October 17, 2025 • 19 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter thirty six. Edmond now believed himself perfectly acquainted with
all that Fanny could tell or could leave to be
conjectured of her sentiments, and he was satisfied it had been,
as he before presumed, too hasty a measure on Crawford's side,
and time must be given to make the idea first
familiar and then agreeable to her. She must be used
(00:23):
to the consideration of his being in love with her,
and then a return of affection might not be very distant.
He gave this opinion as the result of the conversation
to his father, and recommended there being nothing more said
to her, no farther attempts to influence or persuade, but
that everything should be left to Crawford's assiduities and the
(00:43):
natural workings of her own mind. Sir Thomas promised that
it should be so. Edmond's account of Fanny's disposition he
could believe to be just. He supposed she had all
those feelings, but he must consider it as very unfortunate
that she had far less willing than his son to
trust her the future. He could not help fearing that
if such very long allowances of time and habit were necessary,
(01:05):
for her, she might not have persuaded herself into receiving
his addresses properly before the young man's inclination for paying them. Moreover,
there was nothing to be done, however, but to submit
quietly and hope the best. The promised visit from her friend,
as Edmund called, Miss Crawford, was a formidable threat to Fanny,
and she lived in continual terror of it. As a
(01:28):
sister so partial and so angry, and so little scrupulous
of what she said, and in another light, so triumphant
and secure, she was in every way an object of
painful alarm. Her displeasure, her penetration, and her happiness were
all fearful to encounter, and the dependence of having others
present when they met was Fanny's only support in looking
(01:49):
forward to it. She absented herself as little as possible
from Lady Bertram, kept away from the east room, and
took no solitary walk in the shrubbery in her caution
to avoid any sudden attack. She succeeded. She was safe
in the breakfast room with her aunt when Miss Crawford
did come, and the first misery over, and Miss Crawford
(02:10):
looking and speaking with much less particularity of expression than
she had anticipated. Fanny began to hope there would be
nothing worse to be endured than in half hour of
moderate agitation. But here she hoped too much. Miss Crawford
was not the slave of opportunity. She was determined to
see Fanny alone, and therefore said to her tolerably soon,
(02:31):
in a low voice, I must speak to you for
a few minutes somewhere, words that Fanny felt all over her,
in all her pulses and all her nerves. Denial was impossible.
Her habits of ready submission, on the contrary, made her
almost instantly rise and lead the way out of the room.
She did it with wretched feelings, but it was inevitable.
(02:53):
They were no sooner in the hall than all restraint
of countenance was over. On Miss Crawford's side, she immediately
shook her headed Fanny with arch yet affectionate reproach, and
taking her hand. Seemed hardly able to help. Beginning directly,
she said nothing, however, but sad, sad girl, I do
not know when I shall have done scolding you, And
(03:13):
had discretion enough to reserve the rest till they might
be secure of having four walls to themselves. Fanny naturally
turned upstairs and took her guest to the apartment, which
was now always fit for comfortable use, opening the door, however,
with a most aching heart and feeling that she had
a more distressing scene before her than ever that spot
(03:34):
had yet witnessed. But the evil ready to burst on
her was at least delayed by the sudden change in
Miss Crawford's ideas, by the strong effect on her mind
which the finding herself in the east room again produced
a She cried with instant animation, Am I here again
the east room? Once? Only was I in this room before?
(03:55):
And after stopping to look about her and seemingly to
retrace all thated them pst. She added, only once before?
Do you remember it? I came to rehearse. Your cousin
came too, and we had a rehearsal. You were our
audience and prompter, a delightful rehearsal. I shall never forget it.
Here we were just in this part of the room.
(04:16):
Here was your cousin, Here was I? Here were the chairs? Oh?
Why will such things ever pass away? Happily? For her companion?
She wanted no answer. Her mind was entirely self engrossed.
She was in a reverie of sweet remembrances. The scene
we were rehearsing was so very remarkable, the subject of
it so very very What shall I say? He was
(04:40):
to be describing and recommending matrimony to me? I think
I see him now trying to be as demure and
composed as anhalt ought through the two long speeches. When
two sympathetic hearts meet in the marriage state, matrimony may
be called a happy life. I suppose no time can
never wear out the depression I have of his looks
(05:01):
and voice. As he said those words, It was curious,
very curious that we should have such a scene to play.
