Let us haveno ranting tragedies. Too many characters. Not a tolerable woman’s partin the play. Anything but that, my dear Tom. It would be impossible tofill it up. One could not expect anybody to take such a part. Nothing butbuffoonery from beginning to end. Thatmight do, perhaps, but for thelow parts. If I mustgive my opinion, I have always thought it the mostinsipid play in the English language. Ido not wish to make objections;I shall be happy to be of any use, but I think we could not chuse worse.”

Fanny looked on and listened, not unamused to observe the selfishness which,more or less disguised, seemed to govern them all, and wondering how it wouldend. For her own gratification she could have wished that something might beacted, for she had never seen even half a play, but everything of higherconsequence was against it.

“This will never do,” said Tom Bertram at last. “We arewasting time most abominably. Something must be fixed on. No matter what, sothat something is chosen. We must not be so nice. A few characters too manymust not frighten us. We must doublethem. We must descend a little. Ifa part is insignificant, the greater our credit in making anything of it. Fromthis moment I make no difficulties. I take any part you chuse to give me, so asit be comic. Let it but be comic, I condition for nothing more.”

For about the fifth time he then proposed the Heir at Law, doubting onlywhether to prefer Lord Duberley or Dr. Pangloss for himself; and veryearnestly, but very unsuccessfully, trying to persuade the others that therewere some fine tragic parts in the rest of the Dramatis Personæ.

The pause which followed this fruitless effort was ended by the same speaker,who, taking up one of the many volumes of plays that lay on the table, andturning it over, suddenly exclaimed—“Lovers’ Vows! And whyshould not Lovers’ Vows do for usas well as for the Ravenshaws?How came it never to be thought of before? It strikes me as if it would doexactly. What say you all? Here are two capital tragic parts for Yates andCrawford, and here is the rhyming Butler for me, if nobody else wants it; atrifling part, but the sort of thing I should not dislike, and, as I saidbefore, I am determined to take anything and do my best. And as for the rest,they may be filled up by anybody. It is only Count Cassel and Anhalt.”

The suggestion was generally welcome. Everybody was growing weary ofindecision, and the first idea with everybody was, that nothing had beenproposed before so likely to suit them all. Mr. Yates was particularly pleased:he had been sighing and longing to do the Baron at Ecclesford, had grudgedevery rant of Lord Ravenshaw’s, and been forced to re-rant it all in hisown room. The storm through Baron Wildenheim was the height of his theatricalambition; and with the advantage of knowing half the scenes by heart already,he did now, with the greatest alacrity, offer his services for the part. To dohim justice, however, he did not resolve to appropriate it; for rememberingthat there was some very good ranting-ground in Frederick, he professed anequal willingness for that. Henry Crawford was ready to take either. WhicheverMr. Yates did not chuse would perfectly satisfy him, and a short parley ofcompliment ensued. Miss Bertram, feeling all the interest of an Agatha in thequestion, took on her to decide it, by observing to Mr. Yates that this was apoint in which height and figure ought to be considered, and that hisbeing the tallest, seemed to fit him peculiarly for the Baron. She wasacknowledged to be quite right, and the two parts being accepted accordingly,she was certain of the proper Frederick. Three of the characters were now cast,besides Mr. Rushworth, who was always answered for by Maria as willing to doanything; when Julia, meaning, like her sister, to be Agatha, began to bescrupulous on Miss Crawford’s account.

“This is not behaving well by the absent,” said she. “Hereare not women enough. Amelia and Agatha may do for Maria and me, but here isnothing for your sister, Mr. Crawford.”

Mr. Crawford desired thatmight not be thought of: he was very sure hissister had no wish of acting but as she might be useful, and that she would notallow herself to be considered in the present case. But this was immediatelyopposed by Tom Bertram, who asserted the part of Amelia to be in every respectthe property of Miss Crawford, if she would accept it. “It falls asnaturally, as necessarily to her,” said he, “as Agatha does to oneor other of my sisters. It can be no sacrifice on their side, for it is highlycomic.”

A short silence followed. Each sister looked anxious; for each felt the bestclaim to Agatha, and was hoping to have it pressed on her by the rest. HenryCrawford, who meanwhile had taken up the play, and with seeming carelessnesswas turning over the first act, soon settled the business.

“I must entreat Miss JuliaBertram,” said he, “not toengage in the part of Agatha, or it will be the ruin of all my solemnity. Youmust not, indeed you must not” (turning to her). “I could not standyour countenance dressed up in woe and paleness. The many laughs we have hadtogether would infallibly come across me, and Frederick and his knapsack wouldbe obliged to run away.”

Pleasantly, courteously, it was spoken; but the manner was lost in the matterto Julia’s feelings. She saw a glance at Maria which confirmed the injuryto herself: it was a scheme, a trick; she was slighted, Maria was preferred;the smile of triumph which Maria was trying to suppress shewed how well it wasunderstood; and before Julia could command herself enough to speak, her brothergave his weight against her too, by saying, “Oh yes! Maria must beAgatha. Maria will be the best Agatha. Though Julia fancies she preferstragedy, I would not trust her in it. There is nothing of tragedy about her.She has not the look of it. Her features are not tragic features, and she walkstoo quick, and speaks too quick, and would not keep her countenance. She hadbetter do the old countrywoman: the Cottager’s wife; you had, indeed,Julia. Cottager’s wife is a very pretty part, I assure you. The old ladyrelieves the high-flown benevolence of her husband with a good deal of spirit.You shall be Cottager’s wife.”

“Cottager’s wife!” cried Mr. Yates. “What are youtalking of? The most trivial, paltry, insignificant part; the merestcommonplace; not a tolerable speech in the whole. Your sister do that! It is aninsult to propose it. At Ecclesford the governess was to have done it. We allagreed that it could not be offered to anybody else. A little more justice, Mr.Manager, if you please. You do not deserve the office, if you cannot appreciatethe talents of your company a little better.”

“Why, as to that, my good friend, till I and my company havereally acted there must be some guesswork; but I mean no disparagement toJulia. We cannot have two Agathas, and we must have one Cottager’s wife;and I am sure I set her the example of moderation myself in being satisfiedwith the old Butler. If the part is trifling she will have more credit inmaking something of it; and if she is so desperately bent against everythinghumorous, let her take Cottager’s speeches instead of Cottager’swife’s, and so change the parts all through; heis solemn andpathetic enough, I am sure. It could make no difference in the play, and as forCottager himself, when he has got his wife’s speeches, Iwouldundertake him with all my heart.”

“With all your partiality for Cottager’s wife,” said HenryCrawford, “it will be impossible to make anything of it fit for yoursister, and we must not suffer her good-nature to be imposed on. We must notallowher to accept the part. She must not be left to her owncomplaisance. Her talents will be wanted in Amelia. Amelia is a character moredifficult to be well represented than even Agatha. I consider Amelia is themost difficult character in the whole piece. It requires great powers, greatnicety, to give her playfulness and simplicity without extravagance. I haveseen good actresses fail in the part. Simplicity, indeed, is beyond the reachof almost every actress by profession. It requires a delicacy of feeling whichthey have not. It requires a gentlewoman—a Julia Bertram. You willundertake it, I hope?” turning to her with a look of anxious entreaty,which softened her a little; but while she hesitated what to say, her brotheragain interposed with Miss Crawford’s better claim.

“No, no, Julia must not be Amelia. It is not at all the part for her. Shewould not like it. She would not do well. She is too tall and robust. Ameliashould be a small, light, girlish, skipping figure. It is fit for MissCrawford, and Miss Crawford only. She looks the part, and I am persuaded willdo it admirably.”

Without attending to this, Henry Crawford continued his supplication.“You must oblige us,” said he, “indeed you must. When youhave studied the character, I am sure you will feel it suit you. Tragedy may beyour choice, but it will certainly appear that comedy chuses you. Youwill be to visit me in prison with a basket of provisions; you will not refuseto visit me in prison? I think I see you coming in with your basket.”

The influence of his voice was felt. Julia wavered; but was he only trying tosoothe and pacify her, and make her overlook the previous affront? Shedistrusted him. The slight had been most determined. He was, perhaps, but attreacherous play with her. She looked suspiciously at her sister; Maria’scountenance was to decide it: if she were vexed and alarmed—but Marialooked all serenity and satisfaction, and Julia well knew that on this groundMaria could not be happy but at her expense. With hasty indignation, therefore,and a tremulous voice, she said to him, “You do not seem afraid of notkeeping your countenance when I come in with a basket ofprovisions—though one might have supposed—but it is only as Agathathat I was to be so overpowering!” She stopped—Henry Crawfordlooked rather foolish, and as if he did not know what to say. Tom Bertram beganagain—

“Miss Crawford must be Amelia. She will be an excellent Amelia.”

“Do not be afraid of mywanting the character,” cried Julia,with angry quickness: “I am notto be Agatha, and I am sure I willdo nothing else; and as to Amelia, it is of all parts in the world the mostdisgusting to me. I quite detest her. An odious, little, pert, unnatural,impudent girl. I have always protested against comedy, and this is comedy inits worst form.” And so saying, she walked hastily out of the room,leaving awkward feelings to more than one, but exciting small compassion in anyexcept Fanny, who had been a quiet auditor of the whole, and who could notthink of her as under the agitations of jealousywithout great pity.

A short silence succeeded her leaving them; but her brother soon returned tobusiness and Lovers’ Vows, and was eagerly looking over the play, withMr. Yates’s help, to ascertain what scenery would benecessary—while Maria and Henry Crawford conversed together in anunder-voice, and the declaration with which she began of, “I am sure Iwould give up the part to Julia most willingly, but that though I shallprobably do it very ill, I feel persuaded shewould do it worse,”was doubtless receiving all the compliments it called for.

When this had lasted some time, the division of the party was completed by TomBertram and Mr. Yates walking off together to consult farther in the room nowbeginning to be called theTheatre, and Miss Bertram’sresolving to go down to the Parsonage herself with the offer of Amelia to MissCrawford; and Fanny remained alone.

The first use she made of her solitude was to take up the volume which had beenleft on the table, and begin to acquaint herself with the play of which she hadheard so much. Her curiosity was all awake, and she ran through it with aneagerness which was suspended only by intervals of astonishment, that it couldbe chosen in the present instance, that it could be proposed and accepted in aprivate theatre! Agatha and Amelia appeared to her in their different ways sototally improper for home representation—the situation of one, and thelanguage of the other, so unfit to be expressed by any woman of modesty, thatshe could hardly suppose her cousins could be aware of what they were engagingin; and longed to have them roused as soon as possible by the remonstrancewhich Edmund would certainly make.

CHAPTER XV

Miss Crawford accepted the part very readily; and soon after MissBertram’s return from the Parsonage, Mr. Rushworth arrived, and anothercharacter was consequently cast. He had the offer of Count Cassel and Anhalt,and at first did not know which to chuse, and wanted Miss Bertram to directhim; but upon being made to understand the different style of the characters,and which was which, and recollecting that he had once seen the play in London,and had thought Anhalt a very stupid fellow, he soon decided for the Count.Miss Bertram approved the decision, for the less he had to learn the better;and though she could not sympathise in his wish that the Count and Agatha mightbe to act together, nor wait very patiently while he was slowly turning overthe leaves with the hope of still discovering such a scene, she very kindlytook his part in hand, and curtailed every speech that admitted beingshortened; besides pointing out the necessity of his being very much dressed,and chusing his colours. Mr. Rushworth liked the idea of his finery very well,though affecting to despise it; and was too much engaged with what his ownappearance would be to think of the others, or draw any of those conclusions,or feel any of that displeasure which Maria had been half prepared for.

Thus much was settled before Edmund, who had been out all the morning, knewanything of the matter; but when he entered the drawing-room before dinner, thebuzz of discussion was high between Tom, Maria, and Mr. Yates; and Mr.Rushworth stepped forward with great alacrity to tell him the agreeable news.

“We have got a play,” said he. “It is to be Lovers’Vows; and I am to be Count Cassel, and am to come in first with a blue dressand a pink satin cloak, and afterwards am to have another fine fancy suit, byway of a shooting-dress. I do not know how I shall like it.”

Fanny’s eyes followed Edmund, and her heart beat for him as she heardthis speech, and saw his look, and felt what his sensations must be.

“Lovers’ Vows!” in a tone of the greatest amazement, was hisonly reply to Mr. Rushworth, and he turned towards his brother and sisters asif hardly doubting a contradiction.

“Yes,” cried Mr. Yates. “After all our debatings anddifficulties, we find there is nothing that will suit us altogether so well,nothing so unexceptionable, as Lovers’ Vows. The wonder is that it shouldnot have been thought of before. My stupidity was abominable, for here we haveall the advantage of what I saw at Ecclesford; and it is so useful to haveanything of a model! We have cast almost every part.”

“But what do you do for women?” said Edmund gravely, and looking atMaria.

Maria blushed in spite of herself as she answered, “I take the part whichLady Ravenshaw was to have done, and” (with a bolder eye) “MissCrawford is to be Amelia.”

“I should not have thought it the sort of play to be so easily filled up,with us,” replied Edmund, turning away to the fire, where sat hismother, aunt, and Fanny, and seating himself with a look of great vexation.

Mr. Rushworth followed him to say, “I come in three times, and havetwo-and-forty speeches. That’s something, is not it? But I do not muchlike the idea of being so fine. I shall hardly know myself in a blue dress anda pink satin cloak.”

Edmund could not answer him. In a few minutes Mr. Bertram was called out of theroom to satisfy some doubts of the carpenter; and being accompanied by Mr.Yates, and followed soon afterwards by Mr. Rushworth, Edmund almost immediatelytook the opportunity of saying, “I cannot, before Mr. Yates, speak what Ifeel as to this play, without reflecting on his friends at Ecclesford; but Imust now, my dear Maria, tell you, that I think it exceedingly unfit forprivate representation, and that I hope you will give it up. I cannot butsuppose you willwhen you have read it carefully over. Read only thefirst act aloud to either your mother or aunt, and see how you can approve it.It will not be necessary to send you to your father’sjudgment, Iam convinced.”

