Norris as much as Fanny herselfHe deprecated...
Norris as much as Fanny herselfHe deprecated her
mistaken but well-meaning zealSir Thomas, indeed, was, by this
time, not very far from classing MrsNorris as one of those wellmeaning
people who are always doing mistaken and very disagreeable
thingsNorris, however, relieved himHe pressed for the strictest forbearance
and silence towards their niece; she not only promised, but
did observe itShe only looked her increased ill-willAngry she was:
bitterly angry; but she was more angry with Fanny for having received
such an offer than for refusing itIt was an injury and affront
to Julia, who ought to have been MrCrawford’s choice; and, independently
of that, she disliked Fanny, because she had neglected her;
and she would have grudged such an elevation to one whom she had
been always trying to depress
Sir Thomas gave her more credit for discretion on the occasion
than she deserved; and Fanny could have blessed her for allowing
her only to see her displeasure, and not to hear it
Lady Bertram took it differentlyShe had been a beauty, and a
prosperous beauty, all her life; and beauty and wealth were all that
excited her respectTo know Fanny to be sought in marriage by a
man of fortune, raised her, therefore, very much in her opinionBy
convincing her that Fanny was very pretty, which she had been doubt288
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ing about before, and that she would be advantageously married, it
made her feel a sort of credit in calling her niece
“Well, Fanny,” said she, as soon as they were alone together afterwards,
and she really had known something like impatience to be
alone with her, and her countenance, as she spoke, had extraordinary
animation; “Well, Fanny, I have had a very agreeable surprise
this morningI must just speak of it once, I told Sir Thomas I must
once, and then I shall have doneI give you joy, my dear niece And
looking at her complacently, she added, “Humph, we certainly are a
handsome family!”
Fanny coloured, and doubted at first what to say; when, hoping
to assail her on her vulnerable side, she presently cheap rolex watches answered—
“My dear aunt, you cannot wish me to do differently from what I
have done, I am sureYou cannot wish me to marry; for you would
miss me, should not you? Yes, I am sure you would miss me too
much for that
“No, my dear, I should not think of missing you, when such an
offer as this comes in your wayI could do very well without you, if
you were married to a man of such good estate as Mr
And you must be aware, Fanny, that it is every young woman’s duty
to accept such a very unexceptionable offer as this
This was almost the only rule of conduct, the only piece of advice,
which Fanny had ever received from her aunt in the course
of eight years and a halfShe felt how unprofitable
contention would beIf her aunt’s feelings were against her, nothing
could be hoped from attacking her understandingLady
Bertram was quite talkative
“I will tell you what, Fanny,” said she, “I am sure he fell in love
with you at the ball; I am sure the mischief was done that evening
You did look remarkably wellAnd you know you had Chapman to help you to dressI am
very glad I sent Chapman to youI shall tell Sir Thomas that I am
sure it was done that evening And still pursuing the same cheerful
thoughts, she soon afterwards added, “And will tell you what, Fanny,
which is more than I did for Maria: the next time Pug has a litter
you shall have a puppy
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CHAPTER XXXIV
EDMUND HAD GREAT THINGS to hear on his returnMany surprises
were awaiting himThe first that occurred was not least in interest:
the appearance of Henry Crawford and his sister walking together
through the village as he rode into itHe had concluded—he had
meant them to be far distantHis absence had been extended beyond
a fortnight purposely to avoid Miss CrawfordHe was returning
to Mansfield with spirits ready to feed on melancholy remembrances,
and tender associations, when her own fair self was before
him, leaning on her brother’s arm, and he found himself receiving a
welcome, unquestionably friendly, from the woman whom, two
moments before, he had been thinking omega seamaster orange of as seventy miles off, and
as farther, much farther, from him in inclination than any distance
could express
Her reception of him was of a sort which he could not have hoped
for, had he expected to see herComing as he did from such a purport
fulfilled as had taken him away, he would have expected anything
rather than a look of satisfaction, and words of simple, pleasant
meaningIt was enough to set his heart in a glow, and to bring
him home in the properest state for feeling the full value of the
other joyful surprises at hand
William’s promotion, with all its particulars, he was soon master
of; and with such a secret provision of comfort within his own breast
to help the joy, he found in it a source of most gratifying sensation
and unvarying cheerfulness all dinner-time
After dinner, when he and his father were alone, he had Fanny’s
history; and then all the great events of the last fortnight, and the
present situation of matters at Mansfield were known to him
Fanny suspected what was going onThey sat so much longer