If I had the power of recalling any one week
of my existence, it should be that week, that acting week.
Say what you would, Fanny, it should be that, For
I never knew such exquisite happiness in any other His
(05:22):
sturdy spirit to bend as it did. Oh, it was
sweet beyond expression. But alas that very evening destroyed it all.
That very evening brought your most unwelcome uncle, poor Sir Thomas,
who was glad to see you. Yet, Fanny, do not
imagine that I would now speak disrespectfully of Sir Thomas,
though I certainly did hate him for many a week. No,
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I do him justice now. He is just what the
head of such a family should be. Nay, in sober sadness,
I believe I now love you all. And having said
so with the degree of tenderness and consciousness which Fanny
had never seen in her before, and now thought only
Tubica coming, she turned away for a moment to recover herself.
(06:03):
I have had a little fit since I came into
this room, as you may perceive, she said, presently, with
a playful smile. But it is over now, so let
us sit down and be comfortable. For as to scolding you, Fanny,
which I came fully intending to do, I have not
the heart for it when it comes to the point,
and embracing her very affectionately, good gentle Fanny. When I
(06:25):
think of this being the last time of seeing you,
for I do not know how long I feel it
quite impossible to do anything but love you. Fanny was affected.
She had not foreseen anything of this, and her feelings
could seldom withstand the melancholy influence of the word last.
She cried, as if she had loved Miss Crawford more
than she possibly could, and Miss Crawford yet farther, softened
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by the sight of such emotion, hung about her with fondness,
and said, I hate to leave you. I shall see
no one half so amiable where I am going who
says we shall not be sisters. I know we shall.
I feel that we are born to be connected, and
those tears convince me that you feel it, too, dear Fanny.
Fanny roused herself, and, replying only in part, said, but
(07:10):
you are only going from one set of friends to another.
You are going to a very particular friend. Yes, very true.
Missus Fraser has been my intimate friend for years. But
I have not the least inclination to go near her.
I can think only of the friends I am leaving,
my excellent sister, yourself, and the Bertrams in general. You
(07:31):
have all so much more heart among you than one
finds in the world at large. You will give me
a feeling of being able to trust and confide in you,
which in common intercourse one knows nothing of. I wish
I had settled with Missus Fraser not to go to
her till after Easter, a much better time for the visit.
But now I cannot put her off, and when I
(07:51):
have done with her, I must go to her sister,
Lady Stornaway, because she was rather my most particular friend
of the two. But I have not cared much for
her these three years. After this speech, the two girls
sat many minutes silent, each thoughtful, Fanny meditating on the
different sorts of friendship in the world, Mary on something
of less philosophic tendency. She first spoke again, how perfectly
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I remember my resolving to look for you upstairs, and
setting off to find my way to the east room
without having an idea whereabouts it was, How well I
remember what I was thinking of as I came along,
and my looking in and seeing you here sitting at
this table at work, and then your cousin's astonishment when
he opened the door at seeing me here to be
(08:37):
sure your uncle's returning that very evening. There never was
anything quite like it. Another short fit of abstraction followed.
When shaking it off, she thus attacked her companion, Why, Fanny,
you are absolutely in a reverie, thinking, I hope of
one who is always thinking of you, Oh, that I
could transport you for a short time into our Sir
(09:00):
colin Town, that you might understand how your power over
Henry is thought of. There, Oh, the envyings and heart
burnings of dozens and dozens, the wonder the incredulity that
will be felt at hearing what you have done. For
as to secrecy, Henry is quite the hero of an
old romance and glories in his chains. You should come
to London to know how to estimate your conquest if
(09:23):
you were to see how he is courted, and how
I am courted for his sake. Now I am well
aware that I shall not be half so welcome to
missus Fraser in consequence of a situation with you. When
she comes to know the truth, she will very likely
wish me in Northamptonshire again, For there is a daughter
of mister Fraser by a first wife, whom she is
wild to get married and wants Henry to take. Oh.