“We see things very differently,” cried Maria. “I amperfectly acquainted with the play, I assure you; and with a very fewomissions, and so forth, which will be made, of course, I can see nothingobjectionable in it; and Iam not the onlyyoung woman you findwho thinks it very fit for private representation.”

“I am sorry for it,” was his answer; “but in this matter itis youwho are to lead. Youmust set the example. If others haveblundered, it is your place to put them right, and shew them what true delicacyis. In all points of decorum yourconduct must be law to the rest of theparty.”

This picture of her consequence had some effect, for no one loved better tolead than Maria; and with far more good-humour she answered, “I am muchobliged to you, Edmund; you mean very well, I am sure: but I still think yousee things too strongly; and I really cannot undertake to harangue all the restupon a subject of this kind. Therewould be the greatest indecorum, Ithink.”

“Do you imagine that I could have such an idea in my head? No; let yourconduct be the only harangue. Say that, on examining the part, you feelyourself unequal to it; that you find it requiring more exertion and confidencethan you can be supposed to have. Say this with firmness, and it will be quiteenough. All who can distinguish will understand your motive. The play will begiven up, and your delicacy honoured as it ought.”

“Do not act anything improper, my dear,” said Lady Bertram.“Sir Thomas would not like it.—Fanny, ring the bell; I must have mydinner.—To be sure, Julia is dressed by this time.”

“I am convinced, madam,” said Edmund, preventing Fanny, “thatSir Thomas would not like it.”

“There, my dear, do you hear what Edmund says?”

“If I were to decline the part,” said Maria, with renewed zeal,“Julia would certainly take it.”

“What!” cried Edmund, “if she knew your reasons!”

“Oh! she might think the difference between us—the difference inour situations—that sheneed not be so scrupulous as Imight feel necessary. I am sure she would argue so. No; you must excuse me; Icannot retract my consent; it is too far settled, everybody would be sodisappointed, Tom would be quite angry; and if we are so very nice, we shallnever act anything.”

“I was just going to say the very same thing,” said Mrs. Norris.“If every play is to be objected to, you will act nothing, and thepreparations will be all so much money thrown away, and I am sure thatwould be a discredit to us all. I do not know the play; but, as Maria says, ifthere is anything a little too warm (and it is so with most of them) it can beeasily left out. We must not be over-precise, Edmund. As Mr. Rushworth is toact too, there can be no harm. I only wish Tom had known his own mind when thecarpenters began, for there was the loss of half a day’s work about thoseside-doors. The curtain will be a good job, however. The maids do their workvery well, and I think we shall be able to send back some dozens of the rings.There is no occasion to put them so very close together. I amof someuse, I hope, in preventing waste and making the most of things. There shouldalways be one steady head to superintend so many young ones. I forgot to tellTom of something that happened to me this very day. I had been looking about mein the poultry-yard, and was just coming out, when who should I see but DickJackson making up to the servants’ hall-door with two bits of deal boardin his hand, bringing them to father, you may be sure; mother had chanced tosend him of a message to father, and then father had bid him bring up them twobits of board, for he could not no how do without them. I knew what all thismeant, for the servants’ dinner-bell was ringing at the very moment overour heads; and as I hate such encroaching people (the Jacksons are veryencroaching, I have always said so: just the sort of people to get all theycan), I said to the boy directly (a great lubberly fellow of ten years old, youknow, who ought to be ashamed of himself), ‘I’lltake theboards to your father, Dick, so get you home again as fast as you can.’The boy looked very silly, and turned away without offering a word, for Ibelieve I might speak pretty sharp; and I dare say it will cure him of comingmarauding about the house for one while. I hate such greediness—so goodas your father is to the family, employing the man all the year round!”

Nobody was at the trouble of an answer; the others soon returned; and Edmundfound that to have endeavoured to set them right must be his only satisfaction.

Dinner passed heavily. Mrs. Norris related again her triumph over Dick Jackson,but neither play nor preparation were otherwise much talked of, forEdmund’s disapprobation was felt even by his brother, though he would nothave owned it. Maria, wanting Henry Crawford’s animating support, thoughtthe subject better avoided. Mr. Yates, who was trying to make himself agreeableto Julia, found her gloom less impenetrable on any topic than that of hisregret at her secession from their company; and Mr. Rushworth, having only hisown part and his own dress in his head, had soon talked away all that could besaid of either.

But the concerns of the theatre were suspended only for an hour or two: therewas still a great deal to be settled; and the spirits of evening giving freshcourage, Tom, Maria, and Mr. Yates, soon after their being reassembled in thedrawing-room, seated themselves in committee at a separate table, with the playopen before them, and were just getting deep in the subject when a most welcomeinterruption was given by the entrance of Mr. and Miss Crawford, who, late anddark and dirty as it was, could not help coming, and were received with themost grateful joy.

“Well, how do you go on?” and “What have you settled?”and “Oh! we can do nothing without you,” followed the firstsalutations; and Henry Crawford was soon seated with the other three at thetable, while his sister made her way to Lady Bertram, and with pleasantattention was complimenting her. “I must really congratulate yourladyship,” said she, “on the play being chosen; for though you haveborne it with exemplary patience, I am sure you must be sick of all our noiseand difficulties. The actors may be glad, but the bystanders must be infinitelymore thankful for a decision; and I do sincerely give you joy, madam, as wellas Mrs. Norris, and everybody else who is in the same predicament,”glancing half fearfully, half slyly, beyond Fanny to Edmund.

She was very civilly answered by Lady Bertram, but Edmund said nothing. Hisbeing only a bystander was not disclaimed. After continuing in chat with theparty round the fire a few minutes, Miss Crawford returned to the party roundthe table; and standing by them, seemed to interest herself in theirarrangements till, as if struck by a sudden recollection, she exclaimed,“My good friends, you are most composedly at work upon these cottages andalehouses, inside and out; but pray let me know my fate in the meanwhile. Whois to be Anhalt? What gentleman among you am I to have the pleasure of makinglove to?”

For a moment no one spoke; and then many spoke together to tell the samemelancholy truth, that they had not yet got any Anhalt. “Mr. Rushworthwas to be Count Cassel, but no one had yet undertaken Anhalt.”

“I had my choice of the parts,” said Mr. Rushworth; “but Ithought I should like the Count best, though I do not much relish the finery Iam to have.”

“You chose very wisely, I am sure,” replied Miss Crawford, with abrightened look; “Anhalt is a heavy part.”

“TheCounthas two-and-forty speeches,” returned Mr.Rushworth, “which is no trifle.”

“I am not at all surprised,” said Miss Crawford, after a shortpause, “at this want of an Anhalt. Amelia deserves no better. Such aforward young lady may well frighten the men.”

“I should be but too happy in taking the part, if it werepossible,” cried Tom; “but, unluckily, the Butler and Anhalt are intogether. I will not entirely give it up, however; I will try what can bedone—I will look it over again.”

“Your brothershould take the part,” said Mr. Yates, in alow voice. “Do not you think he would?”

“Ishall not ask him,” replied Tom, in a cold, determinedmanner.

Miss Crawford talked of something else, and soon afterwards rejoined the partyat the fire.

“They do not want me at all,” said she, seating herself. “Ionly puzzle them, and oblige them to make civil speeches. Mr. Edmund Bertram,as you do not act yourself, you will be a disinterested adviser; and,therefore, I apply to you. What shall we do for an Anhalt? Is itpracticable for any of the others to double it? What is your advice?”

“My advice,” said he calmly, “is that you change theplay.”

“Ishould have no objection,” she replied; “for thoughI should not particularly dislike the part of Amelia if well supported, thatis, if everything went well, I shall be sorry to be an inconvenience; but asthey do not chuse to hear your advice at thattable”(looking round), “it certainly will not be taken.”

Edmund said no more.

“If anypart could tempt youto act, I suppose it would beAnhalt,” observed the lady archly, after a short pause; “for he isa clergyman, you know.”

“Thatcircumstance would by no means tempt me,” he replied,“for I should be sorry to make the character ridiculous by bad acting. Itmust be very difficult to keep Anhalt from appearing a formal, solemn lecturer;and the man who chuses the profession itself is, perhaps, one of the last whowould wish to represent it on the stage.”

Miss Crawford was silenced, and with some feelings of resentment andmortification, moved her chair considerably nearer the tea-table, and gave allher attention to Mrs. Norris, who was presiding there.

“Fanny,” cried Tom Bertram, from the other table, where theconference was eagerly carrying on, and the conversation incessant, “wewant your services.”

Fanny was up in a moment, expecting some errand; for the habit of employing herin that way was not yet overcome, in spite of all that Edmund could do.

“Oh! we do not want to disturb you from your seat. We do not want yourpresentservices. We shall only want you in our play. You must beCottager’s wife.”

“Me!” cried Fanny, sitting down again with a most frightened look.“Indeed you must excuse me. I could not act anything if you were to giveme the world. No, indeed, I cannot act.”

“Indeed, but you must, for we cannot excuse you. It need not frightenyou: it is a nothing of a part, a mere nothing, not above half a dozen speechesaltogether, and it will not much signify if nobody hears a word you say; so youmay be as creep-mouse as you like, but we must have you to look at.”

“If you are afraid of half a dozen speeches,” cried Mr. Rushworth,“what would you do with such a part as mine? I have forty-two tolearn.”

“It is not that I am afraid of learning by heart,” said Fanny,shocked to find herself at that moment the only speaker in the room, and tofeel that almost every eye was upon her; “but I really cannot act.”

“Yes, yes, you can act well enough for us. Learn your part, and wewill teach you all the rest. You have only two scenes, and as I shall beCottager, I’ll put you in and push you about, and you will do it verywell, I’ll answer for it.”

“No, indeed, Mr. Bertram, you must excuse me. You cannot have an idea. Itwould be absolutely impossible for me. If I were to undertake it, I should onlydisappoint you.”

“Phoo! Phoo! Do not be so shamefaced. You’ll do it very well. Everyallowance will be made for you. We do not expect perfection. You must get abrown gown, and a white apron, and a mob cap, and we must make you a fewwrinkles, and a little of the crowsfoot at the corner of your eyes, and youwill be a very proper, little old woman.”

“You must excuse me, indeed you must excuse me,” cried Fanny,growing more and more red from excessive agitation, and looking distressfullyat Edmund, who was kindly observing her; but unwilling to exasperate hisbrother by interference, gave her only an encouraging smile. Her entreaty hadno effect on Tom: he only said again what he had said before; and it was notmerely Tom, for the requisition was now backed by Maria, and Mr. Crawford, andMr. Yates, with an urgency which differed from his but in being more gentle ormore ceremonious, and which altogether was quite overpowering to Fanny; andbefore she could breathe after it, Mrs. Norris completed the whole by thusaddressing her in a whisper at once angry and audible—“What a pieceof work here is about nothing: I am quite ashamed of you, Fanny, to make such adifficulty of obliging your cousins in a trifle of this sort—so kind asthey are to you! Take the part with a good grace, and let us hear no more ofthe matter, I entreat.”

“Do not urge her, madam,” said Edmund. “It is not fair tourge her in this manner. You see she does not like to act. Let her chuse forherself, as well as the rest of us. Her judgment may be quite as safelytrusted. Do not urge her any more.”

“I am not going to urge her,” replied Mrs. Norris sharply;“but I shall think her a very obstinate, ungrateful girl, if she does notdo what her aunt and cousins wish her—very ungrateful, indeed,considering who and what she is.”

Edmund was too angry to speak; but Miss Crawford, looking for a moment withastonished eyes at Mrs. Norris, and then at Fanny, whose tears were beginningto shew themselves, immediately said, with some keenness, “I do not likemy situation: this placeis too hot for me,” and moved away herchair to the opposite side of the table, close to Fanny, saying to her, in akind, low whisper, as she placed herself, “Never mind, my dear MissPrice, this is a cross evening: everybody is cross and teasing, but do not letus mind them”; and with pointed attention continued to talk to her andendeavour to raise her spirits, in spite of being out of spirits herself. By alook at her brother she prevented any farther entreaty from the theatricalboard, and the really good feelings by which she was almost purely governedwere rapidly restoring her to all the little she had lost in Edmund’sfavour.

Fanny did not love Miss Crawford; but she felt very much obliged to her for herpresent kindness; and when, from taking notice of her work, and wishingshecould work as well, and begging for the pattern, and supposing Fannywas now preparing for her appearance, as of course she would come outwhen her cousin was married, Miss Crawford proceeded to inquire if she hadheard lately from her brother at sea, and said that she had quite a curiosityto see him, and imagined him a very fine young man, and advised Fanny to gethis picture drawn before he went to sea again—she could not helpadmitting it to be very agreeable flattery, or help listening, and answeringwith more animation than she had intended.

The consultation upon the play still went on, and Miss Crawford’sattention was first called from Fanny by Tom Bertram’s telling her, withinfinite regret, that he found it absolutely impossible for him to undertakethe part of Anhalt in addition to the Butler: he had been most anxiously tryingto make it out to be feasible, but it would not do; he must give it up.“But there will not be the smallest difficulty in filling it,” headded. “We have but to speak the word; we may pick and chuse. I couldname, at this moment, at least six young men within six miles of us, who arewild to be admitted into our company, and there are one or two that would notdisgrace us: I should not be afraid to trust either of the Olivers or CharlesMaddox. Tom Oliver is a very clever fellow, and Charles Maddox is asgentlemanlike a man as you will see anywhere, so I will take my horse earlyto-morrow morning and ride over to Stoke, and settle with one of them.”

While he spoke, Maria was looking apprehensively round at Edmund in fullexpectation that he must oppose such an enlargement of the plan as this: socontrary to all their first protestations; but Edmund said nothing. After amoment’s thought, Miss Crawford calmly replied, “As far as I amconcerned, I can have no objection to anything that you all think eligible.Have I ever seen either of the gentlemen? Yes, Mr. Charles Maddox dined at mysister’s one day, did not he, Henry? A quiet-looking young man. Iremember him. Let himbe applied to, if you please, for it will be lessunpleasant to me than to have a perfect stranger.”