than usual in the dining-parlour, that she was sure they must be
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talking of her; and when tea at last brought them away, and she was
to be seen by Edmund again, she felt dreadfully guiltyHe came to
her, sat down by her, took her hand, and pressed it kindly; and at
that moment she thought that, but for the occupation and the scene
which the tea-things afforded, she must have betrayed her emotion
in some unpardonable excess
He was not intending, however, by such action, to be conveying
to her that unqualified approbation and encouragement which her
hopes drew from itIt was designed only to express his participation
in all that interested her, and to tell her that he had been hearing
what quickened every feeling of affectionHe was, in fact, entirely
on his father’s side of the questionHis surprise was not so great as
his father’s at her refusing Crawford, because, so far from supposing
her to consider him with anything like a preference, he had always
believed it to be rather the tiffany heart tag toggle necklace reverse, and could imagine her to be
taken perfectly unprepared, but Sir Thomas could not regard the
connexion as more desirable than he didIt had every recommendation
to him; and while honouring her for what she had done
under the influence of her present indifference, honouring her in
rather stronger terms than Sir Thomas could quite echo, he was
most earnest in hoping, and sanguine in believing, that it would be
a match at last, and that, united by mutual affection, it would appear
that their dispositions were as exactly fitted to make them blessed
in each other, as he was now beginning seriously to consider them
Crawford had been too precipitateHe had not given her time to
attach herselfHe had begun at the wrong endWith such powers
as his, however, and such a disposition as hers, Edmund trusted that
everything would work out a happy conclusionMeanwhile, he saw
enough of Fanny’s embarrassment to make him scrupulously guard
against exciting it a second time, by any word, or look, or movement
Crawford called the next day, and on the score of Edmund’s return,
Sir Thomas felt himself more than licensed to ask him to stay
dinner; it was really a necessary complimentHe staid of course,
and Edmund had then ample opportunity for observing how he
sped with Fanny, and what degree of immediate encouragement for
him might be extracted from her manners; and it was so little, so
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very, very little—every chance, every possibility of it, resting upon
her embarrassment only; if there was not hope in her confusion,
there was hope in nothing else—that he was almost ready to wonder
at his friend’s perseveranceFanny was worth it all; he held her
to be worth every effort of patience, every exertion of mind, but he
did not think he could have gone on himself with any woman breathing,
without something more to warm his courage than his eyes
could discern in hersHe was very willing to hope that Crawford
saw clearer, and this was the most comfortable conclusion for his
friend that he could come to from all that he observed to chanel quilted handbag pass before,
and at, and after dinner
In the evening a few circumstances occurred which he thought
more promisingWhen he and Crawford walked into the drawingroom,
his mother and Fanny were sitting as intently and silently at
work as if there were nothing else to care forEdmund could not
help noticing their apparently deep tranquillity
“We have not been so silent all the time,” replied his mother
“Fanny has been reading to me, and only put the book down upon
hearing you coming And sure enough there was a book on the
table which had the air of being very recently closed: a volume of
Shakespeare“She often reads to me out of those books; and she
was in the middle of a very fine speech of that man’s—what’s his
name, Fanny?—when we heard your footsteps
Crawford took the volume“Let me have the pleasure of finishing
that speech to your ladyship,” said he“I shall find it immediately
And by carefully giving way to the inclination of the leaves, he did
find it, or within a page or two, quite near enough to satisfy Lady
Bertram, who assured him, as soon as he mentioned the name of
Cardinal Wolsey, that he had got the very speechNot a look or an
offer of help had Fanny given; not a syllable for or againstAll her
attention was for her workShe seemed determined to be interested
by nothing elseBut taste was too strong in herShe could not abstract
her mind five minutes: she was forced to listen; his reading
was capital, and her pleasure in good reading extremeTo good reading,
however, she had been long used: her uncle read well, her cousins
all, Edmund very well, but in MrCrawford’s reading there was
a variety of excellence beyond what she had ever met withThe
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King, the Queen, Buckingham, Wolsey, Cromwell, all were given
in turn; for with the happiest knack, the happiest power of jumping
and guessing, he could always alight at will on the best scene, or the
best speeches of each; and whether it were dignity, or pride, or tenderness,
or remorse, or whatever were to be expressed, he could do
it with equal fendi handbag beauty