(09:45):
She has been trying for him to such a degree.
Innocent and quiet as you sit here, you cannot have
an idea of the sensation that you will be occasioning,
of the curiosity there will be to see you, of
the endless questions I shall have to answer. Poor Margaret
Fraser will be at me forever about your eyes and
your teeth, and how you do your hair, and who
(10:05):
makes your shoes. I wish Margaret were married for my
poor friend's sake, for I look upon the Frasers to
be about as unhappy as most other married people. And
yet it was a most desirable match for Janet at
the time. We were all delighted. She could not do
otherwise than accept him, for he was rich and she
had nothing. But he turns out ill tempered and exigent,
(10:26):
and wants a young woman, a beautiful young woman of
five and twenty, to be as steady as himself. And
my friend does not manage him well. She does not
seem to know how to make the best of it.
There is a spirit of irritation, which, to say nothing worse,
is certainly very ill bred in their house. I shall
call to mind the conjugal manners of Mansfield Parsonage with respect.
(10:50):
Even doctor Grant does show a thorough confidence in my sister,
and a certain consideration for her judgment, which makes one
feel there is attachment. But of that I shall see nothing.
With the Frasers. I shall be at Mansfield forever, Fanny,
my own sister as a wife Sir Thomas Bertram as
a husband are my standards of perfection. Poor Janet has
(11:11):
been sadly taken in, and yet there was nothing improper
on her side. She did not run into the match inconsiderately,
there was no want of foresight. She took three days
to consider of his proposals, and during those three days
asked the advice of everybody connected with her whose opinion
was worth having, and especially applied to my late dear aunt,
(11:32):
whose knowledge of the world made her judgment very generally
and deservedly looked up to by all the young people
of her acquaintance, and she was decidedly in favor of
mister Fraser. This seems as if nothing were a security
for matrimonial comfort. I have not so much to say
for my friend Flora, who jilted a very nice young
man in the Blues for the sake of that horrid
(11:54):
Lord Stornaway, who has about as much sense Fanny as
mister Rushworth, but much worse looking and with a blaggered character.
I had my doubts at the time about her being right,
for he has not even the air of a gentleman.
And now I am sure she was wrong by the bye.
Flora Ross was dying for Henry the first winter she
(12:14):
came out. But were I to attempt to tell you
of all the women whom I have known to be
in love with him, I should never have done. It
is you, only you, insensible Fanny, who can think of
him with anything like indifference. But are you so insensible
as you profess yourself? No, No, I see you are not.
There was indeed so deep a blush over Fanny's face
(12:36):
at that moment as might warrant strong suspicion in a
predisposed mind, excellent creature. I will not tease you. Everything
shall take its course. But dear Fanny, you must allow
that you were not so absolutely unprepared to have the
question asked, as your cousin fancies. It is not possible
but that you must have had some thoughts on the subject,
(12:58):
some surmises as to what might be. You must have
seen that he was trying to please you by every
attention in his power. Was not he devoted to you
at the ball? And then before the ball the necklace? Oh,
you received it just as it was meant. You were
as conscious as heart could desire. I remember it perfectly.
Do you mean, then, that your brother knew of the
(13:19):
necklace beforehand. Oh, Miss Crawford, that was not fair knew
of it. It was his own doing, entirely his own thought.
I am ashamed to say that it had never ended
my head, but I was delighted to act on his
proposal for both your sakes. I will not say, replied Fanny,
that I was not half afraid at the time of
its being so, for there was something in your look
(13:41):
that frightened me, but not at first. I was as
unsuspicious of it at first. Indeed, indeed I was. It
is as true as that I sit here and had
I had an idea of it. Nothing should have induced
me to accept the necklace. As to your brother's behavior,
certainly I was sensible of a particularity. I had been
sensible of it some little time, perhaps two or three weeks.