Charles Maddox was to be the man. Tom repeated his resolution of going to himearly on the morrow; and though Julia, who had scarcely opened her lips before,observed, in a sarcastic manner, and with a glance first at Maria and then atEdmund, that “the Mansfield theatricals would enliven the wholeneighbourhood exceedingly,” Edmund still held his peace, and shewed hisfeelings only by a determined gravity.

“I am not very sanguine as to our play,” said Miss Crawford, in anundervoice to Fanny, after some consideration; “and I can tell Mr. Maddoxthat I shall shorten some of hisspeeches, and a great many of myown, before we rehearse together. It will be very disagreeable, and byno means what I expected.”

CHAPTER XVI

It was not in Miss Crawford’s power to talk Fanny into any realforgetfulness of what had passed. When the evening was over, she went to bedfull of it, her nerves still agitated by the shock of such an attack from hercousin Tom, so public and so persevered in, and her spirits sinking under heraunt’s unkind reflection and reproach. To be called into notice in such amanner, to hear that it was but the prelude to something so infinitely worse,to be told that she must do what was so impossible as to act; and then to havethe charge of obstinacy and ingratitude follow it, enforced with such a hint atthe dependence of her situation, had been too distressing at the time to makethe remembrance when she was alone much less so, especially with the superaddeddread of what the morrow might produce in continuation of the subject. MissCrawford had protected her only for the time; and if she were applied to againamong themselves with all the authoritative urgency that Tom and Maria werecapable of, and Edmund perhaps away, what should she do? She fell asleep beforeshe could answer the question, and found it quite as puzzling when she awokethe next morning. The little white attic, which had continued her sleeping-roomever since her first entering the family, proving incompetent to suggest anyreply, she had recourse, as soon as she was dressed, to another apartment morespacious and more meet for walking about in and thinking, and of which she hadnow for some time been almost equally mistress. It had been their school-room;so called till the Miss Bertrams would not allow it to be called so any longer,and inhabited as such to a later period. There Miss Lee had lived, and therethey had read and written, and talked and laughed, till within the last threeyears, when she had quitted them. The room had then become useless, and forsome time was quite deserted, except by Fanny, when she visited her plants, orwanted one of the books, which she was still glad to keep there, from thedeficiency of space and accommodation in her little chamber above: butgradually, as her value for the comforts of it increased, she had added to herpossessions, and spent more of her time there; and having nothing to opposeher, had so naturally and so artlessly worked herself into it, that it was nowgenerally admitted to be hers. The East room, as it had been called ever sinceMaria Bertram was sixteen, was now considered Fanny’s, almost asdecidedly as the white attic: the smallness of the one making the use of theother so evidently reasonable that the Miss Bertrams, with every superiority intheir own apartments which their own sense of superiority could demand, wereentirely approving it; and Mrs. Norris, having stipulated for there never beinga fire in it on Fanny’s account, was tolerably resigned to her having theuse of what nobody else wanted, though the terms in which she sometimes spokeof the indulgence seemed to imply that it was the best room in the house.

The aspect was so favourable that even without a fire it was habitable in manyan early spring and late autumn morning to such a willing mind asFanny’s; and while there was a gleam of sunshine she hoped not to bedriven from it entirely, even when winter came. The comfort of it in her hoursof leisure was extreme. She could go there after anything unpleasant below, andfind immediate consolation in some pursuit, or some train of thought at hand.Her plants, her books—of which she had been a collector from the firsthour of her commanding a shilling—her writing-desk, and her works ofcharity and ingenuity, were all within her reach; or if indisposed foremployment, if nothing but musing would do, she could scarcely see an object inthat room which had not an interesting remembrance connected with it.Everything was a friend, or bore her thoughts to a friend; and though there hadbeen sometimes much of suffering to her; though her motives had often beenmisunderstood, her feelings disregarded, and her comprehension undervalued;though she had known the pains of tyranny, of ridicule, and neglect, yet almostevery recurrence of either had led to something consolatory: her aunt Bertramhad spoken for her, or Miss Lee had been encouraging, or, what was yet morefrequent or more dear, Edmund had been her champion and her friend: he hadsupported her cause or explained her meaning, he had told her not to cry, orhad given her some proof of affection which made her tears delightful; and thewhole was now so blended together, so harmonised by distance, that every formeraffliction had its charm. The room was most dear to her, and she would not havechanged its furniture for the handsomest in the house, though what had beenoriginally plain had suffered all the ill-usage of children; and its greatestelegancies and ornaments were a faded footstool of Julia’s work, too illdone for the drawing-room, three transparencies, made in a rage fortransparencies, for the three lower panes of one window, where Tintern Abbeyheld its station between a cave in Italy and a moonlight lake in Cumberland, acollection of family profiles, thought unworthy of being anywhere else, overthe mantelpiece, and by their side, and pinned against the wall, a small sketchof a ship sent four years ago from the Mediterranean by William, with H.M.S.Antwerp at the bottom, in letters as tall as the mainmast.

To this nest of comforts Fanny now walked down to try its influence on anagitated, doubting spirit, to see if by looking at Edmund’s profile shecould catch any of his counsel, or by giving air to her geraniums she mightinhale a breeze of mental strength herself. But she had more than fears of herown perseverance to remove: she had begun to feel undecided as to what sheoughttodo; and as she walked round the room her doubtswere increasing. Was she rightin refusing what was so warmly asked, sostrongly wished for—what might be so essential to a scheme on which someof those to whom she owed the greatest complaisance had set their hearts? Wasit not ill-nature, selfishness, and a fear of exposing herself? And wouldEdmund’s judgment, would his persuasion of Sir Thomas’sdisapprobation of the whole, be enough to justify her in a determined denial inspite of all the rest? It would be so horrible to her to act that she wasinclined to suspect the truth and purity of her own scruples; and as she lookedaround her, the claims of her cousins to being obliged were strengthened by thesight of present upon present that she had received from them. The tablebetween the windows was covered with work-boxes and netting-boxes which hadbeen given her at different times, principally by Tom; and she grew bewilderedas to the amount of the debt which all these kind remembrances produced. A tapat the door roused her in the midst of this attempt to find her way to herduty, and her gentle “Come in” was answered by the appearance ofone, before whom all her doubts were wont to be laid. Her eyes brightened atthe sight of Edmund.

“Can I speak with you, Fanny, for a few minutes?” said he.

“Yes, certainly.”

“I want to consult. I want your opinion.”

“My opinion!” she cried, shrinking from such a compliment, highlyas it gratified her.

“Yes, your advice and opinion. I do not know what to do. This actingscheme gets worse and worse, you see. They have chosen almost as bad a play asthey could, and now, to complete the business, are going to ask the help of ayoung man very slightly known to any of us. This is the end of all the privacyand propriety which was talked about at first. I know no harm of CharlesMaddox; but the excessive intimacy which must spring from his being admittedamong us in this manner is highly objectionable, the morethanintimacy—the familiarity. I cannot think of it with any patience; and itdoes appear to me an evil of such magnitude as must, ifpossible,be prevented. Do not you see it in the same light?”

“Yes; but what can be done? Your brother is so determined.”

“There is but onething to be done, Fanny. I must take Anhaltmyself. I am well aware that nothing else will quiet Tom.”

Fanny could not answer him.

“It is not at all what I like,” he continued. “No man canlike being driven into the appearanceof such inconsistency. After beingknown to oppose the scheme from the beginning, there is absurdity in the faceof my joining them now, when they are exceeding their first plan inevery respect; but I can think of no other alternative. Can you, Fanny?”

“No,” said Fanny slowly, “not immediately, but—”

“But what? I see your judgment is not with me. Think it a little over.Perhaps you are not so much aware as I am of the mischief that may, ofthe unpleasantness that mustarise from a young man’s beingreceived in this manner: domesticated among us; authorised to come at allhours, and placed suddenly on a footing which must do away all restraints. Tothink only of the licence which every rehearsal must tend to create. It is allvery bad! Put yourself in Miss Crawford’s place, Fanny. Consider what itwould be to act Amelia with a stranger. She has a right to be felt for, becauseshe evidently feels for herself. I heard enough of what she said to you lastnight to understand her unwillingness to be acting with a stranger; and as sheprobably engaged in the part with different expectations—perhaps withoutconsidering the subject enough to know what was likely to be—it would beungenerous, it would be really wrong to expose her to it. Her feelings ought tobe respected. Does it not strike you so, Fanny? You hesitate.”

“I am sorry for Miss Crawford; but I am more sorry to see you drawn in todo what you had resolved against, and what you are known to think will bedisagreeable to my uncle. It will be such a triumph to the others!”

“They will not have much cause of triumph when they see how infamously Iact. But, however, triumph there certainly will be, and I must brave it. But ifI can be the means of restraining the publicity of the business, of limitingthe exhibition, of concentrating our folly, I shall be well repaid. As I amnow, I have no influence, I can do nothing: I have offended them, and they willnot hear me; but when I have put them in good-humour by this concession, I amnot without hopes of persuading them to confine the representation within amuch smaller circle than they are now in the high road for. This will be amaterial gain. My object is to confine it to Mrs. Rushworth and the Grants.Will not this be worth gaining?”

“Yes, it will be a great point.”

“But still it has not your approbation. Can you mention any other measureby which I have a chance of doing equal good?”

“No, I cannot think of anything else.”

“Give me your approbation, then, Fanny. I am not comfortable withoutit.”

“Oh, cousin!”

“If you are against me, I ought to distrust myself, and yet—But itis absolutely impossible to let Tom go on in this way, riding about the countryin quest of anybody who can be persuaded to act—no matter whom: the lookof a gentleman is to be enough. I thought youwould have entered moreinto Miss Crawford’s feelings.”

“No doubt she will be very glad. It must be a great relief to her,”said Fanny, trying for greater warmth of manner.

“She never appeared more amiable than in her behaviour to you last night.It gave her a very strong claim on my goodwill.”

“She wasvery kind, indeed, and I am glad to have herspared”...

She could not finish the generous effusion. Her conscience stopt her in themiddle, but Edmund was satisfied.

“I shall walk down immediately after breakfast,” said he,“and am sure of giving pleasure there. And now, dear Fanny, I will notinterrupt you any longer. You want to be reading. But I could not be easy tillI had spoken to you, and come to a decision. Sleeping or waking, my head hasbeen full of this matter all night. It is an evil, but I am certainly making itless than it might be. If Tom is up, I shall go to him directly and get itover, and when we meet at breakfast we shall be all in high good-humour at theprospect of acting the fool together with such unanimity. You, in themeanwhile, will be taking a trip into China, I suppose. How does Lord Macartneygo on?”—opening a volume on the table and then taking up someothers. “And here are Crabbe’s Tales, and the Idler, at hand torelieve you, if you tire of your great book. I admire your little establishmentexceedingly; and as soon as I am gone, you will empty your head of all thisnonsense of acting, and sit comfortably down to your table. But do not stayhere to be cold.”

He went; but there was no reading, no China, no composure for Fanny. He hadtold her the most extraordinary, the most inconceivable, the most unwelcomenews; and she could think of nothing else. To be acting! After all hisobjections—objections so just and so public! After all that she had heardhim say, and seen him look, and known him to be feeling. Could it be possible?Edmund so inconsistent! Was he not deceiving himself? Was he not wrong? Alas!it was all Miss Crawford’s doing. She had seen her influence in everyspeech, and was miserable. The doubts and alarms as to her own conduct, whichhad previously distressed her, and which had all slept while she listened tohim, were become of little consequence now. This deeper anxiety swallowed themup. Things should take their course; she cared not how it ended. Her cousinsmight attack, but could hardly tease her. She was beyond their reach; and if atlast obliged to yield—no matter—it was all misery now.

CHAPTER XVII

It was, indeed, a triumphant day to Mr. Bertram and Maria. Such a victory overEdmund’s discretion had been beyond their hopes, and was most delightful.There was no longer anything to disturb them in their darling project, and theycongratulated each other in private on the jealous weakness to which theyattributed the change, with all the glee of feelings gratified in every way.Edmund might still look grave, and say he did not like the scheme in general,and must disapprove the play in particular; their point was gained: he was toact, and he was driven to it by the force of selfish inclinations only. Edmundhad descended from that moral elevation which he had maintained before, andthey were both as much the better as the happier for the descent.

They behaved very well, however, to himon the occasion, betraying noexultation beyond the lines about the corners of the mouth, and seemed to thinkit as great an escape to be quit of the intrusion of Charles Maddox, as if theyhad been forced into admitting him against their inclination. “To have itquite in their own family circle was what they had particularly wished. Astranger among them would have been the destruction of all theircomfort”; and when Edmund, pursuing that idea, gave a hint of his hope asto the limitation of the audience, they were ready, in the complaisance of themoment, to promise anything. It was all good-humour and encouragement. Mrs.Norris offered to contrive his dress, Mr. Yates assured him that Anhalt’slast scene with the Baron admitted a good deal of action and emphasis, and Mr.Rushworth undertook to count his speeches.

“Perhaps,” said Tom, “Fanny may be more disposed to oblige usnow. Perhaps you may persuade her.”

“No, she is quite determined. She certainly will not act.”

“Oh! very well.” And not another word was said; but Fanny feltherself again in danger, and her indifference to the danger was beginning tofail her already.