(14:04):
But then I considered it as meaning nothing. I put
it down as simply being his way, and was as
far from supposing as from wishing him to have any
serious thoughts on me. I had not Miss Crawford been
an inattentive observer of what was passing between him and
some part of this family in the summer and autumn
I was quiet, but I was not blind. I could
(14:25):
not but see that mister Crawford allowed in himself gallantries
which did mean nothing. Ah, I cannot deny it. He
has now and then been a sad flirt and cared
very little for the havoc he might be making in
young ladies affections. I have often scolded him for it,
but it is his only fault. And there is this
to be said, that very few young ladies have any
(14:48):
affections worth caring for. And then Fanny, the glory of
fixing one who has been shot at by so many,
of having it in one's power to pay off the
debts of one's sex. Oh, I am sure it is
in woman's nature to refuse such a triumph. Fanny shook
her head. I cannot think while of a man who
sports with any woman's feelings, and there may often be
(15:09):
a great deal more suffered than a stand up by
can judge of. I do not defend him. I leave
him entirely to your mercy. And when he has got
you at Evringham, I do not care how much you
lecture him. But this I will say that his fault
the liking to make girls a little in love with
him is not half so dangerous to a wife's happiness
as a tendency to fall in love himself, which he
(15:32):
has never been addicted to. And I do seriously and
truly believe that he is attached to you in a
way he never was to any woman before, and that
he loves you with all his heart and will love
you as nearly forever as possible, if any man ever
loved a woman for ever. I think Henry will do
as much for you. Fanny could not avoid a faint smile,
(15:53):
but had nothing to say. I cannot imagine Henry ever
to have been happier, continued Mary presently than when he
had succeeded in getting your brother's commission. She had made
a sure push at Fanny's feelings here. Oh yes, how
very very kind of him. I know he must have
exerted himself very much, for I know the parties he
(16:14):
had to move. The Admiral hates trouble and schools asking favors,
and there are so many young men's claims to be
attended to in the same way that her friendship and
energy not very determined is easily put by what a
happy creature William must be I wish we could see him.
Poor Fanny's mind was thrown into the most distressing of
(16:35):
all its varieties. The recollection of what had been done
for William was always the most powerful disturber of every
decision against mister Crawford, and she sat thinking deeply of
it till Mary, who had been first watching her complacently
and then musing on something else, suddenly called her attention
by saying, I should like to sit talking with you
(16:55):
here all day, but we must not forget the ladies below.
And so good bye, my dear, my amiable, my excellent Fanny.
For though we shall nominally part in the breakfast parlor,
I must take leave of you here, and I do
take leave, longing for a happy reunion, and trusting that
when we meet again, it will be under circumstances which
may open our hearts to each other without any remnant
(17:18):
of shadow or reserve. A very very kind embrace and
some agitation of manner accompanied these words, I shall see
your cousin in town soon. He talks of being there
tolerably soon. And Sir Thomas, I dare say, in the
course of the spring, and your eldest cousin and the
Rushworths and Julia. I am sure of meeting again and
(17:38):
again and all. But you. I have two favors to ask, Fanny.
One is your correspondence you must write to me, and
the other that you will often call on missus Grant
and make her amends for my being gone. The first,
at least of these favors, Fanny would rather not have
been asked, but it was impossible for her to refuse
the correspondence. It was impossible for her even not to
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accede to it more readily than her own judgment authorized.
There was no resisting so much apparent affection. Her disposition
was peculiarly calculated to value a fond treatment, and from
having hitherto known so little of it, she was the
more overcome by Miss Crawford's. Besides, there was gratitude towards
her for having made their tete a tete so much
(18:22):
less painful that her fears had predicted. It was over,
and she had escaped without reproaches and without detection. Her
secret was still her own, and while that was the case,
she thought she could resign herself to almost everything. In
the evening, there was another parting Henry Crawford came and
sat some time with them, and her spirits, not being
(18:43):
previously in the strongest state, her heart was softened for
a while towards him, because he really seemed to feel
quite unlike his usual self. He scarcely said anything. He
was evidently oppressed, and Fanny must grieve for him, though
hoping she might never see him again till he were
the husband of some other woman. When it came to
the moment of parting, he would take her hand. He
(19:05):
would not be denied it. He said nothing, however, or
nothing that she heard, and when he had left the room,
she was better pleased that such a token of friendship
had passed. On the morrow the Crawfords were gone. End
of Chapter thirty six.
Chapter thirty six. Edmond now believed himself perfectly acquainted with
all that Fanny could tell or could leave to be
conjectured of her sentiments, and he was satisfied it had been,
as he before presumed, too hasty a measure on Crawford's side,
and time must be given to make the idea first
familiar and then agreeable to her. She must be used
(00:23):
to the consideration of his being in love with her,
and then a return of affection might not be very distant.
He gave this opinion as the result of the conversation
to his father, and recommended there being nothing more said
to her, no farther attempts to influence or persuade, but
that everything should be left to Crawford's assiduities and the
(00:43):
natural workings of her own mind. Sir Thomas promised that
it should be so. Edmond's account of Fanny's disposition he
could believe to be just. He supposed she had all
those feelings, but he must consider it as very unfortunate
that she had far less willing than his son to
trust her the future. He could not help fearing that
if such very long allowances of time and habit were necessary,
(01:05):
for her, she might not have persuaded herself into receiving
his addresses properly before the young man's inclination for paying them. Moreover,
there was nothing to be done, however, but to submit
quietly and hope the best. The promised visit from her friend,
as Edmund called, Miss Crawford, was a formidable threat to Fanny,
and she lived in continual terror of it. As a
(01:28):
sister so partial and so angry, and so little scrupulous
of what she said, and in another light, so triumphant
and secure, she was in every way an object of
painful alarm. Her displeasure, her penetration, and her happiness were
all fearful to encounter, and the dependence of having others
present when they met was Fanny's only support in looking
(01:49):
forward to it. She absented herself as little as possible
from Lady Bertram, kept away from the east room, and
took no solitary walk in the shrubbery in her caution
to avoid any sudden attack. She succeeded. She was safe
in the breakfast room with her aunt when Miss Crawford
did come, and the first misery over, and Miss Crawford
(02:10):
looking and speaking with much less particularity of expression than
she had anticipated. Fanny began to hope there would be
nothing worse to be endured than in half hour of
moderate agitation. But here she hoped too much. Miss Crawford
was not the slave of opportunity. She was determined to
see Fanny alone, and therefore said to her tolerably soon,
(02:31):
in a low voice, I must speak to you for
a few minutes somewhere, words that Fanny felt all over her,
in all her pulses and all her nerves. Denial was impossible.
Her habits of ready submission, on the contrary, made her
almost instantly rise and lead the way out of the room.
She did it with wretched feelings, but it was inevitable.
(02:53):
They were no sooner in the hall than all restraint
of countenance was over. On Miss Crawford's side, she immediately
shook her headed Fanny with arch yet affectionate reproach, and
taking her hand. Seemed hardly able to help. Beginning directly,
she said nothing, however, but sad, sad girl, I do
not know when I shall have done scolding you, And
(03:13):
had discretion enough to reserve the rest till they might
be secure of having four walls to themselves. Fanny naturally
turned upstairs and took her guest to the apartment, which
was now always fit for comfortable use, opening the door, however,
with a most aching heart and feeling that she had
a more distressing scene before her than ever that spot
(03:34):
had yet witnessed. But the evil ready to burst on
her was at least delayed by the sudden change in
Miss Crawford's ideas, by the strong effect on her mind
which the finding herself in the east room again produced
a She cried with instant animation, Am I here again
the east room? Once? Only was I in this room before?
(03:55):
And after stopping to look about her and seemingly to
retrace all thated them pst. She added, only once before?
Do you remember it? I came to rehearse. Your cousin
came too, and we had a rehearsal. You were our
audience and prompter, a delightful rehearsal. I shall never forget it.
Here we were just in this part of the room.
(04:16):
Here was your cousin, Here was I? Here were the chairs? Oh?
Why will such things ever pass away? Happily? For her companion?
She wanted no answer. Her mind was entirely self engrossed.
She was in a reverie of sweet remembrances. The scene
we were rehearsing was so very remarkable, the subject of
it so very very What shall I say? He was
(04:40):
to be describing and recommending matrimony to me? I think
I see him now trying to be as demure and
composed as anhalt ought through the two long speeches. When
two sympathetic hearts meet in the marriage state, matrimony may
be called a happy life. I suppose no time can
never wear out the depression I have of his looks
(05:01):
and voice. As he said those words, It was curious,
very curious that we should have such a scene to play.