There were not fewer smiles at the Parsonage than at the Park on this change inEdmund; Miss Crawford looked very lovely in hers, and entered with such aninstantaneous renewal of cheerfulness into the whole affair as could have butone effect on him. “He was certainly right in respecting such feelings;he was glad he had determined on it.” And the morning wore away insatisfactions very sweet, if not very sound. One advantage resulted from it toFanny: at the earnest request of Miss Crawford, Mrs. Grant had, with her usualgood-humour, agreed to undertake the part for which Fanny had been wanted; andthis was all that occurred to gladden herheart during the day; and eventhis, when imparted by Edmund, brought a pang with it, for it was Miss Crawfordto whom she was obliged—it was Miss Crawford whose kind exertions were toexcite her gratitude, and whose merit in making them was spoken of with a glowof admiration. She was safe; but peace and safety were unconnected here. Hermind had been never farther from peace. She could not feel that she had donewrong herself, but she was disquieted in every other way. Her heart and herjudgment were equally against Edmund’s decision: she could not acquit hisunsteadiness, and his happiness under it made her wretched. She was full ofjealousy and agitation. Miss Crawford came with looks of gaiety which seemed aninsult, with friendly expressions towards herself which she could hardly answercalmly. Everybody around her was gay and busy, prosperous and important; eachhad their object of interest, their part, their dress, their favourite scene,their friends and confederates: all were finding employment in consultationsand comparisons, or diversion in the playful conceits they suggested. She alonewas sad and insignificant: she had no share in anything; she might go or stay;she might be in the midst of their noise, or retreat from it to the solitude ofthe East room, without being seen or missed. She could almost think anythingwould have been preferable to this. Mrs. Grant was of consequence: hergood-nature had honourable mention; her taste and her time were considered; herpresence was wanted; she was sought for, and attended, and praised; and Fannywas at first in some danger of envying her the character she had accepted. Butreflection brought better feelings, and shewed her that Mrs. Grant was entitledto respect, which could never have belonged to her; and that, had shereceived even the greatest, she could never have been easy in joining a schemewhich, considering only her uncle, she must condemn altogether.

Fanny’s heart was not absolutely the only saddened one amongst them, asshe soon began to acknowledge to herself. Julia was a sufferer too, though notquite so blamelessly.

Henry Crawford had trifled with her feelings; but she had very long allowed andeven sought his attentions, with a jealousy of her sister so reasonable asought to have been their cure; and now that the conviction of his preferencefor Maria had been forced on her, she submitted to it without any alarm forMaria’s situation, or any endeavour at rational tranquillity for herself.She either sat in gloomy silence, wrapt in such gravity as nothing couldsubdue, no curiosity touch, no wit amuse; or allowing the attentions of Mr.Yates, was talking with forced gaiety to him alone, and ridiculing the actingof the others.

For a day or two after the affront was given, Henry Crawford had endeavoured todo it away by the usual attack of gallantry and compliment, but he had notcared enough about it to persevere against a few repulses; and becoming soontoo busy with his play to have time for more than one flirtation, he grewindifferent to the quarrel, or rather thought it a lucky occurrence, as quietlyputting an end to what might ere long have raised expectations in more thanMrs. Grant. She was not pleased to see Julia excluded from the play, andsitting by disregarded; but as it was not a matter which really involved herhappiness, as Henry must be the best judge of his own, and as he did assureher, with a most persuasive smile, that neither he nor Julia had ever had aserious thought of each other, she could only renew her former caution as tothe elder sister, entreat him not to risk his tranquillity by too muchadmiration there, and then gladly take her share in anything that broughtcheerfulness to the young people in general, and that did so particularlypromote the pleasure of the two so dear to her.

“I rather wonder Julia is not in love with Henry,” was herobservation to Mary.

“I dare say she is,” replied Mary coldly. “I imagine bothsisters are.”

“Both! no, no, that must not be. Do not give him a hint of it. Think ofMr. Rushworth!”

“You had better tell Miss Bertram to think of Mr. Rushworth. It may dohersome good. I often think of Mr. Rushworth’s property andindependence, and wish them in other hands; but I never think of him. A manmight represent the county with such an estate; a man might escape a professionand represent the county.”

“I dare say he willbe in parliament soon. When Sir Thomas comes,I dare say he will be in for some borough, but there has been nobody to put himin the way of doing anything yet.”

“Sir Thomas is to achieve many mighty things when he comes home,”said Mary, after a pause. “Do you remember Hawkins Browne’s‘Address to Tobacco,’ in imitation of Pope?—

Blest leaf! whose aromatic gales dispense
To Templars modesty, to Parsons sense.

I will parody them—

Blest Knight! whose dictatorial looks dispense
To Children affluence, to Rushworth sense.

Will not that do, Mrs. Grant? Everything seems to depend upon SirThomas’s return.”

“You will find his consequence very just and reasonable when you see himin his family, I assure you. I do not think we do so well without him. He has afine dignified manner, which suits the head of such a house, and keepseverybody in their place. Lady Bertram seems more of a cipher now than when heis at home; and nobody else can keep Mrs. Norris in order. But, Mary, do notfancy that Maria Bertram cares for Henry. I am sure Juliadoes not, orshe would not have flirted as she did last night with Mr. Yates; and though heand Maria are very good friends, I think she likes Sotherton too well to beinconstant.”

“I would not give much for Mr. Rushworth’s chance if Henry stept inbefore the articles were signed.”

“If you have such a suspicion, something must be done; and as soon as theplay is all over, we will talk to him seriously and make him know his own mind;and if he means nothing, we will send him off, though he is Henry, for atime.”

Julia didsuffer, however, though Mrs. Grant discerned it not, andthough it escaped the notice of many of her own family likewise. She had loved,she did love still, and she had all the suffering which a warm temper and ahigh spirit were likely to endure under the disappointment of a dear, thoughirrational hope, with a strong sense of ill-usage. Her heart was sore andangry, and she was capable only of angry consolations. The sister with whom shewas used to be on easy terms was now become her greatest enemy: they werealienated from each other; and Julia was not superior to the hope of somedistressing end to the attentions which were still carrying on there, somepunishment to Maria for conduct so shameful towards herself as well as towardsMr. Rushworth. With no material fault of temper, or difference of opinion, toprevent their being very good friends while their interests were the same, thesisters, under such a trial as this, had not affection or principle enough tomake them merciful or just, to give them honour or compassion. Maria felt hertriumph, and pursued her purpose, careless of Julia; and Julia could never seeMaria distinguished by Henry Crawford without trusting that it would createjealousy, and bring a public disturbance at last.

Fanny saw and pitied much of this in Julia; but there was no outward fellowshipbetween them. Julia made no communication, and Fanny took no liberties. Theywere two solitary sufferers, or connected only by Fanny’s consciousness.

The inattention of the two brothers and the aunt to Julia’s discomposure,and their blindness to its true cause, must be imputed to the fullness of theirown minds. They were totally preoccupied. Tom was engrossed by the concerns ofhis theatre, and saw nothing that did not immediately relate to it. Edmund,between his theatrical and his real part, between Miss Crawford’s claimsand his own conduct, between love and consistency, was equally unobservant; andMrs. Norris was too busy in contriving and directing the general little mattersof the company, superintending their various dresses with economical expedient,for which nobody thanked her, and saving, with delighted integrity, half acrown here and there to the absent Sir Thomas, to have leisure for watching thebehaviour, or guarding the happiness of his daughters.

CHAPTER XVIII

Everything was now in a regular train: theatre, actors, actresses, and dresses,were all getting forward; but though no other great impediments arose, Fannyfound, before many days were past, that it was not all uninterrupted enjoymentto the party themselves, and that she had not to witness the continuance ofsuch unanimity and delight as had been almost too much for her at first.Everybody began to have their vexation. Edmund had many. Entirely againsthisjudgment, a scene-painter arrived from town, and was at work, muchto the increase of the expenses, and, what was worse, of the eclat of theirproceedings; and his brother, instead of being really guided by him as to theprivacy of the representation, was giving an invitation to every family whocame in his way. Tom himself began to fret over the scene-painter’s slowprogress, and to feel the miseries of waiting. He had learned hispart—all his parts, for he took every trifling one that could be unitedwith the Butler, and began to be impatient to be acting; and every day thusunemployed was tending to increase his sense of the insignificance of all hisparts together, and make him more ready to regret that some other play had notbeen chosen.

Fanny, being always a very courteous listener, and often the only listener athand, came in for the complaints and the distresses of most of them. Sheknew that Mr. Yates was in general thought to rant dreadfully; that Mr. Yateswas disappointed in Henry Crawford; that Tom Bertram spoke so quick he would beunintelligible; that Mrs. Grant spoiled everything by laughing; that Edmund wasbehindhand with his part, and that it was misery to have anything to do withMr. Rushworth, who was wanting a prompter through every speech. She knew, also,that poor Mr. Rushworth could seldom get anybody to rehearse with him:hiscomplaint came before her as well as the rest; and so decided to hereye was her cousin Maria’s avoidance of him, and so needlessly often therehearsal of the first scene between her and Mr. Crawford, that she had soonall the terror of other complaints from him. So far from being allsatisfied and all enjoying, she found everybody requiring something they hadnot, and giving occasion of discontent to the others. Everybody had a parteither too long or too short; nobody would attend as they ought; nobody wouldremember on which side they were to come in; nobody but the complainer wouldobserve any directions.

Fanny believed herself to derive as much innocent enjoyment from the play asany of them; Henry Crawford acted well, and it was a pleasure to hertocreep into the theatre, and attend the rehearsal of the first act, in spite ofthe feelings it excited in some speeches for Maria. Maria, she also thought,acted well, too well; and after the first rehearsal or two, Fanny began to betheir only audience; and sometimes as prompter, sometimes as spectator, wasoften very useful. As far as she could judge, Mr. Crawford was considerably thebest actor of all: he had more confidence than Edmund, more judgment than Tom,more talent and taste than Mr. Yates. She did not like him as a man, but shemust admit him to be the best actor, and on this point there were not many whodiffered from her. Mr. Yates, indeed, exclaimed against his tameness andinsipidity; and the day came at last, when Mr. Rushworth turned to her with ablack look, and said, “Do you think there is anything so very fine in allthis? For the life and soul of me, I cannot admire him; and, between ourselves,to see such an undersized, little, mean-looking man, set up for a fine actor,is very ridiculous in my opinion.”

From this moment there was a return of his former jealousy, which Maria, fromincreasing hopes of Crawford, was at little pains to remove; and the chances ofMr. Rushworth’s ever attaining to the knowledge of his two-and-fortyspeeches became much less. As to his ever making anything tolerableofthem, nobody had the smallest idea of that except his mother; she,indeed, regretted that his part was not more considerable, and deferred comingover to Mansfield till they were forward enough in their rehearsal tocomprehend all his scenes; but the others aspired at nothing beyond hisremembering the catchword, and the first line of his speech, and being able tofollow the prompter through the rest. Fanny, in her pity and kindheartedness,was at great pains to teach him how to learn, giving him all the helps anddirections in her power, trying to make an artificial memory for him, andlearning every word of his part herself, but without his being much theforwarder.

Many uncomfortable, anxious, apprehensive feelings she certainly had; but withall these, and other claims on her time and attention, she was as far fromfinding herself without employment or utility amongst them, as without acompanion in uneasiness; quite as far from having no demand on her leisure ason her compassion. The gloom of her first anticipations was proved to have beenunfounded. She was occasionally useful to all; she was perhaps as much at peaceas any.

There was a great deal of needlework to be done, moreover, in which her helpwas wanted; and that Mrs. Norris thought her quite as well off as the rest, wasevident by the manner in which she claimed it—“Come, Fanny,”she cried, “these are fine times for you, but you must not be alwayswalking from one room to the other, and doing the lookings-on at your ease, inthis way; I want you here. I have been slaving myself till I can hardly stand,to contrive Mr. Rushworth’s cloak without sending for any more satin; andnow I think you may give me your help in putting it together. There are butthree seams; you may do them in a trice. It would be lucky for me if I hadnothing but the executive part to do. Youare best off, I can tell you:but if nobody did more than you, we should not get on very fast.”

Fanny took the work very quietly, without attempting any defence; but herkinder aunt Bertram observed on her behalf—

“One cannot wonder, sister, that Fanny shouldbe delighted: it isall new to her, you know; you and I used to be very fond of a play ourselves,and so am I still; and as soon as I am a little more at leisure, Imeanto look in at their rehearsals too. What is the play about, Fanny? you havenever told me.”

“Oh! sister, pray do not ask her now; for Fanny is not one of those whocan talk and work at the same time. It is about Lovers’ Vows.”

“I believe,” said Fanny to her aunt Bertram, “there will bethree acts rehearsed to-morrow evening, and that will give you an opportunityof seeing all the actors at once.”

“You had better stay till the curtain is hung,” interposed Mrs.Norris; “the curtain will be hung in a day or two—there is verylittle sense in a play without a curtain—and I am much mistaken if you donot find it draw up into very handsome festoons.”

Lady Bertram seemed quite resigned to waiting. Fanny did not share heraunt’s composure: she thought of the morrow a great deal, for if thethree acts were rehearsed, Edmund and Miss Crawford would then be actingtogether for the first time; the third act would bring a scene between themwhich interested her most particularly, and which she was longing and dreadingto see how they would perform. The whole subject of it was love—amarriage of love was to be described by the gentleman, and very little short ofa declaration of love be made by the lady.

She had read and read the scene again with many painful, many wonderingemotions, and looked forward to their representation of it as a circumstancealmost too interesting. She did not believethey had yet rehearsed it,even in private.

The morrow came, the plan for the evening continued, and Fanny’sconsideration of it did not become less agitated. She worked very diligentlyunder her aunt’s directions, but her diligence and her silence concealeda very absent, anxious mind; and about noon she made her escape with her workto the East room, that she might have no concern in another, and, as she deemedit, most unnecessary rehearsal of the first act, which Henry Crawford was justproposing, desirous at once of having her time to herself, and of avoiding thesight of Mr. Rushworth. A glimpse, as she passed through the hall, of the twoladies walking up from the Parsonage made no change in her wish of retreat, andshe worked and meditated in the East room, undisturbed, for a quarter of anhour, when a gentle tap at the door was followed by the entrance of MissCrawford.

“Am I right? Yes; this is the East room. My dear Miss Price, I beg yourpardon, but I have made my way to you on purpose to entreat your help.”

Fanny, quite surprised, endeavoured to shew herself mistress of the room by hercivilities, and looked at the bright bars of her empty grate with concern.

“Thank you; I am quite warm, very warm. Allow me to stay here a littlewhile, and do have the goodness to hear me my third act. I have brought mybook, and if you would but rehearse it with me, I should be soobliged!I came here to-day intending to rehearse it with Edmund—byourselves—against the evening, but he is not in the way; and if hewere, I do not think I could go through it with him, till I havehardened myself a little; for really there is a speech or two. You will be sogood, won’t you?”

Fanny was most civil in her assurances, though she could not give them in avery steady voice.

“Have you ever happened to look at the part I mean?” continued MissCrawford, opening her book. “Here it is. I did not think much of it atfirst—but, upon my word. There, look at thatspeech, andthat, and that. How am I ever to look him in the face and saysuch things? Could you do it? But then he is your cousin, which makes all thedifference. You must rehearse it with me, that I may fancy youhim, andget on by degrees. You havea look of hissometimes.”

“Have I? I will do my best with the greatest readiness; but I mustreadthe part, for I can say very little of it.”

“Noneof it, I suppose. You are to have the book, of course. Nowfor it. We must have two chairs at hand for you to bring forward to the frontof the stage. There—very good school-room chairs, not made for a theatre,I dare say; much more fitted for little girls to sit and kick their feetagainst when they are learning a lesson. What would your governess and youruncle say to see them used for such a purpose? Could Sir Thomas look in upon usjust now, he would bless himself, for we are rehearsing all over the house.Yates is storming away in the dining-room. I heard him as I came upstairs, andthe theatre is engaged of course by those indefatigable rehearsers, Agatha andFrederick. If theyare not perfect, I shallbe surprised. By thebye, I looked in upon them five minutes ago, and it happened to be exactly atone of the times when they were trying notto embrace, and Mr. Rushworthwas with me. I thought he began to look a little queer, so I turned it off aswell as I could, by whispering to him, ‘We shall have an excellentAgatha; there is something so maternalin her manner, so completelymaternalin her voice and countenance.’ Was not that well done ofme? He brightened up directly. Now for my soliloquy.”

She began, and Fanny joined in with all the modest feeling which the idea ofrepresenting Edmund was so strongly calculated to inspire; but with looks andvoice so truly feminine as to be no very good picture of a man. With such anAnhalt, however, Miss Crawford had courage enough; and they had got throughhalf the scene, when a tap at the door brought a pause, and the entrance ofEdmund, the next moment, suspended it all.

Surprise, consciousness, and pleasure appeared in each of the three on thisunexpected meeting; and as Edmund was come on the very same business that hadbrought Miss Crawford, consciousness and pleasure were likely to be more thanmomentary in them. He too had his book, and was seeking Fanny, to askher to rehearse with him, and help him to prepare for the evening, withoutknowing Miss Crawford to be in the house; and great was the joy and animationof being thus thrown together, of comparing schemes, and sympathising in praiseof Fanny’s kind offices.

Shecould not equal them in their warmth. Herspirits sank underthe glow of theirs, and she felt herself becoming too nearly nothing to both tohave any comfort in having been sought by either. They must now rehearsetogether. Edmund proposed, urged, entreated it, till the lady, not veryunwilling at first, could refuse no longer, and Fanny was wanted only to promptand observe them. She was invested, indeed, with the office of judge andcritic, and earnestly desired to exercise it and tell them all their faults;but from doing so every feeling within her shrank—she could not, wouldnot, dared not attempt it: had she been otherwise qualified for criticism, herconscience must have restrained her from venturing at disapprobation. Shebelieved herself to feel too much of it in the aggregate for honesty or safetyin particulars. To prompt them must be enough for her; and it was sometimesmorethan enough; for she could not always pay attention to the book. Inwatching them she forgot herself; and, agitated by the increasing spirit ofEdmund’s manner, had once closed the page and turned away exactly as hewanted help. It was imputed to very reasonable weariness, and she was thankedand pitied; but she deserved their pity more than she hoped they would eversurmise. At last the scene was over, and Fanny forced herself to add her praiseto the compliments each was giving the other; and when again alone and able torecall the whole, she was inclined to believe their performance would, indeed,have such nature and feeling in it as must ensure their credit, and make it avery suffering exhibition to herself. Whatever might be its effect, however,she must stand the brunt of it again that very day.

The first regular rehearsal of the three first acts was certainly to take placein the evening: Mrs. Grant and the Crawfords were engaged to return for thatpurpose as soon as they could after dinner; and every one concerned was lookingforward with eagerness. There seemed a general diffusion of cheerfulness on theoccasion. Tom was enjoying such an advance towards the end; Edmund was inspirits from the morning’s rehearsal, and little vexations seemedeverywhere smoothed away. All were alert and impatient; the ladies moved soon,the gentlemen soon followed them, and with the exception of Lady Bertram, Mrs.Norris, and Julia, everybody was in the theatre at an early hour; and havinglighted it up as well as its unfinished state admitted, were waiting only thearrival of Mrs. Grant and the Crawfords to begin.

They did not wait long for the Crawfords, but there was no Mrs. Grant. Shecould not come. Dr. Grant, professing an indisposition, for which he had littlecredit with his fair sister-in-law, could not spare his wife.

“Dr. Grant is ill,” said she, with mock solemnity. “He hasbeen ill ever since he did not eat any of the pheasant today. He fancied ittough, sent away his plate, and has been suffering ever since”.

Here was disappointment! Mrs. Grant’s non-attendance was sad indeed. Herpleasant manners and cheerful conformity made her always valuable amongst them;but nowshe was absolutely necessary. They could not act, they could notrehearse with any satisfaction without her. The comfort of the whole eveningwas destroyed. What was to be done? Tom, as Cottager, was in despair. After apause of perplexity, some eyes began to be turned towards Fanny, and a voice ortwo to say, “If Miss Price would be so good as to readthepart.” She was immediately surrounded by supplications; everybody askedit; even Edmund said, “Do, Fanny, if it is not verydisagreeableto you.”

But Fanny still hung back. She could not endure the idea of it. Why was notMiss Crawford to be applied to as well? Or why had not she rather gone to herown room, as she had felt to be safest, instead of attending the rehearsal atall? She had known it would irritate and distress her; she had known it herduty to keep away. She was properly punished.

“You have only to readthe part,” said Henry Crawford, withrenewed entreaty.

“And I do believe she can say every word of it,” added Maria,“for she could put Mrs. Grant right the other day in twenty places.Fanny, I am sure you know the part.”

Fanny could not say she did not; and as they all persevered, as Edmundrepeated his wish, and with a look of even fond dependence on her good-nature,she must yield. She would do her best. Everybody was satisfied; and she wasleft to the tremors of a most palpitating heart, while the others prepared tobegin.

They didbegin; and being too much engaged in their own noise to bestruck by an unusual noise in the other part of the house, had proceeded someway when the door of the room was thrown open, and Julia, appearing at it, witha face all aghast, exclaimed, “My father is come! He is in the hall atthis moment.”

CHAPTER XIX

How is the consternation of the party to be described? To the greater number itwas a moment of absolute horror. Sir Thomas in the house! All felt theinstantaneous conviction. Not a hope of imposition or mistake was harbouredanywhere. Julia’s looks were an evidence of the fact that made itindisputable; and after the first starts and exclamations, not a word wasspoken for half a minute: each with an altered countenance was looking at someother, and almost each was feeling it a stroke the most unwelcome, mostill-timed, most appalling! Mr. Yates might consider it only as a vexatiousinterruption for the evening, and Mr. Rushworth might imagine it a blessing;but every other heart was sinking under some degree of self-condemnation orundefined alarm, every other heart was suggesting, “What will become ofus? what is to be done now?” It was a terrible pause; and terrible toevery ear were the corroborating sounds of opening doors and passing footsteps.

Julia was the first to move and speak again. Jealousy and bitterness had beensuspended: selfishness was lost in the common cause; but at the moment of herappearance, Frederick was listening with looks of devotion to Agatha’snarrative, and pressing her hand to his heart; and as soon as she could noticethis, and see that, in spite of the shock of her words, he still kept hisstation and retained her sister’s hand, her wounded heart swelled againwith injury, and looking as red as she had been white before, she turned out ofthe room, saying, “Ineed not be afraid of appearing beforehim.”

Her going roused the rest; and at the same moment the two brothers steppedforward, feeling the necessity of doing something. A very few words betweenthem were sufficient. The case admitted no difference of opinion: they must goto the drawing-room directly. Maria joined them with the same intent, just thenthe stoutest of the three; for the very circumstance which had driven Juliaaway was to her the sweetest support. Henry Crawford’s retaining her handat such a moment, a moment of such peculiar proof and importance, was worthages of doubt and anxiety. She hailed it as an earnest of the most seriousdetermination, and was equal even to encounter her father. They walked off,utterly heedless of Mr. Rushworth’s repeated question of, “Shall Igo too? Had not I better go too? Will not it be right for me to go too?”but they were no sooner through the door than Henry Crawford undertook toanswer the anxious inquiry, and, encouraging him by all means to pay hisrespects to Sir Thomas without delay, sent him after the others with delightedhaste.

Fanny was left with only the Crawfords and Mr. Yates. She had been quiteoverlooked by her cousins; and as her own opinion of her claims on SirThomas’s affection was much too humble to give her any idea of classingherself with his children, she was glad to remain behind and gain a littlebreathing-time. Her agitation and alarm exceeded all that was endured by therest, by the right of a disposition which not even innocence could keep fromsuffering. She was nearly fainting: all her former habitual dread of her unclewas returning, and with it compassion for him and for almost every one of theparty on the development before him, with solicitude on Edmund’s accountindescribable. She had found a seat, where in excessive trembling she wasenduring all these fearful thoughts, while the other three, no longer under anyrestraint, were giving vent to their feelings of vexation, lamenting over suchan unlooked-for premature arrival as a most untoward event, and without mercywishing poor Sir Thomas had been twice as long on his passage, or were still inAntigua.

The Crawfords were more warm on the subject than Mr. Yates, from betterunderstanding the family, and judging more clearly of the mischief that mustensue. The ruin of the play was to them a certainty: they felt the totaldestruction of the scheme to be inevitably at hand; while Mr. Yates consideredit only as a temporary interruption, a disaster for the evening, and could evensuggest the possibility of the rehearsal being renewed after tea, when thebustle of receiving Sir Thomas were over, and he might be at leisure to beamused by it. The Crawfords laughed at the idea; and having soon agreed on thepropriety of their walking quietly home and leaving the family to themselves,proposed Mr. Yates’s accompanying them and spending the evening at theParsonage. But Mr. Yates, having never been with those who thought much ofparental claims, or family confidence, could not perceive that anything of thekind was necessary; and therefore, thanking them, said, “he preferredremaining where he was, that he might pay his respects to the old gentlemanhandsomely since he wascome; and besides, he did not think it would befair by the others to have everybody run away.”

Fanny was just beginning to collect herself, and to feel that if she staidlonger behind it might seem disrespectful, when this point was settled, andbeing commissioned with the brother and sister’s apology, saw thempreparing to go as she quitted the room herself to perform the dreadful duty ofappearing before her uncle.

Too soon did she find herself at the drawing-room door; and after pausing amoment for what she knew would not come, for a courage which the outside of nodoor had ever supplied to her, she turned the lock in desperation, and thelights of the drawing-room, and all the collected family, were before her. Asshe entered, her own name caught her ear. Sir Thomas was at that moment lookinground him, and saying, “But where is Fanny? Why do not I see my littleFanny?”—and on perceiving her, came forward with a kindness whichastonished and penetrated her, calling her his dear Fanny, kissing heraffectionately, and observing with decided pleasure how much she was grown!Fanny knew not how to feel, nor where to look. She was quite oppressed. He hadnever been so kind, so verykind to her in his life. His manner seemedchanged, his voice was quick from the agitation of joy; and all that had beenawful in his dignity seemed lost in tenderness. He led her nearer the light andlooked at her again—inquired particularly after her health, and then,correcting himself, observed that he need not inquire, for her appearance spokesufficiently on that point. A fine blush having succeeded the previous palenessof her face, he was justified in his belief of her equal improvement in healthand beauty. He inquired next after her family, especially William: and hiskindness altogether was such as made her reproach herself for loving him solittle, and thinking his return a misfortune; and when, on having courage tolift her eyes to his face, she saw that he was grown thinner, and had theburnt, fagged, worn look of fatigue and a hot climate, every tender feeling wasincreased, and she was miserable in considering how much unsuspected vexationwas probably ready to burst on him.

Sir Thomas was indeed the life of the party, who at his suggestion now seatedthemselves round the fire. He had the best right to be the talker; and thedelight of his sensations in being again in his own house, in the centre of hisfamily, after such a separation, made him communicative and chatty in a veryunusual degree; and he was ready to give every information as to his voyage,and answer every question of his two sons almost before it was put. Hisbusiness in Antigua had latterly been prosperously rapid, and he came directlyfrom Liverpool, having had an opportunity of making his passage thither in aprivate vessel, instead of waiting for the packet; and all the littleparticulars of his proceedings and events, his arrivals and departures, weremost promptly delivered, as he sat by Lady Bertram and looked with heartfeltsatisfaction on the faces around him—interrupting himself more than once,however, to remark on his good fortune in finding them all at home—comingunexpectedly as he did—all collected together exactly as he could havewished, but dared not depend on. Mr. Rushworth was not forgotten: a mostfriendly reception and warmth of hand-shaking had already met him, and withpointed attention he was now included in the objects most intimately connectedwith Mansfield. There was nothing disagreeable in Mr. Rushworth’sappearance, and Sir Thomas was liking him already.

By not one of the circle was he listened to with such unbroken, unalloyedenjoyment as by his wife, who was really extremely happy to see him, and whosefeelings were so warmed by his sudden arrival as to place her nearer agitationthan she had been for the last twenty years. She had been almostfluttered for a few minutes, and still remained so sensibly animated as to putaway her work, move Pug from her side, and give all her attention and all therest of her sofa to her husband. She had no anxieties for anybody to cloudherpleasure: her own time had been irreproachably spent during hisabsence: she had done a great deal of carpet-work, and made many yards offringe; and she would have answered as freely for the good conduct and usefulpursuits of all the young people as for her own. It was so agreeable to her tosee him again, and hear him talk, to have her ear amused and her wholecomprehension filled by his narratives, that she began particularly to feel howdreadfully she must have missed him, and how impossible it would have been forher to bear a lengthened absence.