If I had the power of recalling any one week
of my existence, it should be that week, that acting week.
Say what you would, Fanny, it should be that, For
I never knew such exquisite happiness in any other His
(05:22):
sturdy spirit to bend as it did. Oh, it was
sweet beyond expression. But alas that very evening destroyed it all.
That very evening brought your most unwelcome uncle, poor Sir Thomas,
who was glad to see you. Yet, Fanny, do not
imagine that I would now speak disrespectfully of Sir Thomas,
though I certainly did hate him for many a week. No,
(05:43):
I do him justice now. He is just what the
head of such a family should be. Nay, in sober sadness,
I believe I now love you all. And having said
so with the degree of tenderness and consciousness which Fanny
had never seen in her before, and now thought only
Tubica coming, she turned away for a moment to recover herself.
(06:03):
I have had a little fit since I came into
this room, as you may perceive, she said, presently, with
a playful smile. But it is over now, so let
us sit down and be comfortable. For as to scolding you, Fanny,
which I came fully intending to do, I have not
the heart for it when it comes to the point,
and embracing her very affectionately, good gentle Fanny. When I
(06:25):
think of this being the last time of seeing you,
for I do not know how long I feel it
quite impossible to do anything but love you. Fanny was affected.
She had not foreseen anything of this, and her feelings
could seldom withstand the melancholy influence of the word last.
She cried, as if she had loved Miss Crawford more
than she possibly could, and Miss Crawford yet farther, softened
(06:48):
by the sight of such emotion, hung about her with fondness,
and said, I hate to leave you. I shall see
no one half so amiable where I am going who
says we shall not be sisters. I know we shall.
I feel that we are born to be connected, and
those tears convince me that you feel it, too, dear Fanny.
Fanny roused herself, and, replying only in part, said, but
(07:10):
you are only going from one set of friends to another.
You are going to a very particular friend. Yes, very true.
Missus Fraser has been my intimate friend for years. But
I have not the least inclination to go near her.
I can think only of the friends I am leaving,
my excellent sister, yourself, and the Bertrams in general. You
(07:31):
have all so much more heart among you than one
finds in the world at large. You will give me
a feeling of being able to trust and confide in you,
which in common intercourse one knows nothing of. I wish
I had settled with Missus Fraser not to go to
her till after Easter, a much better time for the visit.
But now I cannot put her off, and when I
(07:51):
have done with her, I must go to her sister,
Lady Stornaway, because she was rather my most particular friend
of the two. But I have not cared much for
her these three years. After this speech, the two girls
sat many minutes silent, each thoughtful, Fanny meditating on the
different sorts of friendship in the world, Mary on something
of less philosophic tendency. She first spoke again, how perfectly
(08:16):
I remember my resolving to look for you upstairs, and
setting off to find my way to the east room
without having an idea whereabouts it was, How well I
remember what I was thinking of as I came along,
and my looking in and seeing you here sitting at
this table at work, and then your cousin's astonishment when
he opened the door at seeing me here to be
(08:37):
sure your uncle's returning that very evening. There never was
anything quite like it. Another short fit of abstraction followed.
When shaking it off, she thus attacked her companion, Why, Fanny,
you are absolutely in a reverie, thinking, I hope of
one who is always thinking of you, Oh, that I
could transport you for a short time into our Sir
(09:00):
colin Town, that you might understand how your power over
Henry is thought of. There, Oh, the envyings and heart
burnings of dozens and dozens, the wonder the incredulity that
will be felt at hearing what you have done. For
as to secrecy, Henry is quite the hero of an
old romance and glories in his chains. You should come
to London to know how to estimate your conquest if
(09:23):
you were to see how he is courted, and how
I am courted for his sake. Now I am well
aware that I shall not be half so welcome to
missus Fraser in consequence of a situation with you. When
she comes to know the truth, she will very likely
wish me in Northamptonshire again, For there is a daughter
of mister Fraser by a first wife, whom she is
wild to get married and wants Henry to take. Oh.