Mrs. Norris was by no means to be compared in happiness to her sister. Not thatshewas incommoded by many fears of Sir Thomas’s disapprobationwhen the present state of his house should be known, for her judgment had beenso blinded that, except by the instinctive caution with which she had whiskedaway Mr. Rushworth’s pink satin cloak as her brother-in-law entered, shecould hardly be said to shew any sign of alarm; but she was vexed by themannerof his return. It had left her nothing to do. Instead of beingsent for out of the room, and seeing him first, and having to spread the happynews through the house, Sir Thomas, with a very reasonable dependence, perhaps,on the nerves of his wife and children, had sought no confidant but the butler,and had been following him almost instantaneously into the drawing-room. Mrs.Norris felt herself defrauded of an office on which she had always depended,whether his arrival or his death were to be the thing unfolded; and was nowtrying to be in a bustle without having anything to bustle about, and labouringto be important where nothing was wanted but tranquillity and silence. WouldSir Thomas have consented to eat, she might have gone to the housekeeper withtroublesome directions, and insulted the footmen with injunctions of despatch;but Sir Thomas resolutely declined all dinner: he would take nothing, nothingtill tea came—he would rather wait for tea. Still Mrs. Norris was atintervals urging something different; and in the most interesting moment of hispassage to England, when the alarm of a French privateer was at the height, sheburst through his recital with the proposal of soup. “Sure, my dear SirThomas, a basin of soup would be a much better thing for you than tea. Do havea basin of soup.”

Sir Thomas could not be provoked. “Still the same anxiety foreverybody’s comfort, my dear Mrs. Norris,” was his answer.“But indeed I would rather have nothing but tea.”

“Well, then, Lady Bertram, suppose you speak for tea directly; supposeyou hurry Baddeley a little; he seems behindhand to-night.” She carriedthis point, and Sir Thomas’s narrative proceeded.

At length there was a pause. His immediate communications were exhausted, andit seemed enough to be looking joyfully around him, now at one, now at anotherof the beloved circle; but the pause was not long: in the elation of herspirits Lady Bertram became talkative, and what were the sensations of herchildren upon hearing her say, “How do you think the young people havebeen amusing themselves lately, Sir Thomas? They have been acting. We have beenall alive with acting.”

“Indeed! and what have you been acting?”

“Oh! they’ll tell you all about it.”

“The allwill soon be told,” cried Tom hastily, and withaffected unconcern; “but it is not worth while to bore my father with itnow. You will hear enough of it to-morrow, sir. We have just been trying, byway of doing something, and amusing my mother, just within the last week, toget up a few scenes, a mere trifle. We have had such incessant rains almostsince October began, that we have been nearly confined to the house for daystogether. I have hardly taken out a gun since the 3rd. Tolerable sport thefirst three days, but there has been no attempting anything since. The firstday I went over Mansfield Wood, and Edmund took the copses beyond Easton, andwe brought home six brace between us, and might each have killed six times asmany, but we respect your pheasants, sir, I assure you, as much as you coulddesire. I do not think you will find your woods by any means worse stocked thanthey were. Inever saw Mansfield Wood so full of pheasants in my life asthis year. I hope you will take a day’s sport there yourself, sir,soon.”

For the present the danger was over, and Fanny’s sick feelings subsided;but when tea was soon afterwards brought in, and Sir Thomas, getting up, saidthat he found that he could not be any longer in the house without just lookinginto his own dear room, every agitation was returning. He was gone beforeanything had been said to prepare him for the change he must find there; and apause of alarm followed his disappearance. Edmund was the first to speak—

“Something must be done,” said he.

“It is time to think of our visitors,” said Maria, still feelingher hand pressed to Henry Crawford’s heart, and caring little foranything else. “Where did you leave Miss Crawford, Fanny?”

Fanny told of their departure, and delivered their message.

“Then poor Yates is all alone,” cried Tom. “I will go andfetch him. He will be no bad assistant when it all comes out.”

To the theatre he went, and reached it just in time to witness the firstmeeting of his father and his friend. Sir Thomas had been a good deal surprisedto find candles burning in his room; and on casting his eye round it, to seeother symptoms of recent habitation and a general air of confusion in thefurniture. The removal of the bookcase from before the billiard-room doorstruck him especially, but he had scarcely more than time to feel astonished atall this, before there were sounds from the billiard-room to astonish him stillfarther. Some one was talking there in a very loud accent; he did not know thevoice—more than talking—almost hallooing. He stepped to the door,rejoicing at that moment in having the means of immediate communication, and,opening it, found himself on the stage of a theatre, and opposed to a rantingyoung man, who appeared likely to knock him down backwards. At the very momentof Yates perceiving Sir Thomas, and giving perhaps the very best start he hadever given in the whole course of his rehearsals, Tom Bertram entered at theother end of the room; and never had he found greater difficulty in keeping hiscountenance. His father’s looks of solemnity and amazement on this hisfirst appearance on any stage, and the gradual metamorphosis of the impassionedBaron Wildenheim into the well-bred and easy Mr. Yates, making his bow andapology to Sir Thomas Bertram, was such an exhibition, such a piece of trueacting, as he would not have lost upon any account. It would be thelast—in all probability—the last scene on that stage; but he wassure there could not be a finer. The house would close with the greatest eclat.

There was little time, however, for the indulgence of any images of merriment.It was necessary for him to step forward, too, and assist the introduction, andwith many awkward sensations he did his best. Sir Thomas received Mr. Yateswith all the appearance of cordiality which was due to his own character, butwas really as far from pleased with the necessity of the acquaintance as withthe manner of its commencement. Mr. Yates’s family and connexions weresufficiently known to him to render his introduction as the “particularfriend,” another of the hundred particular friends of his son,exceedingly unwelcome; and it needed all the felicity of being again at home,and all the forbearance it could supply, to save Sir Thomas from anger onfinding himself thus bewildered in his own house, making part of a ridiculousexhibition in the midst of theatrical nonsense, and forced in so untoward amoment to admit the acquaintance of a young man whom he felt sure ofdisapproving, and whose easy indifference and volubility in the course of thefirst five minutes seemed to mark him the most at home of the two.

Tom understood his father’s thoughts, and heartily wishing he might bealways as well disposed to give them but partial expression, began to see, moreclearly than he had ever done before, that there might be some ground ofoffence, that there might be some reason for the glance his father gave towardsthe ceiling and stucco of the room; and that when he inquired with mild gravityafter the fate of the billiard-table, he was not proceeding beyond a veryallowable curiosity. A few minutes were enough for such unsatisfactorysensations on each side; and Sir Thomas having exerted himself so far as tospeak a few words of calm approbation in reply to an eager appeal of Mr. Yates,as to the happiness of the arrangement, the three gentlemen returned to thedrawing-room together, Sir Thomas with an increase of gravity which was notlost on all.

“I come from your theatre,” said he composedly, as he sat down;“I found myself in it rather unexpectedly. Its vicinity to my ownroom—but in every respect, indeed, it took me by surprise, as I had notthe smallest suspicion of your acting having assumed so serious a character. Itappears a neat job, however, as far as I could judge by candlelight, and doesmy friend Christopher Jackson credit.” And then he would have changed thesubject, and sipped his coffee in peace over domestic matters of a calmer hue;but Mr. Yates, without discernment to catch Sir Thomas’s meaning, ordiffidence, or delicacy, or discretion enough to allow him to lead thediscourse while he mingled among the others with the least obtrusivenesshimself, would keep him on the topic of the theatre, would torment him withquestions and remarks relative to it, and finally would make him hear the wholehistory of his disappointment at Ecclesford. Sir Thomas listened most politely,but found much to offend his ideas of decorum, and confirm his ill-opinion ofMr. Yates’s habits of thinking, from the beginning to the end of thestory; and when it was over, could give him no other assurance of sympathy thanwhat a slight bow conveyed.

“This was, in fact, the origin of ouracting,” said Tom,after a moment’s thought. “My friend Yates brought the infectionfrom Ecclesford, and it spread—as those things always spread, you know,sir—the faster, probably, from yourhaving so often encouraged thesort of thing in us formerly. It was like treading old ground again.”

Mr. Yates took the subject from his friend as soon as possible, and immediatelygave Sir Thomas an account of what they had done and were doing: told him ofthe gradual increase of their views, the happy conclusion of their firstdifficulties, and present promising state of affairs; relating everything withso blind an interest as made him not only totally unconscious of the uneasymovements of many of his friends as they sat, the change of countenance, thefidget, the hem! of unquietness, but prevented him even from seeing theexpression of the face on which his own eyes were fixed—from seeing SirThomas’s dark brow contract as he looked with inquiring earnestness athis daughters and Edmund, dwelling particularly on the latter, and speaking alanguage, a remonstrance, a reproof, which hefelt at his heart. Notless acutely was it felt by Fanny, who had edged back her chair behind heraunt’s end of the sofa, and, screened from notice herself, saw all thatwas passing before her. Such a look of reproach at Edmund from his father shecould never have expected to witness; and to feel that it was in any degreedeserved was an aggravation indeed. Sir Thomas’s look implied, “Onyour judgment, Edmund, I depended; what have you been about?” She kneltin spirit to her uncle, and her bosom swelled to utter, “Oh, not tohim! Look so to all the others, but not to him!”

Mr. Yates was still talking. “To own the truth, Sir Thomas, we were inthe middle of a rehearsal when you arrived this evening. We were going throughthe three first acts, and not unsuccessfully upon the whole. Our company is nowso dispersed, from the Crawfords being gone home, that nothing more can be doneto-night; but if you will give us the honour of your company to-morrow evening,I should not be afraid of the result. We bespeak your indulgence, youunderstand, as young performers; we bespeak your indulgence.”

“My indulgence shall be given, sir,” replied Sir Thomas gravely,“but without any other rehearsal.” And with a relenting smile, headded, “I come home to be happy and indulgent.” Then turning awaytowards any or all of the rest, he tranquilly said, “Mr. and MissCrawford were mentioned in my last letters from Mansfield. Do you find themagreeable acquaintance?”

Tom was the only one at all ready with an answer, but he being entirely withoutparticular regard for either, without jealousy either in love or acting, couldspeak very handsomely of both. “Mr. Crawford was a most pleasant,gentleman-like man; his sister a sweet, pretty, elegant, lively girl.”

Mr. Rushworth could be silent no longer. “I do not say he is notgentleman-like, considering; but you should tell your father he is not abovefive feet eight, or he will be expecting a well-looking man.”

Sir Thomas did not quite understand this, and looked with some surprise at thespeaker.

“If I must say what I think,” continued Mr. Rushworth, “in myopinion it is very disagreeable to be always rehearsing. It is having too muchof a good thing. I am not so fond of acting as I was at first. I think we are agreat deal better employed, sitting comfortably here among ourselves, and doingnothing.”

Sir Thomas looked again, and then replied with an approving smile, “I amhappy to find our sentiments on this subject so much the same. It gives mesincere satisfaction. That I should be cautious and quick-sighted, and feelmany scruples which my children do notfeel, is perfectly natural; andequally so that my value for domestic tranquillity, for a home which shuts outnoisy pleasures, should much exceed theirs. But at your time of life to feelall this, is a most favourable circumstance for yourself, and for everybodyconnected with you; and I am sensible of the importance of having an ally ofsuch weight.”

Sir Thomas meant to be giving Mr. Rushworth’s opinion in better wordsthan he could find himself. He was aware that he must not expect a genius inMr. Rushworth; but as a well-judging, steady young man, with better notionsthan his elocution would do justice to, he intended to value him very highly.It was impossible for many of the others not to smile. Mr. Rushworth hardlyknew what to do with so much meaning; but by looking, as he really felt, mostexceedingly pleased with Sir Thomas’s good opinion, and saying scarcelyanything, he did his best towards preserving that good opinion a little longer.

CHAPTER XX

Edmund’s first object the next morning was to see his father alone, andgive him a fair statement of the whole acting scheme, defending his own sharein it as far only as he could then, in a soberer moment, feel his motives todeserve, and acknowledging, with perfect ingenuousness, that his concession hadbeen attended with such partial good as to make his judgment in it verydoubtful. He was anxious, while vindicating himself, to say nothing unkind ofthe others: but there was only one amongst them whose conduct he could mentionwithout some necessity of defence or palliation. “We have all been moreor less to blame,” said he, “every one of us, excepting Fanny.Fanny is the only one who has judged rightly throughout; who has beenconsistent. Herfeelings have been steadily against it from first tolast. She never ceased to think of what was due to you. You will find Fannyeverything you could wish.”

Sir Thomas saw all the impropriety of such a scheme among such a party, and atsuch a time, as strongly as his son had ever supposed he must; he felt it toomuch, indeed, for many words; and having shaken hands with Edmund, meant to tryto lose the disagreeable impression, and forget how much he had been forgottenhimself as soon as he could, after the house had been cleared of every objectenforcing the remembrance, and restored to its proper state. He did not enterinto any remonstrance with his other children: he was more willing to believethey felt their error than to run the risk of investigation. The reproof of animmediate conclusion of everything, the sweep of every preparation, would besufficient.

There was one person, however, in the house, whom he could not leave to learnhis sentiments merely through his conduct. He could not help giving Mrs. Norrisa hint of his having hoped that her advice might have been interposed toprevent what her judgment must certainly have disapproved. The young people hadbeen very inconsiderate in forming the plan; they ought to have been capable ofa better decision themselves; but they were young; and, excepting Edmund, hebelieved, of unsteady characters; and with greater surprise, therefore, he mustregard her acquiescence in their wrong measures, her countenance of theirunsafe amusements, than that such measures and such amusements should have beensuggested. Mrs. Norris was a little confounded and as nearly being silenced asever she had been in her life; for she was ashamed to confess having never seenany of the impropriety which was so glaring to Sir Thomas, and would not haveadmitted that her influence was insufficient—that she might have talkedin vain. Her only resource was to get out of the subject as fast as possible,and turn the current of Sir Thomas’s ideas into a happier channel. Shehad a great deal to insinuate in her own praise as to generalattentionto the interest and comfort of his family, much exertion and many sacrifices toglance at in the form of hurried walks and sudden removals from her ownfireside, and many excellent hints of distrust and economy to Lady Bertram andEdmund to detail, whereby a most considerable saving had always arisen, andmore than one bad servant been detected. But her chief strength lay inSotherton. Her greatest support and glory was in having formed the connexionwith the Rushworths. Thereshe was impregnable. She took to herself allthe credit of bringing Mr. Rushworth’s admiration of Maria to any effect.“If I had not been active,” said she, “and made a point ofbeing introduced to his mother, and then prevailed on my sister to pay thefirst visit, I am as certain as I sit here that nothing would have come of it;for Mr. Rushworth is the sort of amiable modest young man who wants a greatdeal of encouragement, and there were girls enough on the catch for him if wehad been idle. But I left no stone unturned. I was ready to move heaven andearth to persuade my sister, and at last I did persuade her. You know thedistance to Sotherton; it was in the middle of winter, and the roads almostimpassable, but I did persuade her.”

“I know how great, how justly great, your influence is with Lady Bertramand her children, and am the more concerned that it should not havebeen—”

“My dear Sir Thomas, if you had seen the state of the roads thatday! I thought we should never have got through them, though we had the fourhorses of course; and poor old coachman would attend us, out of his great loveand kindness, though he was hardly able to sit the box on account of therheumatism which I had been doctoring him for ever since Michaelmas. I curedhim at last; but he was very bad all the winter—and this was such a day,I could not help going to him up in his room before we set off to advise himnot to venture: he was putting on his wig; so I said, ‘Coachman, you hadmuch better not go; your Lady and I shall be very safe; you know how steadyStephen is, and Charles has been upon the leaders so often now, that I am surethere is no fear.’ But, however, I soon found it would not do; he wasbent upon going, and as I hate to be worrying and officious, I said no more;but my heart quite ached for him at every jolt, and when we got into the roughlanes about Stoke, where, what with frost and snow upon beds of stones, it wasworse than anything you can imagine, I was quite in an agony about him. Andthen the poor horses too! To see them straining away! You know how I alwaysfeel for the horses. And when we got to the bottom of Sandcroft Hill, what doyou think I did? You will laugh at me; but I got out and walked up. I didindeed. It might not be saving them much, but it was something, and I could notbear to sit at my ease and be dragged up at the expense of those noble animals.I caught a dreadful cold, but thatI did not regard. My object wasaccomplished in the visit.”

“I hope we shall always think the acquaintance worth any trouble thatmight be taken to establish it. There is nothing very striking in Mr.Rushworth’s manners, but I was pleased last night with what appeared tobe his opinion on one subject: his decided preference of a quiet family partyto the bustle and confusion of acting. He seemed to feel exactly as one couldwish.”

“Yes, indeed, and the more you know of him the better you will like him.He is not a shining character, but he has a thousand good qualities; and is sodisposed to look up to you, that I am quite laughed at about it, for everybodyconsiders it as my doing. ‘Upon my word, Mrs. Norris,’ said Mrs.Grant the other day, ‘if Mr. Rushworth were a son of your own, he couldnot hold Sir Thomas in greater respect.’”

Sir Thomas gave up the point, foiled by her evasions, disarmed by her flattery;and was obliged to rest satisfied with the conviction that where the presentpleasure of those she loved was at stake, her kindness did sometimes overpowerher judgment.

It was a busy morning with him. Conversation with any of them occupied but asmall part of it. He had to reinstate himself in all the wonted concerns of hisMansfield life: to see his steward and his bailiff; to examine and compute,and, in the intervals of business, to walk into his stables and his gardens,and nearest plantations; but active and methodical, he had not only done allthis before he resumed his seat as master of the house at dinner, he had alsoset the carpenter to work in pulling down what had been so lately put up in thebilliard-room, and given the scene-painter his dismissal long enough to justifythe pleasing belief of his being then at least as far off as Northampton. Thescene-painter was gone, having spoilt only the floor of one room, ruined allthe coachman’s sponges, and made five of the under-servants idle anddissatisfied; and Sir Thomas was in hopes that another day or two would sufficeto wipe away every outward memento of what had been, even to the destruction ofevery unbound copy of Lovers’ Vows in the house, for he was burning allthat met his eye.

Mr. Yates was beginning now to understand Sir Thomas’s intentions, thoughas far as ever from understanding their source. He and his friend had been outwith their guns the chief of the morning, and Tom had taken the opportunity ofexplaining, with proper apologies for his father’s particularity, whatwas to be expected. Mr. Yates felt it as acutely as might be supposed. To be asecond time disappointed in the same way was an instance of very severeill-luck; and his indignation was such, that had it not been for delicacytowards his friend, and his friend’s youngest sister, he believed heshould certainly attack the baronet on the absurdity of his proceedings, andargue him into a little more rationality. He believed this very stoutly whilehe was in Mansfield Wood, and all the way home; but there was a something inSir Thomas, when they sat round the same table, which made Mr. Yates think itwiser to let him pursue his own way, and feel the folly of it withoutopposition. He had known many disagreeable fathers before, and often beenstruck with the inconveniences they occasioned, but never, in the whole courseof his life, had he seen one of that class so unintelligibly moral, soinfamously tyrannical as Sir Thomas. He was not a man to be endured but for hischildren’s sake, and he might be thankful to his fair daughter Julia thatMr. Yates did yet mean to stay a few days longer under his roof.

The evening passed with external smoothness, though almost every mind wasruffled; and the music which Sir Thomas called for from his daughters helped toconceal the want of real harmony. Maria was in a good deal of agitation. It wasof the utmost consequence to her that Crawford should now lose no time indeclaring himself, and she was disturbed that even a day should be gone bywithout seeming to advance that point. She had been expecting to see him thewhole morning, and all the evening, too, was still expecting him. Mr. Rushworthhad set off early with the great news for Sotherton; and she had fondly hopedfor such an immediate eclaircissementas might save him the trouble ofever coming back again. But they had seen no one from the Parsonage, not acreature, and had heard no tidings beyond a friendly note of congratulation andinquiry from Mrs. Grant to Lady Bertram. It was the first day for many, manyweeks, in which the families had been wholly divided. Four-and-twenty hours hadnever passed before, since August began, without bringing them together in someway or other. It was a sad, anxious day; and the morrow, though differing inthe sort of evil, did by no means bring less. A few moments of feverishenjoyment were followed by hours of acute suffering. Henry Crawford was againin the house: he walked up with Dr. Grant, who was anxious to pay his respectsto Sir Thomas, and at rather an early hour they were ushered into thebreakfast-room, where were most of the family. Sir Thomas soon appeared, andMaria saw with delight and agitation the introduction of the man she loved toher father. Her sensations were indefinable, and so were they a few minutesafterwards upon hearing Henry Crawford, who had a chair between herself andTom, ask the latter in an undervoice whether there were any plans for resumingthe play after the present happy interruption (with a courteous glance at SirThomas), because, in that case, he should make a point of returning toMansfield at any time required by the party: he was going away immediately,being to meet his uncle at Bath without delay; but if there were any prospectof a renewal of Lovers’ Vows, he should hold himself positively engaged,he should break through every other claim, he should absolutely condition withhis uncle for attending them whenever he might be wanted. The play should notbe lost by hisabsence.

“From Bath, Norfolk, London, York, wherever I may be,” said he;“I will attend you from any place in England, at an hour’snotice.”

It was well at that moment that Tom had to speak, and not his sister. He couldimmediately say with easy fluency, “I am sorry you are going; but as toour play, thatis all over—entirely at an end” (lookingsignificantly at his father). “The painter was sent off yesterday, andvery little will remain of the theatre to-morrow. I knew how thatwouldbe from the first. It is early for Bath. You will find nobody there.”

“It is about my uncle’s usual time.”

“When do you think of going?”

“I may, perhaps, get as far as Banbury to-day.”

“Whose stables do you use at Bath?” was the next question; andwhile this branch of the subject was under discussion, Maria, who wantedneither pride nor resolution, was preparing to encounter her share of it withtolerable calmness.

To her he soon turned, repeating much of what he had already said, with only asoftened air and stronger expressions of regret. But what availed hisexpressions or his air? He was going, and, if not voluntarily going,voluntarily intending to stay away; for, excepting what might be due to hisuncle, his engagements were all self-imposed. He might talk of necessity, butshe knew his independence. The hand which had so pressed hers to his heart! thehand and the heart were alike motionless and passive now! Her spirit supportedher, but the agony of her mind was severe. She had not long to endure whatarose from listening to language which his actions contradicted, or to bury thetumult of her feelings under the restraint of society; for general civilitiessoon called his notice from her, and the farewell visit, as it then becameopenly acknowledged, was a very short one. He was gone—he had touched herhand for the last time, he had made his parting bow, and she might seekdirectly all that solitude could do for her. Henry Crawford was gone, gone fromthe house, and within two hours afterwards from the parish; and so ended allthe hopes his selfish vanity had raised in Maria and Julia Bertram.

Julia could rejoice that he was gone. His presence was beginning to be odiousto her; and if Maria gained him not, she was now cool enough to dispense withany other revenge. She did not want exposure to be added to desertion. HenryCrawford gone, she could even pity her sister.

With a purer spirit did Fanny rejoice in the intelligence. She heard it atdinner, and felt it a blessing. By all the others it was mentioned with regret;and his merits honoured with due gradation of feeling—from the sincerityof Edmund’s too partial regard, to the unconcern of his mother speakingentirely by rote. Mrs. Norris began to look about her, and wonder that hisfalling in love with Julia had come to nothing; and could almost fear that shehad been remiss herself in forwarding it; but with so many to care for, how wasit possible for even heractivity to keep pace with her wishes?

Another day or two, and Mr. Yates was gone likewise. In hisdepartureSir Thomas felt the chief interest: wanting to be alone with his family, thepresence of a stranger superior to Mr. Yates must have been irksome; but ofhim, trifling and confident, idle and expensive, it was every way vexatious. Inhimself he was wearisome, but as the friend of Tom and the admirer of Julia hebecame offensive. Sir Thomas had been quite indifferent to Mr. Crawford’sgoing or staying: but his good wishes for Mr. Yates’s having a pleasantjourney, as he walked with him to the hall-door, were given with genuinesatisfaction. Mr. Yates had staid to see the destruction of every theatricalpreparation at Mansfield, the removal of everything appertaining to the play:he left the house in all the soberness of its general character; and Sir Thomashoped, in seeing him out of it, to be rid of the worst object connected withthe scheme, and the last that must be inevitably reminding him of itsexistence.

Mrs. Norris contrived to remove one article from his sight that might havedistressed him. The curtain, over which she had presided with such talent andsuch success, went off with her to her cottage, where she happened to beparticularly in want of green baize.

CHAPTER XXI

Sir Thomas’s return made a striking change in the ways of the family,independent of Lovers’ Vows. Under his government, Mansfield was analtered place. Some members of their society sent away, and the spirits of manyothers saddened—it was all sameness and gloom compared with thepast—a sombre family party rarely enlivened. There was little intercoursewith the Parsonage. Sir Thomas, drawing back from intimacies in general, wasparticularly disinclined, at this time, for any engagements but in one quarter.The Rushworths were the only addition to his own domestic circle which he couldsolicit.

Edmund did not wonder that such should be his father’s feelings, norcould he regret anything but the exclusion of the Grants. “Butthey,” he observed to Fanny, “have a claim. They seem to belong tous; they seem to be part of ourselves. I could wish my father were moresensible of their very great attention to my mother and sisters while he wasaway. I am afraid they may feel themselves neglected. But the truth is, that myfather hardly knows them. They had not been here a twelvemonth when he leftEngland. If he knew them better, he would value their society as it deserves;for they are in fact exactly the sort of people he would like. We are sometimesa little in want of animation among ourselves: my sisters seem out of spirits,and Tom is certainly not at his ease. Dr. and Mrs. Grant would enliven us, andmake our evenings pass away with more enjoyment even to my father.”

“Do you think so?” said Fanny: “in my opinion, my uncle wouldnot like anyaddition. I think he values the very quietness you speakof, and that the repose of his own family circle is all he wants. And it doesnot appear to me that we are more serious than we used to be—I meanbefore my uncle went abroad. As well as I can recollect, it was always much thesame. There was never much laughing in his presence; or, if there is anydifference, it is not more, I think, than such an absence has a tendency toproduce at first. There must be a sort of shyness; but I cannot recollect thatour evenings formerly were ever merry, except when my uncle was in town. Noyoung people’s are, I suppose, when those they look up to are athome”.

“I believe you are right, Fanny,” was his reply, after a shortconsideration. “I believe our evenings are rather returned to what theywere, than assuming a new character. The novelty was in their being lively.Yet, how strong the impression that only a few weeks will give! I have beenfeeling as if we had never lived so before.”

“I suppose I am graver than other people,” said Fanny. “Theevenings do not appear long to me. I love to hear my uncle talk of the WestIndies. I could listen to him for an hour together. It entertains memore than many other things have done; but then I am unlike other people, Idare say.”

“Why should you dare say that?” (smiling). “Do youwant to be told that you are only unlike other people in being more wise anddiscreet? But when did you, or anybody, ever get a compliment from me, Fanny?Go to my father if you want to be complimented. He will satisfy you. Ask youruncle what he thinks, and you will hear compliments enough: and though they maybe chiefly on your person, you must put up with it, and trust to his seeing asmuch beauty of mind in time.”

Such language was so new to Fanny that it quite embarrassed her.

“Your uncle thinks you very pretty, dear Fanny—and that is the longand the short of the matter. Anybody but myself would have made something moreof it, and anybody but you would resent that you had not been thought verypretty before; but the truth is, that your uncle never did admire you tillnow—and now he does. Your complexion is so improved!—and you havegained so much countenance!—and your figure—nay, Fanny, do not turnaway about it—it is but an uncle. If you cannot bear an uncle’sadmiration, what is to become of you? You must really begin to harden yourselfto the idea of being worth looking at. You must try not to mind growing up intoa pretty woman.”