(09:45):
She has been trying for him to such a degree.
Innocent and quiet as you sit here, you cannot have
an idea of the sensation that you will be occasioning,
of the curiosity there will be to see you, of
the endless questions I shall have to answer. Poor Margaret
Fraser will be at me forever about your eyes and
your teeth, and how you do your hair, and who
(10:05):
makes your shoes. I wish Margaret were married for my
poor friend's sake, for I look upon the Frasers to
be about as unhappy as most other married people. And
yet it was a most desirable match for Janet at
the time. We were all delighted. She could not do
otherwise than accept him, for he was rich and she
had nothing. But he turns out ill tempered and exigent,
(10:26):
and wants a young woman, a beautiful young woman of
five and twenty, to be as steady as himself. And
my friend does not manage him well. She does not
seem to know how to make the best of it.
There is a spirit of irritation, which, to say nothing worse,
is certainly very ill bred in their house. I shall
call to mind the conjugal manners of Mansfield Parsonage with respect.
(10:50):
Even doctor Grant does show a thorough confidence in my sister,
and a certain consideration for her judgment, which makes one
feel there is attachment. But of that I shall see nothing.
With the Frasers. I shall be at Mansfield forever, Fanny,
my own sister as a wife Sir Thomas Bertram as
a husband are my standards of perfection. Poor Janet has
(11:11):
been sadly taken in, and yet there was nothing improper
on her side. She did not run into the match inconsiderately,
there was no want of foresight. She took three days
to consider of his proposals, and during those three days
asked the advice of everybody connected with her whose opinion
was worth having, and especially applied to my late dear aunt,
(11:32):
whose knowledge of the world made her judgment very generally
and deservedly looked up to by all the young people
of her acquaintance, and she was decidedly in favor of
mister Fraser. This seems as if nothing were a security
for matrimonial comfort. I have not so much to say
for my friend Flora, who jilted a very nice young
man in the Blues for the sake of that horrid
(11:54):
Lord Stornaway, who has about as much sense Fanny as
mister Rushworth, but much worse looking and with a blaggered character.
I had my doubts at the time about her being right,
for he has not even the air of a gentleman.
And now I am sure she was wrong by the bye.
Flora Ross was dying for Henry the first winter she
(12:14):
came out. But were I to attempt to tell you
of all the women whom I have known to be
in love with him, I should never have done. It
is you, only you, insensible Fanny, who can think of
him with anything like indifference. But are you so insensible
as you profess yourself? No, No, I see you are not.
There was indeed so deep a blush over Fanny's face
(12:36):
at that moment as might warrant strong suspicion in a
predisposed mind, excellent creature. I will not tease you. Everything
shall take its course. But dear Fanny, you must allow
that you were not so absolutely unprepared to have the
question asked, as your cousin fancies. It is not possible
but that you must have had some thoughts on the subject,
(12:58):
some surmises as to what might be. You must have
seen that he was trying to please you by every
attention in his power. Was not he devoted to you
at the ball? And then before the ball the necklace? Oh,
you received it just as it was meant. You were
as conscious as heart could desire. I remember it perfectly.
Do you mean, then, that your brother knew of the
(13:19):
necklace beforehand. Oh, Miss Crawford, that was not fair knew
of it. It was his own doing, entirely his own thought.
I am ashamed to say that it had never ended
my head, but I was delighted to act on his
proposal for both your sakes. I will not say, replied Fanny,
that I was not half afraid at the time of
its being so, for there was something in your look
(13:41):
that frightened me, but not at first. I was as
unsuspicious of it at first. Indeed, indeed I was. It
is as true as that I sit here and had
I had an idea of it. Nothing should have induced
me to accept the necklace. As to your brother's behavior,
certainly I was sensible of a particularity. I had been
sensible of it some little time, perhaps two or three weeks.