“Oh! don’t talk so, don’t talk so,” cried Fanny,distressed by more feelings than he was aware of; but seeing that she wasdistressed, he had done with the subject, and only added more seriously—

“Your uncle is disposed to be pleased with you in every respect; and Ionly wish you would talk to him more. You are one of those who are too silentin the evening circle.”

“But I do talk to him more than I used. I am sure I do. Did not you hearme ask him about the slave-trade last night?”

“I did—and was in hopes the question would be followed up byothers. It would have pleased your uncle to be inquired of farther.”

“And I longed to do it—but there was such a dead silence! And whilemy cousins were sitting by without speaking a word, or seeming at allinterested in the subject, I did not like—I thought it would appear as ifI wanted to set myself off at their expense, by shewing a curiosity andpleasure in his information which he must wish his own daughters tofeel.”

“Miss Crawford was very right in what she said of you the other day: thatyou seemed almost as fearful of notice and praise as other women were ofneglect. We were talking of you at the Parsonage, and those were her words. Shehas great discernment. I know nobody who distinguishes characters better. Forso young a woman it is remarkable! She certainly understands youbetterthan you are understood by the greater part of those who have known you solong; and with regard to some others, I can perceive, from occasional livelyhints, the unguarded expressions of the moment, that she could definemanyas accurately, did not delicacy forbid it. I wonder what she thinksof my father! She must admire him as a fine-looking man, with mostgentlemanlike, dignified, consistent manners; but perhaps, having seen him soseldom, his reserve may be a little repulsive. Could they be much together, Ifeel sure of their liking each other. He would enjoy her liveliness and she hastalents to value his powers. I wish they met more frequently! I hope she doesnot suppose there is any dislike on his side.”

“She must know herself too secure of the regard of all the rest ofyou,” said Fanny, with half a sigh, “to have any such apprehension.And Sir Thomas’s wishing just at first to be only with his family, is sovery natural, that she can argue nothing from that. After a little while, Idare say, we shall be meeting again in the same sort of way, allowing for thedifference of the time of year.”

“This is the first October that she has passed in the country since herinfancy. I do not call Tunbridge or Cheltenham the country; and November is astill more serious month, and I can see that Mrs. Grant is very anxious for hernot finding Mansfield dull as winter comes on.”

Fanny could have said a great deal, but it was safer to say nothing, and leaveuntouched all Miss Crawford’s resources—her accomplishments, herspirits, her importance, her friends, lest it should betray her into anyobservations seemingly unhandsome. Miss Crawford’s kind opinion ofherself deserved at least a grateful forbearance, and she began to talk ofsomething else.

“To-morrow, I think, my uncle dines at Sotherton, and you and Mr. Bertramtoo. We shall be quite a small party at home. I hope my uncle may continue tolike Mr. Rushworth.”

“That is impossible, Fanny. He must like him less after to-morrow’svisit, for we shall be five hours in his company. I should dread the stupidityof the day, if there were not a much greater evil to follow—theimpression it must leave on Sir Thomas. He cannot much longer deceive himself.I am sorry for them all, and would give something that Rushworth and Maria hadnever met.”

In this quarter, indeed, disappointment was impending over Sir Thomas. Not allhis good-will for Mr. Rushworth, not all Mr. Rushworth’s deference forhim, could prevent him from soon discerning some part of the truth—thatMr. Rushworth was an inferior young man, as ignorant in business as in books,with opinions in general unfixed, and without seeming much aware of it himself.

He had expected a very different son-in-law; and beginning to feel grave onMaria’s account, tried to understand herfeelings. Littleobservation there was necessary to tell him that indifference was the mostfavourable state they could be in. Her behaviour to Mr. Rushworth was carelessand cold. She could not, did not like him. Sir Thomas resolved to speakseriously to her. Advantageous as would be the alliance, and long standing andpublic as was the engagement, her happiness must not be sacrificed to it. Mr.Rushworth had, perhaps, been accepted on too short an acquaintance, and, onknowing him better, she was repenting.

With solemn kindness Sir Thomas addressed her: told her his fears, inquiredinto her wishes, entreated her to be open and sincere, and assured her thatevery inconvenience should be braved, and the connexion entirely given up, ifshe felt herself unhappy in the prospect of it. He would act for her andrelease her. Maria had a moment’s struggle as she listened, and only amoment’s: when her father ceased, she was able to give her answerimmediately, decidedly, and with no apparent agitation. She thanked him for hisgreat attention, his paternal kindness, but he was quite mistaken in supposingshe had the smallest desire of breaking through her engagement, or was sensibleof any change of opinion or inclination since her forming it. She had thehighest esteem for Mr. Rushworth’s character and disposition, and couldnot have a doubt of her happiness with him.

Sir Thomas was satisfied; too glad to be satisfied, perhaps, to urge the matterquite so far as his judgment might have dictated to others. It was an alliancewhich he could not have relinquished without pain; and thus he reasoned. Mr.Rushworth was young enough to improve. Mr. Rushworth must and would improve ingood society; and if Maria could now speak so securely of her happiness withhim, speaking certainly without the prejudice, the blindness of love, she oughtto be believed. Her feelings, probably, were not acute; he had never supposedthem to be so; but her comforts might not be less on that account; and if shecould dispense with seeing her husband a leading, shining character, therewould certainly be everything else in her favour. A well-disposed young woman,who did not marry for love, was in general but the more attached to her ownfamily; and the nearness of Sotherton to Mansfield must naturally hold out thegreatest temptation, and would, in all probability, be a continual supply ofthe most amiable and innocent enjoyments. Such and such-like were thereasonings of Sir Thomas, happy to escape the embarrassing evils of a rupture,the wonder, the reflections, the reproach that must attend it; happy to securea marriage which would bring him such an addition of respectability andinfluence, and very happy to think anything of his daughter’s dispositionthat was most favourable for the purpose.

To her the conference closed as satisfactorily as to him. She was in a state ofmind to be glad that she had secured her fate beyond recall: that she hadpledged herself anew to Sotherton; that she was safe from the possibility ofgiving Crawford the triumph of governing her actions, and destroying herprospects; and retired in proud resolve, determined only to behave morecautiously to Mr. Rushworth in future, that her father might not be againsuspecting her.

Had Sir Thomas applied to his daughter within the first three or four daysafter Henry Crawford’s leaving Mansfield, before her feelings were at alltranquillised, before she had given up every hope of him, or absolutelyresolved on enduring his rival, her answer might have been different; but afteranother three or four days, when there was no return, no letter, no message, nosymptom of a softened heart, no hope of advantage from separation, her mindbecame cool enough to seek all the comfort that pride and self revenge couldgive.

Henry Crawford had destroyed her happiness, but he should not know that he haddone it; he should not destroy her credit, her appearance, her prosperity, too.He should not have to think of her as pining in the retirement of Mansfield forhim, rejecting Sotherton and London, independence and splendour, forhissake. Independence was more needful than ever; the want of it atMansfield more sensibly felt. She was less and less able to endure therestraint which her father imposed. The liberty which his absence had given wasnow become absolutely necessary. She must escape from him and Mansfield as soonas possible, and find consolation in fortune and consequence, bustle and theworld, for a wounded spirit. Her mind was quite determined, and varied not.

To such feelings delay, even the delay of much preparation, would have been anevil, and Mr. Rushworth could hardly be more impatient for the marriage thanherself. In all the important preparations of the mind she was complete: beingprepared for matrimony by an hatred of home, restraint, and tranquillity; bythe misery of disappointed affection, and contempt of the man she was to marry.The rest might wait. The preparations of new carriages and furniture might waitfor London and spring, when her own taste could have fairer play.

The principals being all agreed in this respect, it soon appeared that a veryfew weeks would be sufficient for such arrangements as must precede thewedding.

Mrs. Rushworth was quite ready to retire, and make way for the fortunate youngwoman whom her dear son had selected; and very early in November removedherself, her maid, her footman, and her chariot, with true dowager propriety,to Bath, there to parade over the wonders of Sotherton in her evening parties;enjoying them as thoroughly, perhaps, in the animation of a card-table, as shehad ever done on the spot; and before the middle of the same month the ceremonyhad taken place which gave Sotherton another mistress.

It was a very proper wedding. The bride was elegantly dressed; the twobridesmaids were duly inferior; her father gave her away; her mother stood withsalts in her hand, expecting to be agitated; her aunt tried to cry; and theservice was impressively read by Dr. Grant. Nothing could be objected to whenit came under the discussion of the neighbourhood, except that the carriagewhich conveyed the bride and bridegroom and Julia from the church-door toSotherton was the same chaise which Mr. Rushworth had used for a twelvemonthbefore. In everything else the etiquette of the day might stand the strictestinvestigation.

It was done, and they were gone. Sir Thomas felt as an anxious father mustfeel, and was indeed experiencing much of the agitation which his wife had beenapprehensive of for herself, but had fortunately escaped. Mrs. Norris, mosthappy to assist in the duties of the day, by spending it at the Park to supporther sister’s spirits, and drinking the health of Mr. and Mrs. Rushworthin a supernumerary glass or two, was all joyous delight; for she had made thematch; she had done everything; and no one would have supposed, from herconfident triumph, that she had ever heard of conjugal infelicity in her life,or could have the smallest insight into the disposition of the niece who hadbeen brought up under her eye.

The plan of the young couple was to proceed, after a few days, to Brighton, andtake a house there for some weeks. Every public place was new to Maria, andBrighton is almost as gay in winter as in summer. When the novelty of amusementthere was over, it would be time for the wider range of London.

Julia was to go with them to Brighton. Since rivalry between the sisters hadceased, they had been gradually recovering much of their former goodunderstanding; and were at least sufficiently friends to make each of themexceedingly glad to be with the other at such a time. Some other companion thanMr. Rushworth was of the first consequence to his lady; and Julia was quite aseager for novelty and pleasure as Maria, though she might not have struggledthrough so much to obtain them, and could better bear a subordinate situation.

Their departure made another material change at Mansfield, a chasm whichrequired some time to fill up. The family circle became greatly contracted; andthough the Miss Bertrams had latterly added little to its gaiety, they couldnot but be missed. Even their mother missed them; and how much more theirtenderhearted cousin, who wandered about the house, and thought of them, andfelt for them, with a degree of affectionate regret which they had never donemuch to deserve!

CHAPTER XXII

Fanny’s consequence increased on the departure of her cousins. Becoming,as she then did, the only young woman in the drawing-room, the only occupier ofthat interesting division of a family in which she had hitherto held so humblea third, it was impossible for her not to be more looked at, more thought ofand attended to, than she had ever been before; and “Where isFanny?” became no uncommon question, even without her being wanted forany one’s convenience.

Not only at home did her value increase, but at the Parsonage too. In thathouse, which she had hardly entered twice a year since Mr. Norris’sdeath, she became a welcome, an invited guest, and in the gloom and dirt of aNovember day, most acceptable to Mary Crawford. Her visits there, beginning bychance, were continued by solicitation. Mrs. Grant, really eager to get anychange for her sister, could, by the easiest self-deceit, persuade herself thatshe was doing the kindest thing by Fanny, and giving her the most importantopportunities of improvement in pressing her frequent calls.

Fanny, having been sent into the village on some errand by her aunt Norris, wasovertaken by a heavy shower close to the Parsonage; and being descried from oneof the windows endeavouring to find shelter under the branches and lingeringleaves of an oak just beyond their premises, was forced, though not withoutsome modest reluctance on her part, to come in. A civil servant she hadwithstood; but when Dr. Grant himself went out with an umbrella, there wasnothing to be done but to be very much ashamed, and to get into the house asfast as possible; and to poor Miss Crawford, who had just been contemplatingthe dismal rain in a very desponding state of mind, sighing over the ruin ofall her plan of exercise for that morning, and of every chance of seeing asingle creature beyond themselves for the next twenty-four hours, the sound ofa little bustle at the front door, and the sight of Miss Price dripping withwet in the vestibule, was delightful. The value of an event on a wet day in thecountry was most forcibly brought before her. She was all alive again directly,and among the most active in being useful to Fanny, in detecting her to bewetter than she would at first allow, and providing her with dry clothes; andFanny, after being obliged to submit to all this attention, and to beingassisted and waited on by mistresses and maids, being also obliged, onreturning downstairs, to be fixed in their drawing-room for an hour while therain continued, the blessing of something fresh to see and think of was thusextended to Miss Crawford, and might carry on her spirits to the period ofdressing and dinner.

The two sisters were so kind to her, and so pleasant, that Fanny might haveenjoyed her visit could she have believed herself not in the way, and could shehave foreseen that the weather would certainly clear at the end of the hour,and save her from the shame of having Dr. Grant’s carriage and horses outto take her home, with which she was threatened. As to anxiety for any alarmthat her absence in such weather might occasion at home, she had nothing tosuffer on that score; for as her being out was known only to her two aunts, shewas perfectly aware that none would be felt, and that in whatever cottage auntNorris might chuse to establish her during the rain, her being in such cottagewould be indubitable to aunt Bertram.

It was beginning to look brighter, when Fanny, observing a harp in the room,asked some questions about it, which soon led to an acknowledgment of herwishing very much to hear it, and a confession, which could hardly be believed,of her having never yet heard it since its being in Mansfield. To Fanny herselfit appeared a very simple and natural circumstance. She had scarcely ever beenat the Parsonage since the instrument’s arrival, there had been no reasonthat she should; but Miss Crawford, calling to mind an early expressed wish onthe subject, was concerned at her own neglect; and “Shall I play to younow?” and “What will you have?” were questions immediatelyfollowing with the readiest good-humour.

She played accordingly; happy to have a new listener, and a listener who seemedso much obliged, so full of wonder at the performance, and who shewed herselfnot wanting in taste. She played till Fanny’s eyes, straying to thewindow on the weather’s being evidently fair, spoke what she felt must bedone.

“Another quarter of an hour,” said Miss Crawford, “and weshall see how it will be. Do not run away the first moment of its holding up.Those clouds look alarming.”

“But they are passed over,” said Fanny. “I have been watchingthem. This weather is all from the south.”

“South or north, I know a black cloud when I see it; and you must not setforward while it is so threatening. And besides, I want to play