(14:04):
But then I considered it as meaning nothing. I put
it down as simply being his way, and was as
far from supposing as from wishing him to have any
serious thoughts on me. I had not Miss Crawford been
an inattentive observer of what was passing between him and
some part of this family in the summer and autumn
I was quiet, but I was not blind. I could
(14:25):
not but see that mister Crawford allowed in himself gallantries
which did mean nothing. Ah, I cannot deny it. He
has now and then been a sad flirt and cared
very little for the havoc he might be making in
young ladies affections. I have often scolded him for it,
but it is his only fault. And there is this
to be said, that very few young ladies have any
(14:48):
affections worth caring for. And then Fanny, the glory of
fixing one who has been shot at by so many,
of having it in one's power to pay off the
debts of one's sex. Oh, I am sure it is
in woman's nature to refuse such a triumph. Fanny shook
her head. I cannot think while of a man who
sports with any woman's feelings, and there may often be
(15:09):
a great deal more suffered than a stand up by
can judge of. I do not defend him. I leave
him entirely to your mercy. And when he has got
you at Evringham, I do not care how much you
lecture him. But this I will say that his fault
the liking to make girls a little in love with
him is not half so dangerous to a wife's happiness
as a tendency to fall in love himself, which he
(15:32):
has never been addicted to. And I do seriously and
truly believe that he is attached to you in a
way he never was to any woman before, and that
he loves you with all his heart and will love
you as nearly forever as possible, if any man ever
loved a woman for ever. I think Henry will do
as much for you. Fanny could not avoid a faint smile,
(15:53):
but had nothing to say. I cannot imagine Henry ever
to have been happier, continued Mary presently than when he
had succeeded in getting your brother's commission. She had made
a sure push at Fanny's feelings here. Oh yes, how
very very kind of him. I know he must have
exerted himself very much, for I know the parties he
(16:14):
had to move. The Admiral hates trouble and schools asking favors,
and there are so many young men's claims to be
attended to in the same way that her friendship and
energy not very determined is easily put by what a
happy creature William must be I wish we could see him.
Poor Fanny's mind was thrown into the most distressing of
(16:35):
all its varieties. The recollection of what had been done
for William was always the most powerful disturber of every
decision against mister Crawford, and she sat thinking deeply of
it till Mary, who had been first watching her complacently
and then musing on something else, suddenly called her attention
by saying, I should like to sit talking with you
(16:55):
here all day, but we must not forget the ladies below.
And so good bye, my dear, my amiable, my excellent Fanny.
For though we shall nominally part in the breakfast parlor,
I must take leave of you here, and I do
take leave, longing for a happy reunion, and trusting that
when we meet again, it will be under circumstances which
may open our hearts to each other without any remnant
(17:18):
of shadow or reserve. A very very kind embrace and
some agitation of manner accompanied these words, I shall see
your cousin in town soon. He talks of being there
tolerably soon. And Sir Thomas, I dare say, in the
course of the spring, and your eldest cousin and the
Rushworths and Julia. I am sure of meeting again and
(17:38):
again and all. But you. I have two favors to ask, Fanny.
One is your correspondence you must write to me, and
the other that you will often call on missus Grant
and make her amends for my being gone. The first,
at least of these favors, Fanny would rather not have
been asked, but it was impossible for her to refuse
the correspondence. It was impossible for her even not to
(18:01):
accede to it more readily than her own judgment authorized.
There was no resisting so much apparent affection. Her disposition
was peculiarly calculated to value a fond treatment, and from
having hitherto known so little of it, she was the
more overcome by Miss Crawford's. Besides, there was gratitude towards
her for having made their tete a tete so much
(18:22):
less painful that her fears had predicted. It was over,
and she had escaped without reproaches and without detection. Her
secret was still her own, and while that was the case,
she thought she could resign herself to almost everything. In
the evening, there was another parting Henry Crawford came and
sat some time with them, and her spirits, not being
(18:43):
previously in the strongest state, her heart was softened for
a while towards him, because he really seemed to feel
quite unlike his usual self. He scarcely said anything. He
was evidently oppressed, and Fanny must grieve for him, though
hoping she might never see him again till he were
the husband of some other woman. When it came to
the moment of parting, he would take her hand. He
(19:05):
would not be denied it. He said nothing, however, or
nothing that she heard, and when he had left the room,
she was better pleased that such a token of friendship
had passed. On the morrow the Crawfords were gone. End
of Chapter thirty six.
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